In Spring 1973, the head of Mooncrest Records, Clive Crawley, decided to record a cover of the Royal Guardsmen's hit "Snoopy Vs The Red Baron" as a counter to the heavy metal that was becoming popular.
Crawley got together with the label's regular session keyboardist, Brian Bennett, and, in order to create a lilting ska sound, hired an Anglo-Jamaican band, The Cimarons,[1] to provide the appropriate rhythm.
The recording, released on 4 May 1973[2] under the group name The Hotshots, entered the UK singles charts for the week ending 2 June 1973, and peaked at no.
[3] However, rather than use The Cimarons to promote the single, Crawley recruited a different band - Wild Country - which twice appeared on Top of the Pops performing the song.
[5] Brian Bennett recruited a new band, Albatross, to be The Hotshots; this different combine recorded four further ska singles as The Hotshots, as well as an album, but none was a hit, and Albatross reverted to recording under their own name.