The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. They were contemporaries of

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 ...

, and later had the same manager,

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in

Old Swan Old Swan is an eastern neighbourhood of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, bordered by Knotty Ash, Stoneycroft, Broadgreen, Fairfield and Wavertree. At the 2011 Census, the population was 16,461. Description Old Swan is centred on the road ju ...

, Liverpool,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

; died 9 April 1999) (

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

/vocals), Phil Rogers (

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

/vocals) (born Philip Rogers, March 1942, in Liverpool; died 14 January 2020), Don Andrew (born Donald Andrew, in 1942, in Liverpool) (bass guitar/vocals), and Roy Dyke (drums) (born 13 February 1945, in Liverpool). Andrew and Manley were in the same class at school (

Liverpool Institute for Boys The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool. The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on ...

) as

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Career

Manley and Andrew formed the Remo Quartet in 1958, with singer/guitarist Keith Stokes (born in 1942) and drummer Harry Prytherch (born 4 August 1941, Liverpool; died 13 October 2015). They progressed from playing local parties and contests to regular hall appearances, and turned professional, changing their name to the Remo Four in summer 1959. They played a mix of

vocal harmony Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

material (à la

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...

), and instrumental numbers in the manner of

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

, and

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

. The Remo Four were voted Number Three Group in a 1961 ''

Mersey Beat ''Mersey Beat'' was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College. The paper carried news about all the local Liverpool bands, and s ...

'' poll, and among their fans were The Beatles, fresh from a season in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Both groups were among the regulars at the

Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...

during 1961 and 1962, and both shared the bill with

Gerry & The Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...

, and Ted "Kingsize" Taylor and the Dominoes, at the 1961 "Operation Big Beat", a festival at New Brighton's Tower Ballroom. While The Beatles travelled back and forth to Hamburg, the Remo Four began playing

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

bases in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, building their stage and musical experience. A highlight of their early career was sharing the stage with the Shadows, in the latter's only Cavern Club appearance.

Johnny Sandon Johnny Sandon (originally named William "Billy" Francis Beck) (born 27 May 1941, ın Liverpool, Lancashire, England; died 23 December 1996, in Rock Ferry, Merseyside, England) was an early rock and roll singer who was part of the Merseybeat phenome ...

joined the band as vocalist in 1962, and stayed for two years. In early 1963, Prytherch decided to get married and find a regular job, and Roy Dyke took his place in the band. Stokes also left and was replaced by Phil Rogers. That year the band signed up with Epstein's

NEMS Enterprises Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

and acquired a new lead singer,

Tommy Quickly Tommy Quickly (born Thomas Quigley, 7 July 1945, in Norris Green, Liverpool, Lancashire, England) is an English rock and roll singer who recorded mostly in the early 1960s. He was a later signing of artist manager Brian Epstein, whose biggest ac ...

, and a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

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 ...

, backing Quickly on Lennon and McCartney's " Tip of My Tongue" and other songs. The band also released instrumentals, including a driving rendition of

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

's ''Peter Gunn'' theme. In a significant line-up change,

Tony Ashton Edward Anthony Ashton (1 March 1946 – 28 May 2001) was an English rock pianist, keyboardist, singer, composer, producer and artist. Biography Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Ashton spent his formative years in the seaside town of Blackpool whe ...

(

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

/vocals) replaced Don Andrew, with Rogers moving to bass. Another NEMS artist,

Billy J. Kramer William Howard Ashton (born 19 August 1943), known professionally as Billy J. Kramer, is an English pop singer. With The Dakotas, Kramer was managed by Brian Epstein during the 1960s and scored hits with several Lennon–McCartney composition ...

