Hot Chocolate

Biography

Hot Chocolate are a British soul band formed by Errol Brown and Tony Wilson. The group had at least one hit song every year on the UK Singles Chart from 1970 to 1984.
Their hits include "You Sexy Thing×You Sexy Thing1975 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Sexy ThingBA Warm Smile", a UK number two which also made the top 10 in three decades, reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number five in Canada, and also featured in the film The Full Monty (1997); "So You Win Again×So You Win Again1977 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASo You Win AgainBA Part of Being With You", which topped the UK Charts; "Every 1's a Winner" which reached number five in Canada and number six in the US; "It Started with a Kiss×It Started With a Kiss1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIt Started With a Kiss4:00BEmotion Explosion4:03", which reached the UK top five, and "Emma", which charted at number three in the UK, number five in Canada, and number 8 in the US. In 2004, Brown received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

Beginnings

Formed in 1968, the band initially consisted of lead vocalist Errol Brown, bassist Tony Wilson, percussionist Patrick Olive, guitarist Franklyn De Allie, and drummer Jim King (shortly thereafter replaced by the unrelated Ian King). with keyboardist Larry Ferguson joining the band in the following year. The band was originally named Hot Chocolate Band by Mavis Smith, who worked for the Apple Corps press office. This was quickly amended, first to The Hot Chocolate and then to Hot Chocolate, by Mickie Most. By 1970, the band's line-up had changed again to include Harvey Hinsley and Tony Connor (who was also a member of Audience at the time) replacing De Allie and King respectively.
Hot Chocolate started their recording career making a reggae version of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance×Give Peace a Chance10 October 1969 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAGive Peace a Chance4:33BLiving Without Tomorrow2:25", but frontman Errol Brown was told he needed permission. He was contacted by Apple Records, discovered that Lennon liked his version, and the group was subsequently signed to Apple Records. The link was short-lived as the Beatles were starting to break up, and the Apple connection soon ended.
Later in 1970, Hot Chocolate, with the help of record producer Mickie Most, began releasing tracks that became hits, such as "Love Is Life×Love Is LifeJuly 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksALove Is Life3:39BPretty Girls2:26", "Emma", "You Could Have Been a Lady" (a US and Canadian hit for April Wine), and "I Believe in Love". All those releases were on the Rak record label, owned by Most. Brown and bassist Tony Wilson wrote most of their original material, and also provided hits for Herman's Hermits, "Bet Yer Life I Do", for Julie Felix, "Heaven Is Here", and for Mary Hopkin, "Think About Your Children".
Gradually the band started to become UK Singles Chart regulars. One of the hits from this period, "Brother Louie×Brother Louie1973 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABrother LouieBI Want to Be Free", featured a guest spoken vocal from Alexis Korner.

Success

Hot Chocolate became a big success in the disco era of the mid-1970s. A combination of high production standards, the growing confidence of the main songwriting team of Wilson and Brown, and tight vocal harmonies enabled them to secure further big hits such as "You Sexy Thing×You Sexy Thing1975 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Sexy ThingBA Warm Smile" and "Every 1's a Winner", which were also US hits, peaking at No. 3 (1976) and No. 6 (1979), respectively. After Wilson's departure for a solo career, that included a 1976 album I Like Your Style, Brown assumed all songwriting duties. Wilson was initially replaced by Brian Satterwhite, until Satterwhite departed the band and Olive switched to bass as his primary instrument.
In 1977, after 15 hits, they finally reached number one with "So You Win Again×So You Win Again1977 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASo You Win AgainBA Part of Being With You". It was one of the few of their recordings that was not written, at least partly, by Brown The track was a Russ Ballard composition.
The band became the only group, and one of just three acts, that had a hit in every year of the 1970s in the UK charts (the other two being Elvis Presley and Diana Ross). The band eventually had at least one hit, every year, between 1970 and 1984.
The band continued well into the 1980s, and clocked up another big hit record, "It Started with a Kiss×It Started With a Kiss1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAIt Started With a Kiss4:00BEmotion Explosion4:03", in 1982, which reached number 5 in the UK. In all, the group charted 25 UK top 40 hit singles. Their single "You Sexy Thing" became the only track that made British top ten status in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
In 1987, Dutch DJ and producer Ben Liebrand made remixes of the Hot Chocolate hits; "You Sexy Thing" and "Every 1's a Winner". Liebrand also made a combination remix of those two hits called "Two in a Bed" for the exclusive Disco Mix Club.

Later years

Renewed interest in Hot Chocolate came in part with the band's appearances on a string of successful film soundtracks, starting with the 1997 comedy The Full Monty, as well as in a 1989 Clearasil acne lotion commercial (featuring a young Patsy Palmer). From the late 1980s onwards, the group experienced a resurgence of credibility: Urge Overkill, PJ Harvey and the Sisters of Mercy all added Hot Chocolate songs to their live sets, and Cud's cover of "You Sexy Thing×You Sexy Thing1975 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Sexy ThingBA Warm Smile" featured in John Peel's Festive 50 in 1987.
Errol Brown and Larry Ferguson departed the band in 1986, ultimately leading the group to disband. Brown then began a solo career. Two of his singles made the UK Singles Chart – "Personal Touch" and "Body Rockin'". Hot Chocolate had a hit in 1988 in Germany. "Never Pretend×Never Pretend1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Never Pretend6:212Never Pretend (instrumental)4:22" was written by Harvey Hinsley and Susan Stuttard, and the vocalist was Grant Evelyn. The band's enduring popularity was verified when two compilation albums both reached No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart (see below). In 2003, Errol Brown received the MBE; and in 2004, the Ivor Novello Award for his contribution to British music.
In 1992, the band reformed with new vocalist Greg Bannis and keyboardists Steve Ansell, Andy Smith, Willy Dowling, and Steve Matthews (the latter two of whom departed the band in 1994), and manager and agent Ric Martin took control over the band's bookings and live appearances. Kennie Simon took over lead vocals in 2010 following the departure of Bannis and Hot Chocolate continue to make live appearances in the UK and Europe.

On 6 May 2015, original frontman and principal songwriter Errol Brown died from liver cancer. He was 71.
Original guitarist Franklyn Delano De Allie (born 21 January 1944, St. Marks Parish, Grenada, West Indies) later became a police officer, and died in Warwick, Bermuda on 30 December 2018.
Keyboardist Steve Matthews died on 29 August 2025.

Members

Principal members of the band that played on most hit records are Errol Brown, Tony Wilson, Patrick Olive, Larry Ferguson, Harvey Hinsley, and Tony Connor.