The Rockin' Berries
Encyclopedia
The Rockin' Berries are a pop group
from Birmingham
, England, who had several hit records in the UK in the 1960s. A version of the group, emphasising comedy routines as well as music, continues to perform to the present day.
in Birmingham
in the late 1950s by guitarist Brian "Chuck" Botfield, and were so named because they played several Chuck Berry
songs in their set. An early keyboard player with the group was Christine Perfect, later Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac
. When another band was formed locally, by singer Paul Hewitt, guitarist Doug Thompson and drummer Terry Bond, Botfield agreed to join on condition that it used the "Rockin' Berries" name. By mid 1961, the group comprised Botfield (lead guitar), Doug Thompson (rhythm guitar), Tim Munns (bass), Dennis Ryland (saxophone), Terry Bond (drums), and singers Paul Hewitt and Jimmy Powell
. Later that year, the group went to Germany
to play a series of club engagements, with Hewitt being replaced by singer and Elvis Presley
impressionist Clive Lea. On their return, the group auditioned for promoter Jack Good
, who wanted to sign Powell but not the rest of the group. After a few months, Powell left for a solo career, later leading the Five Dimensions who for a while included Rod Stewart
. Thompson, Ryland and shortly afterwards Munns also left, and were replaced by singer and guitarist Geoff Turton
- an old friend of Botfield's - and bassist Roy Austin.
When the group returned to England, they won a contract with Decca Records
, who released their first two singles, "Wah Wah Woo" and "Itty Bitty Pieces" in 1963. Although the group appeared on TV show Ready Steady Go!
, the records were not hits, and the group, now managed by John Schroeder
, signed a deal with Pye Records
subsidiary Piccadilly. Their first record for the new label, "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You", reached # 43 on the UK singles chart
, and the band appeared at the Marquee Club
in London
where they were seen by American record producer
Kim Fowley
. He suggested they record a version of "He's In Town", a Goffin
and King
song that had been a US hit for The Tokens
. The Rockin' Berries' version reached # 3 in the UK in late 1964, and the follow-up records, "What In The World’s Come Over You" (# 23) and "Poor Man’s Son" (# 5) were also hits. They also released a successful album, In Town. At this point, Roy Austin left the group and was replaced by Bobby Thompson, previously of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes.
According to Richie Unterberger
at Allmusic:
The commercial fortunes of the group declined thereafter, although "You're My Girl" (1965) and "The Water Is Over My Head" (1966) were minor chart hits. They regularly featured Clive Lea's impersonations and group comedy routines, remained a popular live act on the cabaret circuit, and appeared at the 1967 Royal Variety Performance
. Geoff Turton left the group in 1968, and had a briefly successful solo career as Jefferson, with two Hot 100 hits in the US in 1969-70. Clive Lea left in 1970, and was replaced by Terry Webster. The Rockin' Berries continued to perform as a music and comedy act in cabaret, with numerous later personnel changes. Turton returned to the group in the 1970s, and, with Botfield, has remained with the group to the present day.
Pop group
Pop group may refer to:* a band that plays some genre of popular music* a band that plays pop music * The Pop Group, a British post-punk band* Pop! , a 2000s UK pop group...
from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England, who had several hit records in the UK in the 1960s. A version of the group, emphasising comedy routines as well as music, continues to perform to the present day.
History
The Rockin' Berries were originally formed as a beat group at Turves Green SchoolTurves Green Boys' School
Turves Green Boys' Technology and Humanities College is a secondary school in the Northfield area of Birmingham, England. It is approximately 70 years old. The school is an all boys school with Technology College and Humanities College status. It received Technology College status in 1995....
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in the late 1950s by guitarist Brian "Chuck" Botfield, and were so named because they played several Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
songs in their set. An early keyboard player with the group was Christine Perfect, later Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
. When another band was formed locally, by singer Paul Hewitt, guitarist Doug Thompson and drummer Terry Bond, Botfield agreed to join on condition that it used the "Rockin' Berries" name. By mid 1961, the group comprised Botfield (lead guitar), Doug Thompson (rhythm guitar), Tim Munns (bass), Dennis Ryland (saxophone), Terry Bond (drums), and singers Paul Hewitt and Jimmy Powell
Jimmy Powell (singer)
Jimmy Powell is a British former soul and rhythm and blues singer who recorded and performed throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, and is best remembered as the lead singer of Jimmy Powell & The 5 Dimensions, a group that briefly included Rod Stewart.-Early life and career:Powell was born in Selly...
. Later that year, the group went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to play a series of club engagements, with Hewitt being replaced by singer and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
impressionist Clive Lea. On their return, the group auditioned for promoter Jack Good
Jack Good (producer)
Jack Good is a pioneering former TV television producer, musical theatre producer, record producer, musician and painter of icons.-Career:...
, who wanted to sign Powell but not the rest of the group. After a few months, Powell left for a solo career, later leading the Five Dimensions who for a while included Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
. Thompson, Ryland and shortly afterwards Munns also left, and were replaced by singer and guitarist Geoff Turton
Geoff Turton
Geoff Turton , who also recorded under the name Jefferson, was a British singer. His musical career began as the falsettist lead singer, and rhythm guitarist of The Rockin' Berries in 1961, who scored a number of hits in the UK and Europe...
- an old friend of Botfield's - and bassist Roy Austin.
