Rocky Sharpe and the Replays
Rocky Sharpe and the Replays is an English doo-wop/rock and roll revival group who first found fame in the late 1970s. The usual line-up of the group was Rocky Sharpe (born Robert Podsiadły, 26 November 1952 – 5 December 2019), Helen Highwater (real name: Helen Blizard), Johnny Stud (Sharpe's brother Jan Podsiadły) and Eric Rondo (Mike Vernon). An earlier incarnation of the group, Rocky Sharpe and the Razors, included Den Hegarty, Rita Ray, Griff Fender and Nigel Trubridge, who later formed Darts.
Rocky Sharpe and the Replays | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brighton, England |
| Genres | Doo-wop, Rock and roll revival |
| Years active | 1977–1985 |
| Labels | Chiswick, Polydor, RAK |
| Members | Rocky Sharpe Helen Highwater Johnny Stud Eric Rondo (Mike Vernon) |
History
In 1978, the group enjoyed its first commercial success with "Rama Lama Ding Dong",[1] a cover version of the Edsels' original hit, which reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] More chart success quickly followed with another single, "Imagination", which reached number 39 in 1979.[2] After this, success was more difficult to find, and Sharpe found greater success in touring than in the charts.
In 1982, Sharpe had another major hit. "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)", a cover version of Ernie Maresca's 1962 hit, reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] The song became his only charting release in Australia peaking at number 39.[3] Although he never had another hit as big again, Sharpe retained a fan following, especially in western Europe and his music remained widely available. The group's last chart single was "If You Wanna Be Happy", which reached UK chart position 46 in 1983.[2]
After a few line-up changes during 1982-1984, the band finally broke up in early 1985. Sharpe launched a new career as an actor - but he was forced to retire in 1988 after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.[4] He lived with his wife Paulina in the family home in Brighton until late 2013, when he became a full-time resident at the Queen Alexandra Hospital Home (QAHH) in Worthing.
Rocky Sharpe and the Replays had always been particularly popular in Spain and in 2013, a Spanish vocal group called the Velvet Candles, whose music had long been inspired by the group, staged a benefit/tribute concert for him in Barcelona after hearing about Sharpe's medical condition. As an added attraction, Sharpe's brother Jan Podsiadly flew out to Spain and, readopting his former Replays persona as Johnny Stud, joined them as a special guest on stage. The band performed a number of songs that Sharpe and the Replays had recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The concert raised almost £2,000, which Sharpe donated to the Queen Alexandra Hospital funds. News of the concert also reached people that used to run Chiswick Records (the record company with whom Sharpe and the Replays had their early hits) and they donated an additional £5,000 to the QAHH funds.[5]
Sharpe died on 5 December 2019 at the age of 67.[4]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [6] |
GER [7] |
SPA [8] | ||
| Rama Lama | 11 | 61 | 10 | |
| Rock-It-To Mars |
|
— | — | 10 |
| Let's Go |
|
— | — | — |
| Stop! Please Stop! |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Come On Let's Go |
|
| Grandes Éxitos Vol.1 |
|
| Collection |
|
| The Fabulous Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| The Greatest Hits |
|
| The Best of Rocky Sharpe & the Replays |
|
| If You Wanna Be Happy |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| "Featuring Rama Lama And Imagination" |
|
| Christmas Crackers |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [9] |
AUS [10] |
BEL (FLA) [11] |
GER [7] |
IRE [12] |
NL [13] |
SPA [8] |
SWI [14] | |||
| "Rama Lama Ding Dong" | 1978 | 17 | — | — | 37 | — | — | 5 | 7 | Rama Lama |
| "Imagination" | 1979 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love Will Make You Fail in School" | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Never" (Continental Europe-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | ||
| "Martian Hop" | 1980 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | Rock-It-To Mars |
| "A Teenager in Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "You're the One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Mal de amores (Heartaches)" (Spain-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Never Be Anyone Else but You" | 1981 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Let's Go |
| "Come On Let's Go" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Get a Job" (Spain-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" | 1982 | 19 | 39 | 15 | — | 17 | 14 | — | — | |
| "Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Clap Your Hands" | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "If You Wanna Be Happy" | 1983 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Stop! Please Stop! |
| "Stop! Please Stop!" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "La Bamba" | 1984 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Rama Lama Ding Dong" (Ultimate Remix; Spain-only release) | 1990 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Collection |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
Rocky Sharpe and the Razors
- EP (4 tracks) – "Drip Drop" / "What's Your Name" / "So Hard To Laugh (So Easy To Cry)" / "That's My Desire" (Chiswick, 1976)
- Single (2 tracks) "Drip Drop" / "What's Your Name" (Chiswick, 1976)
- So Hard to Laugh (14 tracks) (Chiswick, 1993 release of a previously unreleased album recorded c. 1976 - includes the four tracks released on the EP above.)
References
- "Ace Records". Acerecords.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19 ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 494. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 270. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Rocky Sharpe (Robert Podsiadły) Acerecords.co.uk
- "QAHH receives a rama-lama-ding-dong donation!". Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- "Discographie Rocky Sharpe And The Replays - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- Salaverri, Fernando (2015). Sólo éxitos 1959–2012 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-866-2.
- "ROCKY SHARPE & THE REPLAYS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 270. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Discografie Rocky Sharpe And The Replays - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.