The Big Three (musical group)
Encyclopedia
The Big Three were a Merseybeat
group
from Liverpool
. They are best known for their 1963 recording of "Some Other Guy
".
(born 21 March 1936, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland
) as a trio comprising Casser (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Adrian Barber
(lead guitar, vocals) (born 13 November 1938, Ilkley
, Yorkshire
) and Johnny Hutch
(drums, vocals) (born John Hutchinson, 18 July 1940, Malta
), replacing original drummer, Brian J Hudson (born Brian James Hudson, 21 April 1938, Cleveland, Yorkshire
) in July 1959. The original line-up played at St George's Hall, Liverpool on Friday 15 May 1959. In need of a bass guitarist
, Hutchinson brought in Johnny Gustafson
(born John Frederick Gustafson, 8 August 1942, Liverpool
, Lancashire
) in December 1959. At that time Gustafson did not have a proper bass guitar
so Barber converted an acoustic
for him. Gustafson's first gig was at The Tower Ballroom, New Brighton on Thursday 31 December 1959.
In May 1960 the band auditioned for the famous pop manager Larry Parnes
at the Wyvern Social Club, Seel Street, Liverpool, with a number of other bands including The Silver Beetles. Hutchinson sat in with the band when their drummer Tommy Moore
(born Thomas Moore, in 1924, Liverpool died in 1981) failed to turn up. In December 1960, Casser left the group and moved to London, reducing them to a trio again, and the band re-emerged in January 1961 as The Big Three. Despite being a three-piece they were known as "one of the loudest, most aggressive and visually appealing acts" in Liverpool due to Barber's talents in the electronics field. He built the band giant amps, standing over five feet high, which were nicknamed 'coffins', and built one for Paul McCartney
.
Brian Epstein
signed them to his agency and sent them over to Hamburg
. It was during that trip in August 1962 that Brian Griffiths (born 27 August 1943, Liverpool
) joined the group, Barber left, and the best-known line-up of the Big Three was established.
Epstein arranged for them to audition for Decca Records
, for which audition they recorded "Some Other Guy
". The group was not happy with the demo recording, and was appalled when they were told that Decca would be releasing it and would not allow them a proper recording session so they could perform the song the way they wished it to be played. The song was a minor chart hit.
The Big Three and Epstein terminated their partnership in July 1963. Gustafson and Griffiths quit in November 1963, and with drummer Ian Broad from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes formed the Seniors and left for Germany
. Hutchinson replaced them with Faron (born William Faron Ruffley, 8 January 1942, Walton
, Liverpool) and Paddy Chambers
(born Patrick John Chambers, 3 April 1944, Liverpool, died 18 September 2000) from Faron's Flamingos.
Chambers left in March 1964 and was replaced by Paul Pilnick (born 17 March 1944, Liverpool
) from the All Stars. Pilnick only stayed a short time before moving on to Tony Jackson
& the Vibrations in October 1964. Between 1965 and 1966 the line-up consisted of John Hutchinson, Roy Marshall (vocals, bass) and Barry Womersley (lead guitar). During 1966 the band folded. Hutchinson received an offer to join Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes but declined and ended his drumming career.
In 1973, Gustafson and Griffiths teamed up with Elton John
drummer Nigel Olsson
for a reunion album, Resurrection, on Polydor Records
. In 1999 Griffiths got together with another former Big Three member, Faron Ruffley, to do a small spot of Big Three numbers at the Merseycats charity night; the drummer for the get-together was Arty Davies (Farons Flamingos).
In 2009, RPM Records
issued a CD compilation entitled Cavern Stomp, combining The Big Three's complete recordings for Decca plus the reunion LP for Polydor.
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool 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...
. They are best known for their 1963 recording of "Some Other Guy
Some Other Guy
-Other recorded versions:The song was very popular in Liverpool's Merseybeat scene. Both the original and the version by fellow Merseybeaters The Big Three are part of John Lennon's jukebox...
".
Career
The Big Three evolved from a group called Cass & The Cassanovas, formed in May 1959 by Brian CasserBrian Casser
Brian Casser is a British singer and guitarist. He led the first notable beat group in Liverpool, Cass & The Cassanovas, who were early rivals of The Beatles in the city...
(born 21 March 1936, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
) as a trio comprising Casser (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Adrian Barber
Adrian Barber
Adrian Barber is a musician / producer who is responsible for recording the Beatles "Gray Zone" Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962.-Musician / electronics:...
(lead guitar, vocals) (born 13 November 1938, Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
) and Johnny Hutch
Johnny Hutchinson
Johnny 'Hutch' Hutchinson , also known as Johnny Hutch, was a Liverpudlian rock and roll drummer of the late 1950s and early 1960s, during the same time that The Beatles rose through the ranks of British rock bands...
(drums, vocals) (born John Hutchinson, 18 July 1940, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
), replacing original drummer, Brian J Hudson (born Brian James Hudson, 21 April 1938, Cleveland, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
) in July 1959. The original line-up played at St George's Hall, Liverpool on Friday 15 May 1959. In need of a bass guitarist
Bassist
A 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...
, Hutchinson brought in Johnny Gustafson
John Gustafson (musician)
John "Gus" Gustafson also known as Johnny Gustafson is an influential bass player who has had a thirty eight year recording and live performance career...
