Stars of the show

Singing sensations: The Soldiers, LCpl Ryan Idzi, SSgt Richie Maddocks and WO2 Gary Chilton, enjoyed tremendous success in 2009

Interviews: Richard Long

WITH full-time careers in the Army it is hard to imagine how The Soldiers found the hours to plot an assault on the charts.

But the singing Servicemen have done exactly that in the past year, recording one of the biggest-selling albums of 2009 while taking their show on the road with a 16-date national tour.

And now, as the dust settles on the massive success of Coming Home, LCpl Ryan Idzi (1 QDG), WO2 Gary Chilton and SSgt Richie Maddocks (both CAMUS) are hoping to build on their new-found fame with the release of their second studio album.

Letters Home will hit stores in late October and two members of the group took time out from the recording studio to tell Soldier about what fans can expect.

“They are songs troops would sing to their loved ones. There is a more personal feel this time around,” Maddocks explained.

“With the first album we had not been through the recording process before, we didn’t really know what went on.

“Now we are better prepared and a lot more relaxed about things.”

Chilton added: “We have got a lot of new material. It has not been rushed and we have been able to take more time with the recording.

“The title track, Letter Home, is based on a letter from a guardsman.

“It is the last letter he wrote to his mother and wife and we have been given permission to turn it into a song. It is a fantastic track and very moving. It is an absolute privilege for us to sing it.”

Other numbers include I Will Carry You and Our Nation’s Hero, songs with obvious connections to the campaign in Afghanistan.

The phenomenal success of their debut has boosted a number of military charities and the band recently handed over a cheque for £271,000, which will be divided between an array of good causes, including ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

Such generosity has been at the forefront from the start and, with The Soldiers about to enter the spotlight once again, the sentiment will continue.

Chilton said: “When all this started 16 months ago it was just a pipe dream, we had no idea it was going to escalate and explode like it did.

“When the album went double platinum it exceeded all our expectations. To out-sell artists like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston was mind-blowing.

“We had the fourth best-selling album in Britain last year and that is testament to all the guys in Afghanistan at the moment.

“That is what the nation thinks of them.”

Maddocks also spoke about the success of the band’s national tour and how their shows received tremendous backing from fellow Servicemen and women and their families.

He added: “Every venue was 70 to 80 per cent full and the Royal Albert Hall was packed out. It was really humbling.

“I remember speaking to Soldier last year and I said we would just wait and see what happens. Now I’m looking at a double platinum disc on the wall. It is something you dream of.”

Chilton has been quick to stress how the fame has not gone to their heads and insisted that their Service careers will remain the top priority.

“We are very fortunate to have such supportive parent units,” he explained.

“But with the three of us singing and raising money it is good media coverage for the Army.

“We want the new album to go straight to number one and we will be making sure as many people know about it as possible.”