Formed in Glasgow in October 1974, Cado Belle featured singer Maggie Reilly – a diminutive package of funk with a curtain of long dark hair and barroom queen clothes, who could holler the blues with the same maturity and authority she showed improvising on a mellow ballad.
The band moved to London in 1976 and released their sole, self-titled LP in October of that year on the Anchor label. The group performed on The Old Grey Whistle Test, where host Bob Harris declared them “the band most likely to succeed in 1977”.
They released a 4-track EP in 1977 and supported major artists such as Poco, Heart and Gallagher and Lyle but commercial success did not match the critical acclaim they had consistently received since 1974.
Cado Belle split up in 1979 when bassist Gavin Hodgson left for Ireland and Stuart MacKillop went off to work with ABBA.
Maggie Reilly formed a band called Stagalee and turned to session work in numerous studio jobs, singing on Mike Oldfield‘s Moonlight Shadow amongst others.
Saxophonist Colin Tully went on to write the score for the film Gregory’s Girl (1981).
Maggie Reilly
Vocals
Alan Darby
Guitars
Gavin Hodgson
Bass
Stuart MacKillop
Keyboards
Colin Tully
Saxophone
Davy Roy
Drums