Cheryl Baker

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Cheryl Baker
Baker in 2013
Baker in 2013
Background information
Birth nameRita Maria Crudgington
Born (1954-03-08) 8 March 1954 (age 70)
Bethnal Green, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • television presenter
Years active1975–present
Labels

Rita Maria Stroud (

1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, for legal reasons, now performs under the name the Fizz. The group had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982). Baker left the group in 1993. She had previously represented the UK at the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the band Co-Co
.

In 2004, she began performing alongside

the Original Bucks Fizz. Preston was replaced by original Bucks Fizz member Jay Aston in 2009. Due to a legal dispute in 2011,[1] the group renamed themselves Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, formerly of Bucks Fizz. In 2017, they rebranded themselves as the Fizz[2] and worked on new material.[3]

Early career

Cheryl Baker was born as Rita Maria Crudgington on 8 March 1954 in

A Song for Europe in 1976 with the song "Wake Up". They came second, being beaten by (eventual Eurovision winners) Brotherhood of Man by two points.[9]

The group continued to perform together and in 1978, they entered A Song for Europe again with "

UK Singles Chart.[14]

Bucks Fizz

Baker in 1983

In late 1980, Baker was contacted by Nichola Martin, a producer, music publisher and singer who was setting up a new group to record "

Bobby Gee and Jay Aston and won A Song For Europe which meant they became the UK representative at the Eurovision Song Contest on 4 April 1981.[15] The song went on to win by a margin of four points ahead of the second-placed German entry.[17][18] O'Connor wrote that "the group sang way off-key, but had such enthusiasm that the judges overlooked this in favour of the song".[19] As part of the choreography, the male members of the group tore skirts off the women at the last chorus, revealing shorter skirts below.[19][20] Author Nick Brownlee reflected that "It may sound unkind to suggest that it was this gimmick, rather than the song itself, that captured the imagination of the voters, but such was the relentless sameness of Eurovision songs that it would take something unusual to stir the dozing denizens of Brussels, Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Basle."[20] In Nul Points (2007), his book about Eurovision, Tim Moore wrote that Baker's "detachable skirt [would] help Bucks Fizz to the Euro crown".[21] Baker later recalled that as the group was on stage being photographed after winning, she thought "That piece of Velcro on the skirts has just changed my life."[22] She has also commented that "It was the iconic moment that won us the competition; I really believe that."[13]

Baker was one of the few artists to take part in Eurovision to win at their second attempt.[23] "Making Your Mind Up" became a No.1 hit in the UK, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Norway.[18] She has said that she does not like the song, as it is "not her kind of music at all"[24]

Baker and the rest of the group had two more British No.1s; "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).[25] They had further successful singles, but after When We Were Young (1983), their next records sold less well.[25][4] Baker and Aston appeared in cameo roles in the video for "Who's That Girl?" (1983) by Eurythmics.[26][27]

According to journalist and author Simon Garfield, "petty jealousies over who sang lead vocals and designed outfits and routines" frequently occurred, and Baker would often clash with both Gee and Martin.[28] He refers to the group as "not, after all, a band formed on trust and personal admiration half as much as it was a band formed by the goals of money and success" and therefore prone to infighting and jealousies.[29]

On 11 December 1984, Baker was involved in a serious crash in Newcastle upon Tyne, while on tour with the group, when the tour bus crashed into a lorry. She was injured and rushed to hospital. Although she broke three vertebrae in her spine, she made a speedy recovery. Colleague Mike Nolan, however, suffered serious head injuries, prompting Baker to help establish the HeadFirst charity which supports crash victims, specifically those with head injuries.[30][31][32] The group's popularity had been diminishing before the crash.[20] The group then went through a series of personnel changes after an initial breakup in 1985, with ownership of the name Bucks Fizz being contested.[33]

Baker left the group in 1993 to focus on developing her career in television.[34] In an interview with Boyz in 2015, Baker said that, "When I left the group in the 90s, we were doing bingo halls and places like that and it was soul destroying because no one cared."[22] Baker recalled interviewing partipants in a Here and Now Tour when she was working for a magazine, and being inspired to reform the group.[22] Around Christmas 2004, some of the band members, including Baker, reunited for live performances.[22]

Television and acting career

In the mid-1980s, while still with the group, Baker embarked on a career in television presenting, and also appeared in acting roles. Baker and Carrie Grant were the two successful candidates from nearly 400 applicants to host the children's show How Dare You! in 1984,[35] and each hosted alternate episodes of the series.[36] In 1985, Baker was one of several celebrities that each hosted Children's ITV for a month.[37]

She co-presented The Saturday Picture Show with

Mark Curry from 1985 to 1986.[38] In 1987, she joined Record Breakers as a co-host alongside the long-serving Roy Castle, continuing alongside new hosts after Castle's death in 1994, and finally leaving the show in 1997 after 10 years.[39][40] She also presented The Saturday Six O'Clock Show with Michael Aspel, and had guest appearances on the game shows Blankety Blank and Surprise, Surprise.[8]

