10 songs with a strong Teesside influence
Keep on Running All Right Now Livin’ Next Door to Alice Love is the Drug Oliver’ s Army Kayleigh The Road to Hell The King of Rock‘ n’ Roll Tubthumping Say You Won’ t Let Go
Any hits we missed? Write to dave @ resolutionpublishing. co. uk if you can add more names to this list of tuneful Teesside hit-makers.
Janick Gers
( Hartlepool) As lead guitarist for rock band Iron Maiden since 1990, Gers has played on 16 top 40 hits including No 1‘ Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter’, along with three No 1 albums. He had previously enjoyed a couple of top 40 hits with fellow rockers Gillan.
Chris Corner( Middlesbrough) A producer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, Corner formed Sneaker Pimps with fellow Teessider Liam Howe, and the trip hop band went on to enjoy five top 40 hits in the late 1990s.
Liam Howe( Hartlepool) Sneaker Pimps recorded their hit debut album‘ Becoming X’ at the Elwick home of Howe’ s father, as they went on to enjoy four top 40 successes. As a writer and producer, he has since worked with the likes of Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding and Adele.
Eddie Jobson
( Billingham) A talented keyboardist and violinist, Jobson played syntheziser on Bryan Ferry’ s first solo hit,‘ A Hard Rain’ s Gonna Fall’, before replacing Brian Eno as a member of Ferry’ s Roxy Music between 1973 and 1976, during which time‘ Love is the Drug’ was one of four top 40 hits. He also performed with Curved Air, Jethro Tull and Frank Zappa’ s Band.
Pete Trewavas( Middlesbrough) Although born on Teesside, bass guitarist Trewavas was raised in Buckinghamshire. Since he joined rockers Marillion in 1982 they’ ve enjoyed 24 UK top 40 hits including 1985 No 2‘ Kayleigh’.
Pete York( Redcar) York was drummer for the Spencer Davis Group, who achieved back-to-back No 1’ s in the mid-1960s with‘ Keep on Running’ and‘ Somebody Help Me’ among a total of seven top 40 hits.
Dunstan Bruce( Billingham) Bruce was part of archo-pop band Chumbawumba, best known for their 1997 No 2‘ Tubthumping’, which reached No 1 in both Australia and Canada. The band achieved two further UK top 40 successes.
Richard Hewson( Stockton) A producer and multi-instrumentalist, Hewson was the sole member of studio group, The RAH Band, enjoying No 6 hits with both‘ The Crunch’( 1978) and‘ Clouds Across the Moon’( 1985) among three top 40 hits. He had previously arranged The Beatles’‘ Long and Winding Road’, whilst also arranging for such luminaries as The Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Art Garfunkel, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and Chris Rea. In the’ 80s he was also producer for hits by Toyah, Five Star and Shakin’ Stevens.
Bruce Thomas
( Stockton) Thomas was bassist for Elvis Costello’ s backing group, The Attractions, but was originally part of an unsuccessful band, The Wildflowers, with fellow Teessiders Paul Rodgers and Micky Moody. With Costello, the Attractions had 14 UK top 40 hits, most memorably 1979 No 2‘ Oliver’ s Army’.
Wendy Smith( Middlesbrough) Smith performed the keyboard and provided backing vocals for North-East band Prefab Sprout, creators of seven top 40 hits between 1985 and 1997 including 1988’ s top 10‘ The King of Rock‘ n’ Roll’. In 2015 she was appointed Director of Learning and Participation at Sage Gateshead.
Adrian Rea
( Middlesbrough) Rea played drums on his cousin’ s first hit,‘ Fool( If You Think It’ s Over)’, in 1978, plus his later breakthrough with‘ Stainsby Girls’ and 1987’ s‘ Let’ s Dance’.
CJ Bolland( Stockton) Although he was born in Stockton, Bolland’ s family moved to Antwerp in Belgium when he was three. An electronic music producer, his single‘ Sugar Is Sweeter’ reached No 11 on the UK Singles Chart in 1996, with two further top 40 hits following over the next 12 months.
Marion Ryan
( Middlesbrough) Once called " the Marilyn Monroe of popular song ", Marion Ryan was a pop singer of the 1950s. Born Marion Sapherson in 1933, her song‘ Love Me Forever’ peaked at No 5 in 1958. A well-known TV personality of the era, her Leeds-born sons, Barry and Paul Ryan, later formed a double act, with Paul writing Barry’ s No 2 hit‘ Eloise’.
Paul Smith( Billingham) Not to be confused with his Maximo Park name-sake, the talented session drummer known as Little Paul, Billingham-born Smith performed on the Prefab Sprout top 30 hit‘ A Prisoner of the Past’ in 1997. He had previously enjoyed a short spell in punk band, The Toy Dolls, shortly after their no 4 hit‘ Nellie the Elephant’.
Alistair Griffin( Middlesbrough) Having finished second on the second series of Fame Academy, Castleton-raised Griffin hit the top five with his first hit,‘ Bring it On’, early in 2004. He has gone on to enjoy two further top 40 hits.
John Rogan( Hartlepool) Rogan performed for Adam Faith’ s backing band, The Roulettes, on 1963 No 5 success‘ The First Time’.
Jamie Tinkler( Middlesbrough) Linthorpe-born Tinkler enjoyed three top 20 hits in 1994-95 with Peter Waterman-signed band Pop!
Although he has never performed on a top 40 hit, a very creditable mention must go to Teessider Steve Thompson, writer of Wavelength’ s 1982 top 20 hit‘ Hurry Home’, who has also written for Elaine Paige and Celine Dion. Coulby Newham’ s Carl and Andy Pemberton also enjoyed a No 1 album in 2006 after finishing third in the second series of TV’ s X-Factor.
Wendy Smith
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