In 1973 the songwriting partnership of Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington had produced a number of rock'n'roll songs that they knew deep down were winners.

By the early 70's they had written a handful of songs that needed an outlet, but at the time there were not any artists they considered suitable. So to showcase their new songs Wayne Bickerton, then the Head of A & R at Polydor records with a limitless budget, organised a massive session to record these new songs as demos for prospective artists.

The session took place in October 1973 and featured over 20 musicians and singers. "Sugar Baby Love" was the main track recorded, and at one point it was considered as an entry for "The Eurovision Song Contest" but it failed to even reach the final 60. Also recorded on that day were demos for "Juke Box Jive", "Tonight".

Although it was a demo, Wayne and Tony believed that the recording they had made was polished enough to be released in its original form. The drummer on the session, John Richardson, was approached by Wayne, to form a band from those who played on that day in October, to promote the record.
This wasn't unusual in the early 70's as many, who will remain anonymous, were actually just a front for studio creations by producers and writers, and never actually played on any of their hits. The Rubettes however were different in this respect as they had already recorded three hits before forming as a band without even realising it, and who you saw on television, in magazines and on the record sleeves were the real thing, not just a pretty face, miming.
The name of the band came from Wayne who chose it while listening to some old discs by the American 50's vocal band The Diamonds. He went through all the precious stones until Ruby came along, and that was quickly adapted to The Rubettes. The Rubettes had been well and truly formed, with the single being released in January 1974.

"Sugar Baby Love" spent 4 weeks at number one in Britain, and it also reached the top of the charts in most other countries. The success around Europe quickly followed, but in France at one point it looked like it would never happen. Polydor France turned down "Sugar Baby Love" and refused to release it. It was originally covered in French, by a guy called "Dave", like most British hits at the time. He even appeared on television wearing the suit and cap. He sold 700.000 copies before The Rubettes versions came out. The Head of Polydor France was sacked because of his misjudgement and eventually it went on to sell 2 millions copies by the band, but even then for some reason the French still wouldn't have the group on any television shows.

But France soon became their major market and for many years to come they appeared on TV and in concert virtually every week. I even got to a point later in the 70's that they would record singles especially for the French market.

The Summer of 1974 saw the release of the band's second single "Tonight", a track which Wayne feels suffered because of the band. "They chopped and changed it and it didn't have the original feel I had imagined for it". Also a UK television strike prevented them promoting the song, it stalled at number 12.

After their third single "Juke Box Jive", a number 3 hit, and their debut album "Wear its 'At" the band were down to a 5 piece when American pianist Pete Arnessen left.

1976 started with the band embarking on a tour to Japan. Alan adds "I enjoyed Japan even though the gigs weren't that good. Me and Mick went shopping on our last day, and he found this watch, but he couldn't make his mind up if he wanted it or not. After about three hours I said 'Mick are you going to buy it or not', he still couldn't make his mind up. So I brought it and he then spent the next few weeks after that trying to buy it off me".

Alan continues "Mick was always indecisive, I remember on one occasion we were in North Wales and Mick disappeared for the afternoon. He had been attempting to buy a pair of binoculars but couldn't make up his mind as usual. So the next morning we were all in the car waiting to leave, but no Mick. Then we spotted him on the corner outside a shop looking through a pair of binoculars, he still hadn't found a pair he liked. So John said 'come on I know how to get him away, just do as I do'. So we went into the shop and John said to the store owner 'Give me some binoculars', he looked through the first pair and said 'I'll take them', I did the same. Mick couldn't believe it, we had spent one minute doing what he couldn't do in five hours. He panicked and quickly brought a pair like ours thinking they must be good. What he didn't even realise was that we didn't even want them, it was only to get him out of the shop. Months later Mick went on holiday to Wales so that he could change the pair he had brought".

Luck was certainly against the band, because in 1979 their biggest market France collapsed, and it wasn't their fault. Alan, "We had a falling out with our French promoter who told a pack of lies about us and cost us all our work there and ultimately our career. In short we were caught in a legal wrangle". John continues "One day we received a writ from the mayor of a town in Brittany after not turning up for a show. But we knew nothing about it. He said you owe me for not turning up. He sent us the contract but it wasn't our writing. This Frenchman was booking us everywhere but cancelling the night before, replacing us with one of his bands and saying we had let him down. That went on for months without our knowledge and finally we ended up in a legal wrangle that went on for years, that's why we never played in France again. No one would book us, we were literally cheated out of a fortune. It finished us there. Years later though we got our revenge, when we just happened to be staying in the same hotel as this guy. We threw him in hte pool fully clothed, Rolex and all, it was great".

In the early 80's they had a contract with CBS in Germany which gave the band a couple of more minor hits, but the end was in sight. Alan, "Most bands stay at the top for about 18 months. Taste's change and people move on. It was good while it lasted and we had a longer run than most of the bands around at the time. The German deal didn't lead to much, the work dried up and the trio then just drifted apart.

But the mid 80's nostalgia was in full swing. the 60's which had enjoyed a number of years of renewed popularity was slowly spreading to the bands of the 70's. In late 1984 tour offers slowly started to come back in, much to the surprise of the band. It started when a German promoter convinced Alan that there was mileage in a tour.
Alan admits he was a little nervous in getting the band back together again. "We had survived the 70's, and we were leading confortable lives. I was reluctant to start again, mainly because I thought I was too old to be a pop star".
The work has slowly built up, and over the past few years The Rubettes have gained a bigger and more loyal following and play to larger audiences now than they ever did in their heyday. Alan, "There's no pressure on us anymore and we can work when we want. In the same with the other bands of that era, we see them regurlarly and have a good laugh".

30 years after their initial success, the members of The Rubettes are now completely happy with what the band has become. The pressures of success have now been lifted and they make a point of always meeting the audience after each show to chat and sign autographs.

 The Rubettes will probably never be remembered for the enormous impact they made on the European charts in the 1970's, and they are yet to be rivalled in their league to this day. They will probably just be remembered as "the band with the caps". But 30 years on they are still finding new audiences who are discovering their music, and definitely one of the elite bands from the most colourful era of pop music, still entertaining today.