22nd Street

22nd Street were a popular 1970s ‘sunshine rock’ vocal group from Carlisle, England who were signed to the Polydor label.

Originally known as 22nd Street People, the four-part harmony outfit was formed by John Coulthard (keyboards/vocals), Alan Duncan (drums/vocals), Neil Marshall (bass guitar/vocals) and Brian Oliver (guitar and lead vocals).

The band was heavily influenced by West Coast ‘sunshine pop’ groups such as the Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, The Association, Millennium, Sagittarius and Yellow Balloon – and were known for their rich four-part vocal harmonies.

The group later relaunched under the name 22nd Street with a new line-up featuring John Coulthard (keyboards/vocals), John McVicar (drums/vocals), Keith McVicar (lead guitar/vocals) and Brian Oliver (bass guitar/lead vocals). Roger Hewgill also became the group’s personal manager and tour manager.

22nd Street’s third and final line-up (pictured above) comprised [left to right] Jimmy Wyllie (bass guitar/vocals), Brian Oliver (guitar/lead vocals), Keith McVicar (lead guitar/vocals) and John McVicar (drums/vocals).

The band signed a recording deal with Polydor in 1972 and their first Polydor single, ‘Sunny Sleeps Late’, was immediately picked as a ‘Record of the Week’ on BBC Radio One. It was written by legendary songwriting duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and was produced by Phil Wainman (who also produced The Sweet and the Bay City Rollers). The ’B’ side, titled ‘Home’, was written by Brian Oliver.

Other key 22nd Street tracks included Kenny Young’s ‘The Highway Song’ and ‘Don’t Sleep in the Wet Grass’ which was written by Brian Oliver. The band also recorded an album titled Word of Mouth which featured their distinctive vocal harmony arrangements of classic songs by James Taylor.