The Swinging Blue Jeans continue to perform today, with no original members, under the leadership of Lovell. Carter came from HyKatz Skiffle Group in 1959, before leaving for Canada in June 1961. John E. Carter – Singer, guitarist – born 21 May 1938, Liverpool. A subsequent appeal was lodged but was also dismissed. Phil Thompson (drums) was unable to continue with band due to personal reasons so in June 2010, two new musicians joined; Graham Hollingworth (drums) and Jeff Bannister (keyboards/vocals). With the departure of banjo player Paul Moss soon after, they were left as a quartet comprised of Ray Ennis (rhythm guitar, vocals), Les Braid (bass, keyboards), Ralph Ellis (lead guitar), and Norman Kuhlke (drums). At the end of The Solid Silver Sixties tour in May 2010, Ray Ennis officially retired, announcing his retirement on radio and to the general public. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. 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 Braid moving on to keyboards. In early 1966, Terry Sylvester from The Escorts replaced Ellis, who had shared songwriting duties with Ray Ennis. The skiffle group lineup also included Bruce McCaskill on guitar and vocals, Tommy Hughes on banjo, Norman Kuhlke on washboard, and Spud Ward on oil drum bass. During and prior to the tour, Ennis offered Lovell the opportunity to continue with the band under the name "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.
Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day. The group’s origins go back to 1957, when singer/guitarist Ray Ennis decided to form a band. The group had its origins in 1957, when Bruce McCaskill formed a jazz influenced skiffle sextet group called the Bluegenes. Died April 2018, Alan Lovell – Guitarist – born 5 January 1952, Newtown, Wales – 1981– present, Jeff Bannister – Keyboardist, vocalist – born Jeffrey Bannister, 7 January 1943, Slough, Berkshire, Pete Oakman – Bassist, vocalist – born Peter Andrew Oakman, 12 December 1943, Cuffley, Hertfordshire – 2010. The group were the first beat group to have … Sometimes we have not recorded the date of a portrait. We would welcome any information that adds to and enhances our information and understanding about a particular portrait, sitter or artist. The result was a skiffle sextet called “the Bluegenes”, the latter a misspelling of “blue jeans” that remained unchanged for a couple of years.
Please Like other favourites! The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. The quintet's first recording, "It's Too Late Now", which was written by Ennis, made the British Top 30. Like voting is closed. Their follow-up single, “Good Golly Miss Molly,” released in March of that year, charted in England at number 11. An album Blue Jeans a-Swinging was released in 1964 by HMV; a contemporaneous American LP composed of 45 and EP tracks, Hippy Hippy Shake included the released-in-the-US-only instrumental, "Wasting Time". [5] 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.
Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. Please ensure your comments are relevant and appropriate. Sylvester left at the end of 1968 to replace Graham Nash in The Hollies. If they inspire you please support our work. Sitter in 1 portrait. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. When Les Braid died in 2005, Peter Oakman took over on bass guitar/vocals. Besides guitarist/vocalist McCaskill, the original line-up also included banjo player Tommy Hughes, washboard player Norman Kuhlke, and oil drum bass player Spud Ward. List Thumbnail. National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HESwitchboard: +44 (0) 20 7306 0055, Find out more about the Inspiring People project, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
They had a three-year spell of success, rising and falling with Merseybeat itself. The group had a standard Merseybeat line-up of two guitars, a bass guitar and drums and the original line up was Ray Ennis (Vocalist / Guitarist), Ralph Ellis (Vocalist/Guitarist), Les Braid (Bassist / Keyboardist), and Norman Kuhlke (Drummer). We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Their second single, “Do You Know,” released in the fall of 1963, failed to sell, but in December of that year they broke through to stardom in with their rendition of “Hippy Hippy Shake.” They rode that record’s success all the way to the number two chart spot in England, right behind the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over,” and earned a place on the first-ever broadcast of Top of the Pops in the bargain. Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? Norman Kuhlke (1942-), Musician; drummer for The Swinging Blue Jeans. Ralph Ellis later joined on guitar, and Ward subsequently moved over to Rory Storm's band, and eventually Les Braid took over the bassist spot. The Bluegenes were heavily jazz influenced, and stayed away from trying to cover songs associated with Elvis Presley and other American rock & rollers, preferring instead to try and emulate the horn and sax parts that they heard on their guitars. Do you have specialist knowledge or a particular interest about any aspect of the portrait or sitter or artist that you can share with us? Thanks for Liking. If you have information to share please complete the form below. After the departure of Moss, the band became a quartet. Shaking Time (1964) Blue Jeans a'Swinging (1964) Professional ratings; Review scores; Source Rating; Allmusic: Blue Jeans a'Swinging is the first UK studio album by British beat band The Swinging Blue Jeans, released in November 1964 on HMV There were a number of early personnel changes, as guitarist Ralph Ellis joined the band and Ward was replaced by Les Braid.
