The Remo Four were a 1950s-1960s rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band

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...

, 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...

. They were contemporaries of 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...

, and later had the same manager, 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...

. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in Old Swan

Old Swan

Old Swan is an inner-city area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. It is located fairly centrally in the city, bordered by Stoneycroft, Broadgreen, Fairfield and Wavertree...

, Liverpool, 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...

 died 9 April 1999) (lead guitar

Lead guitar

Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

/vocals), Philip Rogers (rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar

Rhythm 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...

/bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

/vocals), Don Andrew (born Donald Andrew, in 1942, in Liverpool) (bass guitar/vocals), and Roy Dyke

Roy Dyke

Roy Dyke , is a rock drummer noted for his playing with The Remo Four, Badger, and Ashton, Gardner and Dyke.He married Stacia Blake, a former dancer with Hawkwind...

 (drums) (born 13 February 1945, in Liverpool). Andrew and Manley were in the same class at school (Liverpool Institute for Boys

Liverpool Institute for Boys

The Liverpool Institute High School for Boys was an all-boys grammar school in the English port city of Liverpool.The school had its origins in 1825 but occupied different premises while the money was found to build a dedicated building on Mount Street. The Institute was first known as the...

) as 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...

.

Career

Manley and Andrew formed the Remo Quartet in 1958, with singer/guitarist Keith Stokes and drummer Harry Prytherch. They progressed from playing local parties and contests to regular hall appearances, and turned professional, changing their name to the Remo Four in summer 1959. They played a mix of vocal harmony

Harmony

In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...

 material (à la The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...

), and instrumental numbers in the manner of The Shadows

The Shadows

The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...

, The Ventures

The Ventures

The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...

, and Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

.

The Remo Four were voted Number Three Group in a 1961 Mersey Beat

Mersey Beat

Mersey Beat was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College...

 poll, and among their fans were The Beatles, fresh from a season in 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...

, 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...

. Both groups were among the regulars at the Cavern Club during 1961 and 1962, and both shared the bill with Gerry & The Pacemakers

Gerry & the Pacemakers

Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...

, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and Ted "Kingsize" Taylor and the Dominoes, at the 1961 "Operation Big Beat", a festival at New Brighton

New Brighton, Merseyside

New Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...

's Tower Ballroom. While The Beatles travelled back and forth to Hamburg, the Remo Four began playing American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 bases in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, building their stage and musical experience. A highlight of their early career was sharing the stage with the Shadows, in the latter's only Cavern Club appearance. Johnny Sandon

Johnny Sandon

Johnny Sandon was an early rock and roll singer from Liverpool, England...

 joined the band as vocalist in 1962, and stayed for two years.

In early 1963, Prytherch decided to get married and find a regular job, and Roy Dyke took his place in the band. That year the band signed up with Epstein's NEMS Enterprises and acquired a new lead singer, Tommy Quickly

Tommy Quickly

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....

, and a recording contract

Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Piccadilly Records, backing Quickly on "Tip of My Tongue" and other songs. The band also released instrumentals, including a driving rendition of Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...

's Peter Gunn theme.

Different members came and went, including songwriters Wayne Bickerton

Wayne Bickerton

Wayne Bickerton is an English songwriter, record producer, and music business executive. He became well known, with Tony Waddington, as writer and producer of a series of UK chart hits in the 1970s for The Rubettes, and is now a leading figure in SESAC, the Society of European Stage Authors &...

 and Tony Waddington (who later joined Pete Best

Pete Best

Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...

 in a group, that moved to America), and Tony Ashton

Tony Ashton

Tony Ashton was an English rock pianist, keyboardist, singer, composer, producer and artist.-Biography:...

 (keyboards

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

/vocals), who replaced Don Andrew, with Rogers moving to bass. Another NEMS artist, Billy J. Kramer

Billy J. Kramer

Billy J. Kramer is a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In the 1960s he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed The Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of...

, became a frontman for the band, which adopted the name "The New Dakotas" while backing him. Despite their talent and track record, the band's success in the record market was limited, and most of their work came as backing musicians, or as the house band in German

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...

 clubs, including the Star-Club

Star-Club

The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...

 in Hamburg. They released an album, Smile!, on the Star-Club's own label in 1967, featuring elements of rock and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

.

Late in 1967, Beatle George Harrison

George Harrison

George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...

 hired the Remo Four as his backing band for part of his first solo project, the soundtrack album to the movie Wonderwall

Wonderwall (film)

Wonderwall is the title of a 1968 film by first-time director Joe Massot that starred Jack MacGowran, Jane Birkin, Richard Wattis, Irene Handl, and Iain Quarrier, and featured cameos by Anita Pallenberg and Dutch designers The Fool...

