BRITPOP Part II, continued
Copyright 1992,1993---no unathorized use permitted
----
EDEN KANE
-Songs include:
Well I Ask You (1961)
Get Lost (1961)
Forget Me Not (1962)
I Don't Know Why (1962)
Boys Cry (1964)
- Richard Graham Sarstedt was one of the more innocuous singers
to come out of the British pop mill, in signature all-white
suits and sensual posturing. "Well I Ask You" was written by
Adam Faith's songwriter, Johnny Worth, and made something of
a sensation in 1961; after a few years and a few tepid songs,
Kane lost his carefully-invested money and foundered until he
teamed up with his brothers Peter and Clive in the early
seventies, when they made a minor impression on the nightclub
circuit.
----
JOHNNY KIDD AND THE PIRATES
- Songs include:
Please Don't Touch (1959)
You Got What It Takes (1960)
Shakin' All Over (1960)
Restless (1960)
Linda Lu (1961)
Shot of Rhythm and Blues (1963)
I'll Never Get Over You (1963)
Hungry for Love (1963)
Always and Ever (1964)
- Frederick Heath did *not* have to wear an eyepatch; it was just
that one time his guitar string broke and hit him in the eye and
he wore this eyepatch just *once* and a girl backstage told him
he looked like a pirate, so....At least that's the story. With
the name Johnny Kidd and a backup band named the Pirates, Kidd
started rocking England with an unusually raw sound; when other
crooners were going towards soft ballads, Kidd was creating a more
hard-driven corpus of music. With his manager Guy Robinson, Kidd
wrote the astonishing "Shakin' All Over" (somewhat reminiscent
of Cliff's "Move It"), a petulant, rebellious anthem. Kidd remained
an icon for British would-be rockers (like the Beatles, who nevertheless
continued to imitate their American sources) and went on touring
lessening crowds until his unfortunate death in a car crash in 1966.
----
JONATHAN KING
- Songs include:
Everyone's Gone to the Moon (1965)
Let It All Hang Out (1970)
Lazy Bones (1971)
etc.
- Kenneth "Jonathan" King was a Cambridge student when he wrote and
performed a song in the style of Dylan, a mock-protest ditty called
"Everyone's Gone To The Moon", which surprisingly became a hit in
the US as well as England. He was also the force behind Hedgehoppers
Anonymous, writing their "It's Good News Week" the same year (it was
sung by some RAF fellows). Despite a driving interest in other
productions (he discovered Genesis and produced some of the Bay
Cit Rollers' hits), he continued to release songs of questionable
merit under a variety of pseudonyms during the seventies (The Piglets,
Shag, St. Cecilia) and was on the music scene occasionally into the
eighties as a DJ and TV show host.
----
THE KINKS
- Songs include:
You Really Got Me (1964)
All Day and All of the Night (1964)
Tired of Waiting For You (1965)
Everybody's Gonna Be Happy (1965)
Set Me Free (1965)
See My Friend (1965)
Till the End of the Day (1965)
Dedicated Follower of Fashion (1966)
Sunny Afternoon (1966)
Dead End Street (1966)
Waterloo Sunset (1967)
Autumn Almanac (1967)
Wonderboy (1968)
Victoria (1970)
Lola (1970)
etc.
- It's almost impossible to see the Kinks just as pop stars of the
sixties. Ray Davies, lead singer and lead songwriter, has made his
presence felt throughout so many media: films, operettas, plays,
scoring...along with the Stones, the Who, and the Yardbirds, the
Kinks were much more than a cornerstone of British invasion rock.

Ray and his brother Dave (who, BTW, apparently pronounce their
surname "Davis") grew up in Muswell Hill in London, exposed not
to the dreary upperclass twits of the posh set but enamoured of
American blues, country-western music, and black artists of New
York. With Peter Quaife, the three formed a trio and exhibited
themselves as pop artists of a hybridized type till meeting
Mick Avory and becoming The Kinks, finally. American producer
Shel Talmy was with them throughout their formative years, even as
they recycled the same guitar riff; "See My Friend" was the first
legitimate Indian-influenced pop song (beating out "Norwegian
Wood" by several months). Ray mixed devastating, detached social
commentary with Dave's wicked guitar leads and catchy arrangements.
"Face to Face", their 1966 offering, is generally considered the
first concept album.

Ray and Dave didn't exactly get along; and fights with drummer Avory
gave the group the reputation of being "unprofessional" on stage. But
in later years the social and historical commentary took the lead,
intermixed with music hall and ballad influences. The Kinks' music
even in times of lesser productivity was regularly covered by the
likes of David Bowie and ultimate fan Chrissie Hynde and her
Pretenders. Ray had a surprise hit in 1983 with "Come Dancing",
a nostalgic tale, and appeared as the protagonist's beleaguered
dad in the musical version of British pop history, "Absolute
Beginners", where he sang his own composition "Quiet Life."
----
BILLY J. KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS
- Songs include:
Do You Want to Know a Secret? (1963)
Bad To Me (1963)
I'll Keep You Satisfied (1963)
Little Children (1964)
>From A Window (1964)
Trains and Boats and Planes (1965)
- William Howard Ashton had been in a little band with his cohorts
in Bootle, a suburb of Liverpool, as Billy Ford and the Phantoms.
Gradually, this mutated to Billy Kramer and the Coasters (the "J."
was later suggested by John Lennon, because it was his own initial)
and Billy did his best to follow the trail of the Beatles and their
burgeoning success. Much given to gold lame suits, Billy was revamped
(no pun intended) by Brian Epstein; the Coasters left and the Dakotas
from Manchester were brought in. Naturally Brian wanted Billy to be
as big a Nems star as the Beatles but George Martin was unimpressed.
The Boys' own "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" ended up being Billy's
first big hit, carefully arranged by Martin to hide what he called the
"holes" in Kramer's vocal style. "Bad To Me", a Lennon song, proved a
real charmer; so did several other Lennon-McCartney songs, but such
outside help didn't prevent Billy from running aground after 1967,
when he was relegated to pop hell on the cabaret circuit.
----
JOHN LEYTON
- Songs include:
Johnny Remember Me (1961)
Wild Wind (1961)
Son This is She (1961)
Lone Rider (1962)
etc.
- Leyton, an actor, played "Ginger" on a British TV series called "Biggles",
set in WWII, and later starred in a TV play about a pop star...exactly
the role to which he had always aspired! His TV persona, Johnny St. Cyr,
released a song called "Johnny Remember Me" in parallel with the *real*
John Leyton. Gimmicks often work wonders; and Leyton's single was
voted record of the year in 1961. He continued with top twenty hits
into 1962, without the magic of a TV show to boost his chances, but
gradually retreated back to straight acting (he was the male lead opposite
Helen Shapiro in Richard Lester's 1962 film, "It's Trad Dad") and left
the pop charts to the experts.
