Brian Poole (born 2 November 1941)Eder, Bruce
Brian Poole Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 17 August 2014 is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band

the Tremeloes The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's departu ...

(1957–62) and then Brian Poole and the Tremeloes (1962–66).

Early life

He was brought up in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

and grew up in Barking, Essex. Poole attended Park Modern Secondary School, Barking and Barking Abbey Grammar School.

Career

The Tremeloes

Poole met Alan Blakley and Alan Howard, at Park Modern Secondary School, Barking. In 1956, heavily influenced by their interest in rock and roll music, they decided to form a band. The original line-up consisted of Poole (vocals, guitar), Blakley (guitar), Howard (bass) and Graham Scott (guitar). While still in their teens, the band members met and befriended Dave Munden, who shared a love and passion for rock n’ roll. A strong bond was formed, which saw Munden join the band on the drums in 1957. A swift change of tactics saw Blakley switch to guitar, which Poole relinquished to take the title of lead vocalist and thus front the band. In the early years,

were inspired by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and the Crickets and mainly covered their songs. They quickly gained local fame by playing at small venues in the area; during that time, their singing style developed and flourished. With Poole's Holly-style glasses and the band's unique style of harmony, the Tremeloes soon developed a wide fan-base and following. This continued to grow until they became one of the top dance hall attractions across Great Britain. On New Year's Day in 1962, the Tremeloes auditioned for a record contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, along with another up-and-coming band,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. Their regular slot on BBC Radio and large following meant that the Tremeloes were an obvious choice, and they were signed by the record label. Upon signing with Decca, the company bosses insisted that the band be billed as 'Brian Poole and the Tremeloes', since this was the trend at the time. The band quickly embraced their new name. Their diverse musical talents meant that as well as producing their own singles, they also performed as backing for other recording artists. Their first chart entry was " Twist and Shout" in June 1963 (a cover version of a song by the Isley Brothers that was also covered by the Beatles). "Twist and Shout" reached number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, selling over one million copies, and other chart hits were soon to follow. In September 1963, they released " Do You Love Me". It reached number one in the UK charts, famously knocking the Beatles’ second number one hit, " She Loves You", from the top slot. "Do You Love Me" remained at the top of the charts for three weeks. 'Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' continued to produce hits and thrive in the UK charts, with tracks such as " Candy Man" (which reached number six) and the popular ballad "

Someone, Someone "Someone, Someone" is a song by American rock and roll band the Crickets, released in March 1959 as the B-side to "Love's Made a Fool of You". However, the song is better known for the version by British beat group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, ...

" (which reached number two). In 1966, Poole left the Tremeloes to begin a solo career and pursue other opportunities, one of which included starting his own record label called Outlook Records. Other members of the band continued as the Tremeloes.

Later career

By the late 1960s, Poole was unable to keep up his reputation and spent most of the 1970s out of the music business working in his brothers butcher shop. He eventually went from employee to owner of the shop after his brother suddenly dropped ownership of the business: “My brother asked me to mind the shop one afternoon, he went out and never came back”. Poole states that comedy duo Cannon and Ball persuaded him to return to music: “I went to see Cannon and Ball at Great Yarmouth and they saw me in the audience, stopped the show and said I should be back in the businesses where I belonged. I talked about it to the wife all the way home and decided I was going back”. In 1988, Poole formed the supergroup The Corporation with

Tony Crane Anthony Steven Crane (born 8 September 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender, midfielder and makeshift centre forward from 1999 to 2009. He notably played as a professional for Sheffield Wednesday and ...

(of

The Merseybeats The Merseybeats (also related vocal duo The Merseys) are an English beat band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other simila ...

Clem Curtis Clem Curtis (born Curtis Clements; 28 November 1940 – 27 March 2017) was a Trinidadian British singer, who was the original lead vocalist of sixties soul group The Foundations. Background Family He was the father of seven children, six sons ...

(of The Foundations),

Mike Pender Michael John Prendergast (born 3 March 1941), known professionally as Mike Pender, is an English singer and guitarist. He was an original founding member of Merseybeat group the Searchers. He is best known as the lead vocalist on many hit s ...

(of

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

), and Reg Presley (of The Troggs), all of whom were the lead singers for other 1960s beat groups.Brian Poole And The Tremeloes
''45rpm'' website They only released one single, a cover of

The Showstoppers The Showstoppers (alternatively the Show Stoppers) was a four-piece African-American vocal soul group formed in Philadelphia about 1967. They are best remembered for their 1967 hit, "Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty", which was the debut release o ...

' old hit "Ain't Nothing But a House Party". They split up that same year. Poole had thoughts of retiring again in the early 2000s, but was also talked into staying in the industry, this time by the late

Gerry Marsden Gerard Marsden MBE (24 September 1942 – 3 January 2021) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was the younger brother of fellow ba ...

of Gerry and the Pacemakers. Since then, he remains active, mainly touring either as a solo artist or in a 1960s nostalgia tour.

Family

In 1968, he married Pamela Poole (née Rice). Their two daughters, Shelly and

Karen Poole Karen Ann Poole (born 8 January 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. Poole has had over 35 Top 20 UK hits as a songwriter. Biography Karen was born in Chadwell Heath, London, England, and is the daughter of 1960s vocalist Brian Poole, le ...

, are both successful singer-songwriters. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Karen and Shelly comprised the pop duo Alisha's Attic, who released three hit albums. They have both been part of many other projects since Alisha's Attic released its last album in 2001. Poole lives in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

Discography

Solo singles

References

External links

Official Brian Poole website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Brian 1941 births Living people English male singers English pop rock singers Beat musicians People educated at Barking Abbey Grammar School Singers from London