The Nolans
(billed as The Nolan Sisters
from 1974 until early 1980) are an Anglo-Irish group of sisters from the Republic of Ireland and England, who performed as a pop vocal act. The group, best-known for their song "I'm In The Mood For Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous UK television shows. The majority of their charted singles and albums occurred in the early 1980s but they continued to be active until 2005 and were particularly successful in Japan. The sisters have pursued varying solo careers in acting, music and television presenting.
In June 2009 it was announced that the Nolan Sisters will be re-forming and touring in October and November 2009. [1]
|
THE NOLANS TICKETS
|
Early career: 1974-1979
Tommy (1925-1998)and Maureen Nolan (1926-2007), who had both worked as singers in Ireland,
[2] moved their family from
Dublin to
Blackpool in 1962, and launched a family singing group, The Singing Nolans, in 1963.
[3] The original line up comprised the parents, sons Tommy and Brian, and daughters Anne (born 12 November 1950
), Denise (born 9 April 1952
[4]), Maureen (born 14 June 1954
), Linda (born 23 February 1959
) and
Bernadette ('Bernie', born 17 October 1960
).
The family performed even as the five girls all went to school at Blackpool's St Catherine's Catholic Secondary School (now part of
St. Mary's Catholic College). As well as performing frequently on the northern club circuit
[5], The Singing Nolans recorded an album,
The Singing Nolans
, a single "Blackpool" – which was a song about their local
football club,
Blackpool F.C., and is still used on match days at
Bloomfield Road – and the EP "Silent Night" for the Nevis label in 1972.
[6]
In 1974 the five daughters began performing as The Nolan Sisters.
After guesting on
Cliff Richard's TV show, they began regular appearances on variety and comedy shows including
Summertime Special
,
The Morecambe & Wise Show
and
The Two Ronnies
In 1975 they supported
Frank Sinatra on a UK tour and
Rolf Harris in South Africa.
[7]
They released one uncharted single on EMI in 1974 and several more on Target Records between 1975 and 1977
, several of which were composed by
Roger Greenaway.
[8] A 1977 eponymous album on the Hanover Grand label was sold only at the London Club Room in Drury Lane, and is ranked by price guides as the most collectable UK release by the group.
Their chart breakthrough came in 1978 with the covers album
20 Giant Hits
on Target, which reached Number 3 in the UK.
[10] That year they also supported
Engelbert Humperdinck on a US tour
, and Denise left the group to pursue a solo career.
In 1979, the group participated in the UK
Eurovision selection contest
A Song For Europe.
Their track "Harry My Honolulu Lover" was considered the favourite before the contest, but ultimately placed fourth, with
Black Lace going on to represent the UK.
A lightning strike by BBC technicians minutes before the broadcast led to the cancellation of the show. Instead, the regional juries had to make their decisions based on audio tapes of the songs.
[11] The group had been pre-booked to promote the song on many BBC shows, leading to speculation that it had been taken for granted they would win the competition. One booking was representing the BBC at the 25th Anniversary celebrations for the Eurovision network, which was staged in Montreaux, Switzerland, in April 1979.
Chart success: 1979-1984
After signing with CBS subsidiary
Epic Records in 1979, the group enjoyed their greatest period of commercial success. Although their debut release - the failed UK Eurovision entry "Harry, My Honolulu Lover" - did not chart, their second Epic single "Spirit, Body and Soul" reached Nº34.
[12]
At the end of 1979, the group released the
disco-flavoured single "I'm In The Mood For Dancing", which became their best-known tune
[13] and biggest hit. It reached Nº3 in the UK
, Nº2 in their native Ireland
[14] and Nº1 in Japan
,
a rare event for a Western act; the single eventually sold more than 600,000 copies in Japan.
[15] The song, like the majority of The Nolans' hit singles, was written by Ben Findon, Mike Myers and Robert Puzey
[16]
The self-titled album
Nolan Sisters
, which featured the first two charting Epic singles, eventually reached Nº15 in the UK
In early 1980 the group changed its name from The Nolan Sisters to The Nolans.
