"Rosalyn" is the debut single by British rock band

Pretty Things The Pretty Things were an English band formed in September 1963 in Sidcup, Kent. They took their name from Willie Dixon's 1955 song "Pretty Thing". A pure rhythm and blues band in their early years, with several singles charting in the Unit ...

, released in 1964. It charted at number 41 in the United Kingdom.

History

"Rosalyn" was written by songwriter Jimmy Duncan, who was also co-manager of the Pretty Things with

Bryan Morrison Bryan Morrison (14 August 1942 – 27 September 2008) was an English businessman, music publisher and polo player. Career He served as representative for musicians such as Pink Floyd. His company, the Bryan Morrison Agency, became one of th ...

at the time, along with Bill Farley, studio owner where the band was recording. The song was recorded as their debut single on

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. The independent label distributor Fontana Distribution takes its name from the label. History Fontana started in the 1950s as a subs ...

, and became the Pretties first hit, reaching No. 41 on the UK singles chart in January 1964. It features

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

style lead guitar as well as prominent slide guitar.

Personnel

* Phil May - vocals *

Dick Taylor Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founding member of the Pretty Things. Taylor was an early bassist for the Rolling Stones, but left the band to resume his studies at Sidcu ...

- lead guitar *

Brian Pendleton Brian Pendleton (13 April 1944 – 16 May 2001) was a British guitarist, and a founder member of the 1960s pop group Pretty Things. Early life Born in Wolverhampton, England, Pendleton moved south as a child, attending Dartford Grammar School. ...

- slide/rhythm guitar, vocals *

John Stax John Stax (born John Edward Lee Fullagar, 6 April 1944, Crayford, Kent) is an English musician best known as original bassist for the Pretty Things. He adopted the name "Stax" because of his fondness for the music produced by Stax Records. He ...

- bass, vocals *

Viv Prince Vivian Martin Prince (born 9 August 1941) is an English drummer. He played in a variety of bands during the 1960s, including Pretty Things. He was noted for his wild and eccentric behaviour, which garnered a lot of publicity for the group and in ...

- drums

Covers

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

recorded "Rosalyn" and released it on his album ''

Pin Ups ''Pin Ups'' (also referred to as ''Pinups'' and ''Pin-Ups'') is the seventh studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 19October 1973 through RCA Records. Devised as a "stop-gap" album to appease his record label, it is a cove ...

''. It was released as a free sampler single to Record Club members by

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

in New Zealand in November 1973. " Sorrow", was released, as in the rest of the world, as the commercial single from the album. The B-side was " Where Have All the Good Times Gone", another cover from ''Pin Ups''. In 1972, British rock group Stack Waddy covered the song on their album ''

Bugger Off! ''Bugger Off!'' is the second album by Stack Waddy, released in 1972 on Dandelion Records. The album liner notes by Dandelion Records's owner and executive producer, John Peel, indicate each song was recorded in a single live take with the b ...

''.

Charts

References

1964 songs 1964 debut singles Pretty Things songs David Bowie songs Fontana Records singles {{1960s-rock-song-stub