Pussyfoot

This article is about the British recording act. For the Warner Bros. cartoon character, see Marc Antony and Pussyfoot. For the film, see Pussyfoot (film).

Pussyfoot was a British recording act of the late 1970s. The act consisted of songwriter, producer and musician Mick Flinn, and vocalist Donna Jones. Flinn remained behind the scenes, and Jones was marketed as a solo artist.

Early 1970s

Flinn had been a member of Australian rock band The Mixtures from 1967 to 1972, which included the band's most successful period. With consecutive number 1 songs in Australia in 1970, their "The Pushbike Song" was released in the UK where it entered the charts in the top 5, peaking at #2 in January 1971. The Mixtures made the trip to England in January 1971, returned to Australia in November for a concert tour, and then returned to England in January 1972. Flinn left the band in May 1972, eventually settling permanently in the UK.

In the UK, Flinn formed The Springfield Revival with Ray Martin and Donna Jones. Flinn subsequently became Jones' manager-writer-producer.

"The Way That You Do It" (1976)

In 1976, they recorded the soft rock song "The Way That You Do It", and first attracted public attention when the song's suggestive lyrics caused it to be banned by the BBC. In Australia, the television show Countdown began playing the video clip, and exploited the British ban on playing the song. Over several months, Jones became a sensation and a sex symbol. The song was released as a single by EMI Records and spent seven weeks at number one on the singles chart from 31 January 1977. "The Way That You Do It" was ranked as the second best-charting single of 1977 in Australia on the Kent Music Report chart.

	The Way That You Do It
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A second single, "Ooh Ja Ja" reached the Australian top 20, but the success of the act was short-lived. Jones and Flinn continued to record together for the remainder of the decade, but were never able to duplicate their success, nor break through in any of the world's major record markets, although one song "Dancer Dance" reached number three on the British club charts.

Flinn formed the Mick Flinn Band in 1978; Jones joined The New Seekers in 1979.

A Song for Europe (1980)

In 1980, Jones fronted a mainly female band (with Mick Flinn on bass) that adopted her previous stage name Pussyfoot, and the group entered the Song for Europe 1980 contest, (a precursor to the Eurovision Song Contest). Pussyfoot came fourth in the contest, with media commentators speculating after the event that Jones was, once again, too raunchy for British tastes.

Jones returned to The New Seekers in the late 1980s as a replacement for Vivien Banks who had been a member of the 1976 group Co-Co. Jones had previously been in the girl trio Chrys-Do-Lyns along with fellow New Seekers bandmate Lyn Paul.

The other members of Pussyfoot at the Song for Europe 1980 were Fiona Tucker, Jude Allen, Jackie Dixon and Annabel Rees.

Flinn worked with Peter Morris of the band Black Lace for the 1984 UK Top 40 hit "Do the Conga", and joined The New Seekers in 2002.

Discography

Albums

• 1976: Pussyfootin' Round... With Love (EMI)
• 1978: Pussyfoot (EMI)

Singles

• 1975: "The Way That You Do It" (AUS #1)
• 1976: "Ooh Ja Ja" (AUS #20)
• 1977: "Sugartime"
• 1978: "A Night to Remember"
• 1978: "Baila Bailador / Baila Bailador Part 2"
• 1978: "Disco Boogie"
• 1979: "Lay Your Love on the Line"
• 1980: "I Want to Be Me"
• 1984: "Mind Over Matter"

External links

• Donna Jones, New Seekers official site