Following her marriage, Anne temporarily left the group and was replaced by the youngest member of the family,
Coleen (born
12 March 1965)
(Coleen had released one solo single on Target in 1978
, a song about
Prince Andrew's status as a teen idol.
)
The group's 1980 album
Making Waves
peaked at Nº11 but had the longest UK album chart run of their career (33 weeks)
Singles from the album included "Don't Make Waves" (UK Nº12
, IE Nº5
); "Who's Gonna Rock You" (co-written by
Billy Ocean, UK Nº12 in 1980
, IE Nº14
), and "Gotta Pull Myself Together" (UK Nº9
, IE Nº8
). The latter became the group's first Australian hit, reaching Nº3 in 1981
[17]; its parent album reached AU Nº10
The last UK single release from
Making Waves
was "Attention To Me" in 1981 (UK Nº9
, IE Nº5
, AU Nº94
).
"
Sexy Music", also featured on
Making Waves
, won the grand prize at the 1981
Tokyo Music Festival [18], and was subsequently released as a single in Japan. This became the group's third Nº1 on the Japanese Import chart - following "I'm in the Mood for Dancing" and "Gotta Pull Myself Together".
[19] During 1981, Coleen and Linda contributed vocals to the Young and Moody Band
, which scored a UK Nº63 hit with "Don't Do That".
[20]
Another 1981 single "Chemistry" (UK Nº15
, IE Nº11
, AU Nº51
) was drawn from the album
Portrait
. This would become the group's second Top 10 UK album, reaching Nº7 in 1982
(AU Nº54
), and was also the source of their final UK Top 20 single "Don't Love Me Too Hard" (UK Nº14
, IE Nº17
). Anne rejoined the group in late 1982, making it a five-piece line up
The 1982 compilation album
Altogether
reached UK Nº52
, but the accompanying single, "Dragonfly", failed to chart. In 1983, the group was rocked by a minor scandal when their new single, "Dressed to Kill" was removed from the chart due to allegations of chart rigging. The group had released the single with a limited edition poster, exclusive to shops which registered chart sales. The story was reported on in newspapers at the time, which also added that their fan-club had instructed members on which shops these were. The single had entered highly in the Chart but was subsequently banned from inclusion.
[21] Later in the year, Linda left the group to pursue a solo career. At the time, she was nicknamed the "Naughty Nolan"
[22] due to risque publicity photos.
The resulting four-woman line up of Bernie, Anne, Maureen and Coleen was stable until 1994
The covers album
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
was released on Towerbell Records in
1984 and became The Nolans' final UK chart album, reaching Nº39
The Nolans achieved success in
Europe,
Australia,
New Zealand and were particularly successful in Japan.
New labels and lineups: 1984-2005
In 1986, the group performed on a stadium tour of
Russia.
They appeared in the second episode of the 1987 comedy series
Filthy Rich & Catflap
, playing themselves in a blackmail plot and performing "I'm In The Mood For Dancing".
[23] A 1989 re-recording of the same song reached an unofficial UK chart position of #99.
[24]
The Nolans remained popular in Japan, signing a six-album deal there in 1987.
They recorded several new albums purely for the Japanese market, usually featuring English language covers of Japanese pop hits.
Releases on Teichiku Records during this period included
Playback Part 2
, entirely comprising covers of songs originally performed by Japanese singer
Momoe Yamaguchi [25];
Tidal Wave
[26];
Rock And Rolling Idol
;
Hottest Place On Earth
; and
Lost Lonely Beaches
.
In 1992 they became the first British group to be awarded the Tokubstsu Kikaku Sho (Japanese Grammy) for best foreign recording artist. Compilations of their Japanese material, often featuring remixes and some featuring other artists as well, were regularly released throughout the 1990s and 2000s in Japan, while several budget-priced compilations of their Epic-era material (sometimes re-recorded) appeared in the UK.
Coleen, who had married performer
Shane Richie in 1990
[27], quit the group in 1994 to have a baby
In 1995, longstanding lead singer Bernie left to pursue an acting career; Anne and Maureen continued as a two-piece version of The Nolans.
A re-recorded version of "I'm In The Mood For Dancing", released on the Living Beat label, reached #51 in the UK in 1995.
