Slade

All four members of Slade grew up in the area of England known as the Black Country. After a period in different groups, the four members came together by 1966 as 'N Betweens, and recorded some unsuccessful singles. In 1969 Jack Baverstock of Philips Records signed them and recorded their debut album, changing their name to "Ambrose Slade", a name inspired by Baverstock's secretary, who had named her handbag Ambrose and her shoes Slade. Slade dominated the UK singles charts during the early 1970s. Slade achieved twelve Top 5 hit singles in the UK between 1971 and 1974, three of which went straight to No. 1. Of the 17 Top 20 hits between 1971 and 1976, six made No. 1, three reached No. 2 and two peaked at No. 3. No other UK act of the period enjoyed such consistently high chart placings in the UK Top 40 or sold as many singles. In 1973 alone, "Merry Xmas Everybody" sold over one million copies globally, obtaining gold disc status. They toured Europe in 1973 and the US in 1974. Slade have released over 30 albums, three of which reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart. Their releases have spent 315 weeks in the UK charts and they have earned 24 top-30 UK hits as of 2016.
Following an unsuccessful move to the U.S. in 1975, Slade's popularity in the UK waned, but was unexpectedly revived in 1980 when they were last-minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne at the Reading Rock Festival. The band later acknowledged this to have been one of the highlights of their career. For the next two years, the band produced material tailored towards the heavy-metal scene and by 1984, they finally cracked the American market with the hits "Run Runaway" and "My Oh My". This new-found success did not last long, however, and despite a top-25 UK hit in the early 1990s the band split in 1992. Guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell re-formed later in the year as Slade II. The band have continued, with a number of line-up changes, to the present day. They shortened the group name back to Slade in 2002 and toured in 2025 and 2026 as Dave Hill's Slade.
A number of artists from diverse genres have cited Slade as an influence. The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Music tells of Holder's powerful vocals, guitarist Dave Hill's equally arresting dress sense and the deliberate misspelling of their song titles (such as "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now") for which they became well known.