Peak UK Chart Position: #2 in July 1979.

Let’s take a look at who is celebrating birthdays today, January 24th:

• Neil Diamond – born Neil Leslie Diamond, in Brooklyn, New York, United States – singer/songwriter/musician/actor, is 76 today (“Cracklin’ Rose” UK #3/US #1 in 1970, “I Am… I Said” UK #4/US #4 in 1972, “Home Before Dark” UK/US album #1 in 2008)
• Aaron Neville – born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States – singer/musician, turns 76 today (“Tell It Like It Is” US #2 in 1966; as part of The Neville Brothers: “With God On Our Side” UK #47 in 1989; with Linda Ronstadt: “Don’t Know Much” UK/US #2 in 1989)
• Paul Marazzi – born Paul Thomas Leo Marazzi, in Wanstead, London, England – musician/DJ, turns 42 today (as member of A1, two UK number ones: “Take On Me” and “Same Old Brand New You” in 2000, “Caught In The Middle” UK #2 in 2002)

Finally for today, it is the birthday of Julian Miles Holland – Born in Blackheath, London, England – better known as Jools Holland OBE DL, who celebrates his 59th. Starting out as a session musician, the first recording session Jools ever played on was in 1976, for the punk band Wayne County and the Electric Chairs, and a track entitled “Fuck Off”. He was a member of the group Squeeze through the second half of the seventies up to 1981, and again from 1985 to 1990, who scored six top twenty hits (both “Up The Junction” and “Cool For Cats” achieving their highest peak of number two in 1979).

Arguably the biggest hit Holland appeared on was Fine Young Cannibals’ “Good Thing”, on which he played piano – only a number seven hit in the UK, but a chart topper in America. He has been a regular face on television since the mid eighties – Channel 4’s ‘The Tube’ was his first presenting role (once inadvertently using the phrase “be there, or be an ungroovy fucker” in an early evening TV trailer, live across two channels, for the show). Since 1992 he has hosted ‘Later… with Jools Holland’ on BBC2, and presents the channel’s annual New Year Eve ‘Hootenanny’.

Way back to 1979 for this Top of the Pops performance, originally from May 31st but repeated here on June 14th, with Mike Read and Dave Lee Travis hosting.