The Swinging Blue Jeans

The Swinging Blue Jeans

The Swinging Blue Jeans in 1965
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres Merseybeat, pop music
Years active 1962 - present
Labels HMV
Website Official website
Past members Ralph Ellis
Ray Ennis
Norman Kuhlke
Terry Sylvester
Colin Manley
John Ryan
Bruce McCaskill
Mike Gregory
Mick McCann
Jim Rodford
Hedley Vick
Les Braid
Garth Elliott
Phil Thompson
Tommy Hughes
Alan Lovell

The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four-piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; "Hippy Hippy Shake", "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "You're No Good", issued in 1964. Subsequent singles released that year and the next made no impression. In 1966, their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Don't Make Me Over" peaked at no. 31 in the UK Singles Chart, but the group never charted again.[1]

Career

The group had its origins in 1957, when Ray Ennis formed a jazz influenced skiffle sextet group called the Bluegenes. The original line-up also included guitarist/vocalist Bruce McCaskill, banjo player Tommy Hughes, washboard player Norman Kuhlke, and oil drum bass player Spud Ward. There were a number of early personnel changes, as guitarist Ralph Ellis joined the band and Ward was replaced by Les Braid. Johnny Carter and Paul Moss entered the band to replace Hughes and McCaskill. They were a fully working band by 1962, playing skiffle at venues in Liverpool and at the Star Club in Hamburg. However the German audiences booed them off the stage, and the group rapidly changed direction and focus.[2]

They switched to rock and roll, and with a name change to reflect their attire, to the Swinging Blue Jeans. This earned the band, then a quintet featuring Ennis, Braid, Ellis, Kuhlke and Moss, a recording contract with HMV with record producer, Walter Ridley. The quintet's first recording, "It's Too Late Now", which was written by Ennis, made the British Top 30. After the departure of Moss, the band became a quartet. In December 1963, a cover of the song "Hippy Hippy Shake" took the band to second on the British charts and established them as stars.[2]

They had a three-year spell of success, rising and falling with Merseybeat itself.[2] The Swinging Blue Jeans had the standard Shadows line-up of two guitars, a bass guitar and drums and achieved local fame with their appearances at the Mardi Gras Club and the Cavern Club.

An album Blue Jeans a-Swinging was released in 1964 by HMV; an contemporaneous American LP composed of 45 and EP tracks, Hippy Hippy Shake included the released-in-the-US-only instrumental, "Wasting Time".

The Swinging Blue Jeans performing in 2013

In early 1966, Terry Sylvester from The Escorts replaced Ellis, who had shared songwriting duties with Ray Ennis.[2] The band drifted into a middle of the road direction which failed to bring them any success. In 1967, the band's producer Ridley decided to try and transform Ray Ennis into a solo star, cutting the disc "Tremblin'" with session musicians and backing vocals by Madeline Bell and Kiki Dee, but it was ultimately released under the band's name. Also in that year the band went to a five piece unit with the introduction of another member from The Escorts bass player Mike Gregory with Les moving on to keyboards. Sylvester left at the end of 1968 to replace Graham Nash in The Hollies.[2] The band eventually retired to the cabaret circuit.[2]

The Swinging Blue Jeans, continued with Ennis and Braid until Braid's death in 2005. After fifty years as an active member, Ennis continued as the sole original member of the band until 2010 when he "retired". Originally offering the band's name to his then guitarist, Alan Lovell, Ennis was rebuffed and instead allowed Manchester DJ, Mike Sweeney, to use the name provided he performed all songs in the original format and kept the band's authentic sound. Lovell later changed his mind and registered "Swinging Blue Jeans" in his own name without Ennis' knowledge prompting a court case from Ennis. The court's decision ensured the band names were trapped in limbo and Ennis, although a member of the band for over 50 years, is now no longer able to use that name.[3] He instead formed Ray Ennis's Blue Jeans with Mike Sweeney and now tours with them.[2] Alan Lovell's line-up also tours under various names.[3]

Band members

Discography

Singles

Albums

See also

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 544. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Bruce Eder. "The Swinging Blue Jeans | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Court Case. "The Swinging Blue Jeans | Court Case" (PDF). Court. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  4. ↑ Doc Rock. "July to December". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  5. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 544. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Swinging Blue Jeans | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-31.

External links