COVER STORY
after the Yom Kippur War so I was on my own and I thought, ‘what am I gonna do?’ I’m all on my own going all the way up to Edgware Road from Bethnal Green and so I looked for situations vacant in the Melody Maker and NME and there was one advert ‘Girl singer wanted - must have experience’ and I thought, ‘well I’ve sung with the Cathedral Players that’ll do’ and I rang my sister and she went ‘oh just ring it -they can only say no’, and I rang my mum and she said ‘well it’s what you’ve always wanted to do’ and so I rang, it was a London number and that is the only reason I rang because if it had been anywhere out of London there would have been travelling involved and I thought I’m not going to do that but as it happens it was Leyton, London-based but the band were in Blackpool, so a million miles away!
and got it, and that was in 1975. Never auditioned in my life before so don’t know how I got it, I was terribly nervous. But they said we will let you know by Wednesday and on Monday they rang and said you’re in the band we need you in Blackpool now to start rehearsals. I went into work and Josh was back from Israel and I said “Josh you know I’ve always wanted to be a singer?” and he replied “go, you go” so I went! Got the bus up to Blackpool straight away, I was amazed at how fantastic it was and the gigs we did, but immediately we were asked to enter ‘Song for Europe’ which would have been in the March 1976. So from being nowhere and doing nothing, within eight weeks I was at Royal Albert Hall doing the Song for Europe and very, very nervous. That was the year that Brotherhood of Man won with Save Your Kisses For Me. We came second, we lost by two points.
I left in 1980 and started working in the studio where we used to do our recording and Nicola Martin came in and put Bucks Fizz together, she went “Ooh Cheryl, what you doing here?” and I said I’d left Coco so she said she’d got this group she was getting together and asked if I wanted to be a part of it and I thought ‘pfft yeah alright, I can be on the telly again, mum and dad can watch me on telly ag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x?&[H ???YH ??[??&]]?H?Y[? ?XY K??] [? ?? YX\??]\? ?HY?????]\??HY?Z[? ?H ??[? ?H ?\ ?\?[?Y HR?[? H]\??\?[? ?X? ?\? ?]H??\?[Y?????H?[YH L] ?X?] H [YH ?\? H ??? HR?Y]?\??K????] ??[?H???B????Y [?H??H ?]?Z[??[? H[Y[Y? ?] ?\?[ ?Y? H ?\? ??[?Y[ ?XY HYH ?[??H[?[?[?[H?][? ?HY?HH?? ?]?[[??H?]? ]?[YH??[??YH[??? ?X[ H ?\?H ]ZX?? H[? ??H?\?[???YY] ?[H]\ [?Y H ?X[ H[???YY] ???B??