DOOLEYS The Chosen Few UK 7" 45

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The Dooleys were a British male–female pop group comprising at its peak eight members – six of them in the Dooley family. The group achieved several UK chart hits between 1977 and 1981, including top-ten hits " Wanted", "Love of My Life" and "The Chosen Few". A string of hits followed with varying degrees of success, and they travelled around Europe and the Far East as one of the busiest live acts around. Their chart run came to a peak in 1979 when they scored their two biggest hits: "Wanted" (UK no. 3) and "The Chosen Few" (UK no. 7). [5] "Wanted" was also a hit in Japan, where it reached no. 1 for ten weeks, [6] and led to their being entered into the Tokyo Music Festival in 1980. They won the "Gold Award" (second place) with the song "Body Language" (a song written by Ben Findon, Mike Myers and Robert Puzey), [3] which also went to no. 1 (for seven weeks). [6] In 1975, they were invited to tour in Eastern Europe. During the tour they recorded a live album at the Rossia Hall in Moscow ( The Dooley Family in Moscow, Live Concert at Rossia Hall, 29 October 1975). The album went on to sell two million copies there. [3] This was a couple of years before they had a chart hit in their homeland, and some three years before Elton John's concerts in Russia.

In 2012, Helen, Anne and Bob (now living in Somerset West near Cape Town, South Africa), performed as a band called Shiraz. [7] Discography [ edit ] Albums [ edit ] Year The group reunited for a one-off performance on 6 January 2006, at Helderberg Nature Reserve near Cape Town, South Africa.UK NATIONAL FINAL 1974". 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009 . Retrieved 25 June 2014.

Moving on to "The Chosen Few" (album), the 2 singles featured ("Wanted" No3 and "The Chosen Few" No7) saw The Dooleys reach their height in the UK. With the 2 singles chart lengths the group enjoyed almost 6 consecutive months in the UK charts. The group began in the late 1960s as "The Dooley Family", composed of brothers Jim (vocals), John ( guitar and vocals) and Frank (guitar and vocals) with sisters Marie, Anne and Kathy (all vocals). [1] Based in Ilford, Essex, England, [1] the group had work that was mostly limited to theatres and hotels because the three youngest members were still at school and therefore not allowed to perform in pubs. They appeared in variety shows alongside popular entertainers such as Bob Monkhouse, Frankie Howerd, Norman Collier and Anne Shelton. They wrote to him, reminding of the story of "Hands Across The Sea" and he went to watch the groups show. He instantly signed them up to GTO Records, and the rest (as they say) is history.In the summer of 1977 (a decade after they were formed) the Dooleys had their first hit with "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love With You". [5] Following their move north, most of the gigs were booked by Jim and Bob (who spent their evenings visiting working men's clubs, selling the act). At that time, major agents were not interested in this kind of family group, and it took a lot of work on the band's part to convince them otherwise. In the meantime, they continued polishing their act and playing clubs. Eventually, they signed a management deal with Ken Wild; he introduced them to drummer Alan Bogan, who joined the group. [1] Sadly, a lot of momentum was lost as their 3rd release "Don't Take It Lying Down" was delayed for a number of months. I remember meeting The Dooleys at the very start of 1978 after falling in love with their 2nd hit. Speaking to the group, they said the 3rd single would be released early February.. March and April past before "Don't ..." hit the shops. They gained their first recording contract with John Schroeder who signed them to his Alaska Records company in 1974, and released two singles. The first of these was "Hands Across the Sea" (although its release was delayed by its entry into the Song for Europe contest, to be sung by Olivia Newton-John). [2] Early success [ edit ]