13. "When Will I See You Again?" is one of Billy Bragg's more amusing covers. Who had a hit with this bouncy little piece of flummery in 1974?
From Quiz Mixing Pop and Politics - Billy Bragg
Answer:
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees were a Philly Soul group who underwent a number of line-up changes throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s (I feel like a bad commercial radio station - "all the hits of the 80s, 90s and mid-90s"). Their most high-profile fan appears to be Prince Charles, as they performed at his 30th birthday party and were guests at his first wedding (no record of them being invited to the second).
The Nolans (or the Nolan Sisters, or variants on the theme) were and are an Irish family group who hit it big before the Corrs were even born. Their website - nolansisters.com - gives us the following bio info:
The pop phenomenon known as The Nolans came into blossom during the late 1970's after a succession of highly popular TV & variety show appearances...Tommy and Maureen Nolan were the singing parents behind off springs Tommy Jnr, Anne, Denise, Maureen, Brian, Linda, Bernadette and Coleen.
Bernie is currently starring as Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy in ITV's popular Police drama, "The Bill"."
Off springs?
The Pixies Three also had a number of different names during their career, all based on the Pixies theme (note: do not confuse with The Pixies of "This Monkey's Gone to Heaven" fame). Again their website - thepixiesthree.com - gives us this info:
"In 1963, three high school friends (Midge Bollinger, Debby Swisher and Kaye McCool) from Hanover, Pennsylvania, signed a recording contract with Mercury Records."
How could you go wrong with names like that? They were also part of the Philly Sound, and had links to Leon Huff and Kenny Gamble, who wrote "When Will I See You Again?" (note: only consider going to their website - gamble-huffmusic.com - if you enjoy waiting for gimmick-filled pages to load, which then yield little or nothing of interest).
Olivia Newton-John (or, as "The Goodies" called her, "Our Livvie") doesn't belong on this list for a number of reasons. To begin with, she is the grandchild of a Nobel Prize Winner (maternal grandfather Max Born, Physics, 1954). She also distinguishes herself with success in ventures outside music, while still recording and performing regularly *and* maintaining a level of dignity appropriate to her age.
Bonus piece of Olivia Trivia: her mother, Irene, left us in 2004, but you can visit a bench the family dedicated to her in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, Australia.