Origin United Kingdom Labels Ariola Hansa Active from 1976 | Years active 1976 - 1980 Active until 1980 | |
Albums The First Album, Child, Total Recall Members Keith Atack, Tim Atack, Mike Mckenzie, Graham Bilbrough Genres Pop music, Middle of the road Similar Kate Robbins, The Red Chord, Des'ree | ||
Child was a British pop group which found success in the late 1970s. The band was a four-piece, consisting of Dave Cooper (guitar), Graham Bilbrough (vocals)and twins Keith (bass guitar) and Tim Atack (drums). Following the release of the first four singles Dave Cooper left to form rock band Crash Alley and Mike Mckenzie joined on bass guitar with Keith Atack switching to guitar. Their biggest hit was a cover of the Conway Twitty song "It's Only Make Believe,", which was a top ten hit in 1978.
Contents
History
Child were formed in the early-1970s consisting of Graham Bilbrough (born May 1958), Dave Cooper (born June 1957) and twin brothers Keith and Tim Atack (born April 1959). The members were in their early teens at the time, performing under the name 'Reincarnation.' They were discovered practicing in a local village hall by Mike Devere, who remained their manager for eight years. At first, Reincarnation nearly became Fairburn's Children (an homage to the village in which the village hall was situated) but then, very quickly, to Child. Their first single was released in 1976 but failed to chart. After touring and many television appearances, the group secured a record deal with Ariola Hansa. With this label the group achieved their first chart hit after appearing on Top of the Pops. The song was a cover of The Searchers' hit "When You Walk in the Room", and reached No.38 in the UK. Following this up with another cover, the formula worked even better and the group scored a top 10 hit with "It's Only Make Believe", which earned them a silver disc from the BPI for sales in excess of 250,000. In 1979, they scored their third chart hit with (yet another cover) "Only You (And You Alone)", which reached No.33. Their first album for Ariola Hansa (entitled 'The First Album') again earned them a BPI silver disc. Their second album, 'Total Recall' was less successful and the group disbanded soon afterwards in 1980. Child were one of the few breakthrough 'pop' bands in the age of punk music, their popularity enhanced by an image that saw them become the darlings of the teen mags, being voted the second most popular UK band amongst teenage girls in a 1978 poll conducted by the magazine Fab 208. This popularity also saw them embark on a major sell-out UK tour, with scenes of fan hysteria reminiscent of the earlier Bay City Rollers.
Keith and Tim Atack went on to become session musicians, backing the likes of David Cassidy, Rick Astley and Bonnie Tyler in the 1980s. They also formed a singing duo under two different names; Atack (early 1980s) and The Duel (late 1980s), but neither found success. Keith went on to form the Eagles tribute band the Illegal Eagles in the 1990s and still plays with them today. Tim became musical director to Des'ree before making his name as a film and television score composer, writing for films such as The Invention of Lying and Cemetery Junction as well as the love theme from Romeo + Juliet, which went on to be covered by Beyoncé.
Dave Cooper went on to form the band CoAst in 2008. The band won the Mercury Club Band of the year for four consecutive years before retiring from the club circuit in December 2015.
Graham Bilbrough also went on to further success, taking control of one of the North of England's major booking agencies.
Discography
Singles:
Albums:
Songs
Maybe Baby Someday
Still the One
What's a Nice Girl Like You