, became a frontman for the band, which adopted the name "The New Dakotas" while backing him. Despite their talent and track record, the band's success in the record market was limited, and most of their work came as backing musicians, or as the house band in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

clubs, including the

Star-Club The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 3 ...

in Hamburg. They released an album, ''Smile!'', on the Star-Club's own label in 1967, featuring elements of rock and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Late in 1967, Beatle

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

hired the Remo Four as his backing band for part of his first solo project, the soundtrack album to the movie '' Wonderwall''. While the songs were mostly instrumentals, they did record one lyrical song, " In the First Place", with Harrison, which was left in the can until the 1990s. ( Ashton, Gardner and Dyke later reworked the song and recorded it as "As It Was in the First Place".) They also became

Billy Fury Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 we ...

's backing band, in the late 1960s. Disbanding in 1970, Ashton and Dyke joined guitarist Kim Gardner, formerly of The Creation and The Birds (not to be confused with

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

rock band

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

), to form Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, who later recorded a song called "Ballad of the Remo Four". Ashton later formed

Paice Ashton Lord Paice Ashton Lord was a short-lived British rock band featuring Deep Purple band members Ian Paice and Jon Lord with singer Tony Ashton. The band was formed in 1976, released its only album in 1977 and broke up in 1978. History After Deep Pur ...

with members of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

. Manley became an accompanist for singers including Engelbert Humperdinck, and later joined

The Swinging Blue Jeans The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label: " Hippy Hippy Shake", " Good Golly Miss Molly", and " You're No Good", issued in 1964. Subsequent singles released tha ...

. Don Andrew and Colin Manley appeared with

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 b ...

(of Gerry & The Pacemakers fame) performing on stage in an episode of the UK TV soap ''

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...

'' in the 1990s. Manley died of cancer on 9 April 1999, and a memorial concert was held for him that June, with some of his former bandmates performing. Ashton also died of cancer, on 28 May 2001. Keith Stokes died on 19 June 2010, cause unknown. He was living in Wallasey and friends and relatives had been trying to trace him for 15 years, without success. Phil Rogers died peacefully on 14 January 2020 in Buckinghamshire.

Discography

Singles *"Lies"/"On the Horizon" (with Johnny Sandon) (7 inch single; Pye 7N 15542; July 1963) *"Magic Potion"/"Yes" (with Johnny Sandon) (7 inch single; Pye 7N 15559; July/August 1963) *" Tip of My Tongue"/"Heaven Only Knows" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35137; August 1963) *"Kiss Me Now"/"No Other Love" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35151; 1963) *"Prove It"/"Haven't You Noticed" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35167; 1964) *"

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate", often simply "Sister Kate", is an up-tempo jazz dance song, written by Armand J. Piron and published in 1922. Louis Armstrong claimed he had written the song and sold it for 10$ he never received. Kate w ...

"/"Peter Gunn" (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35175 (1964) *"You Might as Well Forget Him"/"It's as Simple as That" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35183; 1964) *"

Sally Go Round the Roses Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

"/"I Know a Girl" (7 inch single; Piccadilly 7N 35186; 1964) *"Wild Side of Life"/"Forget the Other Guy" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Pye 7N 15708; October 1964) *"Humpty Dumpty"/"I'll Go Crazy" (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single; Pye 7N 15748; 1964) *"Live Like a Lady"/"Sing Halleluja" (7inch single; Fontana TF 787; 1966) *'' In the First Place (original Wonderwall

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although ''Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly re ...

mix)/ In the First Place (Wonderwall movie mix)'' (7 inch single; Pilar PILAR02V; 1998) *''In The First Place'' (CD single; Pilar PILAR01CD; 2000) # In The First Place (original Wonderwall Abbey Road mix) # In The First Place (Wonderwall movie mix) Compilation albums *''Smile!'' (

