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The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in
Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...
, England. They initially found success in the
British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...
era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK
chart-topper A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
in 1963 with "
Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 198 ...
". After Poole's departure in 1966, the band achieved further success as a four-piece with 13 top 40 hits 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 ...
between 1967 and 1971 including " Here Comes My Baby", "
Even the Bad Times Are Good "Even the Bad Times Are Good" is a song written by British group the Tremeloes, released as a single in July 1967. It became their third consecutive top-ten hit in the UK and continued their international success. Release and reception "Even t ...
", " (Call Me) Number One", " Me and My Life" and their most successful single, " Silence Is Golden" (1967).


Career

They were formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes (the spelling "
tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...
es" was soon changed because of a spelling mistake in an East London newspaper) influenced 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 The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...
. On New Year's Day, 1962,
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
, looking for a
beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...
group, auditioned two promising young bands: Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and another combo (also heavily influenced by Buddy Holly) 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 ...
,
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 ...
. Decca chose Brian Poole and the Tremeloes over the Beatles, reportedly based on location – the Tremeloes were from the London area, making them more accessible than the Liverpool-based Beatles. The original quintet consisted of lead vocalist Brian Poole, lead guitarist Rick West (born Richard Westwood), rhythm guitarist/keyboardist
Alan Blakley Alan David Blakley, (1 April 1942 – 1 June 1996) a British musician and record producer, was rhythm guitarist and keyboards player with the Tremeloes and co-writer of most of their hits until January 1975, when he started writing for oth ...
, bassist Alan Howard and drummer Dave Munden. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes first charted in the UK in July 1963 with a pop rock
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "
Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...
", a song previously popularised in America by
the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...
, and already released by the Beatles in the UK in March 1963 on their first British LP, ''
Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
''. They released pop cover version of US hit "
Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 198 ...
" in the same year, and the song reached #1 on UK chart. The group also had success in the UK in 1964 with covers of Roy Orbison's B-side " Candy Man" and a previously obscure Crickets'
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 ...
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, " Someone, Someone"; both entered 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 ...
Top Ten, with the latter peaking at no. 2. Other Decca-era chart singles included " Three Bells" and a version of "
I Want Candy "I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 in the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat. Original version ...
". With Poole leaving to attempt a solo career (which proved unsuccessful) in 1966, the Tremeloes continued as a four-piece band with a revised line-up (Howard left the band in 1966). Len "Chip" Hawkes, (father of
Chesney Hawkes Chesney Lee Hawkes (born 22 September 1971) is an English pop singer and occasional actor. He started his career at the age of 19 when he appeared in the film '' Buddy's Song'', which featured his best-known single " The One and Only", which to ...
), replaced Howard. Their first single as a four piece, released on Decca, was a cover of Paul Simon's song "Blessed", which failed to chart. After switching from Decca to
CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...
, with Mike Smith producing, The Tremeloes' first single on CBS was a cover of The Beatles '' Revolver'' song "
Good Day Sunshine "Good Day Sunshine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was written mainly by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. McCartney intended it as a song in the style of th ...