She made her acting debut in the title role in a television production of Cinderella on ITV at Christmas 1986,[41][42] At the times, she stated that her other professional commitments would be fitted around her Bucks Fizz timetable.[42]

Her stage acing debut was in

Maid Marion, and Peter Hepple of The Stage called her "a new and highly promising recruit to the pantomime ranks".[43] Among later pantomime appearances at various venues, she took the title roles of Aladdin in 1989, Dick Whittington in 1993, and Cinderella in 1990, 1991 and 1995.[44] The Stage critic Pat Rusch praised Baker's 1991 turn as Cinderella, writing that she "looked good, played the part with gusto" and sang well, but lamented that the lack of musical numbers in the show meant that she was not able to stand out as much as she could have done otherwise.[45]

In 1988, Baker began presenting her own TV show Eggs 'n' Baker, featuring cooking and guest musical performers, which went on to run for five years.[46] In 1989, a seven-part series, My Secret Desire, in which a panel attempted to identify the secret ambitions of guests, was hosted by Baker.[47] She presented series of six short programmes about food safety, The Survival Guide to Food, in 1992.[48]

During this time, she also released two solo singles "If Paradise Is Half as Nice" in 1987 and "Sensuality" in 1992, although neither of these found chart success.[49][50]

After leaving Bucks Fizz, Baker carried on presenting Record Breakers as well as other television work.[51] Into the 2000s, Baker made many guest appearances on television. She has also participated in a number of reality television shows, such as Drop the Celebrity (which she won), 24-Hour Quiz (which she also won)[citation needed] and I'm Famous and Frightened! (2004).[52] She broke her ankle during a landing on Drop the Celebrity.[53]

For the

Waterloo" by ABBA. Later on during the same programme, she sang Bucks Fizz's winning song "Making Your Mind Up" live with Mike Nolan and Shelley Preston.[citation needed
]

In 2006, Baker played the role of Vi Moore in the London production of

Seussical the Musical. The tour visited many towns in the South East of England.[citation needed] She fronted a series of television commercials for Safestyle windows in 2006; the company felt that she represented an "instantly recognised image of the 'girl next door'".[54]

In June 2011, she reached the final of the ITV series

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins on 23 May 2015 with Dana Rosemary Scallon as her partner.[citation needed
]

Baker was confirmed as the second celebrity to take part in the

tenth series of Dancing on Ice in October 2017.[56] She was eliminated on 4 February 2018.[citation needed
]

In April 2023, it was announced that Baker would be appearing in a special episode of the BBC One soap opera EastEnders to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[57] The episode was broadcast on Thursday 11 May 2023, the night before the Eurovision semi-final.[58]

Other work and later iterations of Bucks Fizz

Baker's Cheryl Baker's Low Calorie Cook Book (1996) reached number four in the UK book charts.[24][59]

In 2004, Baker, Nolan and Preston reunited as a group under the name

the Original Bucks Fizz.[60] Preston left the band in 2009 and was replaced by original member Aston.[61] Following their loss in a legal dispute with Gee over the rights to the name in 2011, they renamed the group.[61] In 2012 they were know as OBF,[62] and later as Cheryl, Mike and Jay – Formerly of Bucks Fizz.[61] They later changed their name to the Fizz,[63] and released the albums albums The F–Z of Pop (2017) and Smoke & Mirrors (2020) which both charted in the top 30.[60]

In 2008, Baker became an Ambassador of

Menopause.[65]

Baker is the vice-president of the stillbirth charity Abigail's Footsteps.[66]

