MANCHESTER BEAT GROUPS 1960s
…WHO FOUND INTERNATIONAL FAME

The Dakotas, Freddie and the Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman’s Hermits and The Hollies.
They all had very different stories to tell and are a great testament to the Manchester beat groups of the 1960s.

For the PODCAST associated with this blog

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PLEASE NOTE
1 The dates listed for singles are the chart entry day – unless otherwise stated.

2 This blog was written as the companion to the Rock’n’Roll Unravelled Show, Manchester Beat Groups – who found international success, first aired on Access North West on 1 April 2019.
The TOURS detailed below were researched for that show. However, the link to 1960s 1970s Artists Touring Now on my website is regularly updated and will have the latest information. The link on the website, for DATES & VENUES, will take you to straight to the artist’s own tour detail.
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The DAKOTAS

Based in Manchester, the Dakotas found success after signing up with Brian Epstein and working with a new Scouse frontman – Billy J Kramer.
But their story goes back to Manchester and…

PETE MACLAINE AND THE DAKOTAS

Around 1960 the Drovers morphed into Pete Maclaine and the Dakotas. The band’s name reputedly came about after a gig at the Plaza Ballroom in Oxford Street, Manchester. The manager asked them to return the following week as native American Indians and change their name to the Dakotas.

2 February 1962: Pete Maclaine and the Dakotas made their Cavern debut. They were the first Manchester band to play the prestigious Liverpool club.

26 July 1962: Pete Maclaine and the Dakotas played a gig at Cambridge Hall, Southport. In a twist of fate, Billy Kramer and the Coasters were also playing that night. Other bands on the bill that night included, Joe Brown and the Bruvvers, The Beatles and The Four Jays, who became The Fourmost.

In late 1962 / early 1963 Brian Epstein asked the Dakotas to back Billy Kramer. The Dakotas and Pete Maclaine parted company and shortly afterwards he formed Pete Maclaine and the Clan.

STAYING WITH PETE MACLAINE AND THE CLAN

5 July 1963: Played Cavern club in Liverpool

July 1963: Co-written by Pete Maclaine, the band released their only single, Yes I Do. It failed to trouble the charts. Pete Maclaine famously turned down an offer from Lennon & McCartney to write some songs for him.

late 1963/early 1964: Pete Maclaine hooked up with – Four Just Men. They backed Pete Maclaine as well as performing in their own right. The band formed in Liverpool in the early 1960s and used a variety of names, including Dee Fenton and the Silhouettes. In early 1963 they relocated to Manchester and adopted the name Four Just Men.

3 May 1964: At the Palace Theatre, Manchester, Pete Maclaine and the Four Just Men supported the Rolling Stones.

Pete Maclaine and the Clan have gigged steadily to the present day.

THE DAKOTAS

Late 1962 /early 1963: Brian Epstein asked the Dakotas to back Billy Kramer. Epstein wanted to sign Kramer but his group, The Coasters, didn’t want to turn professional. Billy signed up, the Coasters found a new singer and became Chick Graham and the Coasters.
The Dakotas signed as his backing group but also had separate contract to record in their own right. John Lennon suggested the addition of “J” and Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas found success as a Merseybeat group.

THIS WAS THE TIME THAT BEAT MUSIC WAS BREAKING ACROSS THE UK

Skiffle and British rock’n’roll dominated the 1950s. This morphed into beat music in the late 1950s / early 1960s. One of the factors for the development was the newly-introduced electric bass guitar. The other big difference was more subtle. In the 1950s groups comprised a lead singer with a backing group. The beat groups were an entity in themselves. The focus was on whole group, not just – lead singer.

The Beatles and other Merseybeat groups were the first to find commercial success but the Manchester based beat groups were hot on their heels.
To put this into perspective:
Beatles led the way
11 October 1962: The Beatles – Love Me Do, #17
17 January 1963: The Beatles – Please Please Me, #2
First beat group #1
14 March: Gerry and the Pacemakers – How Do You Do It, #1 for 3 weeks
First Beatles #1
18 April: The Beatles – From Me to You, #1 for 7 weeks
First Manchester success
2 May: Billy J Kramer with the Dakotas – Do You Want to Know a Secret, #2
Dakotas – found success as – Merseybeat group
9 May: Freddy and the Dreamers – If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody, #3
30 May: The Hollies – (Ain’t That) Just Like Me, #25

BILLY J KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS

Had 6 UK hits, including 2 x #1s – 1963 to 1965
2 May 1963: Their first UK hit came with Do You Want to Know a Secret, #2, c/w I’ll Be on My Way
The writing credit for BOTH sides is listed as “McCartney – Lennon”, rather than the usual “Lennon – McCartney”.

