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Black Lace are a British pop band, best known for
novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...
party records, including their biggest hit, "
Agadoo "Agadoo" is a novelty song recorded by the British band Black Lace in 1984. "Agadoo" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,E ...
". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann". With numerous line-up changes (the only original member being Colin Gibb), Black Lace went on to have success with novelty party anthems such as " Superman" and "Do the Conga". Today, Black Lace consists of two working bands: the full-time international band (officially known as The Original Black Lace) featuring original member Colin Gibb, who has taken the band around the world playing party shows throughout Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Canada and the US; and the UK based part-time band, featuring ex member Dene Michael.


Pre-Black Lace (1973–1975)

Terry Dobson and school friend Ian Howarth formed The Impact, as a five-piece pop group in 1969, with
Alan Barton Alan Leslie Barton (16 September 1953 – 23 March 1995) was a British singer and member of the hit-making duo Black Lace. Their hits included " Agadoo", "Superman" and their United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest 1979 seventh-place finisher " M ...
, Steve Scholey and Nigel Scott. The group also performed under the names Penny Arcade and Love or Confusion. Ian Howarth left the band for a short while but returned to the line-up in 1974, and Dobson also left to be replaced briefly by Neil Hardcastle. Dobson then re-joined and Scott left in 1975; that same year the band adopted the name Black Lace. Ian Howarth left the band for good in 1976, and was replaced by Colin Gibb (born Colin Routh, 8 December 1953).


Black Lace (1976–1981)

After turning professional at the beginning of 1976, the band toured the majority of the UK, managed by Keith Mills, commencing their first summer season at the Skegness Bier Garten. The following year their summer season would take them to Butlins in Filey, North Yorkshire and Skegness, Lincolnshire. An EP was recorded and produced by comedian Freddie 'Parrotface' Davis at his studio, which was to be sold at their shows. The group were voted Yorkshire Band of the Year by BBC Radio Leeds, and best clubland group playing at the
Winter Gardens, Blackpool The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, operated by Blackpool Entertainment Compan ...
. In 1979, Black Lace recorded their first single, "Mary Ann", for
ATV music Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...
and a recording contract followed with
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
. As the song required a more 'throaty' vocal, Alan Barton was switched to being lead singer, with Steve Scholey moving to backing vocals for the band's recordings, but remained as lead singer on live performances. The song won the BBC Television's ''A Song For Europe'' and the band went on to represent the UK At the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest held in Israel, the band finished seventh. Other television appearances around this time included '' Nationwide'', ''
Multi-Coloured Swap Shop ''Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'', more commonly known simply as ''Swap Shop'', is a British children's television series that aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1976 to 27 March 1982. It was ground-breaking in many ways: by broadcasting on Saturday mornin ...
'', ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
'' and ''
Juke Box Jury ''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American serie ...
''. "Mary Ann" reached No. 42 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The band's follow-up single, "So Long Suzy Baby", failed to chart in the UK (as EMI couldn't decide on which track should be used and delayed on the planned release date), but achieved success in Europe. Black Lace found great success with live performances and TV shows, notably the 'Sopot International music festival' in Poland and the 'Golden Orpheus festival' in Bulgaria, and on TV in East Germany, West Germany and Spain. The band toured Denmark in 1980, supporting
Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of hit singles that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, reaching No. 1 in th ...
and working with
Tommy Seebach Tommy Seebach (14 September 1949 – 31 March 2003), born Tommy Seebach Mortensen in Copenhagen, Denmark, was a popular Danish singer, composer, organist, pianist and producer. He is best known as front man of Sir Henry and his Butlers and for nu ...
, a Danish entertainer. Black Lace and Seebach recorded "Hey Hey Jock McRay" for the Danish singles market, but an intended 1980 tour of Poland was called off because of political unrest in the country.


