"""Travellin' Light"". In 1960, ""Apache"", an instrumental by Jerry Lordan, topped the UK charts for five weeks. Further hits followed, notably ""Wonderful Land"", another Lordan composition with orchestral backing, at the top of the charts for eight weeks. ""Kon Tiki"" six months earlier had also reached number one. The Shadows played on more chart-toppers as Richard's band. This group, referred to subsequently as ""the Original Shadows"", had seven hits. In October 1961, Meehan left to be a producer at Decca records. He was replaced by Brian Bennett. In April 1962, Harris was replaced by Brian Locking, also known as ""Licorice""."
"Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were a British pop/rock group of the 1960s. Two of their single releases sold in excess of one million copies each, and they reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with the second of them, ""The Legend of Xanadu"". Five friends from Wiltshire, David John Harman (Dave Dee), Trevor Leonard Ward-Davies (Dozy), John Dymond (Beaky), Michael Wilson (Mick) and Ian Frederick Stephen Amey (Tich), formed a group in 1961, originally called Dave Dee and the Bostons. They soon gave up their jobs (e.g. Dave Dee"
"The Kinks The Kinks are an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1964 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965 (as a result of constant fighting between the brothers). Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned ""You Really Got Me"", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching"
"and 1969, the group spent more weeks in the UK Singles Chart than the Beatles and made the odd tour 'down under' to Australia and New Zealand, where they had also experienced some marked chart success during this period. They also scored a Number One hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1968 with ""The Legend of Xanadu"". The combined sales figures were in excess of one million copies. Their other top 10 UK hits included ""Hideaway"", ""Hold Tight!"", ""Bend It!"", ""Save Me!"", ""Touch Me, Touch Me"", ""Okay!"", ""Zabadak!"" and ""Last Night in Soho"". ""Bend It!"" was a big hit"
"Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers is an English beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases: ""How Do You Do It?"", ""I Like It"" and ""You'll Never Walk Alone"". This record was not equalled for 20 years, until the mid-1980s success of fellow Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Another of their most"
"The Tornados The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. No. 1 ""Telstar"" (named after the satellite and composed and produced by Meek), the first U.S. No. 1 single by a British group. From January 1962 to August 1963, The Tornados were the backing band for Billy Fury (as well as recording and performing as an act in their own right); they toured and recorded"
"lead singer position with The Crickets following their signing with Liberty Records, Hollywood, California. Jerry recorded as lead singer with the Crickets until 1964. Their first hit for the label was ""Don't Ever Change"", a Carole King/Gerry Goffin written song, which reached the number 5 position on the national charts in the UK. The very first song the new Beatles group performed live on BBC, in 1963, was The Crickets' hit, ""Don't Ever Change."" and the Beatles all acknowledged the Crickets influence in a letter sent to them following a Crickets tour of the UK in 1962. More hit singles"
"Chart. In addition to recording rock/pop numbers, they also did some trad jazz, covering Paul Whiteman for a compilation album. In 1961 their single cover version of ""Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)"" reached number 21 in the UK chart, spending ten weeks in the listings. The group toured with Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, as well as sharing a stage with The Beatles in 1963 opening for Chris Montez. In 1964, they moved to Columbia Records, but none of their three following singles charted. Bandmember Gordon Mills' success as a songwriter soon convinced him to move"
"act. They signed a recording contract with Decca and their first single was a cover of Chuck Berry's ""Come On"" released in June 1963. Despite its being virtually unpromoted by the band or the record company, their reputation among R&B fans helped it reached number 21 on the UK singles chart. They produced their first album, ""The Rolling Stones"", in 1964, which largely consisted of rhythm and blues standards. Following in the wake of the Beatles' national and then international success, the Rolling Stones established themselves as the second most popular UK band and joined the British Invasion of the"