". This also failed to chart, but established a new image of a more contemporary group in tune with the times, which set them up for future continued chart singles as they then started a successful hit run from 1967 onwards with Cat Stevens' " Here Comes My Baby"; "
Hello World ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich ...
"; three Italian hits translated into English: " Suddenly You Love Me", which is
Riccardo Del Turco Riccardo Del Turco (born September 7, 1939) is an Italian singer and songwriter, born in Fiesole. His song '' Luglio'' topped the Italian Hit Parade Singles Chart for two weeks in July 1968, selling over 500,000 copies. ''Luglio''s tune was mar ...
's "
Uno tranquillo "Uno tranquillo" ("Quiet One") is a song by Italian singer Riccardo Del Turco, released as a single in 1967. It was not as successful as his previous single, "Figlio unico", which was a top-ten hit in Italy, and "Uno tranquillo" only peaked at nu ...
" ("One quiet man"), "I'm Gonna Try", which is Riccardo Del Turco's 1968 hit " Luglio" ("July"), and " My Little Lady", based on
Orietta Berti Orietta Berti (born Orietta Galimberti on 1 June 1943) is an Italian pop-folk singer and television personality. Biography Born in Cavriago, Berti began her career in 1962 and had her first success in 1965 with the song "Tu sei quello" (You ...
's "
Non illuderti mai "Non illuderti mai" ("Never Deceive Yourself") is a song by Italian singer Orietta Berti, released as a single in April 1968 for the summer festival Un disco per l'estate. The song came in second place at the festival behind " Luglio" by Riccard ...
" ("Never deceive yourself"); and their number one recording of a Four Seasons' B-side " Silence Is Golden". Both this last single and "Here Comes My Baby" also entered the Top 20 of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on CBS' co-owned
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
. All members shared vocals, though most of the songs featured either Hawkes or drummer Dave Munden as the lead singer. Guitarist Rick Westwood sang falsetto co-lead vocal with Hawkes' lower range vocal and group harmonies also featured on "Silence Is Golden". Their regular hits were accompanied by frequent appearances on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' TV programme. Their songs were popular with younger music fans and parents rather than rock music fans, although their albums and 'B' sides included more rock-styled tracks such as band compositions "Try Me" and the instrumental "Instant Whip". Their more commercial songs, such as "Even the Bad Times Are Good" (UK no. 4, 1967), " Helule Helule" (UK no. 14, 1967), "Suddenly You Love Me" and "My Little Lady" (both UK no. 8 in 1968), proved to be more popular than the falsetto-led "Be Mine" sung by Rick Westwood, which stalled in the lower top 40, or a string accompanied cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" (UK no. 29, 1969), but the more ambitious group-composed "(Call Me) Number One" reached no. 2 in the UK in 1969. Altogether, without Poole the group had nine UK Top 20 hits. Westwood and Blakley were dual lead guitarists with guitar/sitar and banjo, pedal steel guitar and keyboards featured on their songs. Hawkes could play drums in addition to bass guitar. Their
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of Jeff Christie's song "Yellow River" (sung by Dave Munden) was shelved at the time, but Christie's lead vocal set to their backing became a UK chart hit for Christie in 1970. The Tremeloes versions sung in both English and Spanish later were released on compact disc compilations. "Me and My Life", written by Blakley-Hawkes, was a no. 4 UK chart hit in 1970, while "By the Way" reached no. 35 that year. Their album ''Master'', which they released a few weeks later, failed to sell well.
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
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 ...
were popular at the time, but the Tremeloes never played
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and they had no British hits after "Hello Buddy" (no. 32) in 1971. Nevertheless, they recorded several more singles throughout the decade, with further chart singles in Europe, including "Blue Suede Tie" (no. 38 Germany), "Too Late to Be Saved" (no. 33 Germany), "Ride On" (no. 16 Germany), "It's OK (Say Ole If You Love Me)", and "Do I Love You", some of which received heavy airplay, particularly on
Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
. "I Like It That Way" even made the Dutch Top 10, reaching no. 9 after the Dutch service of
Radio North Sea International Radio North Sea International (RNI; ; ) was a European offshore radio station run by the Swiss firm Mebo Telecommunications, jointly owned by Swiss engineer Edwin Bollier and his business partner, Erwin Meister.. The company, registered in Switz ...
promoted it as its weekly ''Treiterschijf''. They also released another three albums of original material, ''Shiner'' (1974), ''Don't Let the Music Die'' (1975).


