Slade was a hugely successful English rock band of the early 1970s and was a major part of the Glam rock phenomenon of that decade. The band originated from the Black Country in central England.

Slade never truly caught on with American audiences (who often deemed them "too British-sounding"), but the group became a massive sensation in their home country, with success to rival Wizzard. With their anthemic brand of glam rock, they scored 11 Top Five hits in a four-year span from 1971 to 1974 (five of which topped the charts).

The group originally formed in 1966 and was called the In-Be-Tweens, but initially had little success. In the late 1960s the band changed its name to Ambrose Slade and later to just Slade, and initially the band sported a "skinhead" look. They later abandoned this idea, grew their hair long, and became a part of the Glam Rock movement, releasing songs with deliberately mis-spelled titles which made them stand out.

This change of direction paid off, and from 1971 the band scored a number of hits, including the singles:

• "Coz I Luv You,"
• "Look Wot You Dun,"
• "Take Me Bak 'Ome,"
• "Mama Weer All Crazee Now,"
• "Gudbuy t'Jane,"
• "Cum on Feel the Noize,"
• "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me,"
• "Merry Xmas Everybody" (which has re-entered the charts several times since and is arguably the UK's most famous Christmas song)

Slade's attempts at cracking the American market were largely unsuccessful, although a cover of the single "Cum on Feel the Noize," by Metal group Quiet Riot was a smash Top 5 hit in America in 1983. Slade's sound and image influenced a number of American rock groups in the 1970s, particularly KISS.

The bands albums "Slade Alive" and "Slayed" are considered by many to be some of the best of the Glam Rock era.

With the advent of punk in the late 1970s Slade's music became unfashionable and their hits largely dried up, although they had another UK top 10 hit in 1984 with the single "Run Run Away" (which would be their second top 40 hit in the USA and their first since "Gudbuy T'Jane", which barely made the top 40 in 1972). Despite being 'adopted' by fans of a harder rock genre, the band split up officially in 1991.

Holder went on to become an actor and in-demand broadcaster, while the others played in new versions of Slade. Their impact was kept alive by comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, who respectfully sent up the band in a number of sketches in one of their TV shows in the 1990s. Holder also acted in the nostalgic late 90s TV comedy The Grimleys, set in the early 70s, where he played music teacher Mr. Holder. In one amusing scene he played a Slade song on the piano, and wished he could become famous...