. While the songs were mostly instrumentals, they did record one lyrical song, "In The First Place", with Harrison, which was left in the can until the 1990s. (Ashton, Gardner and Dyke

Ashton, Gardner and Dyke

Ashton, Gardner and Dyke were a power rock trio, most popular in the early 1970s. They are best remembered for their song, "Resurrection Shuffle", a transatlantic Top 40 success in 1971...

 later reworked the song and recorded it as "As It Was In The First Place".) They also became Billy Fury

Billy Fury

Billy Fury, born Ronald William Wycherley , was an internationally successful English singer from the late-1950s to the mid-1960s, and remained an active songwriter until the 1980s. Rheumatic fever, which he first contracted as a child, damaged his heart and ultimately contributed to his death...

's backing band, in the late 1960s.

Disbanding in 1970, Ashton and Dyke joined guitarist Kim Gardner, formerly of The Creation

The Creation (band)

The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...

 and The Birds

The Birds (band)

The Birds were a popular rhythm and blues band in the United Kingdom during the mid 1960s, although they recorded fewer than a dozen songs and released only four singles. Starting out with a hard R&B sound, they later began infusing it with Motown-style vocal harmonies...

 (not to be confused with California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 rock band The Byrds

The Byrds

The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

), to form Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, who later recorded a song called "Ballad of the Remo Four". Ashton later formed Paice, Ashton & Lord

Paice, Ashton & Lord

Paice, Ashton and Lord was a British rhythm and blues, funk-soul, rock band founded in 1977, after the break-up of the British band Deep Purple in 1976...

 with members of Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...

. Manley became an accompanist for singers including Engelbert Humperdinck

Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)

Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...

, and later joined The Swinging Blue Jeans

The Swinging Blue Jeans

The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; "Hippy Hippy Shake", the follow-up, Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "You're No Good", a Clint Ballard song that provided a change of pace and furnished the...

. Don Andrew and Colin Manley appeared with Gerry Marsden

Gerry Marsden

Gerard "Gerry" Marsden is an English musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the British band Gerry & the Pacemakers.-Biography:...

 (of Gerry & The Pacemakers fame) performing on stage in an episode of the UK TV soap "Brookside

Brookside

Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...

" in the 1990s. Manley died of cancer on 9 April 1999, and a memorial concert was held for him that June, with some of his former bandmates performing. Ashton also died of cancer, on 28 May 2001. Keith Stokes died on 19 June 2010, cause unknown. He was living in Wallasey and friends and relatives had been trying to trace him for 15 years, without success.

Discography

Lies/On the Horizon (with Johnny Sandon) (7 inch single)

Pye 7N 15542 (July 1963)

Magic Potion/Yes (with Johnny Sandon) (7 inch single)

Pye 7N 15559 (July/August 1963)

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...

/Heaven Only Knows (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35137 (August 1963)

Kiss Me Now/No Other Love (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35151 (1963)

Prove It/Haven't You Noticed (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35167 (1964)

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate/Peter Gunn (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35175 (1964)

You Might as Well Forget Him/It's as Simple as That' (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35183 (1964)

Sally Go Round the Roses

Sally Go 'Round the Roses

"Sally Go 'Round the Roses" is the name of a 1963 hit by the Jaynetts, a Bronx-based one-hit wonder girl group, released by J&S Records on the Tuff label.-Background:...

/I Know a Girl (7 inch single)

Piccadilly 7N 35186 (1964)

Wild Side of Life/Forget the Other Guy (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Pye 7N 15708 (October 1964)

Humpty Dumpty/I'll Go Crazy (with Tommy Quickly) (7 inch single)

Pye 7N 15748 (1964)

Smile! (album)

Star-Club

Star-Club

The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...

 148 577 (issued in Germany, 1967)

Wonderwall Music

Wonderwall Music

Wonderwall Music is George Harrison's first solo album and the soundtrack to the film Wonderwall. The songs are virtually all instrumental, except for some non-English vocals and a slowed-down spoken word track. The songs were recorded in December 1967 in England, and January 1968 in Bombay, India...

(with George Harrison

George Harrison

George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...

) (soundtrack album)

Apple Records

Apple Records

Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...

 APCOR/SAPCOR 1, 1968

The Best of Tommy Quickly, Johnny Sandon, Gregory Phillips and the Remo Four (CD album)

See For Miles Records SEECD349 (1992) tracks:

1. Kiss Me Now
2. Tip Of My Tongue
3. Prove It
4. You Might As Well Forget Him
5. The Wild Side Of Life
6. Heaven Only Knows
7. No Other Love
8. Haven't You Noticed
9. It's As Simple As That
10. Forget The Other Guy
11. Humpty Dumpty
12. I Go Crazy
13. Lies
14. Yes
15. (I'd Be) A Legend In My Time
16. Sixteen Tons
17. Donna Means Heartbreak
18. On The Horizon
19. Magic Potion
20. Some Kinda Wonderful
21. Everybody Knows
22. Angie
23. Don't Bother Me
24. Closer To Me
25. Please Believe Me
26. Make Sure That You're Mine
27. I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate
28. Sally Go Round The Roses
29. I Know A Girl
30. Peter Gunn

(Tracks 1-12 feature Tommy Quickly, 13-20 feature Johnny Sandon, and 21-26 feature Gregory Phillips.)