----
LAURIE LONDON
- Song:
He's Got the Whole World In His Hands (1957)
- Little Laurie London was just 13 when the kid from the East End
won a radio talent contest with a borrowed guitar. Impressing the
listeners, he also made points with the BBC and was signed for an
appearance on 6.5 Special, a television show showcasing pop novelties
and mainstream artists. His success in England was moderate but for
some reason his "He's Got The Whole World...." became a smash hit
in America during April 1958 and received wide airplay. But he
never repeated his conquest of the cash Box charts and made no more
waves.
----
JOE LOSS BAND
- Songs include:
Wheels Cha Cha (1961)
Sucu Sucu (1961)
The Maigret Theme (1962)
Must Be Madison (1962)
March of the Mods (1964)
- Another representative of the British big-band sound, Loss became
popular in the thirties and remained a standard fixture in the
field throughout the ensuing decades. He adapted his band to the
fads of the moment (the "cha cha" craze and even the British Beat
bands not being sacrosanct) and was rumored to be among the favorite
bands of the British royal family.
----
DENNIS LOTIS
- Having no real chart hits of his own, Dennis Lotis exists mainly
as a ballad singer from the early days of British big-band music,
now forgotten by many, but once a well-known member of *the* British
big band itself, Ted Heath and his Music Singers.
----
LULU AND THE LUVVERS
- Songs include:
Shout! (1964)

Without the Luvvers:
Here Comes the Night (1964)
Leave a Little Love (1965)
Try to Understand (1965)
To Sir With Love (1967) (US only)
The Boat That I Row (1967)
Morning Dew (1969)
etc.
- Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie had a powerhouse voice at the tender
age of 15 and had already been singing in Glasgow clubs with The Glen
Eagles. They changed their name to The Luvvers (cashing in on the
Mersey connection) and had a huge hit in the UK with the Isley Bros.
"Shout!"; she also did a creditable version of the Stones' "Surprise,
Surprise" the same year. In 1966 she went solo, had a huge US hit (which
made no impact at all in the UK), the title song of the film "To Sir
With Love". Briefly married to Bee Gee Barry Gibb, Lulu continued to
try for further fame during the seventies and eighties, and made guest
appearances as an announcer for Europe's Capitol Radio.
----
VERA LYNN
- Songs include:
Homing Waltz (1952)
Auf Wiedersehen (1952)
Forget Me Not (1952)
My Son My Son (1954)
The Faithful Hussar (1957)
- Lynn was known through the War (WWII, of course---the one that
required such British pluck) as The Forces' Sweetheart; her "We'll
Meet Again" and "White Cliffs of Dover" were her signature tunes. Her
fame continued into the benign fifties, with several chart hits 
(including several in the States), radio and TV appearances. The
Beatles may have had their MBEs, but Dame Vera was awarded the more
prestigious OBE in 1969.
----
CHARLES MCDEVITT SKIFFLE GROUP
(with Nancy Whiskey)
- Songs include:
Freight Train (1957)
Greenback Dollar (1957)
- One of the four major skiffle groups of the British fifties (the
other three being Lonnie Donegan, The Vipers, and Johnny Duncan),
McDevitt and pals had goatees and plaid shirts, perhaps in pale
imitation of American hillbilly bands they admired. Their diminuitive
"girl" singer was Nancy Whiskey, who sang the passionless vocals
on "Freight Train". Nancy left in 1957, was replaced by one Babs
Douglas, whose only claim to fame was in marrying Mr. McDevitt, and
the band slipped into obscurity at the close of the skiffle craze.
----
MANFRED MANN
- Songs include:
5-4-3-2-1 (1964)
Hubble Bubble Toil and Trouble (1964)
Do Wah Diddy Diddy (1964)
Sha La La (1964)
If You Gotta Go Go Now (1965)
Pretty Flamingo (1965)
Ha Ha Said the Clown (1967)
Mighty Quinn (1967)
etc.
- Manfred Mann was a fellow as well as a group---a nifty accomplishment!
>From South Africa originally, he had studied at Julliard and the Vienna
State Academy and had backgrounds in jazz. He joined up with two R&B
enthusiasts, Paul Pond and Mike Hugg to form The Mann-Hugg Blues
Bros. in 1962; Pond---later Jones----was at the time still an undergrad at 
Oxford, thus giving the group pretensions toward intellectuality. Jones
had also traveled in R&B circles frequented by Alexis Korner and Cyril
Davies, and with one Tom McGuiness and Eric Clapton there was a short-
lived group. McGuiness joined Pond/Jones in Manfred Mann the group (often
known as The Manfreds to avoid confusion). The ensemble was commissioned
to write the theme song for the British TV pop show "Ready, Steady, Go!",
which also became a top ten hit in England ("5-4-3-2-1"), and their
career took off. They became regulars at the Marquee Club in London and
were generally lumped together with other prominent London groups
(The Stones, The Kinks, etc.) In 1966 Jones left for a solo career,
but Manfred Mann scarcely registered the strain and in fact gave
temporary home to several big names in British blues and pop---Jack Bruce,
Klaus Voorman, Mike D'Abo---and embarked upon a more controversial pursuit
of music, incorporating Dylan songs into their repertoire and getting
banned by the Beeb for it. Even after disbanding several times into
the late sixties and early seventies, Manfred Mann's influence continued
in groups like Mann's Earth Band and Tom McGuiness' McGuiness-Flint; Mann
and McGuiness later formed the Blues Band to play in London pubs in the
eighties.
----
THE MERSEYBEATS
- Songs include:
It's Love that Really Counts (1963)
I Think of You (1964)
Don't Turn Around (1964)
Wishin' and Hopin' (1964)
etc.
- The group had to ask publisher Bill Harry of Liverpool, who edited the
"Mersey Beat" music paper, whether they could use the name! Tony Crane
and Bill Kinsley had belonged to The Mavericks; now with Aaron Williams
and John Banks, they made the best of the craze that first swept the
North of England, then the South, then America. Their get-up included
fancy ruffled shirts and velveteen jackets. "I Think Of You" was their
biggest hit, but shortly thereafter a magazine article revealed that
the group had a heavy following of "groupies" (the idea was then relatively
unpublicized) and that their behavior wasn't entirely innocent. Whether
that was the reason or not, the Merseybeats didn't achieve much in the
hit department thereafter, though their chart action was respectably in
the top-40 realm at least. After some changes, the group merged into....
----
THE MERSEYS
- Songs include:
Sorrow (1966)
- Having lost Banks and Williams, Kinsley (who had left briefly but 
returned) and Crane resurrected themselves as The Merseys; their
backing group was a conglomeration previously known as The Fruit 
Eating Bears. Their one big hit was "Sorrow", a terrific sonorous
lament about a difficult love; it was to be quoted in brief in the
lyrics of George Harrison's "It's All Too Much" ("With your long blonde
hair and your eyes of blue...."). The Merseys released one more song,
"So Sad About Us", but though it was written by Pete Townsend of
The Who, it never made the grade. The Merseys disappeared, for all
intents and purposes, though Kinsley belonged to Rockin' Horse, a
seventies band that backed Chuck Berry on British tours.
