Jolley & Swain

Who is Jolley & Swain?

Steve Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful pop musician, songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era.

The pair met in 1975 when Swain was working as a television cameraman on The Muppet Show. They formed the band Chaser in 1975 with Richard Palmer, Nick Adams, Ray Bailey and Brian Grant. Chaser released the single "Red Rum", written by Jolley, Palmer and Swain, on Polydor as a tribute to the famous racehorse. Swain left to pursue a career as a songwriter/record producer while Jolley released a single and an album with The English Boys in 1980. Their first known collaborative work was released by the late Irish singer Joe Dolan on his 1980 album Turn Out The Lights, which featured four Jolley/Swain compositions. In 1981 they reunited to produce the debut single "Body Talk" for Imagination. They produced four albums for the group and eight hit singles including "Just an Illusion" which peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. At the same time they produced albums and singles for Bananarama, including "Cruel Summer".