Polly Brown

Polly Brown, or Polly Browne (born April 18 1947, Birmingham, England) is a British singer.

Browne was the lead singer of the groups Pickettywitch, the name being suggested by her sister Pamela Browne, and Sweet Dreams. [Joel Whitburn, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits". 7th edn, 2000] She released a solo album in 1975 entitled "Special Delivery" on GTO Records. "Same Old Feeling" was one of the hits that Pickettywitch enjoyed and post Pickettywitch a single from the album, "Up in a Puff of Smoke", was a hit in America, reaching #3 on the U.S. disco chart and #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. [ [http://wm02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:f9fexqt5ldhe~T5 Polly Brown] at Allmusic.com] In the UK charts, it reached #43.

Sweet Dreams's one UK #10 hit "Honey Honey" is notable for being the first successful cover of an ABBA song. The tune hit #68 in the U.S.. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfrxq9hldje~T3 Billboard] , Allmusic] Their appearance on "Top Of The Pops" attracted press comment for Browne's liberal use of dark make-up. In 1976, Browne took part in the A Song for Europe competition, becoming the first ever singer (in a multi-singer format contest) to sing two of the songs being considered for that year's Eurovision Song Contest. As a soloist, she performed "Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?" and teaming up with her singing partner Tony for Sweet Dreams, they performed "Love, Kiss And Run". Both songs failed to win the ticket to the Eurovision contest, but Dionne Warwick recorded her own version of "Do You Believe...", which became a minor hit in the USA. Polly Browne continues to write and record music including Blues.

After the original Pickettywich disbanded, a new band New Pickettywich was formed without Brown's involvement. Although they were not commercially successful, their singer Sheila Rossall found fame of a sort in 1980 when she was reported to be suffering from, she claimed, total allergy syndrome. Medical opinion largely denies the existence of such a condition, more likely to have been 'Multiple Allergy Syndrome' and living in a plastic bubble. [ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922467,00.html ] Confusion between the two women (Rossall died in Blackpool in 2006) has dogged Brown to the present day. [Polly Brown,"Bewitched:The Polly Brown Story" (liner notes) Rpm label(date uncertain)]

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