The Overtones
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The Overtones are a UK based vocal harmony group. They were discovered by a
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
' talent scout while working as decorators in a shop near
Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as ...
, singing during their tea break. Their first album, '' Good Ol' Fashioned Love'', entered the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
at #16 in November 2010. After its re-release in March 2011, it reached #4. More than 500,000 copies of their first album have been sold.


History

The members were originally in a band called DYYCE, which then reformed as Lexi Joe, which formed the basis of The Overtones. With four members originally – Mark Franks, Mike Crawshaw, Darren Everest and Timmy Matley – the band had been performing for several years. The four all shared an interest in the
doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...
genre of the 1950s mixed with R&B and modern
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. Their voices bear a strong resemblance to a 1980s' doo-wop boyband,
14 Karat Soul 14 Karat Soul is an a cappella group from East Orange, New Jersey. They began their active career in the 1980s. 14 Karat Soul were originally a strictly doo-wop group, but later branched out into other genres. They were featured in the 1980 Mabou M ...
. After auditioning on ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' in 2009, as Lexi Joe, they were rejected from the final 24. Later, they met Lockie Chapman, discovered similar tastes in music and reformed themselves as a five-piece band, under the name of The Overtones. Everest then had the idea of starting a painting and decorating company so that the five could practice together while working. It was while painting a shop near Oxford Street in London that the band was discovered by a talent scout, while singing "
The Longest Time "The Longest Time" is a doo-wop song by Billy Joel, released in 1984 as the fourth single from the 1983 album '' An Innocent Man''. Following the theme of the album in paying tribute to Joel's musical influences, the song is presented in the st ...
". They later signed a 5-album deal with
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. The first album by The Overtones has a number of original tracks written by the band, including their first single "Gambling Man", the title track "Good Ol' Fashioned Love" and "Carolyn". In 2010, they made a number of high-profile public appearances, supporting
Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...
on tour, and performing at
Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...
's Christmas lights switch-on and at the Abbey Park fireworks display in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
. They have made a number of television appearances, including on '' This Morning''. On 13 March 2011, they were the house band for week 10 on the ITV show '' Dancing on Ice''. On 1 June 2011, they were the house band for the third semi-final on the ITV show ''
Britain's Got More Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...
''. In November 2011, they performed on ''
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'' when the presenter Brendan O'Connor had to hold up a curtain after a "terrible mishap occurred in the RTÉ studio". The incident, available on
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, was nominated for the "Brown Trousers Moment" award at the 2011 Erics. On 29 September 2012, they appeared in an episode of ''
Red or Black? ''Red or Black?'' is a British television game show which was broadcast on ITV between 3 September 2011 and 29 September 2012. In each round, contestants choose red or black, with those that choose the incorrect colour being eliminated. During ...
'' being part of a round by using a handkerchief in their performance. On 9 December 2012, they appeared as special guest performers in the final episode of series 9 of '' The Xtra Factor''. In mid-2013, they announced the release date of their third album, ''Saturday Night at the Movies''. It was released on 4 November 2013. In early 2014, The Overtones went on a UK tour, stopping in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 20 February. They toured with Sir
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
in Germany in May 2014. In November 2014, The Overtones announced the release of their fourth studio album, ''Sweet Soul Music''. It was released on 27 February 2015, with a brief tour commencing in June. Their fifth album and first Christmas album, ''Good Ol' Fashioned Christmas'', was released on 27 November 2015, with a Christmas tour following in the UK. In 2016, The Overtones toured with the stage show "That's Entertainment", a show featuring music from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Later in 2016, The Overtones announced on their
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page that they would be touring from November to December, with their "Christmas with The Overtones Tour". On 21 November 2016, Matley announced via Twitter that he would not be joining the rest of the band on tour, having been diagnosed with skin cancer in September 2016. As he progressed through his treatment, Matley returned for the band's touring commitments in 2017 and the band began recording its sixth studio album. Matley died on 9 April 2018 from multiple traumatic injuries sustained in a fall from a balcony. The band cancelled most of its touring commitments in order to grieve, before returning to the studio to complete the album as a four-piece. The album, ''The Overtones'', was released on 19 October 2018 on the band's own label GamblingMan Records, including one track with Matley's previously recorded vocals. On 24 April 2019, Chapman announced that he would be leaving the band to pursue other commitments. His last performance with the group took place at the Isle of Wight on 4 May 2019. On 30 June 2019, The Overtones announced that Jay James would be joining the group.