----
MILLIE
- Songs include:
My Boy Lollipop (1964)
Sweet William (1964)
- Millie was Millie Small, a 16 year old girl from Jamaica, who had
a hit within a musical milieu known as Bluebeat, a forerunner of
Reggae. There were Bluebeat artists in England too, emigrees from
the West Indian communities, but although their music achieved some
note (Ezz Reco, Prince Buster Campbell), it was Millie (as she was
called) who broke through to the mainstream charts. These two songs
were Millie's only claims to fame, and on the wave of British Invasion
they reached American ears as well.
----
THE MINDBENDERS
- Songs include:
Groovy Kind of Love (1966)
Can't Live With You (Can't Live Without You) (1966)
Ashes to Ashes (1966)
The Letter (1967)
- The Mindbenders backed singer Wayne Fontana (Glynn Ellis) though
it was somewhat reluctantly that they admitted to being second
to anyone; they had begun as The Jets and later changed their
name under the influence of a Dirk Bogarde film "The Mind Benders".
Mythology leads us to believe that Bob Lang, Eric Stewart and Rick
Rothwell were pressed into service as Fontana's backing group when
his own group failed to show at an audition. With Fontana, of course,
they did "Game Of Love" in '65, but scored on their own as a solo
group with "Groovy Kind Of Love" in '66 once Wayne had left for
his own solo career. The band disbanded after 1967, though Eric
Stewart continued in Hotlegs and later 10cc with Graham Gouldman.
----
THE MOODY BLUES
- Songs include:
Go Now (1965)
I Don't Want to Go On Without You (1965)
>From the Bottom of My Heart (1965)
Everyday (1965)
Nights in White Satin (1967)
Ride My See-Saw (1968)
Question (1970)
etc.
- The Moody Blues had two quite different faces: one with Denny Laine
(who joined Mike Pindar, Clint Warwick, Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge)
and one without, with new members Justin Hayward (who took over
vocals) and John Lodge (replacing Warwick). Much of their earlier
work is pleasant, impressive and pop-orientated; "Go Now" is a
fine example (though their jaunty "Fly Me Straight" never made the
top-40 charts, alas). Leaving their Birmingham R&B roots behind, once
Laine had left, the group emerged as one of the first "progressive
rock" bands---typified by combining classical styles with rock beats
and instrumentation. Their "Days Of Future Passed" (1967) was a true
concept album and contained full classical orchestration; "Knights
In White Satin" from this LP kept reentering the charts during the
seventies. One of the longest-lived English rock groups, the lineup
remained fairly intact, with the exception of Pindar's retreat and
Patrick Moraz' entry (Moraz had been with the group Yes). Laine, it
may be necessary to note, was with Paul McCartney for a time in a
group called Wings.
----
THE MOVE
- Songs include:
Night of Fear (1967)
I Can Hear the Grass Grow (1967)
Flowers in the Rain (1967)
Fire Brigade (1968)
Blackberry Way (1968)
etc.
- Birmingham was a popular place! Or perhaps the pop muse was particularly
active there. Roy Wood had been with Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders;
other members included Trevor Burton, Carl Wayne, Chris "Ace" Kefford and
Bev Bevan. Their stage dress was rather theatrical (from gangster to
psychedelic) and they had a reputation (like The Who) for trashing
their equipment. Wood's writing was solid, however, and much of it
was hitbound in the UK. Wood had quite a thing for classical and
Beatles references, with suitable results in his music. By 1969 most
members had left, and Wood recruited Idle Race singer and guitarist
Jeff Lynne to join him and Bevan in what was left of The Move. They
shortly transformed into Electric Light Orchestra (eventually with
a whole new cast of characters), and once that petered out, Wood formed
Wizzard and Lynne kept on with ELO, thence solo and eventually (with
his Lennonesque voice, a talent he and Wood shared) The Traveling
Wilburys.
----
ANTHONY NEWLEY
- Songs include:
I've Waited So Long (1959)
Personality (1959)
Why (1960)
Do You Mind (1960)
If She Should Come to You (1960)
And The Heavens Cried (1961)
What Kind of Fool Am I? (1961)
etc.
- Originally an actor (he'd been the Artful Dodger in the '48 film of
"Oliver Twist"), Newley played a pop star in the '50's film "Idle On
Parade"; it must have inspired him to try it for real. His songs
made the top ten readily, even with cover versions of American
artists' hits (Lloyd Price and Frankie Avalon provided the material).
Moving into television (a series called "Gurney Slade") with some
disdain for his erstwhile hitmaker image, he experimented with
surrealistic images and music, eventually writing (with Leslie
Bricuse) "Stop The World, I Want To Get Off". It wasn't a hit,
exactly, but a somewhat-repected oddity, and one of its songs,
"What Kind Of Fool Am I?" flopped in England but reached the
US pop charts in 1961. He concentrated on theatrical music from
then on (co-writing "Goldfinger" and "Who Can I Turn To" in the
sixties), plus theatrical production, though had another hit (via
Sammy Davis Jr.) with "The Candy Man" in the seventies.
----
THE PARAMOUNTS
- Song:
Poison Ivy (1964)
- They're hardly a ripple in the plethora of beat groups from the
mid-sixties, but The Paramounts are important for being the proto-
version of Procol Harum. They included Barrie Wilson on drums, Diz
Derrick on bass, and later-Procol members Gary Brooker on keyboards and
Robin Trower on guitar. They had only one hit---and "hit" is putting
it kindly.
----
PETER AND GORDON
- Songs include:
A World Without Love (1964)
Nobody I Know (1964)
True Love Ways (1965)
To Know You is to Love You (1965)
Woman (1966)
Lady Godiva (1966)
etc.
- Peter Asher and Gordon Waller were school chums and great fans of
the Everly Brothers. Emulation is all: they decided to form a pop
duo and had several strokes of good luck (not to mention talent):
English duos (a la Chad and Jeremy) were "in" during the British
Invasion, and Peter Asher's sister Jane was Paul McCartney's girlfriend
through much of the sixties. With a fair number of McCartney songs
(officially labeled Lennon-McCartney), the two had consistent hits
in the American market (fewer in the British). They split in 1968,
after their respectable hit-machine wore thin. Waller went on to
do cabaret and theatre work, while Asher saw success as a producer,
notably with James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.
----
BRIAN POOLE AND THE TREMELOES
- Songs include:
Twist and Shout (1963)
Do You Love Me? (1963)
I Can Dance (1963)
Candy Man (1964)
Someone Someone (1964)
etc.
