Sniff 'n The Tears

Sniff 'n The Tears are a British rock group from London, England. The band was first formed by singer/songwriter Paul Roberts as Ashes of Moon in 1973. Roberts immediately dissolved Ashes of Moon a year later when the group failed to secure a record deal. In 1977 Roberts was encouraged by drummer Luigi Salvoni to form a new band. Sniff 'n The Tears initially materialized as a six piece outfit: Besides Roberts and Salvoni, the other original core members were Loz Netto (guitars), Mike Dyche (guitars), Chris Birkin (bass), and Alan Faeldman (keyboards). The group released their debut album "Fickle Heart" in 1979. Sniff 'n The Tears scored a huge hit with the supremely groovy and hypnotic song "Driver's Seat," which peaked at #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop charts and soared all the way to #8 in the Netherlands. Despite this success, Birkin, Fealdman, and Salvoni all subsequently left the group. Nick South took over on bass, Paul Robinson filled in on drums, and Keith Miller became the new keyboardist. The band's second album "The Game's Up" was released in 1980, but alas failed to beget any hit songs. The subsequent albums "Love/Action" and "Ride Blue Divide" were also commercial flops. Sniff 'n The Tears eventually broke up in 1983. Roberts was inspired to reform the group in the early 1990's after "Driver's Seat" became a surprise #1 radio hit in the Netherlands because the song was used in a popular European advertising campaign. Sniff 'n The Tears not only performed in concert in both Germany and the Netherlands, but also released the album "No Damage Done" in 1992. The group released the subsequent album "Underground" in 2001. This was followed by the album "Downstream" in 2011.