DAKOTAS – had their own recording contract
11 July: The Dakotas – The Cruel Sea, #18
George Martin produced this instrumental and it gave the Dakotas their only UK hit. They had chart success with Billy J Kramer but never scored in their own right on the American charts.

THE BRITISH INVASION

From the beginning of 1964, British groups and artists dominated the American charts. This lasted until the end 1965 / beginning of 1966.

It started with the Beatles…
25 January 1964: I Want to Hold Your Hand – #1 for 7 weeks
9 February: First appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas – first US hit
2 May 1964: Little Children, #7 – written by “Shuman – McFarland”
13 June: c/w Bad to Me, #9 – written by Lennon & McCartney
They had 4 US hits – all in 1964

20 May 1965: Trains and Boats and Planes, #12, gave them their last UK hit.

September 1967: Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas parted company.

The Dakotas split up following Brian Epstein’s death in 1967. They re-formed in the mid-1980s.

ON TOUR – Billy J Kramer
Roslyn Hotel – New York…..2 Mar 2019
Billy J Kramer: dates and venues

ON TOUR – The Dakotas
UK…..5 April to 6 June 2020
Includes – The Sensational 60s Experience
Mike Pender + The Fortunes + The Swinging Blues Jeans
The Dakotas: dates and venues

ON TOUR – Pete Maclaine and the Clan
No dates listed
Pete Maclaine and the Clan: dates and venues

FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS

1957: Freddie Garrity was in various groups, including The Red Sox, The John Norman Four and the Kingfishers
late 1959: The Kingfishers changed their name to The Dreamers Rhythm Group.
October 1961: The Dreamers Rhythm Group morphed into Freddie and the Dreamers.

3 July 1962: Freddie and the Dreamers made their debut gig at the Cavern in Liverpool.

9 May 1963: If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody, #3, gave them their first UK hit.
The original was a US R&B #10 by James Ray in 1962.

Freddie and the Dreamers had 9 UK hits in total – 1963 to 1965.

May 1964: UK package tour on a joint headline with the Rolling Stones. The bill also included: Dave Berry and the Cruisers, Milly and Mark Peters and the Silhouettes.

COVERS WERE A BIG PART OF BEAT GROUPS’ REPERTOIRES

In the early-mid-1960s, beat groups’ sets included a very large proportion of covers of American, rock’n’roll, blues, R&B and doo wop songs. Even the likes of the Beatles and Stones’ live performances were dominated by covers in the early 1960s. Most groups wrote very little of their repertoire and often played all covers.

Freddie and the Dreamers covered some great R&B / Doo Wop songs, including the doo wop classic I Understand.

5 November 1964: I Understand , #5, their 7th UK hit.
Recorded by The Four Tunes and an R&B Top-40 for them in 1954.
It was recorded again in 1961 by the G-Clefs. Their version interwove Auld Lang Syne into the arrangement.

The Freddie and the Dreamers version follows the G-Clefs’ arrangement.

24 December 1964: The Beatles Christmas Show opened at London’s Hammersmith Odeon and ran until January 16. As well as Freddy and the Dreamers, the bill included Jimmy Saville, Sounds Incorporated, Elkie Brooks, The Yardbirds and The Mike Cotton Sound.

27 March 1965: I’m Telling You Now, #1 for 2 weeks – their first US hit.
Freddie Garrity co-wrote the song. This hit version was on the Tower record label. It was originally released in America on the Capitol label in October 1963 but failed to make an impression on the charts.

Many of the groups who found success in the British Invasion released singles in America as early as 1963. Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas released Do You Want to Know a Secret, on Liberty, in June 1963. It was not until the Beatles’ charted with their first Capitol release, I Want to Hold Your Hand, on 25 January 1964, that the floodgates opened and other British groups started to have success across the pond.

Freddie and the Dreamers scored four American hits – including 1 x #1.
These hits were: (the dates indicate the chart entry)
27 March 1965: I’m Telling You Now, #1 for 2 weeks – Tower
24 April 1965: I Understand, #36 – Mercury
15 May 1965: Do the Freddie, #18– Mercury
15 May 1965: You Were Made for Me, #21 – Tower

All four of their American hits charted across a three-month period! Their last two hits charted on the same day, on two different labels!
Another collector’s item came with their last US hit, You Were Made for Me. The B-Side, So Fine, is by the Beat Merchants. The record company accidentally pressed the wrong B-side.

