Paper Lace’s Philip Wright: The Truth Behind ‘Billy Don’t Be a Hero’ & ‘The Night Chicago Died’

<p>Step back into the unforgettable world of &#39;70s pop as we welcom <strong>Philip Wright, original member, drummer and lead vocalist of the English band Paper Lace</strong>. </p><p>In this episode, Philip shares the remarkable story of a group from Nottingham that spent years working the clubs before suddenly finding itself at the top of the charts in Britain, Australia and America.</p><p>Paper Lace had been paying their dues for years when tv provided the breakthrough they desperately needed. Their appearances on the popular British talent show <strong>Opportunity Knocks</strong> introduced the band to millions of viewers and helped set in motion a chain of events that would turn them into international hitmakers.</p><p>The real explosion came in <strong>74</strong> with <strong>“Billy Don’t Be a Hero.”</strong> </p><p>Written by the songwriting team of <strong>Mitch Murray and Peter Callander</strong>, the dramatic story-song raced to <strong>No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart</strong> and also became a huge No. 1 hit in Australia. </p><p>Suddenly Philip Wright and Paper Lace were experiencing the kind of success they had spent years dreaming about.</p><p>But the story took a fascinating turn in the US. American group <strong>Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods</strong> quickly released their own version of the song and took it to No. 1, effectively stealing Paper Lace’s American thunder.</p><p>Paper Lace didn&#39;t have to wait long for their own US triumph.</p><p>Their next major release, <strong>“The Night Chicago Died,”</strong> became an enormous international hit and took the band all the way to <strong>No. 1 in America</strong>. </p><p>Its colourful tale of Al Capone-era Chicago and gangsters made it one of the most distinctive story-songs of the decade. Despite taking considerable liberties with Chicago history, the record captured the imagination of millions and remains one of the songs most closely associated with &#39;70s pop music.</p><p>Philip also revisits another Paper Lace favourite, <strong>“The Black-Eyed Boys,”</strong> which continued the band&#39;s extraordinary run of success in &#39;74, and reflects on what it was like to go from years of relative obscurity to international fame in such a remarkably short period.</p><p>This conversation goes beyond the chart positions and gold records. Philip takes us inside the experience of being a member of Paper Lace at their peak: the relentless work that came before success, the excitement when it f