London, England, 1980.
After experimenting with acapella content in their shows, members of the 7:84 Theatre group ("7% of the population owns 84% of the wealth") decided to try a few performances of only acapella performances under the name 'THE FLYING PICKETS' (for those needing to know, a 'picket' is a person who... well, pickets for union or political causes, and a 'flying picket' is one who joins those picketing for causes not directly concerning him/her). This moniker was chosen as it represented the political motivation behind the group.
The original members were Rick Lloyd, Gareth Williams, David Brett, Brian Hibbard, Ken Gregson and Red Stripe (yep, that's his real name). With their experienced theatrical flair, some large doses of sarcasm and a pinch of downright goofiness, THE FLYING PICKETS soon gained a very strong following in the clubs and pubs of London. In 1982 they financed and recorded their first LP, 'Live At The Albany Empire'. This release garnered them enough attention that, during a UK tour with Dionne Warwick, 10 Records (a subsiduary of Virgin Records) signed the band in 1983, quickly resulting in the spirited and career defining debut single 'ONLY YOU'. The song was a cover version of a 1982 hit by Yazoo and remained at number 1 on the charts for 5 weeks over the christmas season (as well as being released in German and Spanish!). This would be their greatest hit for years to come.
In 1984, 10 Records released 2 more singles: Van McCoy's 'WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG & IN LOVE' (charted at number 10) and the Eurythmics' 'WHO'S THAT GIRL' (charting at 71). Alas, their initial success was promising, but short-lived. Brian and Red left the group in 1985 to return to acting on stage and on television (Brian in Coronation Street playing Dougie Murphy, and Chunky in BBC1's Making Out during the late 80's / early 90's), and the band began changing members almost as much as making records.
1989 saw the group involved for 4 weeks in a musical entitled 'THE LATE SHIFT' at the Theatre Royal Stratford in London. The play was based on the working life and featured music from 20's Germany to modern-day South Africa. Around the same time, the group was commisioned to write and record the musical score on the BBC TV series Porterhouse Blue.
The years have been kind to the spirit and inspiration of the Pickets. They have proved to be not just a major influence in modern acapella performance, but also the first to achieve international success. They continue to perform and record to this day, with only a small handful of their recordings out of print. With as many fan websites (including this one, of course) and devotees as they have, the Pickets are likely to continue for a long time to come.
