The Outlaws were an 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 instru ...

band that recorded in the early 1960s. One-time members included

Chas Hodges Charles Nicholas Hodges (28 December 1943 – 22 September 2018) was an English musician and singer who was the lead vocalist of musical duo Chas & Dave. Early life Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton on 28 ...

, (born Charles Nicholas Hodges in 1943), Bobby Graham (born Robert Francis Neate in 1940),

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

(born Richard Hugh Blackmore in 1945),

Mick Underwood Michael John Underwood (born 5 September 1945) is an English drummer. He first played drums at the age of 14 and was a professional musician by the time he left school. Underwood has collaborated with a number of notable musicians and groups, ...

(born Michael John Underwood in 1945), Reg Hawkins (born Reginald Hawkins in 1942), Billy Kuy (born William John Kuy Jnr. in 1940), Don Groom (born Donald Groom in 1939), Roger Mingaye (born in 1942), Ken Lundgren and Harvey Hinsley. Their name was originally conceived 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 ...

(born Robert George Meek in 1929), who needed a

backing group A backup band or backing band is a musical ensemble that typically accompanies a single artist who is the featured performer. The situation may be a live performance or in a recording session, and the group may or may not have its own name, such ...

for Mike Berry's "Set Me Free" in 1960, after, according to Meek biographer, John Repsch, Meek had fired Berry's original backing group, The Statesmen. After that

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

, they continued being one of the

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

s of his recording studio at 304 Holloway Road, London. As such, they were used for recordings, demos and

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

s. Many of their songs were written by Meek, and credited to one or other of his pseudonyms, either Robert Duke or Peter Jacobs; the latter of which he used on The Outlaws' "Shake with Me". They appeared as themselves in the 1963 British film, '' Live It Up!''. In addition to featuring as a backing band on recordings by Mike Berry (born Michael Hubert Bourne in 1942), including three

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s, or backing Houston Wells,

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, " Be-Bop-a-Lula ...

John Leyton John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936) is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart ...

Geoff Goddard Geoffrey Goddard (19 November 1937 – 15 May 2000) was an English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. Working for Joe Meek in the early 1960s, he wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, The Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, The Outlaws ...

Heinz The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six conti ...

, they also recorded

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

in their own right. One of these, "Bike Beat", for

Raleigh Bicycle Company The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a British bicycle manufacturer based in Nottingham, England and founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. Using Raleigh as their brand name, it is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. After being acqui ...

, (see below), even had dance instructions created especially for it, printed on the picture sleeve, with bicycle references : "Grab a girl at random, make like a tandem". In 1990, all of their 1960s singles were issued on ''The Outlaws Ride Again (the Singles A's and B's )'', on the See For Miles Label.

Discography

Singles

With the line-up : Billy Kuy, Bobby Graham, Chas Hodges, Reg Hawkins *"Swingin' Low" b/w "Spring is Near" (March 1961) - UK No. 46 *"Ambush" b/w "Indian Brave" (June 1961) - UK No. 43 *"Valley of the Sioux" b/w "Crazy Drums" (September 1961) With the line-up : Ken Lundgren, Don Groom, Chas Hodges, Roger Mingaye *"Ku-Pow!" b/w "Last Stage West" (February 1962) *"Sioux Serenade" b/w "Fort Knox" (12 October 1962) With the line-up : Mick Underwood, Ken Lundgren, Chas Hodges, Ritchie Blackmore *"Poppin' Medley Part 1". b/w "Poppin' Medley Part 2". Released as ''The Chaps'' (7 December 1962)

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

R4979 *"Return of The Outlaws" b/w "Texan Spiritual" (February 1963) *"That Set the Wild West Free" b/w "Hobo" (August 1963) Note : Underwood does not appear on "Hobo" *"Law and Order" b/w "Do Da Day" (December 1963) *"Keep a Knockin'" b/w "Shake with Me" (3 April 1964). Note :

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

credits "Shake with Me" as the first Heavy Metal recording, according to the liner notes of the CD 'The Outlaws Ride Again (Singles A's and B's)' *"The Bike Beat 1" b/w "The Bike Beat 2" as ''The Rally Rounders'' (1964) Lyntone LYN 573 : Flexidisc (for

) With the line-up : Mick Underwood, Ken Lundgren, Chas Hodges, Harvey Hinsley *"Don't Cry" b/w "Only for You" (February 1965). Note: United States only, vocal single, produced by

Derek Lawrence Derek John Lawrence (16 November 1941 – 13 May 2020) was an English record producer, famous for his work for Joe Meek's Outlaws, Deep Purple, Flash, Machiavel and Wishbone Ash. Lawrence came in contact with Meek circa at the end of 1963, ...

