Family

  • Real Name: Roger Chapman
  • Birth Date: 8th April 1942
  • Birth Place: Leicester
  • Charlie Whitney
  • 24th June 1944
  • Skipton, North Yorkshire
  • Jim King
  • 5th May 1942
  • Kettering, Northants
  • Ric Grech
  • 1st November 1946
  • Bordeaux, France
  • Rob Townsend
  • 7th July 1947
  • Leicester
  • This band really started life as the Farinas who were a popular local R&B act in the Leicester area during the early to mid-1960s. Despite having the opportunity to record with Fontana, greater recognition eluded them so they decided on a more gimmicky approach. They donned double breasted suits to give themselves a 1920's look and changed their name to the 'Roaring Sixties'. Their appearance now made them resemble gangsters and their new name was dropped again, this time in favour of the seemingly more appropriate 'The Family'.

    They soon lost the mafia style suits and became much more progressive than thay had been hitherto, doubtless due to the originality of Whitney and Chapman's songwriting. The group's early material is now better represented by their 1960s albums than their singles, the first of which was almost ignored and now fetches a high price as a collector's item.

    In 1969, Grech chose to leave quite suddenly- almost on the eve of their first scheduled tour of the US. He decided to seize an opportunity to join Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton in the much hyped, but short lived 'Blind Faith'. This departure seemed to trigger a long series of personnel changes but the band continued to output popular recordings until 1974 at which time Chapman and Whitney decided to try a new direction with 'Streetwalkers'.

    1950s & 1960s 45rpm UK Discography

    • Listings include UK 45 singles releases only
    • Collector's Items are shown In Red

    Liberty LBF15031 1967 Scene Thru The Eye Of A Lens/ Gypsy Woman  
    Reprise RS32370 1968 Me My Friend/ Hey Mr. Policeman  
    Reprise RS23315 1968 Second Generation Woman/ Home Town  
    Reprise RS27001 1969 No Mule's Fool/ Good Friend Of Mine #29 


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