Tommy Quickly
Encyclopedia
Tommy Quickly was a Liverpool rock and roll
singer
in the early 1960s. He was a later signing of artist manager
Brian Epstein
, whose biggest act was The Beatles
.
Spotted as the vocalist with local group the Challengers, Epstein liked Quigley but not the band, suggesting first a name change (to "Tommy Quickly and the Stops"), then pairing him instead with The Remo Four
. The next change was in song selection; whilst Quickly's voice was best suited to rhythm and blues
, Epstein steered him toward pop song
s, starting with his first single, "Tip of My Tongue
", written by the Beatles songwriter
s John Lennon
and Paul McCartney
. He then made the usual round of appearances on-stage and in public, and was promoted by Epstein as part of his NEMS Enterprises artist stable.
"Tip of My Tongue" was a flop, as were his next four singles. His fifth single, "Wild Side of Life", charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
, spending eight weeks in the chart
. Described as young, naive and impulsive, and seemingly overwhelmed with matters since parting with the Challengers, Quickly was ill-prepared for the spotlight. When follow-up hits did not materialise, and with manager Epstein unable to push him further, Quickly retired from the music industry in 1965. İn 1966 he spent tıme in Walton Hospital, Liverpool suffering from a breakdown.
Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four can be seen performing "Humpty Dumpty", in the 1965 film
, Pop Gear
(billed in the United States
as Go Go Mania).
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...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
in the early 1960s. He was a later signing of artist manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
, whose biggest act was The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Spotted as the vocalist with local group the Challengers, Epstein liked Quigley but not the band, suggesting first a name change (to "Tommy Quickly and the Stops"), then pairing him instead with The Remo Four
The Remo Four
The Remo Four were a 1950s-1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein...
. The next change was in song selection; whilst Quickly's voice was best suited to rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, Epstein steered him toward pop song
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
s, starting with his first single, "Tip of My Tongue
Tip of My Tongue
"Tip of My Tongue" is a single by Tommy Quickly backed by The Remo Four. Written by Paul McCartney and attributed to the songwriting partnership of Lennon–McCartney, it was one of their relatively few songs that were never officially released by The Beatles...
", written by the Beatles songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. He then made the usual round of appearances on-stage and in public, and was promoted by Epstein as part of his NEMS Enterprises artist stable.
"Tip of My Tongue" was a flop, as were his next four singles. His fifth single, "Wild Side of Life", charted in the Top 40 of 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 ...
, spending eight weeks in the chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Described as young, naive and impulsive, and seemingly overwhelmed with matters since parting with the Challengers, Quickly was ill-prepared for the spotlight. When follow-up hits did not materialise, and with manager Epstein unable to push him further, Quickly retired from the music industry in 1965. İn 1966 he spent tıme in Walton Hospital, Liverpool suffering from a breakdown.
Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four can be seen performing "Humpty Dumpty", in the 1965 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Pop Gear
Pop Gear
Pop Gear is a British music review film, directed by Frederic Goode and released in 1965. It contains live concert footage of The Beatles, and lip-synched videos of some of the British Invasion bands, including The Animals, Herman's Hermits, The Nashville Teens, Peter and Gordon, Matt Monro, Billy J...
(billed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Go Go Mania).
Singles
- "Tip of My TongueTip of My Tongue"Tip of My Tongue" is a single by Tommy Quickly backed by The Remo Four. Written by Paul McCartney and attributed to the songwriting partnership of Lennon–McCartney, it was one of their relatively few songs that were never officially released by The Beatles...
" (Lennon/McCartney) / "Heaven Only Knows" (August 1963, 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...
Piccadilly 7N 35137) - "Kiss Me Now" / "No Other Love" (1963, Piccadilly 7N 35151)
- "Prove It" / "Haven't You Noticed" (1964, Piccadilly 7N 35167)
- You Might As Well Forget Him" / "It's As Simple As That" (1964, Piccadilly 7N 35183)
- "Wild Side Of Life" / "Forget The Other Guy" (October 1964, 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 15708) UKUK 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 ...
#33 - "Humpty Dumpty" / "I'll Go Crazy" (December 1964, Pye 7N 15748)