Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Shakin Stevens - Biography
Shakin Stevens - Biography
bigger and increasingly diverse, the demand for Shakin Stevens records grew.
And Stevens continually rang the changes... In 81 alone, he had two # 1 hit
singles, also You Drive Me Crazy reaching # 2, and his first ballad, 'It's Raining',
which was a top 10 hit.
But Stevens was capable of making more than just hit singles. The diversity of
his music meant that he additionally attracted an album-buying public, and in 81
he notched up three hit albums including 'Shaky', which not only topped the
charts but remained in the best-selling listings for 28 weeks. The following year
marked his first self-penned # 1 - 'Oh Julie', which was nominated for an Ivor
Novello Award. W ith many more hit singles and albums to follow, in the UK and
internationally, Stevens was now firmly established on the trail to become the
most successful UK singles chart performer of the decade.
In mid 85, Maurice Oberstein responsible for signing Stevens to CBS/Epic
moved to Polygram, with resultant staff changes in the label. At the end of the
year Stevens released Merry Christmas Everyone. This track was due for
release the previous year, but it was re-scheduled so as not to clash with the
release of the Band Aid single. Merry Christmas Everyone deservedly became
Stevens fourth #1; a Christmas Classic!
In 87 the news broke that CBS/Epic was to be taken over by Sony. That same
year the album, Lets Boogie was released; taking its concept, and its name in
part, from the single A Little Boogie W oogie (In The Back Of My Mind) but the
idea did not materialise. It was then brought to Stevens attention that there
were several of his hits never before released on an album, together with other
live recordings which hadnt been utiltised. As a result, side 2 contained a live
medley of hits recorded at the London Palladium in December 86, while side
one consisted of a new album track, three hits, and W hat Do You W ant To
Make Those Eyes At Me For: a version which should never have been released.
Stevens was not totally happy with the final outcome of this album. Also that
year he experimented by recording the Supremes former hit, Come See About
Me, which was followed in 88 with a version of the Detroit Emeralds soul hit
Feel The Need In Me. Despite being a brave departure, musically, it still
charted. Meantime Sonys purchase of CBS/Epic was ratified in January 1988.
November 88, the album A W hole Lotta Shaky was released. This album
included the new, hit version of W hat Do You W ant To Make Those Eyes At Me
For and other new recordings for the album, coupled with tracks recorded as far
back as 1981. W ith such a collection of new songs, and tracks recorded over
the decade (not specifically for this album), Stevens felt it did not quite gel as an
album. Nevertheless, Sony/Epic released it.
Despite his forays into other styles of music for his single releases , he ended the
decade as the Biggest Selling Singles Artist! To quote from the Guinness Book
of British Hit Singles And Albums; Shares with The Beatles (60s) and Elton John
(70s) the distinction of being the most successful UK singles chart performer of a
decade.
W ith the start of a new decade in 1990, I Might was released, with many
airplays on radio, some stations rotating the track four times a day. W ith reports
of lack of product in the shops it still made the Top 20, as did The Best
Christmas Of Them All at the end of the year. Changes within the label were
now more noticeably coming into play; Obersteins earlier departure and Sonys
purchase of CBS/Epic, and it was becoming more apparent that the former
commitment was perhaps dwindling. Later news that Muff W inwood was to
leave Epic to set up S2, meant that those who had been instrumental in signing
Stevens to the label had left or were leaving. Singles for 1990 continued to be
released on the Epic label, but later became part of an album released on
Telstar, in conjunction with Epic, that same year.
Stevens last official releases on the Epic label were in 92, and included the
album The Epic Years, a digitally re-mastered collection of 25 of the hits.
Despite the success of the previous Greatest Hits album, which went platinum
in 84, lack of promotion for the Epic Years resulted in a minor hit. The hit single
Radio was taken from the album; a new song, produced by Rod Argent and
Peter Van-Hooke which featured Roger Taylor of Queen, on drums, and Rod
Argent on keyboards.
