Music Break - Middle Of The Road

Not the musical style, nor the song by the Pretenders, but the pop-rock group from Scotland, who had some success in the early 1970s in Britain and Germany, but were largely overlooked in America.  In 1967, Sally Carr (vocals), Ken Andrew (drums), and the McCredie brothers Ian (guitar) and Eric (bass) formed a group called Part Four.  They later changed their name to Los Caracas and finally to Middle Of The Road.  Many of their early songs were a bit "poppy" for my tastes, such as their #1 hit in 1971 Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, but their 1972 hit Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum, I find downright catchy.  The lyrics are not about a nursery rhyme, but two warring Scottish clans.  Although I don't miss the clothing styles shown in this video, it's pretty clear that Sally's good looks were part of the band's appeal.

The three guys contributed lots of backing vocals and an occasional lead vocal, such as on Queen Of Rock 'n' Roll from their 1973 album Music Music.  The YouTube user who posted the video believes that drummer Ken Andrew sang the lead on this one, but I have no official confirmation.

In 1974, Middle Of The Road added a second guitarist, Neil Henderson, who had briefly been a member of another Scottish band, the Bay City Rollers.  Tell Me features a mix of acoustic and electric guitars.  The video shows pictures of all five members.

The band included their name in the lyrics of Bonjour Ça Va.  The video shows a lip-synced performance.

Of all of Middle Of The Road's songs, Dry Gulch Charlie is probably the closest to hard rock.  Either Ian or Neil contributes some Chuck Berry-style licks.

In 1976, Sally Carr left the group and was replaced by Linda Carroll.  During the 1980s, Ian McCredie assembled a new lineup, including his son Stuart on keyboards and Lorraine Felberg on vocals.  Felberg and the younger McCredie soon afterwards got married.  In 1991, the original lineup briefly reunited, but Eric McCredie dropped out due to ill health.  He passed away in 2007, but the other early members are still around.  As recently as 2009, Sally and Ken were still performing together.