148 577; issued in Germany, 1967) # Heart Beat # Skate # No Money Down # Rock Candy # 7th Son # Roadrunner # Brother Where Are You # Jive Samba # Nothin's Too Good For My Baby *''The Best of Tommy Quickly, Johnny Sandon, Gregory Phillips and the Remo Four'' (CD album; See For Miles Records SEECD349; 1992) # Kiss Me Now # Tip Of My Tongue # Prove It # You Might As Well Forget Him # The Wild Side Of Life # Heaven Only Knows # No Other Love # Haven't You Noticed # It's As Simple As That # Forget The Other Guy # Humpty Dumpty # I Go Crazy # Lies # Yes # (I'd Be) A Legend In My Time # Sixteen Tons # Donna Means Heartbreak # On The Horizon # Magic Potion # Some Kinda Wonderful # Everybody Knows # Angie # Don't Bother Me # Closer To Me # Please Believe Me # Make Sure That You're Mine # I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate # Sally Go Round The Roses # I Know A Girl # Peter Gunn (Tracks 1-12 feature Tommy Quickly, 13-20 feature Johnny Sandon, and 21-26 feature Gregory Phillips.) *''Smile!'' (CD album; Repertoire RR7034; issued in Germany, 21 November 1996) (Reissued by Bear Family Records – BCD 17105 AH; 2010) # Heart Beat # Skate # No Money Down # Rock Candy # 7th Son # Roadrunner # Brother Where Are You # Jive Samba # Nothin's Too Good For My Baby # Peter Gunn # Mickey's Monkey # Live Like A Lady # Sing Hallelujah # Dancing And Singing # Sing Hallelujah Alternate Take # Live Like A Lady Alternate Take # Live Like A Lady Instrumental Version *''

Beat-Club ''Beat-Club'' is a West German music programme that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, West Germany on ''Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen'', the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its ...

- The Best of '66'' (video DVD; Studio-Hamburg/

Radio Bremen Radio Bremen (RB), Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (which includes Bremerhaven). With its headquarters sited in Bremen, Radio Brem ...

(Various Artists, issued in Germany, 2000) includes the following Remo Four performances recorded in 1966: # Peter Gunn # Super Girl ''(with

Graham Bonney Graham Bonney (born Graham Arthur Ernest George Bradly, 2 June 1943) Graham Bonney homepage
Accessed 12 Novem ...

)'' *''Fab Gear! Beat Beat Beat Vol.1 (The Mersey Sound And Other Mop Top Rarities 1962-1963)'' (double CD album; Castle Music; Various Artists, 2001) includes the following Remo Four tracks: # Lies* # On the Horizon* # Yes* # Magic Potion* # Kiss Me Now** # No Other Love (Could Ever Be The Same)** ''*with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly'' *''In My Liverpool Home Volume 2 - Merseybeat Mania!'' (CD album; Mastersound MSCD529; 2003) includes the following Remo Four tracks: # Perfidia (recorded live, 1961)'' - as the Remo Quartet'' # Sleepwalk (recorded live, 1962) *''Unearthed Merseybeat'' (CD album; Viper CD016; Various Artists; 2003) includes the following Remo Four tracks: # Trambone (recorded 1961) # Walk Don't Run (recorded 1961) *''The Remo Four - 40 Years of Music'' (CD album; Mastersound MSCD581; 2005) # Peter Gunn (recorded 1964) # I Know A Girl (recorded 1964) # Yes* (recorded 1963) # Lies* (recorded 1963) # The Wild Side of Life** (recorded 1964) # ''Intro to "Tribute For Colin" (1 June 1999) by Billy Butler'' # ''Walk Don't Run / Perfida by Dave Williams ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Heartbeat by Paul Andrew (son of Don Andrew) ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Intro 2 by Don Andrew ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Runaway by Mike Byrne ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Intro 3 ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Rainy Days Come Often (composed by C Manley) by Paul Andrew ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Intro 4 ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''Sleepwalk by Dave Williams ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # ''End applause ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)'' # Sleepwalk (by original lineup, recorded 1992) # Perfidia (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961) # Walk, Don't Run (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961) # Trambone (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961) # The Stranger (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961) ''*with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly'' *''Beatschuppen - Essential Club Music From The 60s'' (virtual album) *''Music Torrent'' (Various Artists, 2005) includes the following Remo Four track: # Heart Beat (recorded at Atomic Cafe,

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, date unknown)

Career

Discography

References

External links