Them (band)

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Them
Background information
Origin	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genre(s)	R&B, Rock, Psychedelic rock, Blues, Classic Rock
Years active	1964 - 1972, 1979
Label(s)	Decca, Happy Tiger
Former members
Van Morrison Billy Harrison Eric Wrixen Alan Henderson Ronnie Millings

Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in 1963, best known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's career.

The band featured Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, Billy Harrison on guitar, Eric Wrixon on piano and keyboards (named the band, but never played on any published albums or toured the States), Alan Henderson on bass, and Ronnie Millings on drums, with other musicians replacing or contributing during the life of the band.

The group released its first single "Don't Start Crying Now"/"One Two Brown Eyes", in August 1964. The single was a flop. The band's managers and producers then hired session musicians, such as Jimmy Page, Peter Bardens, and drummer Bobby Graham to back Morrison on a cover of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go". The single, which featured the now-legendary "Gloria" as a B-side, was a smash hit in the UK, sailing to number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1964. The band then released its biggest hit in the UK, "Here Comes the Night"/"All for Myself", which hit number 2 in March 1965 (it went to #24 in the U.S. that same May). Later that year "Mystic Eyes" reached number 33 in the U.S. (The following year American band Shadows of Knight had a Top Ten U.S. hit with their rendition of "Gloria").

The band released two albums on Decca, The Angry Young Them and Them Again, both of which failed to sell, and in mid 1966, Van Morrison left the group to pursue a solo career. The rest of the band continued on into the early 1970s, releasing four albums and touring steadily after relocating to California around 1967. Two of these post-Morrison albums, Now And Them and Time Out! Time In For Them, found the band experimenting with psychedelia. Van Morrison went on to greater success and fame as a solo artist, but Them's combination of garage rock, blues, and soul proved a major influence on the next generation of rock musicians, and the group's best-known singles have become staples of rock and roll.