Dean Ford and the Gaylords
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| Dean Ford and The Gaylords | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genre(s) | Beat Pop music Psychedelic pop |
| Years active | 1961-1966 |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records |
"The Gaylords", ( named, would you believe, after Al Capone's trusty prohibition henchmen ), the Scottish "beat band" originally formed by Pat Fairley and Billy Johnson in Baillieston, in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, circa 1960. The line-up included Tommy Frew on drums and lead guitarist Pat McGovern, fronted by vocalist Wattie Rodgers
Junior Campbell joined on his 14th birthday 31 May 1961, replacing McGovern, and Rodgers was then replaced by front man Tommy Scott. The group gathered notice and in '62 Dean Ford replaced Tommy Scott as lead singer, Bill Irving replaced Johnson on bass, and and Ray Duffy replaced Frew on drums. For a brief period of 6 mnths, they had an organist, Davey Hunter - but he did not last long. In '64, Graham Knight, from local group The Vampires, replaced Bill Irving as bass player.
Quickly becoming popular nationally in Scotland, in 1964 the group were signed to EMI Columbia by the legendary Norrie Paramor and recorded various 3 min singles, incl Twenty Miles which was a big seller locally, but failed to chart nationally. The group, well regarded nationally in Scotland, and despite, on many occasions being crowned, "Scotlands Top Group" decided to move out of their comfort zone and try to crack it nationally.
They further cut their teeth by doing a long stint in Germany, at the Storyville in Cologne and Duisburg, before moving to London circa 65/6, and proceeded to start again, building a huge club reputation, as a tight, close harmony band, before, on the advice of their manager, changing the band name to "The Marmalade" ( apparently, he came up with the name whilst at the breakfast table!! )
The Marmalade went on to secure worldwide success
