Sheila and B. Devotion (also credited as "Sheila B. Devotion", "Sheila and the Black Devotion" or "S.B. Devotion") was a disco group fronted by French singer

Sheila Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, mean ...

between 1977 and 1980. This formation briefly reached popularity in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era. The group recorded two albums (''Singin' in the Rain'' and '' King of the World'') before dissolving in 1980, when Sheila returned to her solo career.

History

Formation

Before the group's formation, Sheila (born Annie Chancel in Créteil, France on August 16, 1945) scored numerous hits in her homeland during the 1960s and the 1970s. Among her chart toppers were " L'école est finie" (1963), "Vous les copains" (the French cover version of

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...

's "

Do Wah Diddy Diddy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group the Exciters. ''Cash Box'' described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubble ...

" in 1964), "'Petite Fille de Français Moyens" (1968) and "Les Rois Mages" (the cover of "Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum" originally performed by Middle of the Road in 1971). Her success helped her producer Claude Carrere to launch his label

Carrere Records Carrere Records (french: Disques Carrère, link=no, ) was a French record label which specialized in Euro disco and rock music. The record company was sold to Warner Music Group in the early 1990s. Early days Claude Carrere started working with ...

. The

Yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...

artist was initially presented as a

girl next door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often ...

. In 1977, she completely changed her public image when Sheila & B Devotion was formed. She attempted to convey a more mature style in her music. Three American back-up singers/dancers (Dany Mac Farlane, Freddy Stracham and Arthur Wilkins) known as B. Devotion were hired to accompany her. She updated her bubblegum repertoire by performing disco tracks sung in English.

Breakthrough and success

"Love Me Baby"

As Sheila had been a major success as a bubblegum

yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...

singer, the record company Polydor did not want to shock Sheila's public and the French media " Love Me Baby" was released anonymously in May 1977 in France. The first pressings of the record mentioned the obscure name of S.B Devotion. When the song became a radio and club hit in France, the identity of the group was rapidly revealed and the song was attributed to the quartet as Sheila B. Devotion. It was also promoted in the States as by Sheila and B. Devotion. "Love Me Baby" became a mainstream Top 10 hit in Europe with high chart success particularly in German Singles Chart reaching number 9 and the Italian Singles Chart where it reached number 3. It was also a hit in the Netherlands making it to number 24 on the Dutch Top 40.

Other hits

The follow-up single was a disco version of " Singin' in the Rain" and was more successful. In early 1978, it was licensed to

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label current ...

to be released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where it became a club hit. The group name was altered in some markets to "Sheila & B. Devotion", while in others the name Sheila B. Devotion was maintained. Essentially, the US market knew the act as "Sheila & B. Devotion", while Canada, Australia, the UK, Ireland and the European markets stuck with the name Sheila B. Devotion. In 1979, the name was officially changed to Sheila & B. Devotion across all markets internationally. In the meantime, the ''Love Me Baby'' album (featuring the two above-mentioned hits) came out. The group promoted their records on the major European TV shows (''

Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' (german: The Music Shop) was a West German music television programme that ran from 13 December 1972 to 29 November 1984. The show continued the 1960s '' Beat-Club'' under a new name, and in turn was replaced by ''Extratour' ...

'', '' Disco'' and ''

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 ...

''). Sheila & B. Devotion scored other songs on the charts including "I Don't Need A Doctor", "Hôtel De La Plage", "You Light My Fire" and "

Seven Lonely Days "Seven Lonely Days" is a song written by Earl Shuman, Alden Shuman, and Marshall Brown. It was originally recorded by American singer Georgia Gibbs with orchestra conducted by Glenn Osser and the Yale Bros. choir in December 1952 and released in ...

Collaboration with Chic

In 1979,

collaborated with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

on the '' King of the World'' album. The album featured "Spacer", which peaked at #18 on 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 ...

Break-up

Shortly after the release of the "King Of The World" single, Sheila & B. Devotion disbanded. Due to the disco backlash, Sheila chose a pop-rock style and recorded in 1981 an album, ''Little Darlin, produced by

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

. It was her last international project.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Charted singles

Notes

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1977 Eurodisco groups French dance music groups Carrere Records artists