Chart success (1981–1987)

In 1981, the band split. Dobson joined the Castleford rock band Stormer who had a recording contract with Ringo Starr. Scholey departed, leaving the others to settle huge debts incurred whilst touring. The band became a duo of Gibb and Barton. It was this line-up that would give the band its biggest chart success. The duo played the Northern club circuit using pre-recorded backing tracks, which was controversial at the time. Initially they used the name 'Lace' but soon reverted to 'Black Lace' and recruited a new manager, John Wagstaff. They recorded an instrumental single based on the " Chicken Dance", released as "Birds Dance" in 1981 (using the name 'Busby' instead of Black Lace). However, the record was beaten to the charts by another version of the song by The Tweets released as "The Birdie Song". "Birds Dance" has since been retitled "The Birdie Song" and included on Black Lace albums. Black Lace's 1983 "Superman" single was their first one under their own name on the Flair label, and a promotional
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...
was shot at Casanova's
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
in Wakefield. One of the hired dancers was the then unknown singer Jane McDonald. "Superman" reached No. 9 in the UK chart, but an attempt at a follow-up single "Hey You!" failed to chart despite being
BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's 'Record of the Week'. Black Lace received a
silver disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
for sales of "Superman". They proceeded to tour Denmark with Danish stars '
Laban Laban is a French language, French surname. It may refer to: Places * Laban-e Olya, a village in Iran * Laban-e Sofla, a village in Iran * Laban, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * 8539 Laban, main-belt asteroid People ...
' and 'Snapshots' The band's biggest success came in 1984 with the single "
Agadoo "Agadoo" is a novelty song recorded by the British band Black Lace in 1984. "Agadoo" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,E ...
", selling over one million copies worldwide and reaching No. 2 in the UK chart. "Agadoo" was a hit in Europe, South Africa and Australia. Having been presented with a gold disc for sales in the UK. In a radio interview, presenter, Richard Whiteley forgets Gibb's name and refers to him as 'Mr Agadoo' (the name, Dean Michaels later adopts for himself, although having no connection with the actual record) The duo recorded their first album ''Black Lace'' at Stuck Ranch studios in Denmark. Around this time their record distribution company 'Pinicle' went into receivership, leading to Black Lace and their record company losing an estimated quarter of a million pounds in unpaid royalties for "Agadoo". The band's follow-up single, "Do The Conga", reached No. 10 in the UK chart, and the accompanying album ''Party Party – 16 Great Party Icebreakers'' sold over 650,000 copies in the first five weeks, reaching double platinum status and leading to the band doing TV shows in Germany, Luxembourg, France and Denmark. In 1985 another single, "El Vino Collapso", was released, with the video shot in Skegness. It failed to reach the top 40, stalling at No. 42 in the UK Singles Chart due to it being 'banned' by the BBC in the wake of the
Heysel Stadium disaster The Heysel Stadium disaster ( it, Strage dell'Heysel ; german: link=no, Katastrophe von Heysel ; french: Drame du Heysel ; nl, Heizeldrama ) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when mostly Juventus fans escaping from a breach by L ...
, as it had references to "drinking whilst abroad" and deemed unsuitable for radio play. Further releases "I Speaka Da Lingo" and "Hokey Cokey" reached No. 49 and No. 31, respectively. Black Lace also participated in the recording of the UK No. 1 hit "
You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and enco ...
" as part of the charity ensemble, The Crowd (which included members of 10cc,
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...
,
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
,
The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...
,
Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...
,
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
The Nolans The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish girl group who formed in Blackpool in 1974 as the Nolan Sisters, before changing their name in 1980. Often referred to as Ireland's ''First Family of Music'', they were the first Irish performing family to achiev ...
,
The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...
, Smokie,
Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...
, plus many more) to raise funds for the families of the victims of the Bradford City stadium fire. Black Lace's second album ''Party Party 2'' was released for Christmas 1985, and television appearances included a Black Lace special on the BBC 2 rock show ''
The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...
'', plus ''
3-2-1 ''3–2–1'' was a British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, from 29 July 1978 to 24 December 1988, with Ted Rogers as the host. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called '' Un, dos, tres... res ...
'', ''
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'', ''Miss Yorkshire Television'', ''International Disco Dance Championship'', ''
Pebble Mill at One ''Pebble Mill at One'' is a British television magazine programme that was broadcast live on weekdays at one o'clock on BBC1, from 2 October 1972 to 23 May 1986, and again from 14 October 1991 to 29 March 1996. It was transmitted from the Peb ...
'', and ''Top of the Pops'' Christmas Special. Because of such a demanding work schedule, Barton and Gibb found it necessary to charter a private aircraft to meet the deadlines, but the band's success led to a tax demand in excess of £100,000. In 1986, Dene Michael replaced Gibb, who took time out of live work with Black Lace (remaining an official member of the band) to concentrate on other projects including: promoting pop act 'Party Party' and participating in two tours of Germany, concentrating on a part-time photography business, setting up a food retail outlet, and a music equipment retail and installation business. Another single, "Wig Wam Bam", (featuring Barton, Gibb and Michael) reached No. 63 in the UK chart, but "Viva La Mexico", which was released to capitalise on the 1986 FIFA World Cup football competition, flopped when
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
was knocked out. Black Lace (Barton and Michael) appeared as themselves in the filming of the 1987 film ''
Rita, Sue and Bob Too ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' is a 1987 British comedy-drama film directed by Alan Clarke, set in Bradford, West Yorkshire about two teenaged schoolgirls who have a sexual fling with a married man. It was adapted by Andrea Dunbar, based on two of ...
'', which featured "Gang Bang" and "Have a Screw", which had been recorded by Barton and Gibb the previous year. The pair were also immortalised as caricatures in the TV show '
Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ...
' and the hit single '
The Chicken Song "The Chicken Song" is a novelty song by the British satirical comedy television programme ''Spitting Image'' (series 3, episode 6). The nonsensical lyrics were written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor; the music was written by Philip Pope, who als ...
'. The band had a UK hit with their album ''Party Crazy''.


