Cliff Fish was the bass player for the British band Paper Lace, known for their No. 1 hit “The Night Chicago Died.”
- Died: April 14, 2023 (Who else died on April 14?)
- Details of death: Died of cancer at the age of 73.
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Cliff Fish’s legacy
Fish co-founded Paper Lace in 1967, though the band was initially called Music Box. They had a breakthrough when they appeared on the ITV talent show “Opportunity Knocks” in 1973. The band was a hit and won five weeks in a row, leading them to receive an offer to record the song “Billy Don’t Be a Hero.” The track was a hit in the U.K. in 1974, though a version by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods would eclipse it on the U.S. charts. Paper Lace achieved their greatest U.S. success with their follow-up single that same year, “The Night Chicago Died.” The Al Capone-themed song climbed to No. 1 on the charts in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, as well as hitting No. 3 in the U.K.
Further singles “The Black-Eyed Boys” and “Hitchin’ a Ride ‘75” had modest success, but Paper Lace’s popularity quickly waned. They produced just two albums, though they had some local success with a 1978 song, “We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands,” recorded with members of their local soccer team, Nottingham Forest F.C. In later years, Fish was one of the band members who continued to perform as The Original 70s Paper Lace.
Tributes to Cliff Fish
Full obituary: Best Classic Bands
