Laurel & Hardy were a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

 deejay

Deejay

A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...

 duo best known for their 1983 hit single "Clunk Click".

History

Paul Dawkins (aka Laurel) and Anthony Robinson (aka Hardy) had originally worked together as a soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 duo, but found more success after moving into reggae in 1978, initially performing under the name Reverend T and Pope Paul, along with a female singer known as the Virgin Mary. By the time of the release of their debut single ("You're Nicked") on Fashion Records

Fashion Records

Fashion Records is a UK-based record label publishing reggae music.Founded in summer 1980, Fashion Records is one of the more successful UK-based reggae labels , and one of only a very few British reggae labels to release records that were produced in their own recording studio.The label was the...

 in 1982, they were performing as Laurel & Hardy, adopting bowler hats, bow ties and suits in imitation of the comedy duo

Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...

. During this period, the duo performed with Culture Club

Culture Club

Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...

, UB40

UB40

UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...

, Musical Youth

Musical Youth

Musical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...

, Dexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....

, Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....

, David Rodigan

David Rodigan

David Rodigan, born 24 June 1951 on a military base in Hanover, Germany, is a British radio DJ who also performs as a selector for his sound system...

, and Tony Williams to name a few. They also made several television appearances which included The Tube

The Tube (TV series)

The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987...

and Number 73. "You're Nicked" was successful enough to get the duo signed by CBS Records

CBS Records

CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...

, and they toured the UK supporting Pigbag

Pigbag

-Origin and formation:Pigbag were formed in Cheltenham in late 1980 by Chris Hamlin, a fashion student at Cheltenham Art College. Hamlin recruited multi-instrumentalist Roger Freeman, an old friend from his hometown of Birmingham, along with Chris Lee on trumpet and James Johnstone, a guitarist,...

, and then as headliners supported by Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah is an English writer and dub poet. He is a well-known figure in contemporary English literature, and was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008....

. They recorded a session for John Peel

John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...

's BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 show in October 1982, for which they were backed by a band including guitarist John Kpiaye and Aswad's Angus Gaye

Drummie Zeb

Drummie Zeb is the British drummer and one of the lead singers for Aswad, as well as being a record producer.He is a former pupil of Holland Park School in London...

. They recorded another session for David Jensen

David Jensen

David "Kid" Jensen , is a Danish Canadian-born, British radio DJ.-Early career:Born in a Danish family residing Victoria, British Columbia, Jensen began his career in his home country at the age of sixteen playing jazz and classical music. He then joined Radio Luxembourg at the age of eighteen in...

's show in March 1983.

Their most successful release was "Clunk Click" in 1982, the title a reference to a campaign

Clunk Click Every Trip

"Clunk Click Every Trip" was the slogan of a series of British public information films sponsored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents , commencing in January 1971 and starring Jimmy Savile. The slogan was introduced during the previous campaign, fronted by Shaw Taylor and...

 to get people to wear car seatbelts. It reached number 65 in the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 in 1983 and they appeared several times on national television to promote it. They released a further single for CBS but were then dropped, returning to smaller labels for later releases. They released one album while together, What a Bargain (1983).

Singles

• "You're Nicked" (1982), Fashion
  Fashion Records
  Fashion Records is a UK-based record label publishing reggae music.Founded in summer 1980, Fashion Records is one of the more successful UK-based reggae labels , and one of only a very few British reggae labels to release records that were produced in their own recording studio.The label was the...
  
  
• "Clunk Click" (1982), CBS - UK #65
• "Lots of Loving (and She's Gone)" (1983), CBS
• "Dangerous Shoes" (1983), EMI/Upright
• "Johnny's Won The Lottery" (1997), Studio Fun
• "Vegetarian Cheese" (1997), Studio Fun
• "It's Not On" (1997, (1997) Studio Fun

Compilation appearances

• The Beerdrop Explodes (1982), Abstract Sounds: "You're Nicked"
• Great British M.C.'s (1984), Fashion: "You're Nicked"