Personal life

Baker married Steve Stroud, the bass player in Cliff Richard's band, on 25 January 1992.[67] They have twin daughters, born in June 1994 after In vitro fertilisation treatment.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Losing its Fizz..." Magrath LLP solicitors. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  2. ^ "TheFizzHistoryAndDiscography". Thefizzofficial.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. ^ "The New Album". Thefizzofficial.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b Larkin 1998, p. 814.
  5. ^ a b "TV Profile". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 26 September 1997. p. 12.
  6. ^ "It's love at last for star Cheryl". Sunday Mercury. 8 May 1988. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c d Nash 1983, p. 18.
  8. ^ a b c Eborall, Bob (11 February 1988). "The bucks never stop". The Stage. p. 6.
  9. ^ Simpson, Dave (9 May 2022). "Eurovision winners Brotherhood of Man: how we made Save Your Kisses for Me". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Where are they Now – Cheryl Baker". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  11. ^ Gambaccini 1999, p. 164.
  12. ^ O'Connor 2007, p. 73.
  13. ^ a b Tibballs 2016, p. 69.
  14. ^ "Co-Co". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Garfield 1986, p. 129.
  16. ^ Roxburgh 2016, p. 56.
  17. ^ Moore 2007, p. 76.
  18. ^ a b O'Connor 2007, p. 84.
  19. ^ a b O'Connor 2007, p. 86.
  20. ^ a b c Brownlee 2003, p. 105.
  21. ^ Moore 2007, p. 28.
  22. ^ a b c d "Eurovision at G-A-Y". Boyz. No. 1237. 21 May 2015. p. 8.
  23. ^ O'Connor 2007, p. 191.
  24. ^ a b c Dodd, Ros (24 January 1996). "No lack of fizz as Cheryl is left holding the babies". The Birmingham Post. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "Bucks Fizz Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Eurythmics". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  27. ^ Hopper, Alex (2023). "Top 10 Songs From Eurythmics That You Should Revisit". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  28. ^ Garfield 1986, p. 130.
  29. ^ Garfield 1986, p. 131.
  30. ^ Cruickshank, Andrew (5 July 1996). "Terrible day I almost lost my best friend". Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser. p. 9.
  31. ^ HeadFirst. "Cheryl Baker's story". Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  32. ^ Larkin 1998, p. 815.
  33. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (18 March 2023). "The Fizz look back: 'We look close in that old photo, but we didn't know each other at all'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  34. ^ "From a knighthood to the used car lot: where our former contestants are now". Sunday Telegraph. 4 January 2009. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "To join Tyne Tees". The Stage. 11 October 1984. p. 23.
  36. ^ "Carrie's big chance: Show to go on despite accident". Cambridge Evening News. 14 December 1984 – via Newpapers.com.
  37. ^ Melaniphy 1986, p. 117.
  38. ^ "Results for 'The Saturday Picture Show' 'Cheryl Baker'". BBC Programme Index. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  39. ^ Newley (8 September 1994). "Patrick Newley pays tribute to the late Roy Castle". The Stage. p. 3.
  40. ^ "Results for 'Record Breakers' 'Cheryl Baker'". BBC Programme Index. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  41. ^ "Cheryls's dream comes true". Evening Sentinel. 24 December 1986. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ a b "Cheryl puts the fizz into cinders". Retford, Gainsborough and Worksop Times. 25 December 1986. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ Hepple, Peter (4 January 1988). "Tuck into a festive feast". The Stage. p. 21.
  44. ^ "Bucks Fizz". Panto Archive. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  45. ^ Rush, Pat (9 January 1992). "Hastings: Cinderella". The Stage. p. 29.
  46. ^ "Results for 'Eggs 'n' Baker'". BBC Programme Index. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  47. ^ Eborall, Bob (5 January 1989). "Taking advantage of the new world". The Stage. p. 6.
  48. ^ "Survival Guide to Food, The". British Universities Film and Video Council. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  49. ^ Official Charts. "Cheryl Baker – "If Paradise is Half as Nice"". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  50. ^ "Yes, Cheryl's a girl of very many parts". Reading Evening Post. 19 October 1992. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ Screen online. "Record Breakers". Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  52. ^ Moran, Caitlin (19 March 2004). "It's celebrity scares!". The Times. p. 15[S].
  53. ^ Taylor, Joanna (11 September 2003). "Baker threat to sue LWT". The Stage. p. 3.
  54. ^ "Eurovison [sic] winner for Safestyle". Glass Age. Vol. 49, no. 6. June 2006. p. 6.
  55. ^ Park, James (1 July 2011). "Gay singer Joe McElderry wins Popstar to Operastar". Pink News. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  56. ^ "Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker confirmed as second Dancing On Ice 2018 contestant". Tellymix.co.uk. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  57. ^ "EastEnders announces Cheryl Baker cameo for Eurovision special". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  58. ^ Radio Times 6-12 May 2023 page 104
  59. ^ Pringle 1997, p. 37.
  60. ^ a b Beaumont, Mark (4 April 2021). "Bucks Fizz: The inside story of the Eurovision winners – 40 years on". The Independent.
  61. ^ a b c Moorhead, Rosy (22 June 2015). "Former Bucks Fizz star Mike Nolan talks to Rosy Moorhead about the group's gig at Watford Colosseum". Watford Observer.
  62. ^ "Four Blondes and an Armed Escort". RTÉ News. Dublin. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  63. ^ "Eighties band bring touch of sparkle to the railways". Oxford Mail. 3 November 2018. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  64. ^ "Welcome, International Songwriting Competition and UK Wide Talent Contest". Festival4Stars.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  65. ^ Menopause the Musical. "UK Cast list". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  66. ^ "Hospital bereavement suite for parents who've lost babies". ITV News. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  67. ^ "Fizz star pops the question!". Sunday Sun. 26 January 1992. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography


External links
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