From 2000, the line-up consisted of Maureen and Anne, together with Anne's daughter Amy and unrelated singer Julia Duckworth, and concentrated on live appearances
[28], often at venues such as
Butlins holiday camps and
bingo halls.
The group disbanded in 2005.
Post-Nolans: Solo careers
Most of the sisters have continued to work in show business, pursuing careers in acting, musical theatre, pantomime and touring.
As an actress, Bernie had prominent TV roles in
Brookside
and
The Bill
, and has toured in several stage shows, including the adaptation of the movie
Flashdance
in 2008
[29] Coleen has mostly worked as a television presenter, hosting
This Morning
briefly in 2001
[30] and appearing regularly as a panellist on
Loose Women
since 2004.
Four of the sisters -- Bernie, Denise, Linda, and Maureen -- have played the role of Mrs Johnstone in the musical
Blood Brothers
.
[31] Both Maureen and Bernie have performed in productions of the comedy
Mum's The Word
, and they toured together in the show in 2008.
[32]
Linda performed in the role of Maggie May at Blackpool's
Central Pier for 10 years, clocking up more than 1,000 performances
[33] and toured with
Prisoner Cell Block H - The Musical
.
[34] Denise released one solo single on Pye in 1979 and two on Mercury in 1982.
She has frequently performed a
Judy Garland tribute show.
[35] Anne stopped performing and took up an office job.
The Nolans reunited as a five-piece (Anne, Bernie, Coleen, Linda and Maureen) on
August 9 2007 to perform "I'm In The Mood For Dancing" on
Loose Women
[36], but dismissed any immediate prospect of a full-scale reunion
[37], a stance Anne echoed in 2008.
The girls' father Tommy died in 1998.
[38] Anne was diagnosed with
breast cancer in 2000, as was Linda in 2006.
As part of her treatment, Linda had a breast removed.
[39]
The Nolans' mother Maureen Nolan died on
30 December 2007 [40] after suffering from
Alzheimer's disease.
[41] Anne Nolan released her autobiography
Anne's Song
on
27 March 2008.
[42] In the book, co-written with Richard Barber
, Anne said she had been repeatedly sexually abused by her father.
2009 reunion
The Nolans announced in June 2009 that they were reforming for a UK tour. Four members - Coleen, Bernie, Linda and Maureen - are undertaking the tour, to be staged over October and November 2009. The two other sisters, Anne and Denise, will not be involved.
Coleen said she had instigated the reformation after speaking to her manager. She explained:
"We've been approached before over the last four or five years but it has never felt like the right time and the right people being involved, and this time it was like 'let's just do it once more"
. The sisters will be performing their hits and several classic
Diva-type songs.
[43]
The reunion however has sparked a split in the family as sister Anne has appeared in the press stating that she has been excluded from the tour despite being a long-serving member of the group.
[44] She has also issued a statement on her official website, which includes the comment:
"they are not my sisters anymore".
[45] Sister Denise has also issued a statement in support of Anne and has said that the real reason for the reunion was due to some of the sisters being in financial difficulty.
[46] The others have said that the decision was made by
Universal, who are sponsoring the tour, due to this being the line-up that enjoyed the most success back in the early 1980s. Both Anne and Denise deny this as being the real reason however.
