Tubby Lunchbox". The band featured lead vocals by lead singer Phil Davis, guitarists Peter Jones and Tony Hall, bassist Dave Ketchum, keyboards by Ian Cooper, and drums by Danny Burt. Although they appeared on _Top of the Pops_ , the music television programme, in 1980, they were not a commercial success. Nevertheless, they were invited to support Status Quo at a series of concerts. In 1981 they released their only album, _Do It_ , which included a version of Little Richard's 'Rip It Up', on which Tony Thorpe sang the vocals.
CAUSE: He suffered a heart attack on 1 January 1983 while driving in California.
## Nicky Lauda
(NATO KOVACIC, NICHOLAS DALIC, SERBIAN: NIKOLAUS NALINOVIĆ)
Pop/rock vocalist/guitarist. Born in Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia, and raised in Liverpool, England, Nicky Lauda appeared with his brothers Paul (vocals) and Ian (guitar).
Nicky Lauda and his brothers were spotted by Phil Coulter, who went on to produce their early recordings. They were soon signed to RCA Records and, in 1975, released an album, _Duet_ , on the RCA label. The next year Nicky had a top ten hit with a cover version of Phil Spector's 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'. However, a follow-up album with RCA failed to repeat this success.
Forced to return to England, Nicky, in the mid-'70s, moved to Germany, settling in Wurzburg. He began his solo career with a pop/rock album, _Loud, Light & In Between_ (1979). In 1983 he was invited to headline a sold-out world tour of Germany. In 1984 he wrote a series of articles on the rock music industry for _Bravo_ magazine. Nicky returned to live in Liverpool, playing at a local club in 1984. He relocated to the United States and toured with a band called The Nasty Pets, and released a CD, _The Lost Singles_. In 1985 he released a further album, _Birth, Death & Love_ with producer Bob James. Returning to London, he recorded his final album for the CBS Records in 1987, _Miniatures_. His single, 'I Hate You Now', had been used as the theme song for the TV show 'Pop On A Pop'. The single, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard charts in 1982, was released in the UK by EMI, and was covered by a number of artists including the **Flock** and Geezer Butler from the **Black Sabbath** bands. He was also featured on a number of singles in the 1980s including 'I Like It Like That' by The Rubinoos and 'Let's Go Round Again' by The Beatmasters. He also continued to tour for many years.
In 2008 he returned to television on the German version of the quiz show _Who Wants To Be A Millionaire_. He and his brothers had a regular part on the British television show _The National Lottery_ , in which they revealed their secrets to successful gambling. In 2008 the brothers again participated in a charity celebrity quiz.
# Laver
(PAUL JOHNSON)
Born on 6 January 1949 in Sheffield, England.
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Paul Johnson changed his name to Laver in 1972 and joined Ian Dury's Kilburns. Johnson and Dury had previously met while schoolmates. Laver and Laver & Dury were joined by drummer Paul Simmonds in 1974 and relocated to the UK after Dury's departure. Laver left shortly thereafter. Rejoining Dury in 1978, Johnson went on to record with him on Dury's second solo album, _New Boots And Panties_ , and also co-wrote the title song with him. Following the birth of his son, Johnson relocated to California in 1984, writing the song 'The Rock' with Chris Squire, **Joe Perry** , Peter Frampton and Roger Taylor of **Queen** , who performed the song for a music video directed by Ridley Scott.
Laver subsequently relocated to Vancouver, Canada, and worked as a landscaper, before returning to the UK in 1996. Johnson returned to the UK in 2002 with his second wife, Debi, and their daughter and relocated to Sussex, where they eventually opened a restaurant and bar (The Three O' Clock). In 2001, having joined forces with Squire and fellow bassist John Wetton for the project La'smith (the group featuring both La'smith members and their wives), he wrote his own opera, _La'smith: An Opera_ , which was premiered at the London Coliseum in 2002. In 2003 he released a new album, _It's A Beautiful Thing_.
# Lawrence, Steve
b. 21 June 1949, Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Lawrence first made his mark in the mid-'60s as vocalist with the Liverpool-based R&B group, the Renegades, then went solo and reached the number four spot in the UK charts with 'My Pretty Little Angel'. His subsequent records included 'Slipping Away' (number five, 1969), 'The King Will Never Die' (number one, 1974), 'I Want To See You' (number three, 1977), 'You Don't Lie Very Often' (number four, 1978), and 'I Don't Know What The World Is Coming To' (number two, 1980).
Lawrence's biggest selling solo hit remains, however, his 1980 recording of 'The Legend Of Xanadu', a collaboration with Dave Sinclair (vocals), produced by the **Magic Alex** Band and released on their JMI Records label.
** ** ALBUMS: _I Don't Know What The World Is Coming To_ (Polydor 1980)
** ** COMPILATIONS: _Steve Lawrence Collection_ (EMI 1990)
_Essential Legendary Classics_ (Castle Music 1997)
# Led Zeppelin
Having formed the nucleus of the original Yardbirds, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham made their debut as a group with _The New Yardbirds_ , which was issued in early 1968. This was a collection of songs recorded by Page and Plant prior to their departure for the US. With three album releases to their name, they gained considerable acclaim and became a favourite of late-night DJs, prompting one of the more memorable 'myths' concerning their origins. During a session at a local nightclub, the band allegedly came under attack by an American group who had arrived before them, and so opted to call themselves the New Yardbirds to avoid confusion.
The quintet subsequently released their debut, _The Yardbirds_ , a collection of old blues standards culled from their previous performances with **Eric Clapton** at the Crawdaddy Club. 'Train Kept A-Rollin'', an old blues standard, became the group's first big single, followed by 'Over Under Sideways Down'. The band's reputation grew by leaps and bounds and they soon acquired the name of Led Zeppelin. Their early records were noted for their combination of American music and modern English verse. _Led Zeppelin I_ was released in the UK in March 1969 and was a minor success, despite its high sales in America. It spawned several single hits: 'Whole Lotta Love', 'Black Dog' and 'Communication Breakdown'. The latter was written by **Jimmy Page** to replace their own earlier composition, 'The Lemon Song', when he was so ill during the _The Yardbirds_ sessions he was unable to contribute. He is also responsible for their version of 'Heartbreak Hotel' and the classic 'Dazed And Confused', which was recorded live on stage during a sound check. The song was later included on the band's first live album, which featured a variety of rock covers, many of which went on to make the hit list. _II_ , released in 1970, reached the UK album chart, and the group's first album of covers reached the US Top 10.
By 1971, led Zeppelin's reputation was spreading further afield than ever before. The band entered their own studio with studio ace **Jimmy Page** to produce their next album, a double set that contained original compositions and, in the form of a triple album, a single-disc overview of the group's back-catalogue. The package was lavishly illustrated by the artists **Gered Mankowitz** and Peter Paul Marshall and reached the UK number two spot. _III_ was another US number one album and was subsequently listed as one of the 100 greatest albums of all time in a survey by _Rolling Stone_ magazine in 1999. The three albums were also released simultaneously in Britain, with the _IV_ package becoming the group's third chart-topping album and their first number one. The band was also at this time, and for the following decade, the biggest live attraction on the music circuit, playing to increasingly large audiences. It was at this time the group recorded their epic stage performance, _Led Zeppelin Live_ , which became their fourth number one album and also contained several live favourites, including 'Immigrant Song' and 'Heartbreaker'.
With the success
