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Page 3
And their idol was Buddy Holly, hence the group name. With hits that included ”Bus Stop”, “On A Carousel”, “Look Through Any Window”, “Carrie Anne”, (inspired by Marianne Faithfull), ”Stop, Stop, Stop,” among others, the group members also showed considerable skill as songwriters. The Searchers were really teen idols, but they were British, and at the time, anybody British…..you get the picture. Also managed by Brian Epstein, for a short time, this group was neck and neck with The Beatles. And both started with a similar sound. Their first British no. 1 was ”Sweets For My Sweet” (a remake of the Drifters hit); their first U.S. one was ”Needles And Pins”. The Zombies, formed in 1963, were signed by Decca Records, the same company who had turned down The Beatles. Many believe that if this group had the type of managing, marketing, and studio producing the Beatles had, they would have given the Beatles a run for their money. They were much bigger in the U.S., Japan, and The Philippines (they once had five records in the Top Ten here!) than in their homeland. The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, were the beneficiaries of a great marketing strategy by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham (an ex-publicist for the Beatles). The Stones were presented as the antithesis of the Beatles, the “anti-“. Whereas, the Beatles were presented as ”cute, cuddly, neat and wholesome, smiling, safe, and clean”, the Stones were presented as ”raunchy, crude, offensive, gamy, threatening, uncouth, and profane'. It worked. Parents were appalled; teens loved them. They didn't actually catch on stateside until their second tour. And they ensured further success with a new rock sound that was less blues-oriented. (Privately the Beatles and the Stones were the best of friends; in fact, the Beatles gave the group ”I Wanna Be Your Man”, which was a Top 10 U.K. hit in Dec. 1963.) Sometimes the magic formula of being British and long-haired didn't always work; for some other acts, it took a few years to catch on. Next to Elvis, Cliff Richard was and England's all-time most successful chart artist. His first U.S. Top 40 hit was ”Living Doll” with The Drifters in 1959, which peaked at no. 30 ( don't know if this is THE Drifters.). In Jan. 1964, he had a no. 25 hit with ”It's All In The Game”. But for some reason, Richard didn't become a star in the States until 1976!
The copyright of the article Teen Idols Circa 1964-1966 - Page 3 in 60s Music is owned by Patricia Jacobs. Permission to republish Teen Idols Circa 1964-1966 - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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