The Scorpions (Manchester)
| The Scorpions | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Beat music |
| founding | 1961, 1977–1979 / 1984/2006 |
| resolution | 1967 |
| Founding members | |
| Peter Lewis (1964– † 1985) | |
Guitar , vocals |
Anthony Postill (until 1965) |
Guitar (1964) , bass (from 1964) vocals |
Rodney Postill (1964-1965) |
| Tony Briley (1964) | |
Drums |
Mike Delaney (1964-1965) |
| Current occupation | |
Vocals, guitar |
Graham Lee (since 1965) |
Vocals, bass |
Diccon Hubbard (since 2009) |
Vocals, keyboards |
Roy Smithson (since 1965) |
Drums |
Tommy Unthank (since 1965) |
| former members | |
Guitar, vocals |
Terence Morton (1964-1965) |
guitar |
Dave Vernon (1965-1967) |
bass |
Dave Robin (1977-1979) |
Drums |
Ian Lucas |
singing |
Max Hardy (1977– † 2001) |
Bass and vocals |
Tom Morgan |
| Live members | |
bass |
Cedric Terry (1977) |
The Scorpions is a beat music band from Manchester that enjoyed great success in the Netherlands in the 1960s and 1970s . The band was founded several times and has been active again with several original members since 2004.
Band history
1961-1967
The band was founded in 1961 by singer Peter Lewis in Manchester. However, they were not successful in England given the large number of beat bands in the Manchester area.
In the beginning, the guitars were taken over by the two cousins Anthony Harold Postill and Joseph Rodney Postill, the bass was played by Tony Briley and the drums were played by Mike Delaney. This line-up played a few times at the Cavern Club , where The Beatles also made their first appearances. However , they had no chance as a new beat band on the oversaturated record market in Great Britain .
Like other beat bands before and after them, they tried their luck in neighboring countries and played mainly in the Netherlands , where they performed for the promoter Jan Vis in Den Bosch . The first, unsuccessful single Bye Bye Johnny (a cover version of Chuck Berry ) with the B-side Rip It Up , was released in August 1964. Other singles followed, mostly covers by rock 'n' roll greats such as Ray Charles and Richie Barrett , but also from beat bands like The Hollies . In the same year Briley left the group, Rodney Postill took over the bass and the band took the lead guitarist Terry Morton into the group. Morton previously played with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, among others .
Hello Josephine , the next single and a cover version of Fats Domino finally brought the desired success. It was in the charts for 33 weeks in 1965, 13 of them in the top 10. The next single, a ballad called Ann Louise , made it into the Top 40. The debut album Hello Josephine , a compilation of all single tracks, was released that same year. Mike Delaney dropped out of the group to join Welder . Another former Wayne Fontana & The Jets musician named Ian Lucas took over the drums. The next single, a cover of the traditional track Greensleeves , with which The Country Gentlemen and later The Lords had some successes, was her next big success.
After their work permit expired in mid-1965 , the Postill cousins and Morton left the group. With Dave Vernon (bass) and Graham Lee (ex- The Chancellors , guitar) a replacement was quickly found. In addition, organist Roy Smithson joined the Hammond organ . After a few rehearsals, they returned to the Netherlands, this time to Bergen . Together with The Golden Earrings , they appeared on the Tiener Top Show on Dutch television. Shortly thereafter, the second album Climbing the Charts was released , which was more oriented towards rock and rhythm and blues . With Baby Baby Balla Balla , a cover of the German beat band Rainbows , The Scorpions were again in the charts, this time at # 17.
In early 1966, The Scorpions returned to England, but went back to the Netherlands a little later. They found a new home in Wernhout . When no new success wanted to set in, their record company CNR renamed them unceremoniously The New Scorpions , but could not bring about any success. So they switched back to the old name after only one single. In 1966, Keep in Touch with the Scorpions , the third album, was released. After a tour, Dave Vernon got out. A new line-up only lasted a few weeks since the band was expelled. They had exceeded their work permits. Upon returning, they disbanded.
Reunion 1977–1979 / 1984
In 1977 the band returned with the line-up of Peter Lewis, Graham Lee, Roy Smithson and Tommy Unthank, supplemented by Dave Robin on bass. The new Dutch TV station Veronica persuaded the band to play a playback appearance with Hello Josephine on the show The Day the Music Died . The song was then released again and entered the Dutch top 10 at # 9. Roy Smithson, Tommy Unthank and Cedric Terry, who were not prepared for a new success and the tour, had to leave the band. With Dave Robin (bass) and Max Hardy (drums) a replacement was finally found. 10 years after the breakup, a new album has now been released on the Telstar label. My Own Way to Rock mainly consisted of new recordings of their old hits and a few cover versions. After a few appearances and various singles, they broke up in 1979. Max Hardy died in a household accident in 2001.
In 1984 the band returned a second time. Some rehearsals took place, but singer Peter Lewis fell ill with stomach cancer and died on January 2, 1984 . He was treated by doctor Harold Shipman (Doctor Death), who murdered an unknown number of his patients between 1980 and 1998. Estimates assume around 215 people. It is not entirely clear whether Lewis was a victim of the doctor or whether he would have died without his intervention.
Reunification 2004
At a reunion with former band members in 2004, guitarist Graham Lee and drummer Ian Lucas decided to try again. Together with newcomer Tom Morgan on bass they played again in March 2006 for the first time in almost thirty years as "The Scorpions". The success convinced Roy Smithson to rejoin them as a keyboardist. Finally, a comeback album was released in 2006 called The Scorpions Now . Graham Lee and Tom Morgan did the vocals for their late bandmate. Ian Lucas, Tom Morgan and Roy Smithson are also involved in the reunion. The band has been playing live since then.
In October 2010, Ian Lucas decided to resign. Now Tommy Unthank took over his drum role, just like at the end of 1965. In the spring of 2011 The Scorpions were working on a new album with 20 new songs, "The End of the Tail". It was released on June 1, 2011.
Discography
Singles (selection)
- 1965: Hello Josephine
- 1965: Ann Louise
- 1965: Greensleeves
- 1965: Baby Baby Balla
LPs
- 1965: Hello Josephine
- 1965: Climbing the Charts
- 1966: Sweet And Lovely (repackage van Climbing the Charts)
- 1966: Keep In Touch With The Scorpions
- 1978: My Own Way To Rock
CDs
- 1997: The Scorpions
- 1998: Hello Josephine - The Complete Collection
- 2005: Hello Josephine / Climbing the Charts
- 2007: The Scorpions Now
- 2011: The End of the Tail
literature
- Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March: Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? Vol. 1, EditPros LLC, Davis 2011, p. 90.
Web links
- Official website (made by Graham Lee & Ruud Wegman)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Biography ( Memento of the original from March 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on Manchesterbeat.com.
- ↑ BBC.com January 12, 2004
- ↑ Investigation ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk.