Throughout the 80's and early 90's alone, Stevens had 39 hit singles, 37 of
which were consecutive, and in the UK alone achieved four # 1s , three # 2s, 12
Top 5 hits, 15 Top 10s, 25 Top 20s, 30 Top 30s and 32 Top 40 hits. This
unprecedented success was mirrored across Europe and in many territories
world-wide. At that time, in the UK he had accumulated 277 weeks in the singles
chart and consolidated all that success with a run of a dozen hit albums. He sold
millions of albums and singles world-wide, earning him a multitude of Gold,
Platinum and Double Platinum Discs, and a plethora of global honours and
prestigious industry awards including Best Musical; thirty Top 30 hits in a decade
(still unsurpassed by any other artist); being named best Singer/Performer at
Midem, the international music convention. In Germany he picked up the unique
Chartmaker award to commemorate four singles in the German chart at the
same time a record which remains unbeaten ! ; in Sweden he became the first
international artist ever to receive a double Platinum Disc.
Many artists covered his recordings; among them worldbeaters such as Barry
Manilow (who had a US hit with 'Oh Julie'), Eddy Raven and Sylvia taking 'A
Letter To You' and 'Cry Just A Little Bit' to # 1 and # 9 in the Nashville charts.
Stevens has also collaborated musically with a number of world renowned
musicians including Roger Taylor, Albert Lee, Hank Marvin, Bonnie Tyler, Rod
Argent and, more recently, Tony Joe W hite, also with some of the most astute
rock and country blues-aware session musicians in both Britain and Nashville
producing hit, after hit, after hit.
concerts lined up in Poland, the UK and a tour of Ireland, finishing the year at
Londons Indigo2 on 13th December 08.
As well as festivals in Europe, and a tour in Scandinavia, during 2009 Stevens
finalised working on a 10CD box-set for Sony Music - The Epic Masters containing original albums with bonus tracks, many of which had never before
been on CD. All 147 tracks were digitally re-mastered (personally overseen by
Stevens), and the set also included a 20 page booklet with a wealth of
information about the making of the tracks.
The Epic Masters Box Set was released at the end of 2009, in readiness to
celebrate the coming year of 2010 - the 30th Anniversary of Stevens first UK hit and this occasion was also marked with a special, one-off gig at the 02
Academy Islington, on 8th December 2009. Both the limited edition release, and
the gig sold out immediately
As part of the ongoing 2010 celebrations, and to meet demand in the UK and
Internationally, Sony pressed further copies of the Epic Masters box set, and a
UK tour was put in place. Originally planned for October 2010, following illness
the UK Tour was re-scheduled to 2011. Meantime, 2010 also heralded another
return to the album charts in Denmark and Sweden, where his album The
Collection once again topped the charts.
Commencing on 4th February 2011, the UK Tour was followed by a tour of
Denmark and many one-off appearances at concerts and festival performances
throughout Europe. But between all this, Shaky was invited to join Ben W aters,
Charlie W atts, Ronnie W ood, Bill W yman, Mick Taylor and Jools Holland (among
others) to perform at the launch of Boogie 4 Stu at the Ambassadors Theatre,
and then to appear as Very Special Guest with Bill W yman and The Rhythm
Kings at Abbeyfest. To meet demand in the UK, Stevens was then asked to go
back out on tour, for a further 26 dates as the second phase, during November
and December. Coincidentally, 2011 also marked the 30th Anniversary of
Stevens amazing International success!
Accompanied by a 10 strong band, performing new arrangements of his hits and
songs he had performed across the decades, from all the musical genres he has
recorded with - rock, country and blues plus a few surprises! All this, alongside
new songs, set to appear on his next album, exciting new and existing fans alike.
In 2011, Stevens was approached, yet again, for a documentary based on his
career but this time he felt he could work with the production company. Filming
of the first documentary on Shakin Stevens commenced at the beginning of
2012. By the end of April work was finished, and in May the documentary
Shakin Stevens The Remarkable Career of Michael Barratt was broadcast on
BBC 1 W ales, in its initial form, then repeated in July. Further filming is now