Slade

Slade
Classic lineup of Slade in November 1973; left to right: Jim Lea, Don Powell, Noddy Holder, Dave Hill
Background information
Also known as	The N'Betweens (1966–1969) Ambrose Slade (1969) The Slade (1969–1970) Slade II (1992–2002)
Origin	Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Genres	Hard rock glam rock
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Fontana Polydor Cotillion RCA CBS Cheapskate Barn
Members	Dave Hill John Berry Russell Keefe Alex Bines
Past members	Noddy Holder Jim Lea Don Powell Steve Whalley Steve Makin Trevor Holliday Dave Glover Craig Fenney Mal McNulty

Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s,^[1] achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The British Hit Singles & Albums names them the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles. They were the first act to have three singles enter the charts at number one; all six of the band's chart-toppers were penned by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. As of 2006, total UK sales stood at over 6,500,000. Their best-selling single, "Merry Xmas Everybody", sold in excess of one million copies.^[2] According to the 1999 BBC documentary It's Slade, the band have sold more than 50 million records worldwide.^[3]

Following an unsuccessful move to the U.S. in 1975, Slade's popularity in the UK waned, but was unexpectedly revived in 1980 when they were last-minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne at the Reading Rock Festival. The band later acknowledged this to have been one of the highlights of their career. The original line-up split in 1992, but re-formed later in the year as Slade II. The band have continued, with a number of line-up changes, to the present day. They have also shortened the group name back to Slade.

A number of artists from diverse genres have cited Slade as an influence. The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Music tells of Holder's powerful vocals, guitarist Dave Hill's equally arresting dress sense and the deliberate misspelling of their song titles (such as "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now") for which they became well known.^[4]