Brian Connolly
Brian Francis Connolly (born October 5, 1945 in Hamilton , Scotland , † February 10, 1997 in Slough , Buckinghamshire ) was a Scottish musician and lead singer of the rock band The Sweet .
Life
Brian Connolly was born on October 5, 1945 in a Glasgow hospital. When he developed meningitis at the age of one , he was left in the hospital by his mother and shortly afterwards adopted by a nurse. At the age of twelve he moved to Middlesex with his new family. Until his 18th birthday his name was Brian Francis McManus, because he was born out of wedlock and grew up with his foster parents McManus. The actor Mark McManus (1935-1994) was a cousin of this family. Connolly never met his birth mother.
When he found out he had been adopted at age 18, Connolly moved out and enrolled at Merchant Navy Officers College. After 18 months, however, he was found to be color blind and therefore unable to continue his officer training.
He then started a career as a singer. In the late 1960s, Mick Tucker and Brian Connolly joined the Wainwrights gentlemen . This band did not last long, however, and so Brian Connolly, Mick Tucker, Steve Priest and Frank Torpey formed the band Sweet-Shop , which they later renamed The Sweet . Guitarist Frank Torpey was soon replaced by Mick Stewart, who after a few single releases was replaced by Andy Scott . The Sweet became the most commercially successful glam rock formation of the 1970s, first under the direction of the British songwriter and producer duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and then from 1975 independently.
Because of Connolly's massive alcohol problems and internal disputes, however, the band broke up in 1978. Connolly then started a solo career, but with very limited success. The leadership of the band took over Andy Scott, who continued with other musicians under the name "Andy Scott's Sweet". But he could not build on the success of the original 'The Sweet' with Brian Connolly.
In May 1972 Connolly married his first wife, Marilyn Walsh. From this marriage have two daughters: Nicola (born April 3, 1974) and Michelle (born July 22, 1977). Marilyn separated from him in 1986 because of his alcohol problems. In 1990 he married Denise. This marriage lasted until 1994. His son Brian James (born May 26, 1995) comes from the relationship with Jean (born 1963), whom he met in 1992.
Connolly died on February 10, 1997 of kidney failure combined with a heart attack after suffering multiple heart attacks in 1980.
literature
- Bubi Heilemann, Sabine Thomas: THE SWEET. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89602-649-6 .
Web links
- Sound carrier by Brian Connolly in the catalog of the German National Library
- Brian Connolly in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Connolly, Brian |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Connolly, Brian Francis (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 5, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hamilton (South Lanarkshire) |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 10, 1997 |
| Place of death | Slough , Buckinghamshire |