- Brian Poole was a raving nut about Buddy Holly (who was almost
bigger in the UK---if that's possible---than in the US) and
forswore the life of a butcher's son from Dagenham in order
to become a pop star. He formed his own group in 1959 with a
few friends (Ricky West, Alan Blakely, Dave Munden) and called
them The Tremilos (a guitar-handle that altered notes) and, at
his mum's insistence, promoted himself to group leader. They
worked Butlin's Holiday Camps (like Rory Storm and the Hurricanes,
Ringo's old group) and even got a spot on the BBC's Saturday
Club in 1961 (where the Beatles were not due to give their
radio debut until 1962). Their extraordinary good luck in being
based near London (and perhaps a touch of professionalism as well)
resulted in Decca chosing Brian Poole and the (now-spelled) Tremeloes
*over* the Beatles. Once Merseybeat began to prevail, Poole exploited
his name (people thought it was *Liver*poole) and abandoned his Holly
specs, covered the Isley's "Twist And Shout", and were on their way...
but curiously they failed to fulfill Decca's dreams. They had only
two big hits in the UK, a cover of The Contours' "Do You Love Me?"
and The Crickets' "Someone, Someone". By 1966 Poole and the Tremeloes
were recording separately; the latter began to chart in the US (see
separate entry for The Tremeloes). Poole, his worst fears realized,
ended up a butcher after all.
----
ALAN PRICE
- Songs include:
I Put a Spell on You (1965)
Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear (1967)
The House That Jack Built (1967)
Don't Stop the Carnival (1968)
etc.
- Price began his career as a guitarist in a skiffle group, the Black
Diamonds, but he was always more accomplished on piano and organ. A
jazz and blues enthusiast, Price played with pals Chas Chandler and
John Steel as The Alan Price Combo in 1960, adding old friend (Price
had played in his band The Pagans) Eric Burdon in 1962. Their association
continued into The Animals (see separate entry), where Burdon was clearly
the frontman. Price left in 1965, possibly as a result of a fear of flying
but perhaps a conflict with Burdon; with his new Alan Price Set he
pursued blues and novelty tunes by then-obscure songwriter Randy Newman.
His chart action has been spotty but he has had several musical liaisons
with other singers (Georgie Fame) and composed the score for Lindsay
Anderson's 1973 film "O Lucky Man!" Price was the prime mover for the
eighties reunion (and American tour) of The Animals.
----
PROCOL HARUM
- Songs include:
A Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)
Homburg (1967)
Quite Rightly So (1968)
A Salty Dog (1969)
Conquistador (1972)
etc.
- Gary Brooker had been a member of The Paramounts but obviously had
more talent than that venue would provide. With lyricist Keith Reid
(who played no instrument and could often be seen lurking in the
curtains on stage during concerts), Robin Trower, Barrie Wilson,
Chris Copping, the group (named Procol Harum, allegedly Latin for
"beyond these things") had a monstrously popular hit in mid 1967
with "Whiter Shade of Pale". So big was this song that it often
overshadows the group's respectable LP output over the next few
years. Brooker and Reid remained a solid part of the group though
other members changed throughout the seventies. Reid eventually
abandoned songwriting for management positions; Brooker did solo
work, as did Trower. In 1991 the band (minus Trower) reformed for
a brief tour.
----
TOMMY QUICKLY
- Songs include:
Tip of My Tongue (1964)
Wild Side of Life (1964)
- Perhaps the most relentlessly poor singer in the Nems stable
of stars, Tommy Quigley was renamed by Brian Epstein and groomed
for stardom, which Epstein was convinced was just around the corner.
They never did find that corner, even with a discarded Beatles song
(the egregious "Tip of My Tongue", which the Beatles themselves had
the sense to abandon). Quickly faded quickly from view soon after his
moment of fame. 
----
CLIFF RICHARD
- Songs include:
Move It (1958)
High Class Baby (1958)
Mean Streak (1959)
Living Doll (1959)
Travellin' Light (1959)
Expresso Bongo (1960)h
Voice in the Wilderness (1960)
Fall in Love with You (1960)
Please Don't Tease (1960)
I Love You (1960)
The Young Ones (1961)
Summer Holiday (1963)
Lucky Lips (1963)
etc.
- When Decca rejected the Beatles at their Jan. 1962 audition, they
justified it by claiming that "groups with guitars are on the way out."
Cliff and the Shadows were the preeminent example of what Decca felt
was an old formula...but Cliff and Company had been riding high since
the late fifties and had become an institution, more or less. Harry
Webb was born in India, the same year and month as John Lennon, but
moved to England and was taken with the skiffle craze (as were most
British youth) and with American rock and roll such as Bill Haley. After
guesting in a few skiffle groups, Webb formed The Drifters (no relation
to the American group!) and made an appearance at the famed London
coffee bar, 2 I's (where Tommy Steele is also alleged to have been
born). He was urged to change his name to something more striking
and as Cliff Richard and The Drifters, released a cover of Bobby Helms'
"Schoolboy Crush". On the flipside was "Move It", the group's darker,
more compelling number, and that made headlines. At last a British
group could make waves!

  But it was only in their own country, alas. America already had
its Elvis (upon whom Cliff's smoldering visage was based) and had
little need for an imitation whose work became less challenging with
each release. Cliff and the Shadows (renamed, and now with Jet Harris
and Tony Meehan on wild guitar) began a series of teen exploitation
films to coincide with their hits, always starring Cliff as a Troubled
Young Teen who turns out to be less a threat than adults thought. The
Shadows left him for their own career (see separate entry) but Cliff
continued to make records throughout the sixties and seventies, bowing
only once to the inevitable change in British pop music when he covered
the Stones' "When Blue Turns To Grey" in 1966. His professed Christianity
became a part of his new persona, and he maintained his pristine image
throughout his career. He still does charity gigs as live shows in
England.
----
THE ROCKIN' BERRIES
- Songs include:
I Didn't Mean to Hurt You (1964)
He's In Town (1964)
Poor Man's Son (1965)
- From Birmingham, the Rockin' Berries had a singer, Clive Lea, who
looked like Elvis Presley (always a smart move), but never saw a single
hit with him, so they encouraged their rhythm guitarist, Geoff Turton,
to try his luck at vocals, and that seemed to be the ticket to minor
fame. "He's In Town" and "Poor Man's Son" actually got airplay in the
US during the craze for any and all British Invasion bands. Clive Lea
retained an interest in music after the band split in 1966, exploiting the
band's sense of satirical comedy (for which they were famed on "Ready,
Steady, Go!") and doing impressions of more famous rock stars. Turton went
into the hotel business.
----
THE ROLLING STONES
- Songs include:
Come On (1963)
I Wanna Be Your Man (1963)
Not Fade Away (1964)
It's All Over Now (1964)
Little Red Rooster (1964)
The Last Time (1965)
I Can't Get No Satisfaction (1965)
Get Off My Cloud (1965)
Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown (1966)
Paint It Black (1966)
Let's Spend the Night Together (1967)
etc.