After the hits

Their music is still available on compact disc, and they quite often play concerts and are part of the pop-revival shows that constantly tour the UK. Their line-up changed several times from 1972 onwards, the first new entrants being Bob Benham and a year later Aaron Woolley (replacing Blakley and Hawkes, both of whom later returned to the band). Munden remained the only constant member. Hawkes pursued a solo career for a while producing two albums for
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. In 1979 he returned to England and rejoined the Tremeloes where he remained until 1988. Chip left the Tremeloes to focus on managing his son,
Chesney Chesney is an English surname or given name and a French surname It is derived from Old French ''chesnai'' ("oak grove").hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
record entitled "The One and Only". By 1992 Hawkes was touring once again as a solo artist. In 1983 they covered
Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
hit "
Words A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
", original by
F. R. David Elli Robert Fitoussi (born 1 January 1947), better known as F. R. David, is a French musician. He is best known for his 1982 hit single "Words (F. R. David song), Words". Career F. R. David was born Elli Robert Fitoussi in Menzel Bourguiba, th ...
,. As a soloist, Poole failed to chart with subsequent records, but pursued a successful cabaret career. His daughters, Karen and Shelly, hit the charts in 1996 as
Alisha's Attic Alisha's Attic were an English pop duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly McErlaine (born Poole) and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian ...
. Blakley died from cancer in June 1996, leaving Munden and West to continue in concert with newer recruits Dave Fryer (bass) and Joe Gillingham (keyboards). Jeff Brown, former bass player and lead vocals for The Sweet, replaced Fryer in 2005. Dave Fryer retired to live in Germany after leaving the band, and continues to write music and play occasionally. In April 2004, at the request of
the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
, who were about to do their 40th anniversary tour, Hawkes was asked to form a band to tour with the Animals. This he did, bringing together a
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...
including
Mick Avory Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, ...
(ex-
the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
),
Eric Haydock Eric Haydock (born Eric John Haddock; 3 February 1943 – 5 January 2019) was a British musician, best known as the original bass guitarist of The Hollies from December 1962 until July 1966. He was one of the first British musicians to play a F ...
(ex-
the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...
), who teamed up to perform as the Class of '64, also featuring guitarists, Telecaster Ted Tomlin and Graham Pollock. The band toured around the world and recorded an album of past band hits and a new single called "She's Not My Child". Brian Poole, Chip Hawkes and the Tremeloes toured the UK as part of their 40th anniversary reunion in September 2006. In November 2015, Westwood and Hawkes were both charged with sexual assault relating to a case from 1968. They were acquitted in July 2016. In 2019 two separate entities were touring - the latest incarnation of the original Tremeloes with Westwood, Clarke and Hawkes, along with Hawkes' son Jodie and Richard Marsh, and a tribute band "The Trems" with Gillingham, Brown, Twynham and Phil Wright (of the band
Paper Lace Paper Lace are a British pop/rock band, formed in Nottingham, who rose to success in 1974 and during that year had three UK Top 40 hit singles. In the United States they are considered a one-hit wonder, having a single US top 40 hit. There are ...
). Hawkes stated in an interview that Munden had retired following knee issues resulting from a fall. Brian Poole toured with the band again in 2016, and played with his own band Brian Poole & Electrix. As of 2019 he appeared to no longer be actively performing. Dave Munden (born on 2 December 1943) died on 15 October 2020, at age 76. In 2021, Chip Hawkes, Rick Westwood, Mick Clarke, Jodie Hawkes and Richard Marsh were still performing live as The Tremeloes on the UK nostalgia circuits, whilst in 2022,
Chesney Hawkes Chesney Lee Hawkes (born 22 September 1971) is an English pop singer and occasional actor. He started his career at the age of 19 when he appeared in the film '' Buddy's Song'', which featured his best-known single " The One and Only", which to ...
joined his brother Jodie as a member, becoming the band's singer for a series of dates.


Members

;Current members The Tremeloes * October 2022. Len Hawkes son Chesney Hawkes is singing vocals. * Eddie Wheeler – guitar, vocals (2021– present) * Len "Chip" Hawkes – bass, vocals (1966–1972, 1979–1988, 2019–present) * Mick Clarke – bass, vocals (1966–1967, 1992–1996, 2019–present) * Richard Marsh – guitar, vocals (2019–present) * Jodie Hawkes – drums, vocals (2019–present) The Trems * Joe Gillingham – keyboards, vocals (1988–present) * Jeff Brown – bass, vocals (2005–present) * Syd Twynham – guitar, vocals (2014–present) * Phil Wright – drums, vocals (2019–present) BIOGRAPHY
''The Trems'' Website. Retrieved 24-Dec, 2019. ;Former members * Rick Westwood – guitar, vocals (1961–2019) * Dave Munden – drums, vocals (1958–2018) (died 2020) *
Alan Blakley Alan David Blakley, (1 April 1942 – 1 June 1996) a British musician and record producer, was rhythm guitarist and keyboards player with the Tremeloes and co-writer of most of their hits until January 1975, when he started writing for oth ...
– rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals (1958–1972, 1979–1996; his death) * Brian Poole – vocals (1958–1966, 2006, 2016) * Alan Howard – bass, vocals (1958–1966) * Ron Townsend – guitar, vocals (1958-1959) * Bob Benham – guitar, vocals (1972–1979) * Aaron Woolley – guitar, vocals (1975–1977) * Dave Fryer – bass, vocals (1988–2005) * Eddie Jones – guitar, vocals (2013–2014) * Paul Carman – bass, rhythm guitar, vocals (1974–1978) (died 2021) * Frank Hughes – bass


Discography


See also

*
The Beatles' Decca audition The English rock band the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, north London, on 1 January 1962. They were rejected by the label, who instead opted to sign a contract with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. The au ...


References


Bibliography

* ''The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits'' –


External links

* * (The Trems)
Tremeloes biography and discography at 45-rpm.org.uk
*
Entries at 45cat.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tremeloes, The Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups from Essex English pop music groups English rock music groups Beat groups British Invasion artists Decca Records artists Epic Records artists Columbia Records artists DJM Records artists 1958 establishments in England