31 in the UK Singles Chart, but the group never charted again. Career. We'll need your email address so that we can follow up on the information provided and contact you to let you know when your contribution has been published. In 1967, the band's producer Ridley decided to try and transform 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. Meanwhile, Ennis came out of retirement to make occasional appearances with another band under the name "Ray Ennis's Blue Jeans". List of bands and artists from Merseyside, "The Swinging Blue Jeans – New Songs, Playlists & Latest News – BBC Music", "Back to the 60's SWINGING BLUE JEANS Supported by FAB", "The Swinging Blue Jeans – Biography & History", "Ray Ennis & The Original Blue Jeans | Stamford Corn Exchange Theatre", "1942 – Born on this day, Ralph Ellis, The Swinging Blue Jeans | Rock History", "From the Beatles to Beaconsfield: A love story with a Mersey beat | Montreal Gazette", "Colin Manley - Bill Harry - Mersey Beat", "The Iron Door Club: Bruce McCaskill Achieves Success", "From an Escort to a Bluejean to the Circus - Mike Gregory - Mersey Beat", "MerseyCats - The Liverpool R 'N' R Childrens Charity-Maja's Memories of the Star Club", "Hippy, hippy, shake at Towngate with 60s act", "BBC Radio 2 - Sounds Of The 60s with Tony Blackburn - The Swinging Blue Jeans", "SWINGING BLUE JEANS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Swinging_Blue_Jeans&oldid=983649609, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Les Braid – Bassist / keyboardist – born William Leslie Braid, 15 September 1937, West Derby Road, Ralph Ellis – Guitarist – born 8 March 1942, Liverpool – 1958–1966, Norman Houghton – Washboard – born 18 September 1940, Liverpool – 1957, Kenneth Metcalf – Lead vocalist, guitar – 1957, Tommy Hughes – Banjo – 1958–1959 – born 7 May 1938 – died 21 September 2013, Paul Moss – Banjo – 1959–1963 - born 1942. They were a fully working band by 1962, playing skiffle at venues in Liverpool and at the Star Club in Hamburg. All contributions are moderated.
The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. They made their recording debut — still as a quintet — with a Ray Ennis original, “It’s Too Late Now,” which made the British Top 30.
Make a donation Close. Switchboard: +44 (0) 20 7306 0055, (1942-), Musician; drummer for The Swinging Blue Jeans, We are currently closed until spring 2023, while essential building works take place. Please note your email address will not be displayed on the page nor will it be used for any marketing material or promotion of any kind. Ralph Ellis later joined on guitar, and Ward subsequently moved over to Rory Storm’s band, and eventually Les Braid took over the bassist spot. Following this the band made a switch to rock & roll, trading in their acoustic instruments for their electric equivalents.
How do you know this? Your contributions must be polite and with no intention of causing trouble. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service. 25 New LGBTQ Anthems: Troye Sivan, Ariana Grande, Hayley Kiyoko & More Ralph Ellis later joined on guitar, and Ward subsequently moved over to Rory Storm ‘s band, and … “Hippy Hippy Shake”, a cover of an obscure ’50s rocker was their only Top 30 entry in the U.S.. Ralph Ellis later joined on guitar, and Ward subsequently moved over to Rory Storm’s band, and eventually Les Braid took over the bassist spot. And in that guise, a name change to the Swinging Blue Jeans, they not only won over German audiences but earned a coveted recording contract with EMI’s HMV imprint, under producer Walter J. Ridley. [5] The band eventually retired to the cabaret circuit.[5]. If they inspire you please support our work. [5] They switched to rock and roll, and with a name change to reflect their attire, to the Swinging Blue Jeans. There are occasions when we are unsure of the identity of a sitter or artist, their life dates, occupation or have not recorded their family relationships. But the band enjoyed some other major and minor hits in the U.K., including a top-notch Merseyization of Betty Everett’s (and later Linda Ronstadt’s) “You’re No Good,” which they took into the British Top Five in 1964. Colin Manley – Guitarist – born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, Old Swan, Liverpool – died 9 April 1999, John Ryan – Drummer – born 5 April 1953, Pinehurst Avenue, Liverpool – 1980–1983, Mike Gregory – Bass guitarist – born Michael Gregory, 7 November 1946, Liverpool Maternity Hospital, Liverpool – 1967–1972, Michael Pynn – 1972–1975 lead guitar, vocals, recorded two albums & toured Scandinavia, Keith Dodd - lead guitar former member of Ricky Gleason and the Topspots, he can be seen playing with them on Wheeltappers and Shunters club, Phil Thompson – Drummer – born 18 October 1947, Liverpool; joined the band in 1983.
Ennis then decided to challenge Lovell for the ownership of the trademark but a Court decision ruled that Lovell had exclusive legal rights to the name. Initially Lovell declined but subsequently registered the trademark of the name "The Swinging Blue Jeans" without Ray Ennis's knowledge. Contributions are moderated.