Sandie Shaw
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Biography:
British singer Sandie Shaw had a string of girl group-styled singles in the mid-'60s before she retired in the early '70s. Shaw was discovered by pop singer Adam Faith in 1963, who led her to his manager, Eve Taylor; she released her debut single, &"As Long as You're Happy," the following year. It didn't hit the charts, yet her next record, &"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," hit number one in the U.K.; the single hit number 52 in the U.S., yet Shaw was never as big a star in the States as she was in the U.K. For the next three years, she had a string of hits -- most of them written by her producer Chris Andrews -- that kept her at the top of the charts. In 1967, Taylor began to move Shaw into cabaret territory; the approach proved a success when the Bill Martin/Phil Coulter song &"Puppet on a String" hit number one. She recorded one more Coulter song, &"Tonight in Tokyo," before returning to Chris Andrews. However, none of her further work with Andrews resulted in hit singles. Released in early 1969, her English version of the French &"Monsieur Dupont" managed to crack the Top 20; it would turn out to be her last hit.
In 1970, Shaw tried to become a family entertainer, yet those plans were scuttled by a failed marriage and scandalous rumors that circulated in the British newspapers. She subsequently retired for the rest of the '70s. Shaw returned to recording in the early '80s when BEF, a Heaven 17 side project, prompted her to record &"Anyone Who Had a Heart," an old Cilla Black hit. The Smiths' lead singer Morrissey began championing her in interviews, as well, which led her to record a version of the band's &"Hand in Glove" supported by the Smiths themselves; the single briefly appeared on the U.K. charts. Shaw recorded a version of Lloyd Cole's &"Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?" in 1986; like &"Hand in Glove," it scraped the bottom of the pop charts. In 1988, she recorded an entire album, Hello Angel; although it featured songs by the Smiths and the Jesus and Mary Chain, it failed to make a large impression on the pop charts. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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