4 November 1965: Thou Shalt Not Steal was the 9th and last UK hit, #44.

December 1965: Aladdin panto in Manchester, at the Palace Theatre.
The production included: Des O’Connor, The Barry Sisters, Jack Douglas and Billy Dainty, all household names at the time.

December 1967: Freddie and the Dreamers were back in panto, Cinderella in Stockton on Tees. This time they were supported by a minor cast with no national names.

1968: Freddie and the Dreamers – disbanded

1970: Freddie – revived the Dreamers

2006: Freddie Garrity died

ON TOUR – The Dreamers
UK…..5 April to 23 August 2020
The Dreamers: dates and venues

WAYNE FONTANA AND THE MINDBENDERS

28 October 1945: Wayne Fontana was born Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, in Manchester, England.
The inspiration for his stage name came from Elvis Presley’s drummer, DJ Fontana. Rather than, as is sometimes suggested, from his record label, the Philips subsidiary – Fontana.

late 1950s: (Wayne Fontana) Glyn Ellis started out in a skiffle group with school friends, The Velfins

early 1960s: Wayne Fontana and the Jets formed.

26 Jan 1963: Wayne Fontana and the Jets supported the Beatles at Macclesfield’s El Rio Club.

4 May: Wayne Fontana and the Jets auditioned for Jack Baverstock, Fontana A&R man and producer. Wayne Fontana and bassist Bob Lang turned up but the Jets’ drummer and guitarist both failed to show. In order for the audition to proceed, Wayne Fontana invited guitarist Eric Stewart and drummer Ric Rothwell to stand in. They passed the audition, on the proviso that he recorded with these same musicians.
With the new lineup they needed a name change. This was taken from a contemporaneous Dirk Bogarde movie, The Mind Benders.

11 July 1963: First UK hit, Hello Josephine, #46, c/w Roadrunner
Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew wrote Hello Josephine.
The writing credit for Roadrunner went to “E McDaniel”, otherwise known as Bo Diddley.

Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders had six UK hit singles – July 1963 to September 1965.

13 November 1963: Gig at The R&B Show at Sheffield’s City Hall. The Rolling Stones, The Big Three and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders had the main billing. They were supported by some local Sheffield bands, including an early Joe Cocker. He was Vance Arnold, of Vance Arnold and the Avengers.

31 May 1964: At this Empire Pool, Wembley gig, Adam Faith topped of the bill. The Rolling Stones were there but had low billing. The bill included: from Manchester, Freddie and the Dreamers and The Hollies; from Liverpool, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Undertakers and The Merseybeats; with compere Diddy David Hamilton.

8 October 1964: Third UK hit – Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, #5.
Major Lance original – R&B #1 for 2 weeks in early 1964.

4 February 1965: Their fourth UK single Game of Love, #2, gave them their biggest UK hit.
27 March 1965: Game of Love was also their first and only American hit, #1 for 1 week, as Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.

30 September 1965: She Needs Love, #32, was their sixth and last UK hit.

30 October 1965: Wayne Fontana walked off stage at the Pavilion in Buxton Gardens, Derbyshire. Wayne Fontana and the group parted company shortly afterwards.
The Mindbenders continued: vocals and guitar Eric Stewart, bassist Bob Lang and drummer Ric Rothwell.
Wayne Fontana formed the Boys, renamed shortly afterwards to the Opposition. Interestingly his solo singles were attributed just to “Wayne Fontana”.

9 December 1965: Wayne Fontana’s first UK solo single entered the charts, It Was Easier to Hurt Her, #36.
He had 4 UK hits in total, 1965 to 1966. Solo success eluded him in America.

13 January 1966: The Mindbenders’ first UK solo success came with A Groovy Kind of Love, #2.
Diane and Annita released the original in 1965.
The Mindbenders had 4 UK hits – 1966 to 1967.

30 April: The Mindbenders also scored their only American hit with A Groovy Kind of Love, #2.
4 July: The Mindbenders opened in Atlanta for their final US tour, with James Brown as the headlining act.

8 December 1966: Wayne Fontana’s fourth and final UK hit came with Pamela, Pamela, #11.

20 September 1967: The Mindbenders’ fourth and last UK hit was their cover of The Letter, #42.
The Box Tops recorded the original and it gave them a Billboard Top-40 #1 for 4 weeks.

March 1968: Graham Gouldman joined the Mindbenders, replacing Bob Lang.

