And then came Agadoo
Black Lace
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“Black Lace” is the name of a 4-piece band from Wakefield who became a household name following the BBC’s disastrous Song for Europe contest. The Royal Albert Hall London, the venue where the contest would be held on March 8th 1979 but following a lightening strike by the BBC’s technicians, the union called off the TV broadcast only hours before the show would go out live to approximately 20 million viewers...
A panel of hand picked judges patiently waited in local radio stations dotted around the country to adjudicate the selected twelve songs. The panel had to choose one song from the twelve songs performed by a band or artist to represent Great Britain in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest. “Black Lace” won the vote of the Radio Stations with a song called Mary Ann... “Black Lace” became the UK’s entrants for the contest that would to take place in Jerusalem Israel, and following that appearance and through no fluke; “Black Lace” would be a name on everyone’s lips.
Numerous UK and European TV appearances followed in the top UK TV shows of the time, Top of The Pops, Swap Shop, Nationwide, Juke Box Jury, 3.2.1, and GMTV to name a few, also live shows performing in top venues in the UK, Europe and countries behind the former Iron Curtain. “Black Lace” the band had started from humble beginnings, but all the members had a craving for success that would eventually lead them to be signed by the biggest record and publishing companies in the UK, EMI & ATV music... However, even with this success the 4-piece band split in 1981 and became a duo (Alan and Colin).as Black Lace continued into the record books.
They began to record and release some of the naffist songs in the music industry and regularly won ITV’s channel 4’s worst song of the decade with AGADOO... Caricatures of the duo made for a mickey-take in the cult 80’s TV show...Spitting Image... parodying Agadoo / Do the Conga, with the number one hit, The Chicken Song... also a performance with the Green Goddess Diana Moran on breakfast TV... The “Black Lace” duo also became film stars in 1986 when appearing in the film 4 “Rita Sue and Bob Too”...the song “Were Having a Gangbang” written by Alan Barton just for the film…In addition, the famous Agadoo could not be left out, now playing in the background as the lead actors left a social club where filming of the “gang bang” scene had taken place...
The name “Black Lace” on the lips of some of the wealthiest names of pop, comedy and chat shows…a sketch on a Michael Parkinson / Peter Kay interview featured a Karaoke scene where Peter sang Agadoo and Superman, unforgettable songs of “Black Lace”... “Black Lace” videos and related links have amassed over 6.75 million views to date on “YouTube”... AGADOO played regularly in party episodes on TV in some of the UK’s top soaps including Coronation Street, Eastenders and Emmerdale... 40 years in the business and the tunes of “Black Lace” still played in discos all over Europe and promoting products on TV and radio commercials.
This is a very personal story of my time with “Black Lace” the band, “Black Lace” the duo, my other bands, Stormer, Aircrew and Mister Twister, my close family and true friends and also the people I met whilst on my many tour’s... My life, my memories of events, sometimes good and sometimes bad, the happy and of course the sad, including my 15 minutes of fame...
My life now... Some 57 years on…
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Book Details
About the Book
The book covers the life and times of Terry Dobson...
As the drummer of chart topping band Black Lace, Terry toured extensively throughout the UK, Europe and the former Iron Curtain countries during 1969-1980.UK TV appearances include,Top of the Pops Juke box Jury, Noel Edmonds Swap Shop,the BBC's Nationwide news program and the making of the bands first pop video as prequel to the 1979 Eurovision song contest...
Terry has appeared in numerous TV pop shows throughout Europe.Spain, Bulgaria, France, Denmark, Poland, East & West Germany and the Shetland Isles.Terry talks about his early school days, life on a large council estate, playing drums in working mens clubs and summer seasons in Skegness and Filey 1976 & 1977...also performances with the stars of the day during his semi professional and professional career...and the effect playing in a band had on his family.
Love, lust and the meeting and divorce of 3 wives... his lovely children, Helen, Kerry, Warren, and Ashley...the sad death of his partner, the raising of his youngest son Liam, now aged 7...but just a few days away from his 4th birthday when his mummy, Tricia, tragically died as a result of an asthma attack on one of the hottest days in July 2006 aged just 47.
The good and bad times, the happy and the sad...The success of Black Lace the band and phenominal success of the Black Lace duo.Terry's time playing the drums in other semi and professional bands, the sad deaths of Alan Barton (Black Lace & Smokie).Mick Brassington (Method & Stormer) Richard Chappell (former Wakefield theatre club lighting man), and roadie for all the bands Terry has worked with.
Also with very little information to hand Terry records the events leading up to a very long and frustrating search for his biological father.
About the Author
Born in March 1952 to parents living on a large council estate in Wakefield ... Terry attended Flanshaw infants, Alverthorpe junior, Ings Road Secondary Modern School,building college until the age of 21 and further education at Huddersfield university.
From 15 years of age Terry worked as a joiner for Horners Building Contractors in Ossett and also Wakefield Metropolitain District Council before turning professional with Black Lace in 1976...
As the founder member of Black Lace along with school pal Ian Howarth in 1969, Terry toured all over the UK in pubs night clubs, social and working mens clubs, Europe and the former Iron Curtain countries including performances in the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem 1979 and the Intervision Song Contest held in the city of Sopot Poland 1979...
Terry is now a Programming Manager working for one of the UK's largest Housing Associations, Wakefield and District Housing and plays the drums for enjoyment in a local 4 man outfit called MISTER TWISTER...
The writing of this book is a truly remarkable achievment for Terry whilst holding down a stressfull managerial day job, raising his youngest son Liam and with the help of grandparents finding time to play the drums on a weekend....