Leo Sayer

From the south of England, Leo Sayer enjoyed his initial success as a songwriter after teaming up David Courtney and writing Giving It All Away, the first solo hit for Roger Daltrey of The Who. Managed by Courtney and former pop idol Adam Faith, Sayer then launched his own career, using the memorable gimmick of donning a Pierrot costume and make-up, which helped propel his breakthrough with his circus-themed second single The Show Must Go On, a UK Number 2 in 1973. It was the first in a long series of catchy pop hits, including One Man Band, Long Tall Glasses, Moonlighting and the track that made him a star in America, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, in 1977. He had even bigger success changing direction with the ballad When I Need You, a cover of a song written by Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager, which was a Number 1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. As the hits subsequently dried up, Sayer diversified into film and TV, but made a surprise return to the top of the UK singles chart in 2006 as a result of a Mex remix of one of his old hits, Thunder In My Heart, his first hit for over 20 years. By now living in Australia, he returned to the UK to appear in the TV series, Celebrity Big Brother.

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