Guys 'n' Dolls

Lore & Background

Guys 'n' Dolls were formed in November 1974 after Ammo Productions held auditions for three young men and three young women to perform as a vocal group. The six original members were Paul Griggs, David Van Day, Dominic Grant, Thereza Bazar, Martine Howard and Julie Forsyth (daughter of entertainer Bruce Forsyth). Their first hit single, "There's a Whole Lot of Loving", was released in January 1975; the song had originally been recorded in September 1974 by session singers for a TV advertisement for McVitie's biscuits, and because the group was not ready in time to record a new version, the session singers' voices remained on the single. The song rose to No. 1 in the UK singles chart.

The following year, their cover of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" peaked at No. 5. In 1976, they scored a No. 1 hit in both the Netherlands and Belgium with "You're My World". By mid-1976, Van Day and Bazar left the group (publicly described as their own decision to concentrate on songwriting) and later had hits as the duo Dollar. Guys 'n' Dolls continued as a quartet, scoring a final minor UK hit in 1978 and concentrating on success in the Netherlands. In late 1978, they performed as the opening act for Frank Sinatra in a series of London concerts. The group disbanded in 1982 after 8 years together.

Reader's Guide

Guys 'n' Dolls are significant as a manufactured pop group that capitalized on a popular television jingle, achieving immediate UK chart success with "There's a Whole Lot of Loving" despite not recording the vocals themselves. Their career illustrates the transient nature of 1970s pop stardom, as they transitioned from UK top-ten acts to a sustained run in the Netherlands after lineup changes. The departure of David Van Day and Thereza Bazar to form Dollar marked a notable branching of talent, while the group's later work included opening for Frank Sinatra and competing in the A Song For Europe contest. Their legacy includes a 2008 reunion of the original six members for a Dutch television show, and the 2020 death of Dominic Grant. The group's story is documented in Paul Griggs's book Diary of a Musician.

Did You Know?

• The group's first hit single, "There's a Whole Lot of Loving", used the voices of session singers because the group was not ready to record their own version in time for release.
• David Van Day and Thereza Bazar left Guys 'n' Dolls in 1976 and later had hits as the duo Dollar.
• The original six members reunited for the first time in 31 years for a Dutch television show in March 2008.

From a Biscuit Jingle to Overnight Stardom

Guys 'n' Dolls came into existence in November 1974 when Ammo Productions held auditions seeking three young men and three young women to form a vocal group. The six selected were Paul Griggs, David Van Day, Dominic Grant, Thereza Bazar, Martine Howard, and Julie Forsyth — the latter being the daughter of entertainer Bruce Forsyth. Their debut single, "There's a Whole Lot of Loving," released in January 1975, had an unusual origin: the track had been recorded in September 1974 by session singers including Tony Burrows and Clare Torry for a McVitie's biscuits TV advertisement. The group was essentially assembled to capitalize on the jingle's popularity and repackage it as a commercial single. Because the lineup wasn't ready in time to record a fresh version for the rushed release, the original session voices remained on the final record. Despite this quirk, the song rocketed to No. 2 on the UK singles chart, propelling the group into instant stardom almost overnight.

UK Momentum and the Dutch Breakthrough

After their initial British success, the group continued charting in the UK, with their 1976 cover of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" reaching No. 5. However, their domestic output was limited to one hit album, Guys 'n' Dolls (1975), while other singles charted more modestly. A turning point arrived in 1977 when "You're My World" claimed the No. 1 spot in both the Netherlands and Belgium, opening an entirely new chapter. By mid-1977, David Van Day and Thereza Bazar grew dissatisfied with the group's direction; management asked them to depart, though publicity framed it as a voluntary choice to pursue songwriting. The pair went on to form Dollar, scoring several hits through the late 1970s and 1980s. The remaining four members continued as a quartet, releasing the album Together in 1977. After failing to renew their contract with Magnet Records, the group pivoted toward the Netherlands, where they enjoyed sustained chart success for several years. In late 1978, they also served as the opening act for Frank Sinatra during a series of London concerts.

Personal Lives and a Shifting Roster

The group's roster shifted repeatedly as members' personal lives evolved. In 1979, Julie Forsyth and Dominic Grant welcomed their first child together. Around the same time, Martine Howard married the group's record producer Gerard Stellaard and relocated to the Netherlands; following the wedding, she departed the lineup. Early in 1981, Howard was replaced by Forsyth's younger sister Laura, but that arrangement proved fleeting, as Laura was soon succeeded by Rosie Hetherington, a former member of the dance troupe Legs & Co. The group also attempted to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979 with "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?" through the A Song For Europe contest. The show was cancelled due to a BBC strike, though the song still placed tenth out of twelve entries when judges voted on audio recordings. These personal and professional crosscurrents shaped the group's final years, which concluded in December 1985 after eleven years together.

Legacy, Reunion, and Life Beyond the Group

After Guys 'n' Dolls disbanded in 1985, several members continued in music under different banners. Grant and Forsyth formed the duo Grant & Forsyth, amassing five further hits in the Netherlands. In 1988, Forsyth penned the UK's Eurovision entry "Go," performed by Scott Fitzgerald; both she and Grant, alongside ex-Jigsaw member Des Dyer, provided backing vocals during the Dublin performance, which finished just one point behind Celine Dion's winning Swiss entry. Paul Griggs later published Diary of a Musician, drawing on personal diaries he had kept since 1960, with a substantial section devoted to the Guys 'n' Dolls era. In March 2008, the original six-member lineup reunited for the first time in 31 years for a major Dutch television program, generating a wave of press and broadcast interviews. Dominic Grant passed away at his home on 18 November 2020, aged 71, closing a chapter on one of Britain's most distinctive pop ensembles of the 1970s.