 Sammes rewrote the song, "Marianne", with Bill Owen to provide Cliff Richard with a minor hit in September 1968.The Mike Sammes Singers remained active into the 1970s, producing recordings for television ("The Secret Service") and appearing on the small screen (the "Val Doonican Show", 1971).By the mid-1970s, though, the demand for backing vocals had faded considerably, due to the introduction of multi-tracking and synthesizers.