Brian Connolly

Brian Francis Connolly (5 October 1945 – 9 February 1997) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of glam rock band Sweet between 1968 and 1979 and known for his charismatic stage presence and distinctive voice.

Connolly was born in 1945 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. His mother, Frances Connolly, was a teenage waitress who left him in a Glasgow hospital as an infant. The identity of his biological father was never made public. Connolly was fostered at the age of two by Jim and Helen McManus of Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, and took their family name (as he was never adopted by them, his surname legally remained Connolly). The McManuses were the family of Mark McManus, of Taggart fame. Both men saw a resemblance between themselves and some supposed McManus's father to have also been Connolly's, particularly given the "desperation" perceived by other relatives and family friends that Jim McManus had to adopt his foster son.

Brian was known as Brian McManus until the age of eighteen when he found out that he had not been adopted and reverted to his biological mother's surname of 'Connolly'.

Connolly replaced singer Ian Gillan (later of Deep Purple fame) in a band called Wainwright's Gentlemen, which included drummer Mick Tucker.

Tucker and Connolly left Wainwright's Gentlemen in late 1967 and recruited guitarist Frank Torpey, and bassist Steve Priest, naming their new band the Sweetshop. On the eve of releasing their debut single, Slow Motion, in July 1968, the band shortened their name to the Sweet. They recorded a further three unsuccessful singles; Andy Scott joined the line-up in late 1970, just before the release of their first hit single "Funny, Funny." After this, Connolly was propelled into the limelight, with many appearances on Top of the Pops, with the other members of the Sweet.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.