(born John Frederick Gustafson, 8 August 1942, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool 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...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
) in December 1959. At that time Gustafson did not have a proper bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
so Barber converted an acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
for him. Gustafson's first gig was at The Tower Ballroom, New Brighton on Thursday 31 December 1959.
In May 1960 the band auditioned for the famous pop manager Larry Parnes
Larry Parnes
Laurence Maurice "Larry" Parnes was an English pop manager and impresario. He has been described as "the first major British rock manager... Parnes' stable encompassed most of the most successful pre-Beatles British rock singers."...
at the Wyvern Social Club, Seel Street, Liverpool, with a number of other bands including The Silver Beetles. Hutchinson sat in with the band when their drummer Tommy Moore
Tommy Moore (musician)
Thomas Henry "Tommy" Moore was an English drummer who played with The Silver Beetles - who later became The Beatles - from May to June 1960....
(born Thomas Moore, in 1924, Liverpool died in 1981) failed to turn up. In December 1960, Casser left the group and moved to London, reducing them to a trio again, and the band re-emerged in January 1961 as The Big Three. Despite being a three-piece they were known as "one of the loudest, most aggressive and visually appealing acts" in Liverpool due to Barber's talents in the electronics field. He built the band giant amps, standing over five feet high, which were nicknamed 'coffins', and built one for 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...
.
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...
signed them to his agency and sent them over to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. It was during that trip in August 1962 that Brian Griffiths (born 27 August 1943, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool 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...
) joined the group, Barber left, and the best-known line-up of the Big Three was established.
Epstein arranged for them to audition for 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....
, for which audition they recorded "Some Other Guy
Some Other Guy
-Other recorded versions:The song was very popular in Liverpool's Merseybeat scene. Both the original and the version by fellow Merseybeaters The Big Three are part of John Lennon's jukebox...
". The group was not happy with the demo recording, and was appalled when they were told that Decca would be releasing it and would not allow them a proper recording session so they could perform the song the way they wished it to be played. The song was a minor chart hit.
The Big Three and Epstein terminated their partnership in July 1963. Gustafson and Griffiths quit in November 1963, and with drummer Ian Broad from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes formed the Seniors and left for 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...
. Hutchinson replaced them with Faron (born William Faron Ruffley, 8 January 1942, Walton
Walton, Merseyside
Walton, originally known as Walton-on-the-Hill, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, is an area situated to the north of Anfield and the east of Bootle and Orrell Park. It is largely residential, with a diverse population.-History:...
, Liverpool) and Paddy Chambers
Paddy Chambers
Paddy Chambers was an English lead guitarist and vocalist from the Merseybeat era.With an early 1960s band of his, Steve Bennett and the Syndicate, Patrick John Chambers appeared at The 2i's Coffee Bar in 1961...
(born Patrick John Chambers, 3 April 1944, Liverpool, died 18 September 2000) from Faron's Flamingos.
Chambers left in March 1964 and was replaced by Paul Pilnick (born 17 March 1944, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool 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...
) from the All Stars. Pilnick only stayed a short time before moving on to Tony Jackson
Tony Jackson (bass player)
Tony Jackson was an English bass guitar player and singer who was a member of The Searchers.-Biography:...
& the Vibrations in October 1964. Between 1965 and 1966 the line-up consisted of John Hutchinson, Roy Marshall (vocals, bass) and Barry Womersley (lead guitar). During 1966 the band folded. Hutchinson received an offer to join Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes but declined and ended his drumming career.
In 1973, Gustafson and Griffiths teamed up with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
drummer Nigel Olsson
Nigel Olsson
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer, who is best known for his work with Elton John. Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as one of the first members of John's band, on drums, percussion and backing vocals. When not working with Elton, Olsson has taken up the role of a session musician...
for a reunion album, Resurrection, on Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. In 1999 Griffiths got together with another former Big Three member, Faron Ruffley, to do a small spot of Big Three numbers at the Merseycats charity night; the drummer for the get-together was Arty Davies (Farons Flamingos).
In 2009, RPM Records
RPM Records (UK)
RPM Records is a record label founded in 1991, and based in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England. The label specialises in reissues under the slogan: "Brought to you by collectors for collectors." It forms part of the Cherry Red group....
issued a CD compilation entitled Cavern Stomp, combining The Big Three's complete recordings for Decca plus the reunion LP for Polydor.
Singles
- "Some Other GuySome Other Guy-Other recorded versions:The song was very popular in Liverpool's Merseybeat scene. Both the original and the version by fellow Merseybeaters The Big Three are part of John Lennon's jukebox...
" (Leiber, StollerJerry Leiber and Mike StollerJerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
, Barrett) / "Let True Love Begin" (Decca F 11614, March 1963, 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 ...
#37) - "By the Way" / "Cavern Stomp" (Decca F 11689, June 1963, UK #22)
- "I'm With You" / "Peanut Butter" (Decca F 11752, October 1963)
- "If You Ever Change Your Mind" / "You've Got to Keep Her under Your Hand" (Decca F 11927, June 1964)
- "Some Other Guy" / "Let It Rock" / "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody" (Polydor 2058 343, 1973)
EPs
- At The Cavern (live) ("What'd I Say" / "Don't Start Running Away" / "Zip A Dee Doo DahZip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song...
" / "Reelin' and Rockin'") (Decca DFE 8552 [mono], November 1963; reissued 1981)