20 November 1968: The Mindbenders played their swansong gig at the Liverpool Empire, with the Who on the bill.
Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman went on to form Hotlegs and collaborate at their own Strawberry Studios, before teaming up with Lol Creme and Kevin Godley to form 10cc.

ON TOUR – Wayne Fontana – billed as Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders
UK…..15 May
Sixties Gold tour…..27 Sep to 15 December
with Merseybeats + Steve Ellis + Marmalade + Herman’s Hermits
Wayne Fontana: dates and venues

ON TOUR – 10cc – with Graham Gouldman
Russia + UK + Belgium + Germany + Denmark + UK…..27 March to 24 August
10cc: dates and venues

HERMAN’S HERMITS

5 November 1947 : Peter Noone was born in Manchester
11 December 1961: Peter Noone’s first appearance on the UK TV soap Coronation Street, as Len Fairclough’s son.

1963: The Heartbeats morphed into Herman’s Hermits.
April 1964: Barry Whitwam joined Herman’s Hermits.

20 August 1964: They had their first UK hit with I’m Into Something Good, #1 for 2 weeks.
Written by Goffin and King and produced by Mickie Most, who became their regular producer.

Herman’s Hermits had a string of 20 UK hits – August 1964 to November 1970. They were the first of our Manchester beat groups to survive past the birth of rock, in 1965 / ’66.

14 November 1964: They scored their first American hit with I’m Into Something Good, #13.

January 1965: During their first US visit, the group made a cameo appearance in the movie When the Boys Meet the Girls. It starred Connie Francis and also featured, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs who had a 1965 UK hit with Wooly Bully, Liberace and Louis Armstrong. Quite an eclectic mix of music for the soundtrack.

In America, Herman’s Hermits had a string of 18 Billboard Top-40 hits – November 1964 to February 1968. They included R&B covers, novelty songs and movie songs.
These included…
17 April 1965: 3rd single: Mrs Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, #1 for 3 weeks
…..not released in the UK
17 April 1965: 4th single – entered the Billboard Top-40 on the same day: Silhouettes, #3
…..originally by The Rays in 1957
5 June 1965: 5th single: Wonderful World, #7
…..originally by Sam Cooke in 1960
10 July 1965: 6th single: I’m Henry VIII I Am, second and last US #1, for 1 week
…..written in 1911 and popularised in the UK by Harry Champion
26 February 1966: 9th single: Listen People, #3
…..from the movie When the Boys Meet the Girls; written by Graham Gouldman
16 April 1966: 10th single: Leaning on the Lamp Post, #9
…..from the movie Hold On! – starred Herman’s Hermits, the poster announced “introducing Peter Blair Noone”
……..The song was recorded by George Formby in 1937.
3 February 1968: 18th and last US hit: I Can Take or Leave Your Loving, #22

Herman’s Hermits last two UK hits came in 1970.
7 February: 18th single and their last hit on Columbia: Years May Come and Years May Go, #7
14 November: 20th and final UK hit: Lady Barbara, #13
…..the second release on the RAK record label, credited as Peter Noone & Herman’s Hermits

1971: Peter Noone left Herman’s Hermits
22 May 1971: Peter Noon’s only UK hit, Oh You Pretty Thing.
Written by David Bowie and produced by Mickie Most.

ON TOUR – Herman’s Hermits – lineup includes Barry Whitwam
Sensational 60s tour: UK…..1 March to 28 April
Norway + Denmark + Germany + UK + Australia…..30 April to 8 September
Sixties Gold tour + other solo dates: UK…..27 September to 15 Dec
UK…..January 10 to May 8 2020
Herman’s Hermits: dates and venues

ON TOUR – Peter Noone – as Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
UK…..17 March to 24 April
US + Canada…..27 April to 24 November
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone: dates and venues

THE HOLLIES

1947: When they were around five years old, Graham Nash met Allan Clarke at Ordsall Primary School in Salford.
1955: They formed their first band, the Two Teens.
By early 1960s: They were calling themselves Ricky & Dane. Then they joined Eric Haydock in the Deltas. The Deltas morphed into – The Hollies

The Hollies are the only one of our Manchester beat groups to go on to continued success in the 1970s and beyond. In this blog we’re looking at the Hollies across the 1960s, slightly beyond Graham Nash’s tenure with the band – arguably, the Golden Age of the Hollies.

4 April 1963: During their first recording session, they cut (Ain’t That) Just Like Me, a cover of The Coasters 1961 single. Surprisingly, this was not a hit for the Coasters at the time.
30 May 1963: (Ain’t That) Just Like Me gave the Hollies their first UK hit, #25.

