The Merseybeats are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar artists.
The group's original members were Tony Crane (vocals, lead guitar), John Banks (drums), Aaron Williams (rhythm guitar) and Billy Kinsley (vocals, bass). Kinsley left the group at the beginning of 1964 and was replaced by John Gustafson, though Kinsley returned at the end of that year. The group split in 1966, with Crane and Kinsley continuing as a duo dubbed The Merseys. The Merseys ended in 1969. During the 1970s and 1980s, the Merseybeats would stage several occasional reunions before reforming permanently in 1993.
The current line-up is Tony Crane MBE and his son Adrian Crane on keyboards and lead guitar.
Links to Peel[]
Peel would have been well aware of the Merseybeats and the Merseys since the mid-1960's. The Merseybeats included John Gustafson, previously of the Big Three, and the Merseys' biggest hit single, 'Sorrow' spent eight weeks in the KMEN British Pop Top Ten, which he compiled for his show at radio station KMEN in San Bernardino, California in the summer of 1966, peaking at number 1 in the British Top Ten of 24 June 1966.
The Merseys - Sorrow
After returning to the UK he occasionally played some of their tunes on his radio programmes and he nominated the Merseys' 'Sorrow' as one of his Peel's 77 All Time Favourite Records List in 1972. Other people liked the song too; George Harrison quoted from the lyric in the fade-out of his song "It's All Too Much", included in the Beatles' Yellow Submarine film and on the soundtrack album (and played at least twice by JP in 1969), while in 1973 the song was again a hit single in a cover version by David Bowie[1]. Peel also compered the Heroes & Villains Charity concert, which celebrated 15 years of BBC Radio One in 1982 where the Merseybeats performed. (see Gigography 1982)
Shows Played[]
- 27 October 1982: I Think Of You (album - Beat & Ballads) Edsel
- Merseys
- 18 August 1972: Sorrow (single) Fontana
- 16 April 1998: Sorrow (7") Fontana
- 24 April 1998 (BFBS): 'Sorrow (7")' (Fontana)