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The nucleus of The Sweet came together in 1966, when drummer Michael Thomas Tucker (b. 17 July 1947, Harlesden, London, England) and vocalist Brian Francis Connolly (b. 5 October 1945, Hamilton, Scotland) played together in Wainwright's Gentlemen, a small-time club circuit band whose repertoire comprised a mixture of Motown, R&B and psychedelia. The pair broke away to form Sweetshop, later shortened to just Sweet, with Steve Norman Priest (b. 23 February 1950, Hayes, Middlesex) on bass and Frank Torpey on guitar.
After releasing four unsuccessful singles on Fontana and EMI, Torpey was replaced by first Mick Stewart, and then Mick by Andrew David Scott (b. 30 June 1949, Wrexham, Wales) and the new line-up signed to RCA. The band were introduced to the writing partnership of Chinn and Chapman, who were to provide the band with a string of hit singles.However, the band were writing their own hard-rock numbers on the b-sides of these hits. The group's determinedly effete, glam-rock image was reinforced by a succession of Top 10 hits.
The Sweet in 1974 recorded the album Sweet Fanny Adams without the assistance of Chinn and Chapman. The album charted at number 27, but disappeared again after just two weeks. As The Sweet became more of an albums band, the hit singles began to dry up. Following a move to Polydor, they cut four albums with each release making less impact than its predecessor.
Since 1982, various incarnations of the band have appeared from time to time, with up to two of the original members in any one line-up. In 1992 two versions of the band - Andy Scott's Sweet & Brian Connolly Sweet - began regularly touring and gigging. In 1997, Brian Connolly died in hospital from a muscular disorder. Andy Scott continues to tour with his version of The Sweet.
The nucleus of The Sweet came together in 1966, when drummer Michael Thomas Tucker (b. 17 July 1947, Harlesden, London, England) and vocalist Brian Francis Connolly (b. 5 October 1945, Hamilton, Scotland) played together in Wainwright's Gentlemen, a small-time club circuit band whose repertoire comprised a mixture of Motown, R&B and psychedelia. The pair broke away to form Sweetshop, later shortened to just Sweet, with Steve Norman Priest (b. 23 February 1950, Hayes, Middlesex) on bass and Frank Torpey on guitar.
After releasing four unsuccessful singles on Fontana and EMI, Torpey was replaced by first Mick Stewart, and then Mick by Andrew David Scott (b. 30 June 1949, Wrexham, Wales) and the new line-up signed to RCA. The band were introduced to the writing partnership of Chinn and Chapman, who were to provide the band with a string of hit singles.However, the band were writing their own hard-rock numbers on the b-sides of these hits. The group's determinedly effete, glam-rock image was reinforced by a succession of Top 10 hits.
The Sweet in 1974 recorded the album Sweet Fanny Adams without the assistance of Chinn and Chapman. The album charted at number 27, but disappeared again after just two weeks. As The Sweet became more of an albums band, the hit singles began to dry up. Following a move to Polydor, they cut four albums with each release making less impact than its predecessor.
Since 1982, various incarnations of the band have appeared from time to time, with up to two of the original members in any one line-up. In 1992 two versions of the band - Andy Scott's Sweet & Brian Connolly Sweet - began regularly touring and gigging. In 1997, Brian Connolly died in hospital from a muscular disorder. Andy Scott continues to tour with his version of The Sweet.
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