Mac and Katie Kissoon are a pop soul duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon (born Gerald Farthing, November 11, 1943,

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

) and Katie Kissoon (born Katherine Farthing, March 11, 1951, Port of Spain).

Early life and career

Mac and Katie Kissoon emigrated to the United Kingdom with their family in 1962. Katie began recording in 1965, cutting a total of four singles under the name Peanut, and was later a member of the Rag Dolls, who had a single released in 1967 and another in 1968. Mac Kissoon was a member of the Marionettes in 1966 and 1967, then fronted his own band which played U.S. bases in Europe. Returning to the UK in 1969, he cut a solo record, " Get Down With It Satisfaction", a medley of songs by Bobby Marchan and the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

which became a Top 30 hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 29 in February 1970. Mac recorded his 1970 solo album ''Souled Out'' (aka ''Sole Satisfaction'') which included "Get Down With It / Satisfaction", " Baby I Love You" and " I Can Feel It". Mac and Katie Kissoon made their first collaborative recording covering the Lally Stott song " Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" for the UK market. Released July 1971, the Kissoons' version of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" lost out in the UK to another cover by Middle of the Road, who scored a number 1 hit in the UK Singles chart, while the Kissoons' recording stalled at number 41. However, a parallel release of the Kissoons' version of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" in the U.S. became a hit, with the single reaching number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in October 1971. Mac and Katie Kissoon continued to record together, and although their follow-up single to "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep", "Freedom", failed to chart in either the UK or U.S., the track charted throughout Europe, with estimated sales approaching one million units.

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

released "

Love Will Keep Us Together "Love Will Keep Us Together" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was first recorded by Sedaka in 1973. The brother-sister duo Mac and Katie Kissoon also recorded a version in 1973. American pop duo Captain & Tennille cove ...

" in 1973, and Mac & Katie Kissoon covered the song that year, with a U.S. release in 1974.

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were an American recording duo whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum a ...

also covered the song in 1975, which became a worldwide hit. The Kissoons continued to have European chart success, particularly in the Netherlands and on the Belgian Dutch-language chart, and finally broke through in the UK in 1975 when "Sugar Candy Kisses" reached number 3. In 1976 they released the new album ''The Two of Us'', with the single "Dream of Me". In 1979 and 1980, Mac Kissoon had three solo hits in the Netherlands, including "Lavender Blue" and "Love and Understanding", both reaching the Top 10. Their pop

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

career having receded by the early 1980s, Katie and Mac Kissoon were in demand as backing singers and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s. Katie was a member of

James Last James Last (, ; born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader of the James Last Orchestra. Initially a jazz bassist, his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and ...

's singers in the 1980s, her brother Mac continuing there until Last's death. Katie Kissoon's career as backing singer has continued with

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

(1978 and later),

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1945) is an English Rock music, rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe (band), Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest su ...

(1982),

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

(1986 and later),

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(since 1984),

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(1985),

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(1990),

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(1991),

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(1991),

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(1994),

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(Unplugged on MTV 1996),

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

(2000 and later), and

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, and he is the one of the two members who stayed during the band's existence ...

(2018). In 1997, Mac and Katie Kissoon released an album of new material called ''From Now On''. In 2002, Katie Kissoon appeared on stage at the ''

Concert for George The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a Tributes to the Beatles, memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison ...

.'' In 2006–2007, she was also part of the backing section for

The Dark Side of the Moon Live The Dark Side of the Moon Live was a worldwide concert tour by Roger Waters, lasting two years. Waters and his band performed the titular album in its entirety at each show, beginning at the Rock in Rio festival on 2 June 2006. The tour fe ...

world tour. The tour continued for nine dates in 2008, but Katie was unable to perform and was replaced by

Sylvia Mason-James Sylvia Mason-James (born 8 December 1958) is a British singer who has worked extensively as a backing vocalist and solo artist. Early life and career Mason-James was born on 8 December 1958 in south London, United Kingdom to immigrants from J ...

. In 2006, Katie provided backing vocals on

Andy Fairweather Low Andrew Fairweather Low (born 2 August 1948) is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner (band), Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton ...

's album '' Sweet Soulful Music''. Katie Kissoon performed backing vocals on

's ''

The Healing Game ''The Healing Game'' is the twenty-sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1997 by Polydor Records, Polydor. It reached the Top Ten in four countries, and the Top Twenty in three more. Following two overtl ...

'' (1997). In 2008, she appeared on his album '' Keep It Simple'' and performed with his band on several concert dates that year.

Available chart info

References

External links

45cat website

Discogs website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kissoon, Mac and Katie Sibling musical duos Male–female musical duos British session musicians Black British musical groups Musicians from Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago expatriates in England British people of Indo-Trinidadian descent Indian musical duos Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent State Records artists