- Like the Beatles, it's almost impossible to attempt a succinct
history of the Stones; their presence is still as fresh today as
when they first began in the early sixties, and concert dates prove
the Stones are still dynamic as ever. Second only to the Fabs in
terms of fame, the boys from London created a raucous alternative
to British rock and roll. Their roots were more blusey than the
Beatles. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (as his last name was then)
were schoolchums, both ardent R&B fans. They were exposed to some
of the hotttest blues in London at Alexis Korner's music club; here
Jagger and Richards began to play, with Charlie Watts and/or Mick
Avory (later the Kinks' drummer). In 1962 Bill Wyman joined, and they
began to play at a club in Richmond outside London. There Andrew Loog
Oldham discovered them and resolved to promote them as British rock's
bad boys; they took to it easily. After having The Beatles write them
a song, Jagger and Richards decided it was easier than it looked and
gave it a try themselves.... The rest is remarkable history. 
----
MICHAEL SARNE
- Songs include:
Come Out and Play (1962)
Will I What (1962)
Just For Kicks (1963)
Code of love (1963)
- Michael Scheur could speak German and was instrumental in providing
phonetic transcriptions for British pop singers (like Adam Faith and
Johnny Leyton) to sing in German. He decided to try the pop field
himself with a novelty tune "Come Out And Play", which attempted to
entice a young lady outdoors; the female voice was Wendy Richards; his 
followup was a similar number with Billie Davis as the female vocalist.
This was a short-lived technique, however, and Sarne eventually abandoned
the pop world for that of musicals and film direction (his 1968 "Joanna"
being notable for introducing Donald Sutherland).
----
THE SCAFFOLD
- Songs include:
Thank U Very Much (1967)
Do You Remember (1968)
Lily the Pink (1968)
Gin Gan Goolie (1969)
Liverpool Lou (1974)
- The Scaffold were made up of a group of Liverpool satirists, poets,
and funnymen not the least of whom was Michael McCartney, a.k.a. Mike
McGear (he changed his name briefly, thinking that people wouldn't trace
him to his famous sibling). They performed in and around Liverpool with
varied hits ("Thank U Very Much" received US airplay) and moderate
energy. Occasionally helped by the more famous McCartney, The Scaffold
continued into the early seventies but never saw the kind of success
they might have wished; luckily all members had other things to
occupy them by that point.
----
THE SEARCHERS
- Songs include:
Sweets for my Sweet (1963)
Sugar and Spice (1963)
Needles and Pins (1964)
Don't Throw Your Love Away (1964)
When You Walk In the Room (1964)
Goodbye My Love (1965)
etc.
- The Searchers were one of the most Liverpudlian of beat groups, but
spent some time establishing themselves. Their roots were in American
R&B but their harmonies and guitar playing transformed the sound to
something quite different; the Byrds are said to have been influenced
by the thick, vibrant guitar presence. Member Tony Jackson temporarily
gave up his lead singing spot to Johnny Sandon, but Sandon left for
a place in the San Remo Four, another Liverpool group, and Jackson's
vocals were heard on their cover of the Drifters' "Sweets For My
Sweet"; this was one track from an album they recorded on their own
and sent most hopefully to record producer Tony Hatch (who also produced
Petulia Clark). He was impressed and got them a contract with his label
Pye; and their career took off. They made the charts in the US covering
not only black groups but also Pete Seeger and Jackie DeShannon, adding
in their distinctive ringing guitar; but a lack of musical progress
made evolution impossible. Their lineup changed throughout the sixties
(Jackson being the first to leave in 1964) and a new lineup even recorded
in the eighties, but their best work remained entrenched in the sixties.
----
HARRY SECOMBE
- Songs include:
On With the Motley (1955)
If I Ruled the World (1963)
This Is My Song (1967)
- One of the British comedy group The Goons, which was much beloved by
Britishers of all ages, Secombe recorded novelty numbers while on hiatus
from the team, and occasionally tried his hand at ballads. His success
was modest compared to his comedy work.
----
PETER SELLERS
- Songs include:
Any Old Iron (1957)
- with Sophia Loren:
Goodness Gracious Me (1960)
Bangers and Mash (1961)
- and solo again:
A Hard Day's Night (1965)
etc.
- Peter Sellers was also a member of The Goons, but had a more active
role in novelty and dialect songs, some of which he recorded with
Beatles producer George Martin. He teamed up with Sophia Loren for
a few numbers but relied on his Goon background for much of his funniness
on record.
----
THE SHADOWS
- Songs include:
Apache (1960)
Man of Mystery/The Stranger (1960)
Kon-Tiki (1961)
Wonderful Land (1962)
Guitar Tango (1962)
Dance On (1962)
Foot Tapper (1963)
etc.
- Even though they accompanied Cliff Richard at first, the Shadows
made themselves distinctive by being the British edition of the
instrumental-style band which proliferated in American rock and
roll. Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch tried their luck at 2I's coffee
bar in London, where Cliff and Tommy Steele had also found "instant"
fame, and joined The Drifters, including Ian Samwell, songwriter and
associate of Richard; their first tour with Cliff necessitated a name 
change to The Shadows to avoid confusion with the American Drifters. They
won over Terry "Jet" Harris and Tony Meehan and covered Jorgen Ingeman's
worldwide hit "Apache" (all this quite apart from backing Cliff). Meehan
and Harris were gone by 1962 for greener pastures (they found them
temporarily; see separate entry under "Harris and Meehan"). The Shadows
without this dynamic duo continued to back Cliff in all his famed film
roles; onstage they developed an exaggerated choreography imitated by
other groups with guitars. George Harrison's "Cry For A Shadow" one of
the Beatles' few instrumentals, was a slightly-teasing reference to
the group, which split by 1968. Some ex-members went on to further
success (Welch produced Olivia Newton-John); Harris barely survived
a serious car wreck in 1963. But various members tried comebacks and
saw some success with appearances in the seventies and eighties.
----
HELEN SHAPIRO
- Songs include:
Don't Treat Me Like a Child (1961)
You Don't Know (1961)
Walkin' Back to Happiness (1961)
Tell Me What He Said (1962)
Little Miss Lonely (1962)
etc.
- Like the British version of Brenda Lee, Helen Shapiro achieved
fame with her mature voice (she was called "Foghorn" in school) at
the diminutive age of fourteen, when "Don't Treat Me Like A Child"
reached the British top ten. With teased hair and dressed in her
school uniform, Shapiro was an instant favorite with the mums and
dads, not to mention some of their kids. She entered the film world
with a few tentative starring roles (notably in Richard Lester's
first feature "It's Trad, Dad". Once she grew up, however, interest
flagged and the hits tailed off. She was in virtual retirement by
the seventies after minor club work, but found a revitalized career
in London musical comedy.
----
SANDI SHAW
- Songs include:
(There's) Always Someone There to Remind Me (1964)
Girl Don't Come (1964)
I'll Stop At Nothing (1964)
Long Live Love (1965)
etc.
- From Dagenham, just like Brian Poole, Sandra Goodrich was besotted
by Adam Faith, and in pursuit of her idol she auditioned for him
backstage one night, sans shoes; her shoeless status became her
trademark once Faith (who must have been impressed) helped usher
her into the music business. Shaw had a distinctly mod look and a
voice much like Cilla Black's but achieved success by emphasizing
strongly written material in her musical repertoire (covers of
hits included as well as originals from Chris Andrews, a pop writer
of note). She retired in the late sixties to raise a family but
made some concert and film appearances in the eighties.
