Wayne Gibson
Encyclopedia
Wayne Gibson was the stage name
of Edward William "Bill" Allen (b. 15 December 1942). He was a British
pop singer
who had two hits
on the UK singles chart
, "Kelly" in 1964 and "Under My Thumb
" in 1974.
-based band called the Tornadoes (unrelated to the instrumental group, The Tornados
), who then changed their name to Wayne Gibson & the Dynamic Sounds. Other band members included Mick Todman (lead guitar), Ray Rogers (bass), Pete Gillies (rhythm guitar) and Larry Cole (drums). In 1961-62, they performed at The Top Ten Club in Hamburg
, Germany
.
In 1963 they won a recording deal with Decca Records
, where their records were produced
by American-born Shel Talmy
, at that time the producer of The Bachelors
(and later of The Kinks
and The Who
, among others). However, the group's first two singles, cover version
s of Ray Sharpe
's "Linda Lu" and Ritchie Valens
' "Come On Let's Go", were not successful, and they moved on to the Pye
label. Their next record, a version of Del Shannon
's "Kelly" which featured session musician
Jimmy Page
on guitar, reached # 48 on the UK chart in March 1964, but the follow-up, "Portland Town", was not a hit. The group moved on again, to the Columbia
label and then Parlophone
, where they released a version of "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead
" from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
. In 1964-65, they also appeared regularly as the house band on the BBC TV programme The Beat Room
.
Gibson's later recordings were as a solo singer. In May 1966 he released a version of The Rolling Stones
' "Under My Thumb", produced by Terry King. Again, however, it was not immediately a hit, and nor was his next record, a version of The Beatles
' "For No One
". However, "For No One" was reportedly then picked up for release in the US by Motown Records
, Gibson becoming the first British singer to be issued by that label.
Gibson did not record after 1966 and seems to have left the professional entertainment business at that time. However, in 1972, the small Kingdom
label reissued "For No One" in the UK. By 1974, "Under My Thumb" had become well known on the Northern soul
club scene, and it was reissued on the Pye Disco Demand
label. It rose to # 17 on the chart in late 1974, and Gibson briefly re-emerged to promote it on Top of the Pops
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Edward William "Bill" Allen (b. 15 December 1942). He was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop singer
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...
who had two hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
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 ...
, "Kelly" in 1964 and "Under My Thumb
Under My Thumb
"Under My Thumb" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones. Its first appearance was as an album track on 1966's Aftermath...
" in 1974.
Career
In the early 1960s, he was lead singer in a South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
-based band called the Tornadoes (unrelated to the instrumental group, The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
), who then changed their name to Wayne Gibson & the Dynamic Sounds. Other band members included Mick Todman (lead guitar), Ray Rogers (bass), Pete Gillies (rhythm guitar) and Larry Cole (drums). In 1961-62, they performed at The Top Ten Club 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...
.
In 1963 they won a recording deal 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....
, where their records were produced
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...
by American-born Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
, at that time the producer of The Bachelors
The Bachelors
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:The founding members of the group were Conleth Cluskey , Declan Cluskey , and John Stokes...
(and later of The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, among others). However, the group's first two singles, cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of Ray Sharpe
Ray Sharpe
Ray Sharpe is an American R&B and rockabilly singer, guitarist and songwriter.He grew up influenced by country as well as blues music, and many of his recordings are classed as rockabilly – he was described by one record producer as "the greatest white-sounding black dude ever"...
's "Linda Lu" and Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
' "Come On Let's Go", were not successful, and they moved on to the Pye
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...
label. Their next record, a version of Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
's "Kelly" which featured session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on guitar, reached # 48 on the UK chart in March 1964, but the follow-up, "Portland Town", was not a hit. The group moved on again, to the Columbia
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
label and then Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, where they released a version of "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead
Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead
"Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" is the centrepiece of several individual songs in an extended set-piece performed by the Munchkins, Glinda and Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. It was composed by Harold Arlen, with the lyrics written by E.Y...
" from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. In 1964-65, they also appeared regularly as the house band on the BBC TV programme The Beat Room
The Beat Room
The Beat Room was a series of British television programmes presenting beat, rhythm and blues and other pop music, which was shown on the BBC2 channel in 1964-65....
.
Gibson's later recordings were as a solo singer. In May 1966 he released a version of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Under My Thumb", produced by Terry King. Again, however, it was not immediately a hit, and nor was his next record, a version 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...
' "For No One
For No One
"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver. A baroque pop song about the end of a relationship, it was one of McCartney's most mature and poignant works upon its release...
". However, "For No One" was reportedly then picked up for release in the US by Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, Gibson becoming the first British singer to be issued by that label.
Gibson did not record after 1966 and seems to have left the professional entertainment business at that time. However, in 1972, the small Kingdom
Kingdom Records (UK)
Kingdom Records is a British record label from the 1970s and 1980s, that was important in early British and Jamaican dub music.- History :One of Kingdom Records' first releases was the 1972 Mojo Hannah single "Six Days on the Road".- Artists :...
label reissued "For No One" in the UK. By 1974, "Under My Thumb" had become well known on the Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
club scene, and it was reissued on the Pye Disco Demand
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...
label. It rose to # 17 on the chart in late 1974, and Gibson briefly re-emerged to promote it on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.