"1957 and spent a total of ten weeks in the chart, peaking at #17 on 28 November. Its final single, ""Imitation of Love"", was released in 1961. The song the group is most identified with is ""I am a Mole and I Live in a Hole"" (also known as ""Mole"", ""The Mole"" and ""The Mole in a Hole""). The title line from the song was spoken by the group's bass voice Harry Wilmot, father of Gary Wilmot. Harry Wilmot died in 1961, when his son was six years old. The song failed to make the UK Singles Chart in 1958,"
"first period of British success in the late 1960s started with ""New York Mining Disaster 1941"" and the band added drummer Colin Petersen and guitarist Vince Melouney to their line up. They toured Europe in 1967 and 1968 as well as the US in August 1968. The band's first UK No. 1 was ""Massachusetts"" which features Gibb on lead vocal. On the day it reached number one, 5 November 1967, Robin Gibb recalled to ""The Mail on Sunday"" on 1 November 2009: On 13 June 1968, Gibb recorded demos for seven songs, accompanying himself on guitar. The tape listed Robin"
"The Corporation (English band) The Corporation was an English all-star group that was active in the 1980s and formed by musicians previously in popular, hit making, English bands of the 1960s. They released a single in 1988, a remake of The Showstoppers' old hit ""Ain't Nothing But A House Party"" on the Corporation Records label. They briefly named themselves The Travelling Wrinklies, which was a dig at the Anglo-American all-star group The Traveling Wilburys. The group consisted of Tony Crane (of The Merseybeats), Clem Curtis (of The Foundations), Mike Pender (of The Searchers), Brian Poole (of The Tremeloes) and Reg"
"series of transatlantic hits and to go on to become pioneers of psychedelic rock. After an early lack of success with R&B standards, the Kinks enjoyed their breakthrough with the single ""You Really Got Me"" (1964). Influenced by the Kingsmen's version of ""Louie, Louie"", it reached number one in the UK and the top 10 in the US. The follow-up ""All Day and All of the Night"" (1964) reached number two in the US, while the band also released two full-length albums and several EPs in this period. The Downliners Sect formed in 1963, and developed a strong reputation in"
"Their first record, a rocked-up version of the can-can music from Offenbach's ""Orpheus in the Underworld"", produced by Joe Meek at Decca's studios in Hampstead and entitled ""Can Can 62"", rose to # 31 after entering the UK chart in November 1962. The group released several further singles on Decca in 1963 and 1964, but none became hits. Nevertheless, the group were a popular live act and were chosen as a support act to the Beatles on their UK tour in November and December 1963. They also appeared on national TV shows including ""Ready Steady Go!"" and ""Thank Your Lucky"
"well as Kane's two follow up hits, ""Get Lost"" (reached No. 10 – September 1961) and ""Forget Me Not"" (No. 3 – January 1962). At least two Vandyke songs were covered by well-known Australian artists: ""Doin' The Mod"" by Ronnie Burns's band the Flies (1965, first recorded by Vandyke with British band The Bambis, 1964) and ""Dance Puppet Dance"" by Little Pattie (also 1965, first recorded by Dave Duggan on Columbia in the UK, 1963), which reached number twelve in the Sydney-based pop charts. Vandyke also wrote music and songs for a number of low-budget movies during the 1960s and"
"took their name from Jerry Lee Lewis's ""Great Balls of Fire"". They reached the Top 40 with the singles ""Torquay"" (1959), ""Bulldog"" (1960) and ""Quite a Party"" (1961). ""Quite a Party"" peaked at #29 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961. Tharp, Budd and Trammell left the group in the early 1960s, but the Fireballs added Doug Roberts on drums, plus Petty Studio singer/pianist Jimmy Gilmer (born September 15, 1940 in Chicago and raised in Amarillo, Texas) to the group. Billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, the group reached number 1 on the Billboard chart with ""Sugar Shack"","
"to perform today, with no original members, under the leadership of Lovell. The Swinging Blue Jeans The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; ""Hippy Hippy Shake"", ""Good Golly Miss Molly"", and ""You're No Good"", issued in 1964. Subsequent singles released that year and the next made no impression. In 1966, their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's ""Don't Make Me Over"" peaked at no. 31 in the UK Singles Chart, but the group never charted again. The group had its origins in 1957, when Bruce"
