The Montanas

The Montanas were a 1960s and 1970s rock and roll band, from Wolverhampton, England. Though they never found significant success in their home country, they had one minor hit in the United States.

The group formed in 1964 and became known for their live shows. Their manager, Roger Allen, got them signed to Pye Records, and some of their early releases for Pye were written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent. In 1966 Terry Rowley joined the group on keyboards, and also worked with the group on composition and arranging.

Their several radio hits in England made little impact on the charts, but "You've Got to Be Loved" reached #58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1968,^[1] followed by "Run to Me" making it to #121 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles charts. Their lineup changed considerably in 1967 and again in 1968, and they continued releasing singles, often written by outside writers, that were more radio-friendly than their live sound. In 1969, the group left the Pye label, and Rowley and vocalist John Jones quit, wanting to perform more original material.^[2] The group continued to perform throughout most of the 1970s, though mixing comedy with the music in their performances, and finally broke up in 1978. Bassist Ian Lees later found success as a comedian, and Jake Elcock pursued a career in A&R.

In 1997, Sequel Records issued a 26-track compilation CD, "You've Got To Be Loved (Singles A's & B's)," including ten tracks newly mixed from original multi-tracks.

Members

• Will Hayward - guitar
• Graham Crew - drums
• Ralph Oakley - bass
• John Jones - vocals
• Terry Rowley - keyboards (joined 1966)
• Jake Elcock - bass (joined 1967)
• Graham Hollis - drums (joined 1967)
• Barry Clifft - drums (dates unknown)
• Ian "Sludge" Lees - bass (joined 1968)
• George Davies - vocals (joined 1968)
• Allen Austin - Guitar & Vocals / Bass Guitar & Vocals
• Brian Eustace - Guitar & Vocals

Recordings

Singles^[2]

• All That Is Mine Can Be Yours b/w How Can You Tell (Piccadilly 7N 35262, September 1965)
• That's When Happiness Began b/w Goodbye Little Girl (Pye 7N 17183, September 1966)
• Ciao Baby b/w Anyone There (Pye 7N 17282, March 1967)
• Take My Hand b/w Top Hat (Pye 7N 17338, June 1967)
• You've Got To Be Loved b/w Difference Of Opinion (Pye 7N 17394, October 1967)
• A Step In The Right Direction b/w Someday (You'll Be Breaking My Heart Again) (Pye 7N 17499, April 1968)
• I'm Gonna Change b/w A Step In The Right Direction (US version of the above, date unknown)
• Run To Me b/w You're Making A Big Mistake (Pye 7N 17597, September 1968)
• Roundabout b/w Mystery (Pye 7N 17697, February 1969)
• Ciao Baby b/w Someday (reissue) (Pye 7N 17729, April 1969)
• Love Machine (Charisma, 1970?)
• Uncle John's Band (cover) (MAM, 1970?)

Compilation CD

• You've Got To Be Loved (Singles A's & B's) (Sequel NEMCD 994, 1997, UPC 023224 099426)

References

External links

• The Montanas history at Brumbeat.net, draws on interview with Jake Elcock