Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
        • 1960s Movies
        • 1970s Movies
        • 1980s Movies
        • 1990s Movies
      • Movies by Country
        • UK Movies
        • USA Movies
        • Australia & NZ Movies
        • Canada Movies
        • Europe Movies
        • Japan Movies
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Music by Decade»1970s Music
    1970s Music Music L 3 Mins Read

    Leo Sayer

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Born Gerard Hugh Sayer, “Leo” Sayer fronted The Terraplane Blues Band and Phydeaux while a Sussex art student before moving to London, where he supplemented his wages as a typographic designer (during this time he designed three of his own typefaces) by street busking and via floor spots in folk clubs.

    In 1971, he formed a group called Patches in Brighton who were managed by Dave Courtney, to whose melodies he provided lyrics.

    leosayer_004

    Speculating in artist management, Courtney’s former employer, Adam Faith, found the group ultimately unimpressive and chose only to promote Sayer.

    During initial sessions at Roger Daltrey’s studio, The Who‘s vocalist was sufficiently impressed by the raw material to record some Courtney-Sayer numbers himself. These included Giving It All Away, Daltrey’s biggest solo hit.

    After a miss with Why Is Everybody Going Home?, Sayer reached the UK #1 spot with 1973’s exuberant The Show Must Go On but immediate US success was thwarted by a chart-topping cover version by Three Dog Night.

    Seeing him mime the song in a clown costume and pancaked face on BBC television’s Top Of The Pops, some dismissed Sayer as a one-shot novelty, but he had the last laugh on such detractors when his popularity continued into the next decade.

    sayer4

    After One Man Band and Long Tall Glasses – the US Hot 100 breakthrough – came the severing of Sayer’s partnership with Courtney in 1975 during the making of Another Year. With a new co-writer in Frank Farrell (ex-Supertramp) from his backing group, Sayer rallied with the clever Moonlighting.

    Though the year ended on a sour note with an ill-advised version of The Beatles‘ Let It Be, 1976 brought a US million-seller in You Make Me Feel Like Dancing just as Disco sashayed near its Saturday Night Fever apogee.

    Sayer and Faith parted company shortly after the Let It Be release. Taken from 1977’s Endless Flight (produced by the fashionable Richard Perry), the non-original ballad, When I Need You, marked Sayer’s commercial peak at home – where the BBC engaged him for two television series.

    However, with the title track of Thunder In My Heart halting just outside the UK Top 20, hits suddenly became harder to come by, with 1978’s I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You (Though I Try) and telling revivals of Buddy Holly‘s Raining In My Heart and Bobby Vee‘s More Than I Can Say the only unequivocal smashes as his 1983 chart swansong (with Till You Come Back To Me) loomed nearer.

    Nevertheless, even 1979’s fallow period for singles was mitigated by huge returns for a compilation.

    sayer85

    By the late 80s, Sayer was bereft of a recording contract, having severed his long-standing relationship with Chrysalis Records and was reduced to self-financing his UK tours.

    A legal wrangle with his former manager, Adam Faith, resulted in Sayer receiving a financial settlement and the ownership of his masters and song publishing.

    His recording career recommenced in 1990 after signing to EMI Records and being reunited with producer Alan Tarney.

    Indications of a revival in his chart fortunes remain to be seen, however, this artist has been written off twice before, in 1973 and 1979, and critics should not be so quick to do so again.

    He undertook a major tour in 1998, buoyed by a bizarre UK media campaign (led by The Sun newspaper) to reinstate Sayer as a living legend.

    An excellent reissue program was undertaken by RPM Records and Sayer’s Silverbird label in 2002. Each album has an audio section with Sayer giving great detail to each album and his life.

    The quality of his songwriting was further enhanced later in the year by a cover version of I Can’t Stop Loving You (Though I Try) from Phil Collins.

