Errol Brown, singer and songwriter, was surprised by Michael Aspel – on his birthday - during a personal appearance at the HMV store on London's Oxford Street. Errol was born in Jamaica but moved to the UK with his mother when he was twelve years old. His break into music came in 1969 when he recorded a version of John Lennon's Give Peace a Chance with a band called The Hot Chocolate Band. Renamed Hot Chocolate, the band was signed up by producer Mickie Most in 1970 and, with Errol as the lead singer, released their first single Love is Life which reached number six in the charts. The band had at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984, making them the only group in the UK to have a hit for 15 consecutive years.