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The Snowmen (band)

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British disco band

The Snowmen
GenresNovelty/children
Years active1981–87
LabelsStiff Records
Past members
  • Martin Kershaw
  • Nick Portlock
  • Jonathan Miller
  • Bob Butterworth

The Snowmen was a novelty band created by Stiff Records in 1981.

History

In 1981, Ian Dury left Stiff for Polydor Records. As a cash-in for the Christmas market, Stiff commissioned session musicians to record a version of the Hokey Cokey with a Dury-soundalike vocal from Martin Kershaw, whose credits included guitar on "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Dance Yourself Dizzy", and playing banjo on 120 episodes of the Muppet Show. The other musicians on the recording were Nick Portlock, Jonathan Miller, and Bob Butterworth.

Stiff enigmatically refused to confirm the identity of the genuine vocalist, leading to speculation that it actually was Dury. For more implausible deniability, Stiff created an antonymous sub-label, called Slack, with a logo based on a pile of nutty slack, on which to release the single; Kershaw and Portlock co-wrote the b-side.

The recording reached the top 20 of the UK and Irish singles charts. Stiff press officer Nigel Dick, with other staff from the Stiff offices, donned snowman costumes for a video (shot in Brimpton, Berkshire) and appearance on the 17 December 1981 edition of Top of the Pops.

Kershaw re-emerged with a medley single in 1982, this time on Kershaw's own Solid Records label. The Snowmen's final single came in 1986, with a version of the nursery rhyme This Old Man, by which time Dury himself was claiming to be involved, saying he "did it as a joke".

Discography

Albums

Year Album UK
1981 Hokey Cokey Party: The Album –

Singles

Year Song UK
 RoI
1981 "The Hokey Cokey" 18 17
1982 "Xmas Party" 44 –
1986 "Nik Nak Paddy Wak" 80 –
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

References

  1. "Albums". The Stage: 9. 19 November 1981.
  2. "The Snowmen - Nik Nak Paddywack". Left and to the back. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  3. "What a record!". Reading Evening Post: 13. 10 December 1988.
  4. "Unmasked: the singing Snowman". Reading Evening Post: 7. 2 January 1982.
  5. "Snowman secret revealed". The Stiff Records Story. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  6. "Revealed". Coventry Evening Telegraph: 9. 31 December 1981.
  7. "The Snowmen (2) - Hokey Cokey". discogs. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. "Dick's resume". Nigel Dick. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  9. "Hokey Cokey by The Snowmen". youtube. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  10. "17/12/1981". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  11. "The Snowmen (2) – Xmas Party". discogs. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  12. "Festive hit for Snowmen". Coventry Evening Telegraph: 28. 9 December 1982.
  13. "Ian's cracker". Birmingham Evening Mail: 13. 6 December 1986.
  14. "SNOWMEN". Official Charts Company. "Snowman Melody" is in fact "Xmas Party" with an incorrect name.
  15. "Irish Charts". Irish Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
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