"The Piranhas The Piranhas were a British ska-influenced punk band from Brighton. They are best known for their cover version of the song ""Tom Hark"". The Piranhas formed in 1977, and were originally part of the Brighton punk scene, first coming to prominence when DJ John Peel started playing their single ""I Don't Want My Body"" on his BBC Radio 1 programme, but achieved their biggest success with their cover version of the South African kwela song ""Tom Hark"". This had been an instrumental hit in 1958 for Elias & His Zig Zag Jive Flutes, and had already been covered"
"in the UK. The Irish boy band Boyzone took the song to #2 in the UK in 1994. By 1976, though, the group's record sales were softening; Osmondmania had long faded and been replaced by ""Rollermania"", as the Bay City Rollers became the hot pop band of choice in the mid-1970s. Their 1975 album ""The Proud One"" sold poorly (despite the title track providing a chart-topping easy listening hit and the group's last U.S. top-40 hit to date), and MGM Records was sold to PolyGram. Their first album on the subsidiary label Polydor was the album ""Brainstorm""; that album sold"
"1965 number one song, ""Concrete and Clay"", they had both previously played); the two would later also become members of rock band Argent. In addition Ballard had later success as a solo artist and songwriter, whilst Henrit became a renowned session drummer and also replaced The Kinks' long serving drummer Mick Avory in their later years. Adam Faith's song ""Cowman, Milk Your Cow"" was written by Bee Gees members Barry and Robin Gibb on which the Roulettes (Ballard, Rogan and Henrit) played, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green also played guitar on the song. The Roulettes The Roulettes were a British rock"
"in 1966, which made them, arguably, the only American rock or pop act that could rival The Beatles. By the end of 1962 British beat groups like The Beatles were drawing on a wide range of American influences including soul music, rhythm and blues and surf music. Initially, they reinterpreted standard American tunes, playing for dancers doing the twist, for example. These groups eventually infused their original compositions with increasingly complex musical ideas and a distinctive sound. During 1963, The Beatles and other beat groups, such as The Searchers and The Hollies, achieved popularity and commercial success in Britain. British"
"Presley (of The Troggs). 7"" Single 12"" Single The Corporation (English band) The Corporation was an English all-star group that was active in the 1980s and formed by musicians previously in popular, hit making, English bands of the 1960s. They released a single in 1988, a remake of The Showstoppers' old hit ""Ain't Nothing But A House Party"" on the Corporation Records label. They briefly named themselves The Travelling Wrinklies, which was a dig at the Anglo-American all-star group The Traveling Wilburys. The group consisted of Tony Crane (of The Merseybeats), Clem Curtis (of The Foundations), Mike Pender (of The"
"- fans. Their next record, a version of the Bacharach and David song ""Make It Easy On Yourself"", produced like their other British recordings by Johnny Franz, reached # 1 in the UK chart in September 1965. Over the next two years the Walker Brothers became - with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones - one of the most popular groups in the country. Their second British number one, ""The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"" in 1966, was also their biggest hit in the US, where it made # 13 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100. During this period, The Walker"
"group was billed as ""Hank Ballard and The Midnighters"" with their label changed from Federal to King, the parent label. Between 1959 and 1961 they had several more both on the R&B and Pop charts, starting with ""Teardrops on Your Letter"", a number 4 R&B hit in 1960 that had as its B-side the Ballard-written song ""The Twist"". A few months later, Chubby Checker's cover version of the song went to number 1 on the pop charts. It would return to the top of the charts again in 1962 – the only song in the rock and roll era to"
"They appeared performing both songs in the Chubby Checker movie ""Don't Knock The Twist"" in 1961. They released a series of singles over the next few years. These included ""You Can't Sit Down"", a top hit on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 in 1963. Len left at the end of 1963 for a solo career under the name Len Barry. The high point of his solo career was the Top 5 smash ""1-2-3"" in 1965, and the follow up hit ""Like a Baby"". The Dovells released ""If You Wanna Be Happy"" on the album ""You Can't Sit Down"" in 1963. The"
