Middle of the Road

Middle of the Road was a pop group from Scotland. The members of the band were singer Sally Carr, drummer Ken Andrew, guitarist Ian McCredie, and McCredie's bassist brother Eric. Middle of the Road was formed in April, 1970. (They had previously been performing together under the name Part Four since 1967 as well as had done music in a Latin American vein using the name Los Caracas.) After failing to find any success in the United Kingdom, the group moved to Italy and hooked up with noted Italian music producer Giacomo Tosti, who not only gave the band their distinctive sound and image, but also provided them with their first significant international break. Middle of the Road scored their biggest and best remembered smash hit with their infectiously upbeat debut single "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," which peaked at #1 on the British pop radio charts in June, 1971 and sold a slew of copies. Middle of the Road went on to secure an additional four hit singles in the United Kingdom. Moreover, the group had eleven Top 40 hit songs in Germany from 1971 to 1974. By early 1972 the band had sold over five million records. However, Middle of the Road were unable to sustain their winning streak come the mid-1970's and broke up soon thereafter.