Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers were a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

beat group in the early 1960s. Their biggest hit, "Can Can 62" reached the British singles chart in 1962. The group toured with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

before disbanding in 1966.

Origins and career

The group was formed around 1960 by Peter Jay (b. Peter Lynch, 29 January 1944,

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North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, England), the son of Jack Jay who owned and managed the Windmill Theatre together with several cinemas and nightclubs in Great Yarmouth,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. Peter Jay formed the group while studying at Norwich College. He played drums; other band members were Pete "Buzz" Miller, Tony Webster (rhythm guitar), Mac McIntyre (tenor sax and flute), Lloyd Baker (piano and baritone sax), Geoff Moss (bass guitar) and Johnny Larke (bass guitar). The band never contained the unusual set-up of an acoustic and electric bass, just two electric basses. From about 1962, the group were also noted for their use of coordinated Vox Phantom guitars on stage. Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers signed a recording deal with Decca Records in 1962. Their first record, a rocked-up version of the can-can music from Offenbach's ''

Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé� ...

'', produced by

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered space age and experimental pop music. He also assisted in the development of recording practices like over ...

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. 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, having previously stood in for the Beatles for one night in February 1963 when the Beatles left the Helen Shapiro tour to record their first album in London. They also appeared on national TV shows including ''

Ready Steady Go! ''Ready Steady Go!'' (or ''RSG!'') was a British rock/pop music television programme broadcast every Friday evening from 9 August 1963 until 23 December 1966. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan wanted a light ente ...

'' and '' Thank Your Lucky Stars''. The group moved to

Piccadilly Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brother ...

in 1964 and released several further singles, with little commercial success. Miller left in 1965, and was replaced by guitarist

Terry Reid Terrance James Reid (born 13 November 1949) is an English rock vocalist and guitarist. He has performed with high-profile musicians, as a supporting act, session musician, and sideman. Biography Reid was born in Paxton Park Maternity Home, L ...

. After further personnel changes, and billed as "Peter Jay and the New Jaywalkers", the group continued to appear on bills with leading bands of the time, and were included on a 1966 package tour of the UK with the Rolling Stones,

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and the Yardbirds starting at the Royal Albert Hall in September 1966. Following the tour, the group split up.

Later activities

In the late 1970s, Peter Jay, together with his father, purchased the

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

in Great Yarmouth, and gradually restored it as a theatre and

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

venue with a circular performing area which could be lowered to reveal a swimming pool. He also took over the lease of the

Tower Circus Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. When it opened, Blackpool Tower was the tallest man made structure in the British Empire. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in ...

in Blackpool in 1983. Since his father's death in 1985, he has continued to own and manage the Yarmouth Hippodrome. He has also published an autobiography, ''Jaywalking''. Pete Miller became a solo artist, releasing the single "Baby I Got News for You" (credited as "Miller") in 1965, with backing by Peter Frampton and other members of The Herd. He then concentrated on songwriting and worked as a session musician, before re-emerging as "Big Boy Pete" in early 1968 with the single "Cold Turkey", a track which was later anthologised as an example of

freakbeat Freakbeat is a loosely defined subgenre of rock and roll music developed mainly by harder-driving British groups during the Swinging London period of the mid-to late 1960s. The genre bridges British Invasion R&B, beat and psychedelia. Etymolo ...

and

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by The Damned. Miller moved to San Francisco in the mid-1970s, and has since recorded with his band, the Wildcats, as well as collaborating with other musicians in ventures such as "Shig & Buzz".
Terry Reid continued his solo career, becoming a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

References

External links

*
Entries at 45cat.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Jay, And The Jaywalkers Beat groups Musical groups established in 1960 British instrumental musical groups 1960 establishments in England