----
TONY SHERIDAN (AND THE BEAT BROTHERS)
- Song:
My Bonnie (1961; charted 1963)
- Sheridan's main claim to fame was via his backing band, retitled
The Beat Brothers for their appearance with him but, as everyone
knows, really The Beatles. Sheridan achieved some regional fame as
a crooner on British teen TV shows like "Oh Boy!" (1959) but made
quite an impact in Hamburg, where British music was seen as a good-enough
substitute for American rock and roll. Sheridan played host to other
guest backing bands includings Ian Hines' Jets and Gerry and the
Pacemakers. Sheridan sings the lead on "My Bonnie" but was nice
enough (or was this producer Bert Kaempfert's idea?) to let John
have a bash at "Ain't She Sweet". Once the Beatles' fame was established,
Sheridan went back into the recording studio and cut several more rock
standards to fill out an album with the five 1961-recordings of The
Beat Brothers (of course no matter whom Sheridan had as his backing
group, they always seemed to be called The Beat Brothers!) Sheridan
never had another chart hit and spent much of his time in German
cabarets or British revival tours.
----
THE SMALL FACES
- Songs include:
Whatcha Gonna Do About It? (1965)
Sha La La La Lee (1966)
Hey Girl (1966)
All Or Nothing (1966)
My Mind's Eye (1966)
Itchycoo Park (1967)
Tin Soldier (1967)
etc.
- Their chart success was far greater in England than in the States,
where they exploited the Mod fanaticism to the hilt. The group included
Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenny Jones, and Ian McLagen. I wish I had
a halfpenny for every rock star who once played The Artful Dodger in
"Oliver!"---Marriott was another such fellow; and Jones and Lane had
been in two minor bands (Outcasts and Pioneers) in the London area. Their
manager was Don Arden, who like Mickie Most, Larry Parnes, and Brian
Epstein, maintained an interest in pop music as a business venture. Their
first hits were pure pop; later they leaned toward inventive, psychedelic
numbers. "Itchycoo Park" was an enormous hit, both in the UK and the States,
but it was their only real breakthrough in America, though group members
Marriott (in Humble Pie) and Lane and Jones (with Rod Stewart in The
Faces) found popularity here as well as there, long after the Small Faces
were the stuff of oldies compilations.
----
SOUNDS INCORPORATED
- Songs include:
The Spartans (1964)
Spanish Harlem (1964)
- In the tradition of skiffle bands, Sounds sometimes dressed in
trad-jazz duds (plaid shirts and jeans), sometimes in Shadows-style
matching suits, but they were clearly hangers-on to the Beatles
phenomenon. Nevertheless they included some novel instrumentation---
flute and saxes in addition to guitars. Members included Alan Holmes,
Griff West, Barry Cameron, Tony Newman (who later joined the Jeff
Beck Group), John St. John and Wesley Hunter. They accompanied The
Beatles on 1964 tours and provided the brass section for the Boys'
"Good Morning, Good Morning" in 1967.
----
THE SPENCER DAVIS GROUP
- Songs include:
I Can't Stand It (1964)
Every Little Bit Hurts (1965)
Strong Love (1965)
Keep On Running (1965)
Somebody Help Me (1966)
When I Come Home (1966)
Gimme Some Loving (1966)
I'm A Man (1967)
Time Seller (1967)
Mr. Second Class (1968)
etc.
- Spencer Davis was a teacher in the Birmingham area whose lust for
blues got the better of him; in 1964 he formed a group with the Winwood
Brothers (Stevie and Muff), and drummer Peter York. Stevie Winwood was
but a slip of a lad (16 when the band was formed), yet his voice carried
the group through the top ten in both the UK and US. Stevie, however, had
his sights set on greener pastures and left to form Traffic in 1967; later
Muff became a producer (for Dire Straits, among others), and Spencer
Davis played host to a plethora of occasional members (Eddie Hardin, Dee
Murray, Dave Hines). Their hits diminished after the departure of the
Winwoods and tried other musical combinations before eventually settling
into production.
----
THE SPRINGFIELDS
- Songs include:
Dear John (1961)
Breakaway (1961)
Island of Dreams (1962)
Say I Won't Be There (1963)
Silver Threads and Golden Needles (1963)
- The folk craze didn't fail to impress the Brits; Tom and Mary O'Brien,
brother and sister, recruited Tim Feild to form The Springfields in 1961.
Their first song made no impression but by their second release was a
hit. Their biggest British number was "Island of Dreams", recorded
with Mike Longhurst-Pickworth (later just Mike Hurst) replacing Feild,
though they entered the American charts with "Silver Threads....". By
the end of 1963, the two gentlemen had decided to seek their fortune
elsewhere (namely in music production); Mary, who became Dusty Springfield,
launched her own successful solo career.
----
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
- Songs include:
I Only Want to Be With You (1963)
I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (1964)
Losing You (1964)
In the Middle of Nowhere (1965)
Some of Your Lovin' (1965)
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1966)
etc.
- After leaving the Springfields, Dusty was fortunate to ride the
wave, so to speak, of the British Invasion. Though she had considerable
chart success in Britain, she also made a splash in the US, where she
often beat out other English "girl" singers like Petulia Clark, Cilla
Black, and Lulu. Dusty's range was broader than theirs, extending
into soul and blues. Her career took an downturn toward the late
sixties as she failed to evolve; she moved to the US in 1973 but
never really made much of an impression thenceforward.
----
TOMMY STEELE
- Songs include:
Rock With the Caveman (1956)
Singing the Blues (1956)
Butterfingers (1957)
Water Water/Handful of Songs (1957)
Shiralee (1957)
Nairobi (1958)
Come On Let's Go (1958)
etc.
- Thomas Hicks worked a series of odd jobs but like many youngsters
in the British fifties, wanted to be a singer; since pop was all the
rage, he tried his luck at the famous London coffee bar 2 I's. Larry
Parnes was looking for someone to manage (and thus escape the life of
a tailor's son); the two seemed made for each other. Steele (as Parnes
renamed him) became one of the first manufactured pop stars of Britain;
he was passed off as a British Elvis despite the fact that he didn't
look like Elvis nor sing like him. Nevertheless a fairy tale must have
a happy ending, and Steele was touted as the biggest thing to hit
Britain. His first song was a hit, even if the rest of his output
gradually fell short of wonderful. Pressed into service as a film
star as well ("The Tommy Steele Story" was made almost before there
was a story to tell), Steele began to emphasize more music-hall roots
and held back from real rockers. This pattern served to derail any
further potential fame; though he was respected by British pop mavens,
he entered the status of legend rather early. At least the stage was
open to him, and he pursued a theatrical career during the sixties
(occasionally emerging into musical comedy, such as "Half A Sixpence"
and "Finian's Rainbow"). He mixed this with a sideline in fine arts,
including sculpture and graphic design.
