• February 26, 1947
• Sandie Shaw was born Sandra Goodrich in Dagenham, London. She was a 17-year-old machine operator when Adam Faith's manager Eve Taylor discovered her.
• She signed with Pye in 1964 and immediately recorded a #1 hit with Bacharach & David's "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me."
• Sandie Shaw's thirteenth single "Puppet On A String" was the winning entry for the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, and the first such win for the UK. Despite the song's success, Sandie despised the recording.
• For two decades until Madonna's third British chart-topper "True Blue," Sandie was the only solo female singer to manage 3 #1 British hits.
• Sandie Shaw's trademark of always singing barefoot on stage was initially a publicity stunt devised by her manager Eve Taylor.
• Sandie has been married three times: to designer Jeff Banks, film producer Nik Powell and, since 2002, to psychologist Tony Bedford.
• She has spent long periods outside the music business, as a writer, actress, and even, during a period of financial hardship in the Seventies, as a waitress. She told The Daily Telegraph: "That was difficult but exciting, a bit like growing up again, in a different way. I'd become a Buddhist and you learn to take responsibility for where you're at. It was the right thing for me, to start from scratch and rebuild myself."
• She revived her music career in the '80s, with the help of The Smiths, who were big fans and had a hit with a cover of the Manchester band's debut single "Hand in Glove."
• Sandie left music behind again in the early '90, to train as a psychotherapist and she now runs the Arts Clinic from premises near Harley Street, London, specialising in therapy for entertainment, media and sports people. She works under her former married name, as Sandra Powell.
• She is chairman of the Featured Artists' Coalition, which campaigns to protect musicians' rights in the digital age.

Comments: 1

• Clive Parham from Toronto CanadaI am always amazed how the story of Sandies discovery ignores the original truth. Sandra Goodrich appeared in a talent competition at the Ilford Palais ( singing a Tommy Roe hit I remember called Everybody. She won that first semi final and I asked her that night if she would like my cousin who was in show business to come and see her in the final. She agreed of course and my cousin Terry Oates came to see her. Terry was a music Publisher initially with Chappels and subsequently with his own company Eaton Music, he passed away in April 2011.
  She came in second at the final to Max Godbold I believe he was ,who went on to sing with the Phil Tate band. A while later I heard from Terry that “ Sandie Shaw was doing very well” I wasn’t, certain who he was talking about but for a while he was her manager , running other acts such as Tony Rivera and the Castaways who became Harmony Grass. If you need to check these facts take a look at an Interview Terry did with Peter Dadswell “ A personal History of the British Record Business - Terry Oates …it’s on line . Terry had invited Sandra Goodrich’s parents to a show which he was running with Sandra in it ,and they were seated next to Eve Taylor, who was Adam Faiths manager. And there it is…according to Terry, Sandra’s parents decided that she should be managed by a woman and not by Terry .

More Songfacts:

Right Here, Right NowJesus Jones

The Jesus Jones song "Right Here, Right Now" was conceived as an optimistic version of Prince's "Sign O' The Times."

Ho HeyThe Lumineers

"Ho Hey" by The Lumineers is about New York City, where lead singer Wesley Schultz moved to make it in music. He was dismayed to find many "trust fund kids" in the music scene while he struggled to pay the rent.

Diamonds From Sierra LeoneKanye West

"Diamonds From Sierra Leone" by Kanye West is about the "blood diamonds" mined using child labor in Africa. It also serves as a shout-out to Roc-A-Fella records, known for a diamond-shaped hand signal.

BlameCalvin Harris

Calvin Harris' "Blame" was the first song to break 10 million streams in a week on Spotify. The record was set during the seven days of September 8 to September 14, 2014.

MMMbopHanson

Zac Hanson was just 11 years and 7 months old when "MMMbop" topped the Hot 100, making him the youngest group member to co-write and perform a US #1 single.

Only Wanna Be With YouHootie & the Blowfish

"Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie & the Blowfish is a tribute to Bob Dylan, but Dylan sued them over it for using lyrics from his song "Idiot Wind."

Editor's Picks

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.