All About Candy / Bang / Sunshine (1969-1995)

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The Story

Editor's Note: Researching the history of Sunshine has been made quite complex by the fact that their name is also used to describe the weather. Therefore finding results for the word "Sunshine" is extremely difficult. Additionally, there was a pub group called the Sunshiners playing at the same time. However, we have done our best...enjoy!

It would appear the beginning of Sunshine actually started on Easter Sunday, April 6th, 1969 when Candy, based in Belfast, hit the road as a new pop "showband." Managed by Cecil Thompson, the original line-up was: Bryce Norrie (vocals), Stuart Bingham (guitar), Ray Toal (bass), Barry Patterson (drums), George Doherty (keyboards), Sam Greenaway (trumpet), and Dave Smyth (sax). Their seven piece line-up was typical for a showband at the time, but they were one of a growing number of pure pop bands which started as the split between country and pop bands became more pronounced at the end of the 1960's.

Within a few weeks, in late May, they released their first single, "A Little Bit of Soul" with the George Doherty-penned song, "Signs of Love," on the B-side. Although considered a "showband" by the standards of the day, they made it clear in publicity, that they were to be known as simply "Candy," a trend which would continue with pop bands like Chips, the Memories, etc. However, they were often mistakenly referred to as "The Candy."

In June,  1969, after only a few months on the road, they had a single out and found themselves playing on the same bill as the chart topping Troggs when they came to Ireland in June. For the rest of 1969, the band went from strength to strength, playing further afield and making great strides as they appeared to pack ballrooms across the country. Cecil Thomason was doing his job as they were receiving plenty of press for being "Sweeter than Sugar - That's Candy," their advertising slogan. They were also being compared to the North's leading pop outfit at the time, the Freshmen.   

In April, 1970, the band released it second single, "Put Your Bell Bottoms On" with "Crazy Bout My Baby" as the B-side. The release coincided with their one year anniversary on the road. An interesting side note was that for weeks before the release it was reported that their new single would be "Girls, Girls, Girls." By mid 1971, the band, who had been huge in the north, finally conquered Dublin with a few gigs around the city, including the famous Television Club. Word was, they had finally arrived.

At some point in, we think, December, 1971 (we can't find any specific references to it in the papers) four members of Candy left and formed a new pop band called "Bang." This band was also a "showband" sized outfit with seven members. The band would basically replace Candy and played the same gigs, in fact one advert for the Ardree Hotel in Waterford was "welcoming the band back," although the previous time they played there they were Candy. Within a few months, Bang had disappeared and their new name was Sunshine. The band would be advertised as "ex-Candy" initially. We have also read that the rest of Candy may have become a group called "Spring."          

In March, 1973 Stuart, Ray and Barry left Sunshine to join up with Paul Lyttle's new band (Paul left Chips) Lyttle People after he split with his original members. Stuart also did a short stint with The Sands around that time. For a short time, Sunshine was forgotten. Also in March the band Candy reappeared on the scene playing the Adelphi Ballroom in Dundalk, so we assume they were back on the road after the split. The band's history gets quite confusing here as when the three lads left Sunshine, it appears the remaining members, including Bryce Norrie, reformed Candy. 

In late 1973, Lyttle People split with Paul and Linda rejoining Chips, this left Stuart Bingham without a job. At the same, it was reported that Candy was going through its own problems and the end result was the reformation of Sunshine with the lineup as: Bryce Norrie (vocals), Ray Toal (bass), Stuart Bingham (guitar), Sammy Johnson (keyboards), Barry Patterson (drums) [both Sam and Barry were with the original Sunshine], Fran Dennis (trombone) and Gerry Mulryan (trumpet). However, despite being reported in Spotlight, Bryce did not leave Candy, and we do not know what Stuart and the others actually did for the next few months.

While all this was going on a report in the "Popping Around" column in the Connaught Telegraph reported that future legendary promoter, Louis Walsh, was putting together a band also called Sunshine but this apparently never happened.   

However, in May 1974 an article in Spotlight reported that Bryce was leaving Candy and was going to team up with his old bandmate Stuart Bingham, who was playing cabaret with a band called Tapestry. Tapestry had been on an extended tour of Canada and when they returned they started looking for a guitarist.

Tapestry members Irene McIlroy (vocals), Shaun Magee (bass) and Arty Moorhead (drums) teamed up with Stuart Bingham (guitar), who suggested the band add vocalist, and his former band mate, Bryce Norrie to the lineup. "We decided to use Sunshine because it was probably a better known name, hence better gigs, etc." reports Shaun Magee, "then Stuart suggested bringing in Bryce, which we thought was a good idea, and that was it." Sunshine hit the road.

At around the same time, the newly reformed Chips were losing bass player, Robin Irvine to the United States and a group called Bananas. At Sunshine's first gig (the Revolution Club in Dublin), Paul Lyttle, Linda Martin and Robin Irvine arrived to watch the newly formed Sunshine and a few days later, Shaun Magee received a call from Louis Walsh asking him to officially join Chips.

The departure of their bass player just as they started was a blow to the band, but they quickly regrouped and drafted Trevor England to replace Shaun. It was reported in Spotlight's July 11, 1974 issue that Stuart Triall was replacing Shaun on bass, but we don't know if this actually happened. (Trevor would later join Chips, replacing Shaun). At the same time, the magazine reported that the band had asked Irene to join, but she didn't...at least not at that point. Within a year, things changed again for the band when Irene was again invited to join Chips, replacing Nicola Kerr who went on to spend a short time with the New Seekers in the UK. The band hired Rosie Hunter to replace Irene and continued to build a solid following as one of the top pop groups of the late seventies.

More to come.......

Photo Gallery

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Partial Discography

Singles:

A Little Bit of Soul / Signs of Love
Emerald Records - MD 1119 - May, 1969
Put Your Bell Bottoms On / Crazy Bout My Baby 
Emerald Records - MD 1139 - April, 1970
Catch A Falling Star / Double Dealin'
EMI Records - EMI 2441 - 1976
Bye Bye Mamma / Try
EMI Records - EMI 2533 - 1976
Dance With Me / Evil Eyes
Hawk Records - HASP.413 - December, 1977
Too Much In Love / Hello Heartaches - (Irish song contest entry)
State Records - STAT 76 - April, 1978 (story above)
Boogie On Up / Don't Stop Me - #23 Irish Charts
Release Records - RL.972 - August, 1979
Dancin' Easy / If This Is Free
Release Records - RL.1003 - April, 1980
Double Dealin' (re-release) / Double Dealin' (instrumental)
B's Knees Records - CUS 948 - May, 1981
Love Me, Love Me Do / Give It To Me
B's Knees Records - CUS 1164/BK 2 - December, 1981
6345789 / Wrong Number
B's Knees Records - BK 102 - December, 1987
Dizzy /
Unknown Records - Unknown - 1990

Audio Clips

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