Sep 18 2008
Is The Mystery Solved?
HAS THE MYSTERY BEEN SOLVED??
Many of us baby-boomers remember a masked foursome (calling themselves The “You Know Who” Group) who tried their best to sound British and fool Beatle fans into thinkin’ that not only were they English, but they were The Fab Four in disguise.
To many diehard fans and music critics, their gimmick was a joke — despite the fact that their song Roses Are Red, My Love (not the Bobby Vinton song, though they did a rendition of that one as well) made it into the Hot 100 in 1965. They were probably not from England, anyway …
Or so we’ve been led to believe all these years!!
After months of digging, The Rock Relic has discovered that The YWK Group apparently did incorporate Brits in their lineup — and guys who, at one time, were heavy-hitters on the Liverpool scene! Some of the members were part of a band called The Undertakers who, after a US tour in 1965, decided to remain in this country. Their lead singer, Jackie Lomax, drummer Bugs Pemberton and lead guitarist Chris Huston made up 75% of the band known as The You Know Who Group (incidentally, I also learned that the name was chosen for more than just a fan-tease; since Jackie and Co. wanted to distance themselves from their past, they thought gettin’ a record gig like this just might help ‘em!).
In the last ish, I mentioned The Buggs with their “Authentic Liverpool Sound” which was “Recorded in England”. Actually. it was done by four guys from Omaha, Nebraska and recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Still, if they’d stuck together as an American band, gotten a few rehearsals under their belts and gotten a good manager, maybe they could’ve made it in the genre!
But the first clone, according to my sources, was the Beattle Mash (note the spelling) by a trio called Liverpool Kids. In fact they released their record even before Beatlemania took off here in the states!
Let’s take a break here for a coupla news items:
First, Relic sends a warm thoughts and well-wishes to the family, friends and on the passing of legendary Motown producer/songwriter Norman Whitfield. The man was responsible for the success of many soul acts, including the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight and the Pips (he produced both versions of I Heard It Through The Grapevine) and helped build the great Motown sound. Norman died of complications from diabetes on Tuesday. He was only 65 years old.
It was announced yesterday that comedian Jerry Lewis and Jon Bon Jovi are among the nominees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. There are more than thirty in all, and you’ll hear the winners come February of next year. Both entertainers mentioned deserve the nod (especially Jerry, who’s done so much for disabled children over the years with his MD Telethon).
Okay … that’s all I have for this edition, but stay tuned … there’s more to follow in less than 24 hours. Until then, I’m gonna use six of those to get some shut-eye!
So, until then, remember:
Keep yer eyes on the skies, yer feet on the ground, yer heart with the music …
and I’ll see ya on the flip side!
