Ambrose Slade

Chas Chandler started his career in music as bass guitarist for The Animals, the well known and successful group from Newcastle who had a run of hit records starting in 1964 with House Of The Rising Sun. Despite The Animals international success, the band members made little money from their records and split up in 1966 with the disenchanted Chandler using the connections he had established to go into the business side of pop music. Chas Chandler had discovered Jimi Hendrix in New York in 1966 and after arranging for him to go to London, managed Hendrix's career for the next two years. This association made Chandler a rich and respected figure in the London music scene and by 1969 he was looking for a new group to produce and manage. Chas Chandler was as impressed by Ambrose Slade as the group were of him and after taking over as manager, he booked the group to perform at influential venues as well as keeping them on the road full time in order to help pay for better equipment and promotion.

In April 1969, Phillips Records issued the Ambrose Slade album under the title of "Beginnings" with a group written single - an instrumental titled Genesis taken from it. The record missed the charts but Chas Chandler told the band to write more of their own material and by the end of 1969 had shortened their name to Slade. They continued to work up and down the country but were still regarded as an underground attraction. In an attempt to get more publicity, Chas Chandler had Slade go for a "skinhead" image complete with Doc Marten boots, braces and shaved heads. At the time, skinhead gangs were getting a lot of press coverage so the idea seemed like a good one but Dave Hill and Jim Lea were not happy with this decision.

The skinhead image did create the desired effect in the music press with Slade given photo coverage and the first Slade album Play It Loud issued on Polydor Records featured a front cover picture of the group dressed as skinheads. The album, released in November 1970, gained little more attention than the previous Ambrose Slade album and although the songs were well produced and they promoted one of the singles from it Shape Of Things To Come on Top Of The Pops, it did not sell enough copies to make the charts.

Slade were however, becoming a major live attraction in the clubs and this was largely due to Noddy Holder's ability to work the audience into an almost frenzy like state. One song in particular they performed that gained much response was an old Little Richard number called Get Down And Get With It. Chas Chandler saw the potential of the song as Slade's next single, so he got the group to record it with their version being released in May of 1971. The song featured Noddy Holder's now trademark vocal style as well as a foot stomping/hand clapping chorus and became Slade's first hit record reaching No.16 in the UK charts. The group also took to wearing outrageous outfits on stage and became the forefront of the Glitter or "Glam Rock" movement which also included fellow Midlander Roy Wood's group Wizzard (see The Move).

Unlike many "new" groups who found themselves with a hit single, Slade were well prepared for the success that awaited them and their next single Cos I Luv You got to No.1 in the charts by November of 1971. The song was composed by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea and thus established a successful writing team which began a run of hit singles for Slade - including an incredible six number ones by the end of 1973 thus making the group the most successful in Britain at that time since the Beatles.