Up to the end of the 1960s, the Hollies had 20 UK hits – including 1 x #1.

January 1964: The Hollies released their first album, Stay with The Hollies.

1 January 1964: They appeared on the first Top of the Pops TV show. It was opened by the Rolling Stones with their cover of the Beatles’ I Wanna Be Your Man. The show was presented by Jimmy Saville and featured studio performances from, Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clark Five and The Swinging Blue Jeans.

17 September 1964: Their sixth UK hit, We’re Through, #7, was the first A-side with the writing credit “L Ransford”. This was the pseudonym used by the song-writing team, Graham Nash, Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks from 1964 to 1966. In 1965 they formed the music publishing company Gralto Music. Taken from their names, GRaham – ALlan – TOny. After Graham Nash left the Hollies, the name of the publishing company became Alto Music.

27 May 1965: I’m Alive was their 8th single and provided their only UK #1, spending 3 weeks at the top spot.

2 September 1965: Their 9th UK single, Look Through Any Window, #4, was also their first American hit.
8 Jan 1966: Look Through Any Window, (US) #32

In the 1960s, the Hollies scored 7 Billboard Top-40 hits.
However, I’m Alive was not their first single to be released in America. In January 1964 they released Stay. Maurice Williams wrote the song and with his vocal group Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, scored a Billboard #1 in 1960. Stay was the Hollies’ third UK hit, a #8 in 1963.

April 1966: Eric Haydock left the Hollies and was replaced by Bernie Calvert

13 March 1967 The Spencer Davis Group’s final tour with Steve and Muff Winwood reached Doncaster’s Gaumont Theatre. The Hollies were also on this tour. Steve Winwood was leaving to set up his new group, Traffic – the times were a-changin’…

June 1967: The Hollies music was evolving, they released Evolution a highly rated psychedelic album. It featured two legendary drummers, session drummer Clem Cattini and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

October 1967: Graham Nash’s last album with the band, Butterfly, was released. In America it was titled Dear Eloise / King Midas In Reverse.

2 October 1968: Their 18th UK hit. Listen to Me, #11, was the last single with Graham Nash. It was written by Tony Hazzard. The B-Side, Do the Best You Can, had a writing credit attributed to “Clarke-Hicks-Nash”. Noticeable by the fact that this song-writing team had previously signed their work off as “L Ransford”.

8 December 1968: The charity concert at the London Palladium was Graham Nash’s swansong performance with the Hollies. He left to form Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Graham Nash had various reasons for leaving. He was moving in a different musical direction to the band. The Hollies were much more commercial, Nash was developing an interest in psychedelia and the new West Coast sounds. Nash also wanted a separate writing credit to the collective “L Ransford”. He had recorded some demos with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. The Hollies attempted to record Marrakesh Express but it never really worked.
Graham Nash was replaced by Terry Sylvester from the Swinging Blue Jeans.

4 October 1969: Their 20th and final UK hit in the 1960s was He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother, #3.
Bobby Russell and Bobby Scott wrote the song after being inspired by the bronze Two Brothers statue at the Boys Town community in Nebraska. The statue greets visitors to the community with its image of a boy carrying his younger brother on his back. The uplifting motto inscribed on the statue reads, “He Ain’t Heavy Father He’s M’ Brother”.
Pianist Elton John is one of the session musicians on the record.

ON TOUR – The Hollies – lineup includes, Tony Hicks + Bobby Elliott
Germany + Netherlands + Belgium…..6 to 30 April
Norway + Finland + Denmark + UK…..5 to 21 September
The Hollies: dates and venues

ON TOUR – Graham Nash
US…..12 Mar to 4 April
France + Germany + UK + US…..28 July to 29 September
Graham Nash: dates and venues

These Manchester beat group are a great example of the demise of beat music in 1965. Beat groups morphed out of skiffle and British rock’n’roll bands in the late 1950s and early 1960s. By the end of 1965 rock’n’roll was evolving once again. The new Mod groups were in the vanguard of this change. In 1966 rock music emerged with the likes of Cream and Jimi Hendrix.
Two of the Mod groups to find chart success in 1965…
18 February 1965: The Who – I Can’t Explain, #8
2 September 1965: Small Faces – Whatcha Gonna do About It, #14

LAST UK HITS FOR THE MANCHESTER BEAT GROUPS

20 May 1965: Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas – Trains and Boats and Planes, #12
30 September 1965: Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders – She Needs Love, #32
4 November 1965: Freddy & the Dreamers – Thou Shalt Not Steal, #44