Trevor Oakes, a founding member and guitarist of the 1970s pop group Showaddywaddy, has died at the age of 79 following a long illness. The Leicester-born band confirmed the news on March 28, stating that Oakes passed away peacefully last month.
Oakes was a key figure in the band, serving as guitarist and co-writer of many of their hits alongside lead singer Dave Bartram. He performed with Showaddywaddy from their formation in 1973 until his retirement in 2009, playing his final gig the previous year.
The band, formed by merging two local Leicester groups, Choise and The Golden Hammers, originally featured eight members. They achieved significant success in the 1970s, with ten Top 10 singles and a number one hit, 'Under the Moon of Love', which topped the UK charts in December 1976 and spent 209 weeks on the singles chart.
Former lead vocalist Dave Bartram, who also manages the band, paid tribute: 'Trevor was a unique character and a dedicated professional, without whom the band would never have quite scaled the dizzy heights we seemed destined to achieve. He was also a caring and affectionate family man, with a mischievous sense of humour.'
Oakes is survived by his sons, footballers Scott and Stefan Oakes.