"late 1964 and early 1965 they broke through with their late 1965 single ""Keep on Running"", which knocked The Beatles off the number 1 position in the UK in January 1966. Two more UK hit singles followed during 1966 alongside two highly successful albums, before the November 1966 release of their own composition ""Gimme Some Loving"" – the group's masterpiece and one of the great recordings of the 1960s. This and its 1967 Winwood-written follow up ""I'm a Man"" were top 10 hits on both sides of the Atlantic selling over a million copies and adding a huge fanbase in"
"The Gentrys The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, best known for their 1965 hit ""Keep on Dancing"". A cover by the Bay City Rollers charted No. 9 in the UK in 1971. Follow-up singles charted outside of the Top 40: ""Every Day I Have to Cry"" (1966), ""Spread It On Thick"" (1966), ""Cinnamon Girl"" (1970), ""Why Should I Cry"" (1970), ""Wild World"" (1971), and a 'Bubbling Under' ""Billboard"" chart entry, ""Brown Paper Sack"" (#101, 1966). The seven-member group of Treadwell High School (Memphis, Tennessee), alumni included Bruce Bowles (vocals), Bobby Fisher (saxophone, keyboards), Jimmy"
"the years including Bill Haley rocking around the clock, Chubby Checker who introduced the ""new dance"" the ""Twist"" to the country with a whole stage full of people dancing the Twist and Sammy Davis, Jr. met the Tiller Girls in 1961. Other star guests included: Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Johnnie Ray, Liberace, Petula Clark, the Seekers, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Italian mouse puppet Topo Gigio came back a number of times. The Beatles' publicist Tony Barrow said that after the band's first appearance on the show on 13 October 1963, Beatlemania took off in the UK. The show"
"The Real Thing (UK band) The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. In addition to a string of British hits, the band charted internationally with their song ""You to Me Are Everything"", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on ""Billboard""'s R&B Singles chart and No. 64 on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100. By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s. The journalist, author and founder of ""Mojo"", Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring ""Liverpool's musical reputation in the"
"Buckinghams, the Cowsills, the Grass Roots, and the Association. The Turtles The Turtles were an American rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, later known as Flo & Eddie. The band had several Top 40 hits beginning with their cover version of Bob Dylan's ""It Ain't Me Babe"" in 1965. They scored their biggest and best-known hit in 1967 with the song ""Happy Together"". The band broke up in 1970. Kaylan and Volman later found long-lasting success as session musicians, billed as the comedic vocal duo Flo & Eddie. In 2010, a reconstituted version of the band,"
"under the Gentrys name is a gospel family quartet of no relation to the original band. The Gentrys The Gentrys were an American band of the 1960s and early 1970s, best known for their 1965 hit ""Keep on Dancing"". A cover by the Bay City Rollers charted No. 9 in the UK in 1971. Follow-up singles charted outside of the Top 40: ""Every Day I Have to Cry"" (1966), ""Spread It On Thick"" (1966), ""Cinnamon Girl"" (1970), ""Why Should I Cry"" (1970), ""Wild World"" (1971), and a 'Bubbling Under' ""Billboard"" chart entry, ""Brown Paper Sack"" (#101, 1966). The seven-member group"
"complex musical ideas and a distinctive sound. In mid-1962 the Rolling Stones started as one of a number of groups increasingly showing blues influence, along with bands like the Animals and the Yardbirds. During 1963, the Beatles and other beat groups, such as the Searchers and the Hollies, achieved great popularity and commercial success in Britain itself. British rock broke through to mainstream popularity in the United States in January 1964 with the success of the Beatles. ""I Want to Hold Your Hand"" was the band's first No. 1 hit on the ""Billboard"" Hot 100 chart, starting the British Invasion"
"Kenny (band) Kenny were an English pop and glam rock band who had several hit singles in the UK in the mid-1970s, including ""The Bump"" and ""Fancy Pants"". In 1973, Irish showband singer Tony Kenny, former lead singer with The Sands and The Vampires, recorded a single ""Heart of Stone"", written by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter and produced by Mickie Most. It was released under the name Kenny, and, after the singer returned to Ireland, the single became a hit in Britain, as did a follow-up release, ""Give It To Me Now"". Most then decided to capitalise on their"