Later career (1987–present)

September 1987 saw a switch round, Gibb returned ‘full-time’ with the band whilst Barton left to join Smokie. Michael became a full-time member of Black Lace and he and Gibb released the single "Jammin' the Sixties" under the name Barracuda. The record was BBC Radio One's Record of the Week, but failed to chart. A summer seasons at the
Blackpool Tower Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...
followed in 1989 and 1990, plus performances at the 'BBC Radio One Roadshow' in the town, along with the release of the single "I Am The Music Man" which peaked at No. 52 in the UK. In 1991, due to personal issues, Michael was forced to leave the band to be replaced by Rob Hopcraft. The pair released the single "Penny Arcade", penned by close friend Sammy King, which had originally been a hit for Roy Orbison in 1979. The band appeared on the BBC's '' Children in Need'' programme. Under an agreement with Gibb and Wagstaf, not to use the 'Black lace' name, Michael forms new band and uses the name ‘'Barracuda'’ (a pseudonym previously used by Black Lace for the single 'Jamin the 60's)but shortly disband. 1992 Black Lace toured Australia, but Hopcraft was unhappy with a hits album released by an Australian record company as it featured a photograph of his predecessor Dene Michael. 1994 saw the release of the single "Bullshit (Cotton Eyed Joe)", but the race for the charts was won by the Swedish band
Rednex Rednex is a Swedish musical group whose style is a mix of American country music and modern Eurodance, with their appearance and stage names taking inspiration from the American redneck stereotypes. The band originally consisted of the lead si ...
with another version of the same song. An album, ''Saturday Night'', followed. In 1995, Barton died as a result of a coach crash in Germany while touring with Smokie. Also in that year Black Lace shot a promotional video for the single "Electric Slide" in Benidorm, the first video not to be filmed in the UK, and played on British breakfast station GMTV live from
Torremolinos Torremolinos () is a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain, west of Málaga. A poor fishing village before the growth in tourism began in the late 1950s, Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol resorts to be developed and is still th ...
in Spain. Black Lace played one-off shows in 1996 at DJ conventions in Canada and Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. They released the ''Action Party'' and ''Best Of'' albums. Gibb was presented with a special Agadoo guitar to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary, but in 1996 Gibb was also made bankrupt by the
Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation t ...
. 15 August 1997 was dubbed Agadoo Day. Black Lace played 20 shows in 24 hours in Manchester, London, Watford, Northampton, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, and Leeds, finishing at the Frontier Club, Batley. The event raised over £25,000 for
Marie Curie Cancer Care Marie Curie is a registered charitable organisation in the United Kingdom which provides care and support to people living with a terminal illness and those close to them, and campaigns for better support for dying people. It was established in 19 ...
.
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
used "Agadoo" in a TV advertisement for the new 106 car, and Black Lace re-recorded the track renaming it 'Agadoo 106 mix', donating all their royalties to 'Marie Curie Cancer Care'. The record spent one week in the UK chart. A 1999 Black Lace charity reunion concert was organised by their former drummer, Terry Dobson, to celebrate 20 years since the band represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. Live television interviews took place with ITV's '' Calendar'', and the BBC's regional news programmes, on the day of the event. The late Alan Barton's son, Dean, took Alan's place in the band, but original member Steve Scholey declined to attend. In 2000, Black Lace become the first band to play at the ill-fated Millennium Dome. 2001 brought a totally different line up style as Hopcraft was replaced by female vocalist/dancer Camille Wagstaff, and the single "Follow the Leader" was released before disbanding. In 2002, Colin Gibb took the original Black Lace show to
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
, playing the now internationally famous 'party shows' in hotels and restaurants on the island, occasionally visiting the UK for TV appearances. In 2003, an adult-themed album called ''Blue'' (originally recorded in the UK years previously by Gibb and Michael, and 'banned' by their own record label) was released. In 2004, Gibb took the Black Lace show to mainland Spain to appear alongside Elvis tribute artiste Mike Young and other guest acts at 'The King Lives On' cabaret bar on the
Costa Blanca The Costa Blanca (, , literally meaning "White Coast") is over of Mediterranean coastline in the Alicante province, on the southeastern coast of Spain. It extends from the town of Dénia in the north, beyond which lies the Costa del Azahar (or ...