UK Tour Dates 2009
UK
- 11 & 12 October - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
- 13 & 14 October - Manchester Apollo
- 16 October - Cardiff International Arena
- 17 October - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
- 18 October - Cambridge Corn Exchange
- 20 October - Winter Gardens, Blackpool
- 21 October - St George's Hall, Bradford
- 23 October - Newcastle Metro Arena
- 24 October - Liverpool Echo Arena
- 25 & 26 October - Clyde Auditorium
- 28 October - National Indoor Arena (Birmingham)
- 29 October - Brighton Centre
- 30 October - Bournemouth BIC
- 1 November - Sheffield City Hall
- 2 & 3 November - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
- 4 November - Doncaster Dome
- 5 November - Edinburgh Usher Hall
Ireland
- 7 November - The O2 (Dublin)
- 8 November - INEC, Killarney
- 9 November - Castlebar, Theatre Royal
Northern Ireland
- 10 November - Belfast Odyssey [1]
The Nolans plan to release their first DVD of there show on november the 9th and a new cd 26th of september
Discography
Singles
| Title
| Year
| Label
| Peak
UK
chart
| Peak
Japan
chart
[48]
| Peak
Ireland
chart
| Peak
Australia
chart
| Japan
sales
|
"But I Do" | 1974
| EMI
| -
| -
(1981) [49]
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Make A Little Sunshine Shine" | 1975
| Target
| -
| -
(1981) [50]
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Rain" | 1976
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Thanks For Calling" | 1976
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
"When You Are A King" | 1976
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Love Transformation" | 1977
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Love Bandit" | 1977
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
"Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" | 1978
| Target
| -
| NR
| NR
| NR
|
|
| "Harry, My Honolulu Lover"
| 1979
| Epic
| -
| NR
| -
| -
|
|
| "Spirit, Body and Soul"
| 1979
| Epic
| 34
| NR
| -
| -
|
|
| "I'm In The Mood For Dancing"
| 1979
| Epic
| 3
| 1
(1980)
| 2
| 43
(1981)
| 673,850
|
| "Don't Make Waves"
| 1980
| Epic
| 12
| NR
| 5
| -
|
|
| "Gotta Pull Myself Together"
| 1980
| Epic
| 9
| 9
| 8
| 3
(1981)
| 302,460
|
| "Who's Gonna Rock You"
| 1980
| Epic
| 12
| 21
(1981)
| 14
| -
| 87,650
|
| "Attention To Me"
| 1981
| Epic
| 9
| NR
| 5
| 94
|
|
| "Sexy Music"
| 1981
| Epic
| NR
| 7
| NR
| NR
| 270,160
|
| "Chemistry"
| 1981
| Epic
| 15
| 23
| 11
| 51
| 77,160
|
| "Don't Love Me Too Hard"
| 1982
| Epic
| 14
| 61
(1981)
| 17
| -
| 18,480
|
| "Crashing Down"
| 1982
| Epic
| -
| 86
| -
| -
| 2,660
|
| "Dragonfly"
| 1982
| Epic
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
|
| "Dressed To Kill"
| 1983
| Epic
| -
| NR
| -
| -
|
|
| "Goodbye Nothin' To Say" [51]
| 1985
| Towerbell
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
|
| "I'm In The Mood For Dancin' 89 (re-recording)"
| 1989
| BCM Records
| 99 | -
| -
| -
|
|
| "Rock And Rolling Idol" [52]
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| NR
| NR
|
|
| "Take Me All" [53]
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| NR
| NR
|
|
| "Tidal Wave" [54]
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| NR
| NR
|
|
| "Mother Earth" [55]
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| NR
| NR
|
|
| "I'm In The Mood For Dancing (re-recording)"
| 1995
| Living Beat
| 51
| -
| -
| -
|
|
NR = not released in that country. Dash indicates did not chart in that country.
Albums
Note: all post-1990 albums listed here are Japan-only releases.
| Title
| Year
| Label
| UK
chart
peak | Japan
chart
peak
[56]
| Japan sales
|
| 20 Giant Hits
| 1978
| Target
| 3
| 38
(1981)
| 17,370
|
| Nolan Sisters
| 1979
| Epic
| 15
(1980)
| 3
| 156,020
|
The Nolan Sisters
(10-inch edition w/ 6 tracks
)
| 1979
| Epic
| NR
| 12
(1980)
| 56,190
|
| Making Waves
| 1980
| Epic
| 11
| 1
| 550,800
|
Sexy Music
(compilation LP)
| 1981
| Epic
| NR
| 2
| 541,930
|
All About The Nolans
(2-LP box set)
| 1981
| Epic
| NR
| 30
| 58,290
|
Don't Love Me Too Hard
(earlier release of Portrait
for Japanese market)
| 1981
| Epic
| NR
| 47
| 41,230
|
| Portrait
| 1982
| Epic
| 7
| NR
| -
|
| Altogether
| 1982
| Epic
| 52
| -
| -
|
| Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
| 1984
| Towerbell
| 39
| -
| -
|
Playback Part 2
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| 77
| 1,2000
|
Tidal Wave
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| 99
| 3,000
|
| Rock And Rolling Idol
| 1991
| Teichiku
| NR
| 88
| 15,000
|
| Starbox
(compilation; reissue of Altogether
)
| 1992
| CBS
| NR
| -
| -
|
| Graduation
(The Nolans & Friends)
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
| Hottest Place On Earth
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
| Lost Lonely Beaches
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
| Colorful Nolans
(Megamix CD) [57]
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
| New Music Pops In Japan
(The Nolans & Friends)
| 1992
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
| New Best Hits And More
(includes 5 new tracks)
| 1997
| Teichiku
| NR
| -
| -
|
The Nolans Sing Momoe
[58] (reissue of Playback Part 2
bonus DVD with some editions)
| 2004
| NR
| -
| GT
| -
|
| The Singles Collection
(includes bonus DVD)
| 2006
| Teichiku
| NR
| 88
| -
|
I'm In The Mood For Dancing:
The Nolans Best Hits Collection
[59]
| 2007
| M & I
| NR
| -
| -
|
NR = not released in that country. Dash indicates did not chart in that country.