Smile! (CD album)

Repertoire RR7034 (issued in Germany, November 21, 1996) tracks:

1. Heart Beat
2. Skate
3. No Money Down
4. Rock Candy
5. 7th Son
6. Roadrunner
7. Brother Where Are You
8. Jive Samba
9. Nothin's Too Good For My Baby
10. Peter Gunn
11. Mickey's Monkey
12. Live Like A Lady
13. Sing Hallelujah
14. Dancing And Singing
15. Sing Hallelujah Alternate Take
16. Live Like A Lady Alternate Take
17. Live Like A Lady Instrumental Version

In the First Place (original Wonderwall

Wonderwall

Wonderwall may refer to:*Wonderwall , a 1968 film by Joe Massot*Wonderwall Music, George Harrison's soundtrack to the Wonderwall film...

Abbey Road

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

 mix)/ In the First Place (Wonderwall movie mix) (7 inch single)

Pilar PILAR02V (1998)

Beat-Club

Beat-Club

Beat-Club was a German music program that ran from September 1965 to December 1972. It was broadcast from Bremen, Germany on Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen, the national public TV channel of the ARD, and produced by one of its members, Radio Bremen, later co-produced by WDR following the 38th episode...

 - The Best of '66 (video DVD)

Studio-Hamburg/Radio Bremen

Radio Bremen

Radio Bremen , Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state of Bremen...

 (Various Artists, issued in Germany, 2000) includes the following Remo Four performances recorded in 1966:

1. Peter Gunn
2. Super Girl (with Graham Bonney)

In The First Place (CD single)

Pilar PILAR01CD (2000) tracks:

1. In The First Place (original Wonderwall Abbey Road mix)
2. In The First Place (Wonderwall movie mix)

Fab Gear! Beat Beat Beat Vol.1 (The Mersey Sound And Other Mop Top Rarities 1962-1963) (double CD album)

Castle Music (Various Artists, 2001) includes the following Remo Four tracks:

1. Lies*
2. On the Horizon*
3. Yes*
4. Magic Potion*
5. Kiss Me Now**
6. No Other Love (Could Ever Be The Same)**
   • with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly

In My Liverpool Home Volume 2 - Mereybeat Mania! (CD album)

Mastersound MSCD529 (2003) includes the following Remo Four tracks:

1. Perfidia (recorded live, 1961) - as the Remo Quartet
2. Sleepwalk (recorded live, 1962)

Unearthed Merseybeat (CD album)

Viper CD016 (Various Artists, 2003) includes the following Remo Four tracks:

1. Trambone (recorded 1961)
2. Walk Don't Run (recorded 1961)

The Remo Four - 40 Years of Music (CD album)

Mastersound MSCD581 (2005) tracks:

1. Peter Gunn(recorded 1964)
2. I Know A Girl (recorded 1964)
3. Yes* (recorded 1963)
4. Lies* (recorded 1963)
5. The Wild Side of Life** (recorded 1964)
6. Intro to "Tribute For Colin" (1 June 1999) by Billy Butler
7. Walk Don't Run / Perfida by Dave Williams ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
8. Heartbeat by Paul Andrew (son of Don Andrew) ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
9. Intro 2 by Don Andrew ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
10. Runaway by Mike Byrne ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
11. Intro 3 ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
12. Rainy Days Come Often (composed by C Manley) by Paul Andrew ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
13. Intro 4 ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
14. Sleepwalk by Dave Williams ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
15. End applause ("Tribute For Colin", 1999)
16. Sleepwalk (by original lineup, recorded 1992)
17. Perfidia (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961)
18. Walk, Don't Run (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961)
19. Trambone (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961)
20. The Stranger (recorded at The Iron Door, 1961)
    • with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly

Beatschuppen - Essential Club Music From The 60s (virtual album - download)

Music Torrent (Various Artists, 2005) includes the following Remo Four track:

1. Heart Beat (recorded at Atomic Cafe, Munich
   Munich
   Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
   
   , date unknown)

External links

• Listen to the Remo Four on Rhapsody.com
• The Remo Four: The Early Years by Bill Harry (from Mersey Beat)
• Remo 4 (VH1 band biography)
• Mersey Beat Online (includes articles on Remo Four members)
• Tommy Quickly & The Remo Four, from the British Beat Boom homepage
• The Story of "In the First Place" by Martin Lewis (presented at Abbeyrd's Beatle Page)
• Remo Four images on AltaVista