Johnny Edward (born John Edward Flux), is a British musician, writer and record producer, also known as the creator of the Children's character Metal Mickey.
A guitarist, Flux joined the R&B group which became The Mannish Boys, whose lead singer Davey Jones later became David Bowie. Billed as John "Purpleknees" Edward, in March 1965 Parlophone Records released I Pity The Fool, a cover version of a Bobby Bland song.[1] With Bowie focused on numerous projects, and the single unsuccessful, the group broke up.[2]
Flux and saxophonist Woolf Byrne joined pirate radio station Radio City.[3] Based at Shivering Sands Army Fort, his theme tune was The Shadows tune Sweet Dreams. After successfully applying for a position at Wonderful Radio London, he with agreed with Programme Director Ben Toney to start in November 1965, billed as John Edward - his Christian names. Never having a regular slot, he stayed with the station until July 1966.[2]
Returning to the music business, he set up independent label Hollywood Records as a vehicle through which to write and produce his own songs via a series of unattached artistes. Being a rock n roll man, Edward hated the soft-kitsch style of production at that time in the early 1970's, specifically citing Brotherhood Of Man's Save Your Kisses For Me which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, as:[2]
among other tracks that made me chew the carpet.
In response, he wrote with his wife Sue a song called Save Your Love to a kitsch-Italian orchestral themed backing.
In 1975, he heard West Midlands-resident Italian waiter Renato Pagliari audition for ITV's talent show New Faces. Teaming Pagliari with British-born female singer Hilary Lester, Edward renamed them Renée and Renato to record the song.[4] Save Your Love entered the UK charts in October 1982 at number 54. However, it began to pick up sales during the Christmas period, and seven weeks after its debut was at the top of the charts, resulting in it being played on Top of the Pops and many radio stations. Lester, whom by now Edward had placed in another Hollywood Records band, did not appear in the video, replaced by a more-Italianate looking model. Save Your Love was a UK Number one hit, remaining at the top of the chart for four weeks before being knocked off by Phil Collins' "You Can't Hurry Love." It was the first song produced by an independent record label to ever reach the UK Number1 position. The Edwards written contractually enforced follow-ups Just One More Kiss stalled at No. 48, and Jesus Loves Us All at No. 100, breaking the duo up.[4]
Edward created the 1960's inspired robot Metal Mickey.[2] Voiced by Edwards with a catchphrase of "boogie, boogie, boogie", his favourite treat was Atomic Thunderbusters, which had the appearance of lemon bonbons. First shown on the Southern Television produced The Saturday Banana in 1978, friend and former The Monkees guitarist Micky Dolenz picked up the rights to produce and then direct the first episodes of The Metal Mickey TV Show. Set in a family-home environment with the grandmother played by Irene Handl, the show had a peak ITV Saturday teatime viewing figure of 12million people, and ran for three series from 1980 to 1983.
Edwards is currently working on relaunching Metal Mickey to new audiences, with his former voicing/operator role taken over by Liverpudlian actor Lee Jackson, supported by his on-screen wife Yvonne Delahaye.
Edward is one of the voices on Radio London's the Oldies Project Fab 40 Show (every Sunday at 11am), and recorded a special Fab 40 countdown at Christmas 2005.[2]
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