Members


Mike Crawshaw

Michael Crawshaw (born 12 February 1980) comes from
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. He sings the middle harmonies. Crawshaw grew up in Bedminster, with his family moving to Kingswood when he was 16. He attended Cheddar Grove School, Bedminster Down Comprehensive School and St Brendans Sixth Form College, where he had his first taste of singing in an amateur production of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
''. He performed with operatic societies in Bristol before moving to London to pursue his singing career. His favourite song is "
Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...
" by
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
.


Darren Everest

Darren Everest (born 30 May 1981) comes from
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. He is the
falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...
voice of the band. Everest, a
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
supporter, had originally wanted to be a
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
and had played for
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
and
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
. After falling ill with
glandular fever In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...
, he was forced to stop playing for a year and took up singing.


Mark Franks

Mark Robert Franks (born 9 May 1977) comes from Sale, Greater Manchester. He sings the middle harmony sections in their songs. Franks attended the
Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...
from age 11 to 16. He was a professional dancer for 10 years before joining The Overtones. Franks has released some of his 1980s remixes under his "DJ Rescue Rangerz" name on Soundcloud.


Jay James

Jay James Picton (born 12 July 1983), known professionally as Jay James, is a Welsh recording artist, songwriter and broadcaster from Saundersfoot in Wales. A former serviceman at 16, he joined the Royal Navy and served for 10 years before leaving the military to pursue a career in music. As a songwriter and recording artist, he previously signed to
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
and
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
's
Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
. On 27 August 2012, he released his debut album, ''Play It By Heart''. The album featured written collaborations with Booker T. Jones and
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...
and was recorded between New York and Los Angeles with producers Mike Peden and
Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...
. In 2014, James appeared on the 11th series of ''The X Factor'', where he was mentored by
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
and finished in 8th place. In 2016, James joined the British Forces Broadcasting Service BFBS Radio to host ''The Big Show'', a network music and entertainment series aired globally for Armed Forces personnel and their families. He has also worked for Made Television and hosted regional sports and entertainment series ''Sportsline'' for Bristol. In 2019, James presented the Vodafone Top 40 on regional stations across Wales. ''The Sunday Social with Jay James'' was a new series that featured guests
Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...
, Louis Tomlinson,
The Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zin ...
and
Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...
. James is a Royal British Legion Ambassador and was the digital host for the Festival of Remembrance in 2018. On 30 June 2019, James was announced as a new member of the Overtones.


Past members


Timmy Matley

Timothy Thomas Matley (16 February 1982 – 9 April 2018) was from
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Ireland. He was the lead singer of the band, and sometimes joined the middle harmonies. Matley entered into
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
at the age of 14, and at 16 years old he travelled to London to audition for a performing arts school. He left Ireland when he was 17, as he did not enjoy college. He went travelling before deciding to get involved with songwriting and singing. In October 2014, he took part in the BBC '' Great British Sewing Bee'' for Children In Need, winning the show. Matley was diagnosed with stage three
malignant melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the Biological pigment, pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, i ...
in 2016.


Lockie Chapman

Lachlan Alexander "Lockie" Chapman (born 7 February 1981) comes from
Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the local government area of ...
, Australia. He was the bass singer. Chapman left Australia on his 25th birthday and traveled to England in the hope of becoming an actor. In early 2016, Chapman appeared in the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
comedy series, '' Crashing''. Chapman announced on 24 April 2019 that he would be leaving the band to pursue other commitments. His last performance with the group was at the Isle of Wight on 4 May 2019. Chapman started his solo singing career on 2 July 2019 following 3 sell out dates in London.


Discography


Albums


Extended plays


Singles


References


External links


Official website

The Overtones Germany - First official fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overtones, The Musical groups established in 2010 2010 establishments in the United Kingdom English boy bands Doo-wop groups Vocal quintets Musical groups from London