    Video


    Related Posts

    • Colosseum
      Colosseum
      One of the first bands to fuse jazz, rock & blues, Colosseum was formed in Spring 1968 by drummer Jon…
    • Holly & The Italians
      Holly & The Italians
      Holly Beth Vincent was born in Chicago but grew up in Los Angeles. It was there she formed Holly &…
    • Spirogyra
      Spirogyra
      Formed in Bolton in 1967, acid-folk band Spirogyra found their wings in Canterbury in 1969 with a stable line-up of…
    • Wire
      Wire
      Unashamedly middle-class, and older than most of their contemporaries, Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Bruce Gilbert and Robert Gotobed (born Mark…
    • Dawn
      Dawn
      Manhattan-born and Hell's Kitchen-raised, Tony Orlando started out singing in a New York street Doo-Wop group called The Five Gents, before…
    • Sunforest
      Sunforest
      An American all-girl trio steeped in medieval and renaissance sounds as well as pop, Sunforest epitomised the variety of the…
    • Ten Years After
      Ten Years After
      Nottingham-born Alvin Lee teamed up with Leo Lyons and a drummer in 1964 and the trio took themselves off to…
    • Scaffold, The
      Scaffold, The
      The Scaffold - the name comes from a Miles Davis LP, Lift To The Scaffold (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) - were formed in…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleLonnie Lee
    Next Article Lesley Gore

    Comments are closed.

    A Labour of Love

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small – to help me with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Protest Movement
      Protests in the 1960s can be divided into two main categories; […]
    • Peter Gunn
      1 9 5 8 – 1 9 6 1 (USA) 114 x 30 minute episodes Peter […]
    • Bless This house (1972)
      Based on the popular TV series, this motion picture version […]
    • Kolchak: The Night Stalker
      1 9 7 4 – 1 9 7 5 (USA) 2 x 90 minute TV movies 20 x 60 […]
    • Darts
      Darts were formed in August 1976, although the various members […]
    • East Side/West Side
      1 9 6 3 – 1 9 6 4 (USA) 26 x 60 minutes episodes Although […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today

    theb.fi

    Not everything is at it seems about the shooting locations for this classic story of a Yorkshire daydreamer.
    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    “I’ll tell you what Charlie, there’s always been a Holroyd at Holroyd’s mill and by god there always will be” Love this film.

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65006801 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Terry Hall: Coventry scooter ride-out pays tribute to singer

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Hundreds of people ride through Coventry on what would have been the singer's 64th birthday.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/the-whos-roger-daltrey-thinks-theres-no-point-releasing-an-album-18434779/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Who's Roger Daltrey thinks there's 'no point' releasing another album

    metro.co.uk

    Bad luck.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64963359 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The Italian Job actor hired a chauffeur to drive the 1968 Silver Shadow, with its doors still intact.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64900348 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mystic Meg: Astrologer dies aged 80

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV star, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was a well-known TV figure in the 1990s.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Do you think she know it eas going to happen

    PlayTalk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay

    Talk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Gary Rossington had survived a 1977 air crash that killed several of his bandmates.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    What a talented man. Lucky enough to see original band in concert. BRILLIANT.

    Rest in peace Dickie Davies. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94

    www.theguardian.com

    The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Yes, one of the great presenters. R.I.P.

    For fans of the radio series Round The Horne (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty close to the edge, even by modern standards. Bona! 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA

    For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Bona!

    open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    For those interested, the complete “Jules and Sandy” is available on Audible…

    Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Lovely riah....

    RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Stella Stevens: Nutty Professor and Poseidon Adventure star dies at 84

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Bubblegum music Canada Civil rights Cold War Computer games Crime Disc Jockeys Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Folk rock Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen James Bond JFK Kraütrock Labels Madchester Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave New Zealand Nixon Northern Soul NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Reggae Rolling Stones Scotland Ska Ska revival Skiffle Soul music Space Race Sport Surf music Video games Vietnam war
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.