The Crystals

He’s a RebelHe’s Sure the Boy I LoveDa Doo Ron RonThen He Kissed Me The Crystals were formed in 1961  by Phil Spector and disbanded  in 1966. The above 45s were firm favourites at Manchester‘s beat and later Soul clubs in the 1960s. In 1961 Brooklyn based girl vocal group Barbara Alston, Lala Brooks, Dee … Read more

Carole King

It Might As Well Rain Until September Take Good Care Of My Baby Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow Oh No Not My Baby You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman The Locomotion I Think I’m Going Back Up On The Roof Carole King wrote numerous Rock ‘n Roll hits and had her own … Read more

The Chantays

PIPELINE –  1963 Dot Record label The Chantays were a USA surf based group formed at the Californian Santa Ana High School. the line up was: Bob Spickard (lead guitar), Brian Carman (guitar, saxophone), Bob Marshall (piano), Warren Waters (bass) and Bob Welsh (drums). They formed the Chantays in 1962 and Pipeline followed in 1963. The … Read more

The Yardbirds

Good Morning Little School Girl – Columbia 1964 I Ain’t Got You I Wish You Would (Orig. Billy Boy Arnold) 1964 Evil Hearted You 1965 Heart Full Of Soul For Your Love Shapes Of Things – 1966 I’m a Man Over Under Sideways Down The Yardbirds were among the first wave of UK original white … Read more

The Toys

A Lover’s Concerto – Stateside, 1965 (J S Bach’s first Soul number!) Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby – Stateside Attack The lead singer of The Toys was Barbara Harris. She hung out with the other group members at the Brill Building looking for jobs as backing singers. It was Bob Crew who helped them with … Read more

The Valadiers

No Competition – Re recorded by Ian Levine Greetings (This is Uncle Sam) – 1961 Because I Love her – 1962 I Found A Girl – 1963 The Valadiers were the first white soul group to record on Motown, their records were never played at the Twisted Wheel. The were formed in Detroit in 1959 … Read more

The Twist

The Twist: Immortalised by Mr Chubby Checker and in 1962 danced by everyone –  Mums Dads, Kids and Grandads and it still makes a showing at most family weddings. However, it was Hank Ballard who did the original. The Twist was a very big dance craze even in stuffy old England of the early 1960’s. … Read more

The Trashmen

Surfin’ Bird – Stateside, 1964 The Bird Bird Bird The Bird Is The Word, The Bird Bird Bird The Surfin’ Bird. The Trashmen – It came out in 1963 in the USA and early in 64′ was released in Britain: Yes The Trashmen’s version drove many people barmy but in the early sixties at clubs … Read more

The Tokens

The Lion Sleeps Wimoway (Wimoweh) The Tokens’ version of The Lion Sleeps Tonight did get played at the Twisted Wheel, bizarre as it may seem and local group the Carl Denver Trio from Manchester copied it. Wimoweh was a Zulu war chant. It’s a song that has been recorded and re-recorded by countless numbers of … Read more

The Vontastics

Day Tripper –  Chess 1966 I’ll Never Say Goodbye The Vontastics were out of Chicago. They recorded Mo Jo Hanna – a voodoo queen song but it was their cover of the Beatles’ Day Tripper that gave them some degree of success.