. The

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to this release features Mick Underwood, Chas Hodges, Ritchie Blackmore and

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

Album

With the line-up : Billy Kuy, Bobby Graham, Chas Hodges, Reg Hawkins *''Dream of the West'' (1961): "Dream Of The West" / "The Outlaws" / "Husky Team" / "Rodeo" / "Smoke Signals" / "Ambush" / "Barbecue" / "Spring Is Near" / "Indian Brave" / "Homeward Bound" / "Western Sunset" / "Tune For Short Cowboys" (HMV, December 1961). Re-released on CD with bonus tracks : "Swingin' Low" / "Valley Of The Sioux" / "Crazy Drums" (2012, Coronet)

Compilations

*''Rockin' Guitar - Rare Items Vol.6'' : "Swingin' Low" / "Valley Of The Sioux" / "Crazy Drums" / "Ku-Pow" / "Last Stage West" / "Sioux Serenade" / "Fort Knox" / "Return Of The Outlaws" / " Texan Spiritual" / "That Set The Wild West Free" / "Hobo" / "Law And Order" / "Do Da Day" (1985, Gibson) *''Ride Again - The Singles As & Bs'' : "Swingin' Low" / "Spring Is Near" / "Ambush" / "Indian Brave" / "Valley of the Sioux" / "Crazy Drums" / "Last Stage West" / "Ku-Pow" / "Sioux Serenade" / "Fort Knox" / "The Return of the Outlaws" / "Texan Spiritual" / "That Set the Wild West Free" / "Hobo" / "Law and Order" / "Do-Da-Day" / "Keep a Knockin'" / "Shake with Me" (1990,

See For Miles Records See for Miles Records (SFM) was a British record label which was one of the first British re-issue specialists predating the emergence of compact discs. See for Miles reissued most of the records of many labels including Dandelion Records on C ...

) *''Back To The West'' : "Swingin' Low" / "Spring Is Near" / "Ambush" / "Indian Brave" / "Dream Of The West" / "The Outlaws" / "Husky Team" / "Rodeo" / "Smoke Signals" / "Barbecue" / "Homeward Bound" / "Western Sunset" / "Tune For Short Cowboys" / "Valley Of The Sioux" / "Crazy Drums" / "Last Stage West" / "Ku-Pow" / "Sioux Serenade" / "Fort Knox" / "The Return Of The Outlaws" / "Texan Spiritual" / "That Set The Wild West Free" / "Hobo" / "Law And Order" / "Do-Da-Day" / "Keep A Knockin'" / "Shake With Me" (2003, Prospector) Re-released with bonus tracks : The Chaps : "Poppin'

art 1 Art is a diverse range of human behavior, human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imagination, imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no genera ...

/ "Poppin'

art 2 Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

/ The Raleigh Rounders : "Bike Beat

/ "Bike Beat

/ The Lancastrians : "Satan's Holiday" / "Earthshaker" (2007, Norf*k Coast Records) *''The Best Of The Outlaws'' : "Ambush" / "Swingin' Low" / "Valley Of The Sioux" / "Indian Brave" / "Rodeo" / "Barbecue" / "Husky Team" / "Homeward Bound" / "The Outlaws" / "Fort Knox" / "Crazy Drums" / "Sioux Serenade" / "Last Stage West" / "Western Sunset" / "Ku-Pow!" / "Dream Of The West" / "Smoke Signals" / "Spring Is Near" / "Tune For Short Cowboys" / The Chaps : "Poppin'

/ "Poppin'

+ 7 songs as backing band for Mike Berry (2020, Not Now Music)

References

External links

blackmoresnight.com/ - The OutlawsMick Underwood
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Outlaws, The English rock music groups English pop music groups Musical groups established in 1960 Musical groups disestablished in 1965 English session musicians Beat groups 1960 establishments in England 1965 disestablishments in England British instrumental musical groups