References
- 2009 tour dates
- I'm in the mood for telling
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 3rd Edtion Volume V: Louvin, Charlie-Paul, Clarence
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- The monster in our family - I was sexually abused by my father, says Nolan Sisters star Anne
- Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide 2000
- We sang with Sinatra, were spat at by the Sex Pistols - but ended up broke, says Anne Nolan
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- The Penguin Price Guide For Record & CD Collectors
- The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums 7th Edition
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- Guinness World Records British Hit Singles 14th Edition
- Nolan sister fits the bill
- The Irish Charts - All there is to know
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- Australian Chart Book (1970-1992)
- In The Mood For Stardom: The Nolans
- Japanese Import Nº1s - 1980, 1981
- Guinness World Records British Hit Singles 14th Edition
- Denise Nolan official website | "Dressed to Kill" Chart rigging allegation story
- Exclusive: Linda: I'll Beat Breast Cancer
- That's Anarchy!: The Story Of A Revolution In The World Of TV Comedy
- Chart Stats - The Nolans
- Nolans Playback Part 2 Japan CD ALBUM (123744)
- Nolans Tidal Wave Japan CD ALBUM (5196)
- Mr Love Man
- NolanSisters.com - Amy & Julia
- Cast: Flashdance & Williams Joins West End Zorro
- This Morning hosts admit struggle
- Willy Russell - Blood Brothers - The Actors
- A family affair for Bernie
- Nolan sister Linda still gets scared on stage
- Linda's in the mood for Blood Brothers!
- Why Denise is over the rainbow
- "Loose Women" Episode #11.149 (2007)
- Loose Women- The Nolans interview
- Nolans singer Anne was sexually abused by father Tommy
- LINDA HAS BREAST OP
- Mum was my inspiration.. she'll always be with me
- Nolan Sisters 'devastated' as their mother dies following battle with Alzheimers
- Random House:Book Details for Anne's Song
- tour dates
- Daily Mail; "My sisters stabbed me in the back" 21 June 2009
- Anne Nolan - official website: Anne's statement
- Denise Nolan official site - statement
- 2009 tour dates
- The Nolans Oricon Singles Chart listings
- Nolans But I Do Japan 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (258195)
- Nolans (Won't You) Make A Little Sunshine Shine Japan Promo 7" RECORD (167085)
- Nolans Goodbye Nothin' To Say UK 7" RECORD (189376)
- Nolans Rock & Rolling Idol Japan 3" CD SINGLE (176043)
- Nolans Take Me All Japan 3" CD SINGLE (6745)
- Nolans Tidal Wave Japan 3" CD SINGLE (2756)
- Nolans Mother Earth Japan Promo 3" CD SINGLE (220926)
- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Albums Chart Daijiten - The Nolans
- Nolans Colourful Nolans Japan CD ALBUM (149786)
- Nolans Sing Momoe Japan CD/DVD SET (318636)
- Nolans I'm In The Mood For Dancing - The Nolans Best Hits Collection Japan CD ALBUM (416552)