----
CAT STEVENS
 - Songs include:
I Love My Dog (1966)
Matthew and Son (1967)
I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun (1967)
Lady D'Arbanville (1970)
etc.
- Steve Demitri Georgiou is best known for songwriting, though his
label, Deram, wanted him to play the part of a pop idol, something
that was more or less an anathema to him. As Cat Stevens, he had
a few British hits (including writing The Tremeloes' "Here Comes My
Baby", a hit in the US as well) but contracted tuberculosis and was
out of commission for a few years. He reappeared virtually transformed,
though with the same name, in the early seventies and made quite an
impact with his thoughtful, introspective, guitar-based songwriting.
Several trendy films of that era (Jerzy Skolimowski's "Deep End" and
Hal Ashby's "Harold and Maude") used his music with a deft touch. Stevens
continued writing and singing till the late seventies, when he had another
change of heart, this time more dramatic. He changed his name to Yusif
Islam, converted to Islam, and gave up music (and said profits...even
to the point of demanding that his master tapes be destroyed) altogether.
----
RORY STORM AND THE HURRICANES
- No chart entries
- It wasn't because he lacked charisma that Roy Storm had no hits;
Storm had virtually the best regarded Liverpool band before the Mersey
craze hit everyone. Alan Caldwell was a tall, blond, smolderingly
sensual singer whose band, The Hurricanes, included a cute little
bearded drummer called Richard Starkey, also known as Ringo Starr
(because he liked the Western/cowboy sound of it). The band had begun
in 1960 and once Ringo joined in 1961, Rory Storm and crew were not
only wowing 'em in Merseyside but also achieved a summer contract
at a Butlin's Holiday Camp (a mainstay for Beat bands of the sixties,
and nothing to be sniffed at) and in Hamburg, where so many other
Liverpool bands were to sojourn. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (once
Ringo had left to join the Beatles in 1962, after being kindly asked by
John) finally made a few records, though this occurred only after the
Beatles had made any Mersey beat band seem recordable. Live, Rory
and Crew had always made the grade---at least the club crowds were
impressed; but on disc only the local loyalists bought their records,
and not enough to chart. Rory languished once the Mersey craze had
diminished, and died in 1973 under mysterious, tragic circumstances
in a double suicide with his mother.
----
THE TEMPERANCE SEVEN
- Songs include:
You're Driving Me Crazy (1961)
Pasadena (1961)
Hard Hearted Hannah/Chili Bom Bom (1961)
Charleston (1961)
- The Temperance Seven formed as a sort of lark when the principals
were students at the Royal College of Art in the 1950's, perhaps to
send-up the skiffle craze (which was based on music of the same
era---the twenties---though skifflers played material that was
lower-brow than the Temps, and eventually incorporated American
folk). The Temps did elegant yet catchy jazz numbers that were
popular during prohibition, rather in the Paul Whiteman style;
they dressed the part and usually had at least nine band members
(despite their name). "Whispering" Paul McDowell was on vocals,
singing through a megaphone like Rudy Vallee; also included were
John R.T. Davies (who wore a fez), Cephas Howard, John Watson, and
Brian Innes. George Martin, later the Beatles' producer, was assigned
the Temps at Parlophone, and their first two songs reached the top
ten in Britain. Richard Lester picked them to appear in his pre-Beatles
film feature "It's Trad Dad", where they were out of place with all
the teens but amusing nonetheless. They continued to make anachronistic
appearances in film and television during the sixties. Although McDowell
left in 1968, versions of the group (sometimes with original members)
played into the eighties.
----
THEM
- Songs include:
Don't Start Crying Now (1964)
Baby Please Don't Go (1965)
Here Comes The Night (1965)
Gloria (1965) (US charts only)
Mystic Eyes (1965) (US charts only) 
I Can Only Give You Everything (1966) 
etc. 
- George Ivan Morrison was an Irish lad whose father owned a massive 
collection of jazz and blues records, and who, thus inspired, joined a 
group called Deanie Sands and the Javelins. Gradually another group, 
The Monarchs, attracted Van Morrison, who was eighteen in 1963, and this
coalesced into Them, which played blues and rock from Muddy Waters to
Chuck Berry. They were popular in and around Belfast but came to London
in 1964 once they had been signed by Decca, eager to pick up any
competent pop band in the wake of the Beatles' success. Van Morrison
really made the band's name; his distinctive vocals lent a rakish
air to their repertoire ("Gloria", which was edited in certain sections
of the US, and "Mystic Eyes", didn't chart in England). Decca thought
they might be able to market Them as a nuevo-Stones, and the band enjoyed
a US tour in 1966, but internal turmoil split the group; Van Morrison
retired to rethink his position (and returned with a new, revitalized
career as a solo artist, as "Brown-Eyed Girl" and other songs would
suggest), while Them tried to tour with another, anonymous lead
singer before crashing and burning in 1967.
----
THE TREMELOES
- Songs include:
Here Comes My Baby (1967)
Silence is Golden (1967)
Even Bad Times Are Good (1967)
Suddenly You Love Me (1968)
etc.
- The Tremeloes were newly liberated from their leader, Brian Poole
(see separate entry) by 1967, and after years of being in the
background they finally charted big, not only in the UK but also
in the States, with a Cat Stevens' number "Here Comes My Baby".
It was rather lugubrious as done by the pensive Mr. Stevens but the
Tremeloes (who had just bombed with a cover of the Fabs' "Good Day
Sunshine") gave it an upbeat, party-animal arrangement and it was
terrifically infectious. They followed this with a softer "Silence
Is Golden" which also pleased the American crowd. But they were
unable to repeat the dual-market success and had to be happy with a
fair showing of top-twenty UK charttoppers until 1971, when their
successes ceased, as did the band.
----
THE TROGGS
The Troggs
- Songs include:
Wild Thing (1966)
With a Girl Like You (1966)
I Can't Control Myself (1966)
Any Way That You Want Me (1967)
Love Is All Around (1967)
etc.
- Reg Ball was a bricklayer, and his pal Ronnie Bond were in a group
called Ten Foot Five, which included Tony Mansfield and Dave Wright.
After a minor tune-up, they became the Trogglodytes, with new members
Pete Staples and Chris Britton. They won over the heart of the Kinks'
manager Larry Page, who got them a contract with CBS Records, then
Fontana, where as The Troggs they covered a song called "Wild Thing".
Hard to tell what it was that did it: the ocarina (the high, piercing
instrument that looks like a potato)? the heavy, leering sigh from Reg
Ball, now Reg Presley ("You *mooove* me")? the heavy, leering guitars?
Whatever, it was a monstrous hit in the States. Their subsequent releases
were popular in the UK (especially "I Can't Control Myself" which the
BBC banned), though "Love Is All Around" charted in the US as a tender,
affectionate ballad. Though they ended up in the graveyard of many
a pop star---the cabaret/supper-club circuit---interest was revived
during the seventies when bootleg tapes of their often-incoherent
sessions surfaced. 