When the group returned to England, they won a contract with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, who released their first two singles, "Wah Wah Woo" and "Itty Bitty Pieces" in 1963. Although the group appeared on TV show Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
, the records were not hits, and the group, now managed by John Schroeder
John Schroeder (musician)
John Francis Schroeder is a British easy listening composer, arranger, and producer.Schroeder worked as an A&R assistant to Norrie Paramor at Columbia Records. He was also a songwriter and, with Mike Hawker, wrote the song "Walkin' Back to Happiness", which in a version by Helen Shapiro reached...
, signed a deal with 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...
subsidiary Piccadilly. Their first record for the new label, "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You", reached # 43 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and the band appeared at the Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where they were seen by American record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
. He suggested they record a version of "He's In Town", a Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
and King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
song that had been a US hit for The Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
. The Rockin' Berries' version reached # 3 in the UK in late 1964, and the follow-up records, "What In The World’s Come Over You" (# 23) and "Poor Man’s Son" (# 5) were also hits. They also released a successful album, In Town. At this point, Roy Austin left the group and was replaced by Bobby Thompson, previously of Rory Storm & The Hurricanes.
According to Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
at Allmusic:
"Much of the Berries' output reflected the lighter pop/rock face of the British beat boom, emphasizing catchy, carefully constructed tunes supplied by British and American songwriters, with high harmonies indebted to the Four Seasons and the Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
.... A career strategy that put an eye on the "all-around entertainer" niche, however, led them to record many comedy numbers that have dated excruciatingly badly, and also ensured that they were denied artistic credibility."
The commercial fortunes of the group declined thereafter, although "You're My Girl" (1965) and "The Water Is Over My Head" (1966) were minor chart hits. They regularly featured Clive Lea's impersonations and group comedy routines, remained a popular live act on the cabaret circuit, and appeared at the 1967 Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
. Geoff Turton left the group in 1968, and had a briefly successful solo career as Jefferson, with two Hot 100 hits in the US in 1969-70. Clive Lea left in 1970, and was replaced by Terry Webster. The Rockin' Berries continued to perform as a music and comedy act in cabaret, with numerous later personnel changes. Turton returned to the group in the 1970s, and, with Botfield, has remained with the group to the present day.
Band personnel
- Roy Austin (born 27 December 1943, BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
) - BassistBassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
(up to 1965) - Clive Lea (born 16 February 1942, Birmingham) - Vocalist (up to 1967)
- Geoff Turton (born Geoffrey Turton, 11 March 1944, Birmingham) - Vocalist / Rhythm GuitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist (up to 1968) - Terry Bond (born Terence Bond, 22 March 1943, Birmingham) - DrummerDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
- Chuck Botfield (born Bryan Charles Botfield, 11 November 1943, Birmingham) - Lead GuitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist - Bobby Thompson - (born 1942, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
) - ex Rory Storm and the HurricanesRory StormRory Storm was an English singer and musician. Born Alan Caldwell in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contemporaries of The Beatles in the late 1950s, and early 1960s...
- Bassist - (joined 1965) - Rod Clarke - Bassist - (born Rodney Clarke, 23 November 1942, Surlingham, Norfolk) (joined 1967)
- Keith Smart - Drummer - (formerly with Roy Wood's Wizzard, formerly of Birmingham group Mongrel)
- John Dowson - Lead Guitar - (Ex Ivy League)
- Derek Jason - Vocalist - (joined 1976)
Singles
- "Wah Wah Woo" / "Rockin' Berries Stomp" (DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
F 11698) - (1963) - "Itty Bitty Pieces" / "The Twitch" (Decca 11760) - (1963)
- "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You" / "You'd Better Come Home" (Piccadilly 7N 35197) - (1964) - UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
Number 43 - "He's In Town" / "Flashback" (Piccadilly 7N 35203) - (Oct. 1964) - Number 3
- "What In The World's Come Over You" / "You Don't Know What To Do" (Piccadilly 7N 35217) - (1964) - Number 23
- "Poor Man's Son" / "Follow Me" (Piccadilly 7N 35236) - (1965) - Number 5
- "You're My Girl" / "Brother Bill" (Piccadilly 7N 35254) - (1965) - Number 40
- "The Water Is Over My Head" / "Doesn't Time Fly" (Piccadilly 7N 35270) - (1965) - Number 43
- "I Could Make You Fall In Love" / "Land Of Love" (Piccadilly 7N 35304) - (1966)
- "Midnight Mary" / "Money Grows On Trees" (Piccadilly 7N 35327) - (1966)
- "Sometimes" / "Needs To Be" (Piccadilly 7N 35373) - (1967)
- "Smile" / "Breakfast At Sam's" (Piccadilly 7N 35400) - (1967)
- "Dawn (Go Away)" / "She's Not Like Any Girl" (PyePye RecordsPye 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...
7N 17411) - (1967) - "When I Reach The Top" / "Pain" (Pye 7N 17519) - (1968)
- "Mr. Blue" / "Land Of Love" (Pye 7N 17589) - (1968)
Extended players
- "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You" (Piccadilly NEP 34039) - (1965)
- "New From The Berries" (Piccadilly NEP 34043) - (1965)
- "Happy To Blue" (Piccadilly NEP 34045) - (1965)
Albums
- They're In Town (Piccadilly NPL 38013) - (1964) - UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
Number 15 - Life Is Just A Bowl Of Berries (Piccadilly NPL 38022) - (1965)