, returning to Tenerife for contracted shows in 2005. In 2007, Gibb married in the UK his long-time girlfriend Sue Kelly. In 2008, Gibb was invited to play bass with the Tenerife-based five-piece rock band 'The Phoenix', along with the duos 'To The Limit' and 'Just one more'. More recently, he played in the blues rock band Traveler, in addition to performing the Black Lace Show. In 2007, Michael started performing again as Black Lace (in contradiction to an agreement with Gibb and record company/management NOW Music, stating he would never use the title 'Black Lace') alongside a new addition, the Liverpudlian singer Ian Robinson. They released a new mambo version of "Agadoo". In the accompanying video, Bruce Jones played a cameo role and directed the event. Roy "Chubby" Brown and Kevin Kennedy also made cameo appearances in the video, as did several members of the cast of the ITV situation comedy '' Benidorm''. On 4 November 2009, the 'new' incarnation of Black Lace was filmed by the British airline
easyJet EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airli ...
, performing a re-written version of "Agadoo" for release on the video-sharing website YouTube, launching a new air service between
Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...
and
Agadir Agadir ( ar, أݣادير, ʾagādīr; shi, ⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔ) is a major city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Souss River flows into the ocean, and south ...
in Morocco. Dobson's book, ''And Then Came Agadoo'', was published by Authorhouse in November 2009. Michael and Robinson recorded a new version of "I Am The Music Man" for the BBC ''Children in Need'' appeal in 2009. In 2010, they recorded yet another version of "I Am The Music Man", this time entitled "We Are The England Fans", as an unofficial England supporters' song to coincide with the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, which also included the future Black Lace member Craig Harper. In 2011, Michael and Robinson recorded a television advertisement for
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which led to a new recording of "Do The Conga". In December that year, Michael teamed up with Crissy Rock and recorded a Christmas single called "Christmas Time" and an accompanying video. In 2012, Michael recorded two solo records, ''Life Force'' and ''The First Christmas Light''. In 2014, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Agadoo", a limited edition ''Black Lace Live'' album was released, which was recorded and mixed in
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
. In 2015, 'Original' Black Lace member; Colin Gibb, releases 'Agadoo (Space Mix)' which is an updated remix of the 'Agadoo 106 mix' A television advertisement for
Walkers crisps Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer mainly operating in the UK and Ireland. The company is best known for manufacturing potato crisps and other (non-potato-based) snack foods. In 2013, it held 56% of the British crisp market. Walker ...
was shown on British TV, featuring Michael and Robinson (under the name 'Old Lace') performing alongside
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has ...
singing along to "Agadoo". In 2015, Gibb, celebrating 40 years since Black Lace was formed, teamed up with guitarist and vocalist Gordon King for live shows, keeping the style and tradition of the original format: loud guitars, even louder shirts, cheesy dance routines and that 'tongue in cheek' and sometimes 'risky' comedy. In 2016, Dene Michael was charged with fraud and jailed for six months for claiming £25,000 in disability allowances. In 2018, Dene Michael teamed up with Craig Harper (runner up of series two of ''
Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...
'' back in 2008) to form an 'alternative' Black Lace a.k.a. 'Black Lace's Conga Party' They played many of the UK's 80s 'revival' festivals and can be seen performing at holiday centres around the country. Black Lace (Gibb and King) are nominated at the
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
Entertainment Awards for Best Group. In 2019, Black Lace (Gibb and King) became associated with UK dressage team The Agadoo Girls, consisting of 7 members with Gibb's cousin Debbie Cox, as team captain. They came top at their debut Team Quest competition at Richmond Equestrian Centre in June. The Original Black Lace (Gibb/King) concluded 2019 having performed 278 shows in 221 days. On 8 May, 2020, Rob Hopcraft died, thought to be the result of a fall. In June 2020, in remembrance of Alan Barton, who died 25 years ago, the Black Lace ‘Reunion’ band consisting of; Ian Howarth, Terry Dobson, Colin Gibb and Dean Barton (Alan's son), re made a music video of the band's 1979 Eurovision hit ‘Mary Ann’ under strict lockdown conditions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recording was done individually from their respective homes in The UK, Tenerife and Gozo then mixed together by Hawarth in UK. 2022. Due to severe back isues, Gordon King steps down from the band.