----
DICKIE VALENTINE
- Songs include:
Broken Wings (1953)
All The Time and Everywhere (1953)
In A Golden Coach (1953)
Endless (1954)
Finger of Suspicion (1954)
Mr. Sandman (1955)
A Blossom Fell (1955)
I Wonder (1955)
etc.
- Richard Brice was destined for stardom, it seemed, having been in
a film at age 3 (in 1932!), then a pageboy at various London theatres.
His singing lessons were paid for by British musical star Bill O'Connor;
and once the boy was 20 he was singing with Big Band great Ted Heath.
He was less than forward, being content to sing one song per night in
his sessions with Heath, but probably because of his good looks (and
the accolades of fan magazines) be became a pop idol in 1954, when
he decided to go solo. His act consisted not only of personable singing
but impersonations, such as Elvis Presley, Mario Lanza and Johnnie
Ray (whose 1953 hit "Cry" was histrionic in the extreme), though when
the real Mr. Ray came backstage to congratulate his admirer, Valentine
collapsed of nervous exhaustion. His handsome visage and his pretty
family continued to dominate the British fanzines of the fifties; and
though he never broke through the American charts, he continued to
have significant hits in England (including his cover of Frankie
Avalon's "Venus", which entered the British top-40 *five* times in
1959). He found a home in cabaret and revival concerts.
----
FRANKIE VAUGHAN
- Songs include:
Istanbul (1954)
Seventeen (1955)
Green Door (1956)
Garden of Eden (1957)
Man on Fire/Wanderin' Eyes (1957)
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (1957)
Kewpie Doll (1958)
The Heart of a Man (1959)
etc.
- Vaughan was born in Liverpool but intended to teach and relocated
to Leeds, where he attended art college. Once spotted in a talent
revue by a BBC representative, Vaughan pursued music hall and began
recording in 1953; his list of hits in the UK goes beyond what can
be delineated here. A mainstream singer, he definitely appealed to
the female crowds much the way Tom Jones did in the sixties, though
his romantic signature tune "Give Me The Moonlight" never charted. While
making hit records he also made films, gave concerts and worked the
cabaret circuit. Much of his charity work has been involved with
poverty-level British children, and he was awarded the Order of
the British Empire (one-up on the Beatles' MBE's!) in 1965.
----
THE VIPERS
- Songs include:
Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O (1957)
Cumberland Gap (1957)
Streamline Train (1957)
- Many later-famous players began in the Vipers, a skiffle group that
challenged Lonnie Donegan for his crown. At one point, Hank Marvin,
Tony Meehan, Jet Harris, Wally Whyton and Tommy Steele had all been
members (and the first three went on to become The Shadows, backing
Cliff Richard). The Vipers played at the famed Soho coffee bar 2 I's,
then picked up a recording contract at Parlophone in 1957, where George
Martin became their engineer. Whyton was instrumental (no pun intended)
in electrifying the group in 1958 via amplifiers. Skiffle was dying
out anyway, even for Donegan, and Marvin, Meehan and Harris found their
way into The Drifters and thence The Shadows, while Whyton concentrated
on country/folk music, hosting children's TV in England.
----
THE WHO
The Who
- Songs include:
I Can't Explain (1965)
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (1965)
My Generation (1965)
Substitute (1966)
A Legal Matter (1966)
I'm A Boy (1966)
The Kids Are Alright (1966)
Happy Jack (1966)
Pictures of Lily (1967)
I Can See For Miles (1967)
Magic Bus (1968)
Pinball Wizard (1969)
etc.
- One of the top bands of the sixties, the Who have lasted as a legend
long after their active touring days. Roger Daltry and John Entwistle
both were influenced by skiffle and played in a band called The
Detours in 1960; in 1963 they became The High Numbers with art-school
student Pete Townsend, and then Keith Moon. Their first single "I'm
The Face" failed to chart, but it suitably impressed their managers
Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, who suggested a name change and an
emphasis on Mod style. As The Who, the group released "I Can't Explain",
with Daltry's distinctive vocals highlighting Townsend's taut lyrics,
and their seemingly-endless string of hits was on track. Townsend, in
a fit of pique, once broke his guitar onstage and it became the band's
trademark. Townsend was also responsible for the lyrical and conceptual
growth of the band throughout the sixties and into the seventies, making
"rock operas" an accepted fact of the idiom.
----
THE YARDBIRDS
- Songs include:
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (1964)
For Your Love (1965)
Heart Full of Soul (1965)
Evil Hearted You/Still I'm Sad (1965)
Shapes of Things (1966)
Over Under Sideways Down (1966)
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (1966)
- Keith Relf and Paul Samwell-Smith were in a group called the Metropolitan
Blues Quartet in 1963; once Jim McCarty and Tony Topham joined, the group
became the Yardbirds, but almost immediately lost Topham, who decided
that art school was a better bet. A young guitar genius called Eric
Clapton replaced him, and the group played at the Crawdaddy Club in
Richmond outside of London to blues enthusiasts. Their first single
reflects strong blues roots (Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would") but
went absolutely nowhere. They entered the charts with a cover of the
Sonny Boy Williamson song "Schoolgirl" but opted for a Graham Gouldman
song as followup (Gouldman was very hot in the songwriting market at
the time, with hits via the Hollies and Herman's Hermits). This enraged
Clapton, who betook himself to John Mayall; alas, poor Eric, for "For
Your Love" leapt to charttopping heights. Jeff Beck was offered Clapton's
position. "Still I'm Sad" may have been the only pop hit influenced by
Gregorian chants, from the promising pens of McCarty and Samwell-Smith.
Jimmy Paige was invited to join when Samwell-Smith left, and that lineup
was seen in Antonioni's 1966 existentialist film "Blow Up". Beck's
innovative feedback techniques were short-lived, and he left in '66.
The band began to fragment; Relf and McCarty formed Together, then
Renaissance; Page founded Led Zeppelin. Various permutations of
the ex-Yardbirds continued to recombine like new substances all
through the seventies and eighties, excepting Keith Relf, who was,
sadly, electrocuted in 1976.
----
THE ZOMBIES
- Songs include:
She's Not There (1964)
Tell Her No (1965)
- Rod Argent and his pals Colin Blunstone, Paul Atkinson, Hugh Grundy
(later Chris White), and Paul Arnold won a talent contest, which
gave them the chutzpah to challenge the men at Decca, who obviously
were still hurting from their rejection of the Beatles. In 1963, the
Zombies were signed up and wrote their two British hits. "She's Not
There" is notable for Colin Blunstone's out-of-breath delivery (at
least in the mono version; he calmed down for the stereo take) and
was only the second song Rod Argent ever wrote. Although Americans
are used to thinking of the band as representative of the British
invasion, the Zombies did poorly in their own country (like Peter &
Gordon, Chad & Jeremy) and though they were much appreciated by
American musicians like the Association and the Turtles, the band
gave up (after their late American hit "Time of the Season"). Argent
and White continued to make music, Atkinson and Grundy worked in
the music business; Blunstone's whereabouts are unknown.
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saki@evolution.bchs.uh.edu