Rockin' Berries |
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This Birmingham group are occasionally confused with the Barron Knights because like these one time rivals they too were adept at introducing comedy into their performances. However, the Rockin' Berries were a little more successful with 'conventional' recordings and tended to reserve their comedy for their stage act. The Rockin' Berries evolved from a group called the 'Bobcats'. They had become a popular local group, particularly in the the area around the large Austin motor factory in Longbridge. However, like many of their Merseyside contemporaries they had also honed their craft in the venues offered by Germany's Hamburg- notably the 'Star Club'. After losing their original vocalist, they were fortunate to pick up the services of Geoff Turton as a replacement. It was shortly after this that they secured a chance to record with Decca who were looking for new beat groups at that time. However, neither of the two releases that Decca put out succeeded and it looked as though their recording career was already history. Fortunately, they were given a second chance by Piccadilly. Their first single on the new marque did just enough to keep their new recording company interested, but their second Piccadilly release "He's In Town" proved to be a winner. They also hit big several months later with "Poor Man's Son", but they struggled for any chart showing at all with most of their other releases. However, they had shown a talent for comedy and impersonation and it was probably this that became the key to a successful run in cabaret, pantomime and on 'summer season'. Geoff Turton left the group to start a solo career as 'Jefferson' in the September of 1968 and enjoyed a modicum of success in this guise before finally withdrawing from the music business. However, the 'Berries subsequently managed to maintain a higher profile as all-round entertainers, but with the accent firmly on comedy. |
| Decca F11698 | 1963 | Wah Wah Wah Woo/ Rockin' Berrry Stomp | |
| Decca F11760 | 1963 | Itty Bitty Pieces/ The Twitch | |
| Piccadilly 7N35197 | 1964 | I Didn't Mean To Hurt You/ You'd Better Come Home | #43 |
| Piccadilly 7N35203 | 1964 | He's In Town/ Flashback | #3 |
| Piccadilly 7N35217 | 1964 | What In The World's Come Over You/ You Don't Know What To Do | #23 |
| Piccadilly 7N35236 | 1965 | Poor Man's Son/ Follow Me | #5 |
| Piccadilly 7N35254 | 1965 | You're My Girl/ Brother Bill | #40 |
| Piccadilly 7N35270 | 1965 | The Water Is Over My Head/ Doesn't Time Fly | #43 |
| Piccadilly 7N35304 | 1966 | I Could Make You Fall In Love/ Land Of Love | |
| Piccadilly 7N35327 | 1966 | Midnight Mary/ Money Grows On Trees | |
| Piccadilly 7N35373 | 1967 | Sometimes/ Needs To Be | |
| Piccadilly 7N35400 | 1967 | Smile/ Breakfast At Sam's | |
| Pye 7N17411 | 1967 | Dawn (Go Away)/ She's Not Like Any Girl | |
| Pye 7N17519 | 1968 | When I Reach The Top/ Pain | |
| Pye 7N17589 | 1968 | Mr.Blue/ Land Of Love |
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