The Montanas
Encyclopedia
The Montanas were a 1960s and 1970s rock and roll
band, from Wolverhampton
, England
. Though they never found significant success in their home country, they had one minor hit in the United States
.
The group formed in 1964 and became known for their live shows. Their manager, Roger Allen
, got them signed to Pye Records
, and some of their early releases for Pye were written by Tony Hatch
and Jackie Trent
. In 1966 Terry Rowley joined the group on keyboards, and also worked with the group on composition and arranging.
Their several radio hits in England made little impact on the charts, but "You've Got to Be Loved" reached #58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
in 1968, followed by "Run to Me" making it to #121 on the Billboard
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
charts. Their lineup changed considerably in 1967 and again in 1968, and they continued releasing singles, often written by outside writers, that were more radio-friendly than their live sound. In 1969, the group left the Pye label, and Rowley and vocalist John Jones quit, wanting to perform more original material. The group continued to perform throughout most of the 1970s, though mixing comedy with the music in their performances, and finally broke up in 1978. Bassist Ian Lees later found success as a comedian
, and Jake Elcock pursued a career in A&R
.
In 1997, Sequel Records issued a 26-track compilation CD, "You've Got To Be Loved (Singles A's & B's)," including ten tracks newly mixed from original multi-tracks.
Compilation CD
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band, from Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Though they never found significant success in their home country, they had one minor hit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The group formed in 1964 and became known for their live shows. Their manager, Roger Allen
Roger Allen
Roger Allen may refer to:*Roger MacBride Allen , American science fiction author*Roger Allen , former territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada...
, got them signed to Pye Records
Pye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
, and some of their early releases for Pye were written by Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch
Anthony Peter "Tony" Hatch is an English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger and producer.-Early life and early career:...
and Jackie Trent
Jackie Trent
Jackie Trent is an English singer, songwriter, and actress.-Career:Trent's first stage appearance was as a ten-year-old ingenue in the pantomime Babes In The Wood, but her primary interest was a career in pop music...
. In 1966 Terry Rowley joined the group on keyboards, and also worked with the group on composition and arranging.
Their several radio hits in England made little impact on the charts, but "You've Got to Be Loved" reached #58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1968, followed by "Run to Me" making it to #121 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
charts. Their lineup changed considerably in 1967 and again in 1968, and they continued releasing singles, often written by outside writers, that were more radio-friendly than their live sound. In 1969, the group left the Pye label, and Rowley and vocalist John Jones quit, wanting to perform more original material. The group continued to perform throughout most of the 1970s, though mixing comedy with the music in their performances, and finally broke up in 1978. Bassist Ian Lees later found success as a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, and Jake Elcock pursued a career in A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
.
In 1997, Sequel Records issued a 26-track compilation CD, "You've Got To Be Loved (Singles A's & B's)," including ten tracks newly mixed from original multi-tracks.
Members
- Will Hayward - guitar
- Graham Crew - drums
- Ralph Oakley - bass
- John Jones - vocals
- Terry Rowley - keyboards (joined 1966)
- Jake Elcock - bass (joined 1967)
- Graham Hollis - drums (joined 1967)
- Barry Clifft - drums (dates unknown)
- Ian "Sludge" Lees - bass (joined 1968)
- George Davies - vocals (joined 1968)
- Allen Austin - Guitar & Vocals / Bass Guitar & Vocals
- Brian Eustace - Guitar & Vocals
Recordings
Singles- All That Is Mine Can Be Yours b/w How Can You Tell (Piccadilly 7N 35262, September 1965)
- That's When Happiness Began b/w Goodbye Little Girl (Pye 7N 17183, September 1966)
- Ciao Baby b/w Anyone There (Pye 7N 17282, March 1967)
- Take My Hand b/w Top Hat (Pye 7N 17338, June 1967)
- You've Got To Be Loved b/w Difference Of Opinion (Pye 7N 17394, October 1967)
- A Step In The Right Direction b/w Someday (You'll Be Breaking My Heart Again) (Pye 7N 17499, April 1968)
- I'm Gonna Change b/w A Step In The Right Direction (US version of the above, date unknown)
- Run To Me b/w You're Making A Big Mistake (Pye 7N 17597, September 1968)
- Roundabout b/w Mystery (Pye 7N 17697, February 1969)
- Ciao Baby b/w Someday (reissue) (Pye 7N 17729, April 1969)
- Love Machine (Charisma, 1970?)
- Uncle John's Band (cover) (MAM, 1970?)
Compilation CD
- You've Got To Be Loved (Singles A's & B's) (Sequel NEMCD 994, 1997, UPC 023224 099426)