Middle of the Road

Biography

Middle of the Road are a Scottish pop group who have enjoyed success across Europe and Latin America since the 1970s. Before ABBA established themselves in the mid-'70s, Middle of the Road were the sound of early Europop with their distinctive harmonies and lead vocals from Sally Carr. Four of their singles sold over one million copies each, and received a gold disc: "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep×Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAChirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep2:57BRainin' 'N Painin'". "Sacramento×Sacramento2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Chipy Chipy Cheep Cheep2:552Tweedie Dee Tweedie3:133Soley Soley3:064Sacramento2:535Samson and Delilah2:476Yello Boomerang2:367Kaliakee Kailakoo2:528Union Silver4:329Talk or All the USA3:0410Bottoms Up3:1611Give it a Time3:5112Fate Strange Fate2:4913See the Sky3:5914Universal Man3:14", "Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum×Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum3:13BGive It Time3:55" and "Soley Soley×Soley Soley1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASoley Soley3:05BTo Remind Me3:32". By early 1972 the group had sold over five million records.

History

Original lead singer Sally Carr, drummer Ken Andrew, guitarist Ian McCredie, and his bassist brother Eric McCredie founded the band on 1 April 1970 in Glasgow, Scotland. They had already played together under the name Part Four since 1967 and later in Latin American style under the name Las Caracas. Under the name Las Caracas they won the UK TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. They moved to Italy in 1970 because they had not found success in the United Kingdom. There they met the Italian music producer Giacomo Tosti, who gave the band their distinctive sound and gave them their international break.
The band had their first and biggest hit record in the United Kingdom with their debut UK single, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep×Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAChirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep2:57BRainin' 'N Painin'". The song reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1971 and stayed there for four more weeks. In all, Middle of the Road had five hit singles in the UK in 1971 and 1972. The band had especially strong success in Germany, where they achieved eleven Top 40 hits between 1971 and 1974. As an example of this, Frank Valdor was fast to adapt "Sacramento×Sacramento2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Chipy Chipy Cheep Cheep2:552Tweedie Dee Tweedie3:133Soley Soley3:064Sacramento2:535Samson and Delilah2:476Yello Boomerang2:367Kaliakee Kailakoo2:528Union Silver4:329Talk or All the USA3:0410Bottoms Up3:1611Give it a Time3:5112Fate Strange Fate2:4913See the Sky3:5914Universal Man3:14" as his "party records". "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" and "Sacramento" were played a lot on Scandinavian radio. In the Dutch Daverende 30 the group had four number 1 hits in between 1971 and 1973. In Europe, Sheila (French singer) best known in the UK for her 1979 Nile Rogers'-produced disco hit Spacer)under the name Sheila and B. Devotion had a big hit with Les Rois Mages, (her French cover of Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee) and again with Samson et Delila, while Nana Mouskouri covered Soley Soley (Oh, Soleil Soleil in French).
In 1974, early Bay City Rollers member Neil Henderson joined the band on guitar. He wrote and co-wrote songs for Middle of the Road, including the singles "Rockin' Soul" and "Everybody Loves a Winner" and 1974 albums, You Pays Yer Money and You Takes Yer Chance×You Pays Yer Money And You Takes Yer Chance1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1You Pays Yer Money and You Takes Yer Chance (intro)1:10A2Tell Me2:38A3My Story3:15A4Hang in There3:33A5Read Between the Lines3:57A6Country Bus3:19A7Give It a Try3:56B1Rockin' Soul3:11B2Gone's the Time4:29B3Shotgun Mama3:09B4Gentle Moments2:55B5Hooch Wagon2:56B6You Pays Yer Money and You Takes Yer Chance4:05 and Postcard×Postcard1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Jitter Buggin' Jildy2:47A2Bad Girl2:52A3One for the Road2:27A4Do You Wanna Be With Me?2:47A5It's Alright2:42A6Dry Gulch Charlie3:30B1Bonjour Ca Va3:08B2Hang Ups4:02B3Picture Machine3:20B4Writing on the Wall3:27B5Whisky and Freedom3:33B6Thank You Lord3:27, all released in Germany via Ariola like their first German LP, Music Music×Music Music1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Samba D'Amour3:01A2Bloody Monday3:03A3Life's Train3:02A4Winter's Sun3:37A5Baby Man4:03A6Popstar3:30B1Music Music3:20B2Don't Send Me No Roses3:31B3Queen of Rock'n'Roll3:03B4Hard Woman's Coming3:17B5I Want You for Myself3:29B6Don't Leave Me Now4:08.
Carr left the group in 1977, and was replaced by Linda Carroll, who sang on the Something Old Something New album (1981), and several singles released between 1977 and 1981. Carroll left the group in 1981.

Later activity

In 2016, Middle of the Road's founding guitarist Ian McCredie accepted a Living Legends Award on behalf of the group at the Scottish Music Awards in Glasgow. In 2017, Middle of the Road released their first single in over 20 years, a live recording of their 1970s hit "Soley Soley×Soley Soley1971 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASoley Soley3:05BTo Remind Me3:32", performed in front of 20,000 people in Berlin's Waldbühne amphitheatre.
Neil Henderson died on 20 September 2026, aged 73.

Current members

Sally Carr (born Sarah Cecilia Carr, 28 March 1945, Muirhead, Lanarkshire) – vocals, percussion (1968–1977, 1981, 1991, 2017–present)
Ken Andrew (born Kenneth Ballentyne Andrew, 28 August 1942, Bearsden, Glasgow) – drums, backing vocals (1968–1978, 1981, 1991, 2017–present)
Ian McCredie (born Ian Campbell McCredie, 15 July 1947, Partick, Glasgow) – guitar, flute, backing vocals (1968–present)
Lorna Osborne (born Lorna Bannon) – vocals (1981–present)
Stuart McCredie – guitar, backing vocals (1984–present)
Stephan Ebn – drums, backing vocals (2001–present)

Former members

Eric McCredie (born Eric Campbell McCredie, 17 July 1945, Partick, Glasgow; died 6 October 2007, Glasgow) – bass, vocals (1968–1991)
Neil Henderson (born Neil Fulton Henderson, 11 February 1953, Glasgow; died 20 September 2026) – guitar (1974–?)
Anne Katherine Watson (born Anne Thomson, 2 December 1951, Partick, Glasgow) – for a time in 1975 as guest keyboard player and vocalist and who did session work
Linda Carroll – vocals (1977–1981)