Members Cliff Fish, Dave Manders, Roy White, and Phil Wright performed covers by the likes of the Beach Boys.

Despite some TV appearances, the band achieved no mainstream success until 1973 victories on Opportunity Knocks, a talent contest series, broadcasting at that time on ITV.

[3] On the basis of Opportunity Knocks performances, songwriters Mitch Murray and Peter Callander offered the band "Billy Don't Be a Hero", with the possibility of more songs if it took off.

[4][5] In the United States, with the subject matter of "Billy Don’t Be a Hero" assumed to be about the Vietnam War, it seemed logical that the song should become a hit there.

The 7-inch single, with "The Nottingham Forest March" as the B-side, spent six weeks on the UK chart and reached Number 24, but went Top 10 in the Netherlands.

In 1990, three original Paper Lace members, Philip Wright, Mick Vaughan, and Chris Morris, received financial backing to re-record "Billy Don't Be a Hero" with an up-to-date sound.

However, it was never released because, when the Gulf War began, the BBC banned songs it deemed inappropriate to broadcast during wartime, and "Billy Don't Be A Hero" was among them.

The CD is entitled It's Worth It and is dedicated to the life and memory of original bassist Cliff Fish, who died from cancer on 14 April 2023 at the age of 73.