'I'm Slade's guitarist and this is how we came to write one of the UK's biggest Christmas hits ever'

Birmingham and the West Midlands is the birthplace of a number of iconic rock and roll stars.

The likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Iommi, John Bonham and Jeff Lynne were all born and bred in the region. Two local bands also have two of the best selling UK singles of all-time. 'Come on Eileen' by Dexys Midnight Runners is the 48th best-selling single of all-time, with Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' the 69th.

And as we're fast approaching Christmas, we were fortunate enough to have a chat with legendary Slade guitarist Dave Hill about the band's biggest hit. To mark 50 years of the Christmas classic, the current Slade line-up are also heading out on a UK tour to celebrate the milestone, which also coincides with 'Come on Feel the Noize' - another of the Wolverhampton band's hits that is 50 years old this year.

The group's career has spanned six decades. In that time, they've had 23 Top-20 singles, of which six were number ones, and the West Midlands rockers are playing something of a homecoming show just before Christmas this year.

Dave is now the sole remaining original member of Slade, He will be joined on the tour by Russell Keefe on vocals and keyboards, John Berry on bass, violin and newbie Alex Bines who will playing drums for the group. Ten dates across the UK will culminate in a show at Birmingham's 02 on the 23rd, and Dave says he's excited for what's to come.

"I'm excited for the show," he told BirminghamWorld. "There's nothing like being excited for a show aged 77. We greatly enjoy what we do and it's a special time of year."

He said: "When we decided on the ten dates for the end of this year, it occurred to me that it's been 50 years since 1973 and this remarkable record, and also 'Come on Feel the Noize' came out in the same the year."

'Merry Christmas Everybody' has become a staple for Christmas parties and celebrations in the UK over the years - a festive UK classic that enters the charts every December and is up there with the likes of Wham's 'Last Christmas' and Elton John's 'Step into Christmas'.

But how exactly did a rock band from the West Midlands that were known for their heavy rock anthems come to record a Christmas song that is still loved by millions 50 years later?

"The idea of bringing out a Christmas song could have been a bit risky as rock groups don't make Christmas records," Dave told us. "But people didn't realise the type of record we'd made. The idea had been floating around for a while. At the time we were stuck in New York. Our manager Chas said he'd try and get us some studio time to 'look at that Christmas song idea you've been telling me about'."

And the fact that the song was recorded in 1973 actually had something to do with John Lennon.

"So at that point in New York all the lyrics had been done but we needed somewhere to record. John Lennon cancelled his studio time at the Record Plant studio, so we took his week to record. It was boiling hot at that time - New York's a sweaty place and it gets really hot."

Dave added: "So Chas then told us: 'You're in luck, John Lennon has decided to cancel a week's recording so you can have the week'.

"We went in and spent a day in the rehearsal room learning the tune and figuring how we were going to put it down because none of us had ever done a Christmas song before, and we weren't there to do a corny song that sounded like jingle bells or something someone else had already done."

Dave says Slade's former front man Noddy Holder wrote the majority of the lyrics for the hit at his father's house after he'd had a few beers. "I can't speak on his behalf, but Nod was thinking 'what are people always doing at Christmas' - he's he wasn't writing 'Silent knight' for example. It's a song about fun and families, and people coming home and desperate to get back for Christmas. And he had the innuendos which are really funny in the lyrics - the business about father Christmas and his slay - we wanted to be funny without being rude."

The festive tune is still loved by millions today and will be played at Birmingham's 02 during their Christmas tour this year. Of course, Noddy Holder or Jim Lea won't be on the tour, as both quit the band in 1992. Noddy recently revealed that he'd been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2018 and was given six months to live, after which he underwent experimental chemotherapy treatment that has been successful.

Speaking about his old band mate Noddy, Dave said: "Noddy and I are very close and are great friends. He did tell me, and he fortunately told me when he was well. We see each other a great deal and if any of us got ill, we'd be there for each other and i'll always be there for Nod.

"He's doing fine, he's well now and he's still got his powerful voice. We've had so much joy together and I think that will always continue. I wish him well, he's a great guy."

You can get tickets for Slade's tour, here.