In popular culture

The group were famously lampooned in the UK No. 1 chart single "
The Chicken Song "The Chicken Song" is a novelty song by the British satirical comedy television programme ''Spitting Image'' (series 3, episode 6). The nonsensical lyrics were written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor; the music was written by Philip Pope, who als ...
", recorded as part of the ''Spitting Image'' programme. A parody of Black Lace's style, it contained a specific reference to the band members ''Barton/ Gibb'' with the line "those two wet gits with their girly curly hair". Black Lace (Barton and Gibb) have also been voted in the top five all time 'Best Party' songs, 'Best Holiday' songs, and 'Worst Records of all time'


Personnel

;Current members * Colin Gibb (Original Black Lace) * Gordon King (Original Black Lace) * Dene Michael (Black Lace Conga Party) * Craig Harper (Black Lace Conga Party) ;Former members *
Alan Barton Alan Leslie Barton (16 September 1953 – 23 March 1995) was a British singer and member of the hit-making duo Black Lace. Their hits included " Agadoo", "Superman" and their United Kingdom Eurovision Song Contest 1979 seventh-place finisher " M ...
(d. 1995) – guitar, lead and backing vocals (1973–1987) * Terry Dobson – drums, backing vocals (1973–1981) *Ian Howarth – lead guitar, bass guitar (1973–1974) *Steve Scholey – lead vocals (1973–1981) *Rob Hopcraft (d. 2020) – lead vocals (1991–2000)


Discography


Albums

* 1984: ''Black Lace'' * 1984: ''Party Party – 16 Great Party Icebreakers'' ( UK #4) * 1985: ''Party Party 2'' (UK #18) * 1986: ''Party Crazy'' (UK #58) * 1987: ''16 Greatest Party Hits'' * 1990: ''20 All Time Party Favourites'' * 1993: ''Action Party'' * 1995: ''Saturday Night'' * 1997: ''Greatest Hits'' * 1998: ''What a Party'' * 2000: ''Black Lace's Greatest Ever Party Album'' * 2006: ''Black Lace: Greatest Hits'' * 2010: ''The Blue Album'' – Banned in the UK orld-wide distribution* 2013: ''The Blue Album'' – Banned in the UK – 're-release' orld-wide distributionref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> * 2014: ''Black Lace 'Live Beach Party (limited edition)


Singles


References


External links


Official Black Lace website

Colin Gibb – Black Lace

N.O.W. Music Co (Black Lace) webpage

''And Then Came Agadoo'' – book website

Denemichael.co.uk

Ianhowarth.co.uk
{{Authority control Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1979 English pop music groups British novelty song performers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for the United Kingdom Music in Yorkshire Sonet Records artists Telstar Records artists