Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown made music a sexy thing

Hot Chocolate blitzed the charts in the 70s and early 80s on the strength of tunes written by lead singer the late Errol Brown

FILE: Singer Errol Brown Dies At 71 LONDON - 1st SEPTEMBER: English pop group Hot Chocolate posed in London in September 1980. Left to right: Larry Ferguson, Tony Connor, Errol Brown, Patrick Olive and Harvey Hinsley. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)

Love it or hate it, once a Hot Chocolate song gets into your head it is often hard to escape it. Errol Brown, the late lead singer of the band who died this week, can take some of the blame for the catchiness of the tunes as he shared writing credit on their biggest hits.

Brown drew on a multitude of musical and personal influences including his Jamaican roots to create the vibrant, cheeky, sexy songs that made the band a success. But Brown could also draw on past heartache to write more deeply emotional tunes.

The band had 25 songs in the top 40 charts from 1969-84, hitting No.1 with So You Win Again but best known for their hit You Sexy Thing, which was covered by other artists and had a star turn in The Full Monty.

Although the band started out doing reggae their style soon departed from Jamaican sounds and moved closer to soul, funk and disco. But Brown’s background would inspire many other Jamaican-born black English artists.

Lester Errol Brown was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1943. His father left home when he was young, forcing his mother to head for England in search of secretarial work.

Left with his aunt for five years, Brown later said that the turmoil of his early years inspired some of his songs. He was 12 when his mother sent for him, having saved enough to send him to a good English school.

The change of country broadened his opportunities but he didn’t aspire to being a professional musician or singer. Although he sang in a church choir and absorbed rock music such as The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Motown, it was not until he befriended some musical neighbours in West Hampstead that he thought about joining a band.

When his mother died in 1963 he felt alone and became closer to his band mates. He was also inspired to compose melodies in his head. While humming these tunes aloud his friend Tony Wilson suggested they write songs together. Brown later said it was as if he had suddenly discovered what he was meant to do.

Singer Errol Brown on a visit to Australia.

With the rising popularity of reggae, particularly Bob Marley, in 1969 Brown tapped into the sounds of his youth to do reggae covers of hit songs. To get permission to do John Lennon’s Give Peace A Chance, they sent a demo of their version to Apple Records. To their delight Lennon loved it and got them a recording contract.

Named the Hot Chocolate Band they released Lennon’s song as their first single. It failed to chart. They looked around for another record deal, signing with producer Mickie Most on his RAK label.

Most dropped the “Band” part of their name and produced their first hit Love Is Life in 1970. A blend of Jamaican elements and soul, its lush orchestration and vocal harmonies prefigure disco. It made No.6 in the UK.

In 1971 I Believe In Love went to No.8, in 1972 Brother Louie hit No.7. The heart-rending Emma, inspired by the death of Brown’s mother, charted at No.3 in 1974.

But it was B-side tune in 1975, You Sexy Thing, that became their most famous hit. With its instantly recognisable distorted guitar riff, Jamaican rhythm section and Brown’s unique vocals, it reached No.2, kept out of top spot by Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

So You Win Again in 1977 would be their only No.1 hit but they had at least one top-40 hit every year from 1970-84. Brown and his other Jamaican band mates were some of the first prominent black Caribbean singers in Britain, paving the way for acts like Aswad, Maxi Priest, Musical Youth and more recently FKA Twigs and Estelle.

So popular were the band that they played at Pince Charles and Diana’s wedding reception at Buckingham Palace in 1981.

Brown left the band in 1985 and re-emerged in the ’90s on a solo career, even doing a cameo in the film clip of T-Shirt’s version of You Sexy Thing in 1997. In 2009 he did a farewell tour.

He died on May 6 of liver cancer and is survived by his wife Ginette and daughters Colette and Leonie.

Originally published as Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown made music a sexy thing