Left In Liverpool (Groups That Didn't Make It) Quiz

Answer: Rory Storm and The Hurricanes

Rory Storm was born Alan Caldwell in Liverpool in 1938. His first group was named Dracula & the Werewolves, and then Al Caldwell's Texans. He opened the Morgue Skiffle Club in the cellar of a large Victorian house in Liverpool in March 1958. His sister Iris Caldwell dated George Harrison and then Paul McCartney; she later married singer Shane Fenton, who became known as Alvin Stardust in the '70s.

The group's name changed a number of times, Al Storm and The Hurricanes, then Jett Storm and The Hurricanes and finally Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. The line-up was Rory Storm (vocals), Johnny Byrne (rhythm guitar), Ty O'Brien (lead guitar), Lu Walters (bass guitar/vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums). They were one of the top groups on the Liverpool beat group scene in the early '60s. Rory Storm and the Hurricanes entered a competition managed by Carrol Levis called "Search for Stars" at the Liverpool Empire Theatre on 11 October 1959. They finished second, ahead of 150 other acts.

Although Ringo was not asked to join The Beatles until August 1962 he had played with them previously. Ringo first met The Beatles in early October 1960 when playing at Bruno Koschmider's Kaiserkeller in Hamburg, Germany. Rory Storm and The Hurricanes had top-billing over and were higher paid than The Beatles who were on the same bill.

Ringo was the stand-in drummer for The Beatles on a couple of occasions in Hamburg in 1960. He also met singer Tony Sheridan at this time who asked him to join his group. Ringo did in fact leave Rory Storm and The Hurricanes briefly in 1962 to join Sheridan but soon returned to the group to play at a Butlins holiday camp. We all know what happened the next time he left the group.

Answer: The Dominoes

The Dominoes were formed in 1957, 6'5" Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor joined the group in 1958 and from the mid-summer of 1960 were known as Kingsize Taylor and The Dominoes. The group had many personnel changes before disbanding in 1964.

In 1961 they performed for the first time at the Cavern in Liverpool, featuring a 17 year old local singer named Cilla White who later became one of the most successful singers and TV personalities from Liverpool in the UK, as Cilla Black.

In early 1962 the Liverpool music paper The Mersey Beat held a readers' poll to find out who was the most popular Merseyside group. Kingsize Taylor and The Dominoes were voted into sixth place on the list.

This list is the result of that poll.

1. The Beatles
2. Gerry and The Pacemakers
3. The Remo Four
4. Rory Storm and The Hurricanes
5. Johnny Sandon and The Searchers
6. Kingsize Taylor and The Dominoes
7. The Big Three
8. The Strangers
9. Faron and The Flamingos
10. The Four Jays
11. Ian and The Zodiacs
12. The Undertakers
13. Earl Preston and The TTs
14. Mark Peters and The Cyclones
15. Karl Terry and The Cruisers
16. Derry and The Seniors
17. Steve and The Syndicate
18. Dee Fenton and The Silhouettes
19. Billy J Kramer and The Coasters
20. Dale Roberts and The Jaywalkers

Answer: The Big Three

"Some Other Guy" was a number 39 hit on the UK singles chart for The Big Three in 1963. It did not chart in the US.

"Some Other Guy" was written by Leiber/Stoller/Barrett and first released by Richie Barrett in 1962. The Searchers, Pete Best, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates and The Beatles have all recorded "Some Other Guy". The version by The Big Three is the only one to have made the pop charts in either the UK or US as of 2013.

The classic line-up of The Big Three was John 'Hutch' Hutchinson (Johnny Hutch) born in Malta in 1940, John 'Gus' Gustafson (Johnny Gustafson) born in Liverpool in 1942, and Brian Griffiths born in Liverpool in 1943. They came together from the groups Cass & The Cassanovas and Howie Casey & The Seniors (Derry & The Seniors). Howie Casey & The Seniors were the first Liverpool Beat group to record an album, "Twist At The Top" in February 1962. A single "Double Twist" was also released; neither single or album made it into the charts.

Answer: The Mojos

The Mojos had a number nine hit on the UK singles chart with "Everything's Alright" in 1964. It did not chart in the US.

The constantly changing Mojos had two minor hits the same year and that was it, they never bothered the UK chart again. This was unfortunate for Lewis Collins because he joined the group now named Stu James & The Mojos after their last minor chart success in 1964.

However, he did find fame in the '70s in the UK TV show "The Professionals". He played Bodie, one half of the crime fighting duo Bodie and Doyle (Martin Shaw), who worked for the fictitious British law enforcement department CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5).

Answer: Ian & The Zodiacs

In a 1964 configuration Ian & The Zodiacs were Ian Edwards (rhythm guitar), Pete Wallace (lead guitar), Charlie Flynn (bass guitar) and Geoff Bamford (drums). They never had any chart entries in the UK or US but they were very popular in Germany where they had hits on the singles and album charts.

Although Ian & The Zodiacs never became part of the British invasion, their version of "The Crying Game" was released in the USA. It never made the Billboard Hot 100 but it sold well and made the local chart in Texas. "The Crying Game" was written by Geoff Stephens who wrote "Winchester Cathedral" and created The New Vaudeville Band after the song became a hit.

"The Crying Game" was first released in the UK by Dave Berry and peaked at number five on the UK singles chart in 1964.

Answer: The Chants

The Chants were unusual for a Liverpool group in the '60s; they were a black vocal group. I bought their record "I Could Write A Book" and was convinced it would at least make the UK Top 20 but it failed to chart.

The Chants, originally The Shades, were formed in 1962. The members of the group were Eddie Amoo, Eddie Ankah, Joe Ankah, Alan Harding and Nat Smeda. The group leader Joe Ankah had met Paul McCartney in 1962 when The Beatles were performing at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton on the Wirral side of the river Mersey.

Paul asked him to bring the group along to the Cavern for an audition. They turned up at the Cavern without a backing group. With The Beatles overruling the objections of Brian Epstein, The Chants made their Cavern debut on Wednesday 21 November 1962 with The Beatles as their backing group. Brian Epstein became their manager but they were disappointed with his efforts on their behalf and signed for Manchester agent Ted Ross.

The BBC pop music show "Juke Box Jury" which had a panel of four deciding if a new record was a hit or miss had a Beatles special with all four Beatles as the panel. The first record they voted on was "I Could Write A Book" by The Chants". Despite all four Beatles voting the record a hit, it never made the UK singles chart. This was also the fate of all of The Chants' subsequent records.

The group disbanded in 1975 and Eddie Amoo along with his brother Chris formed the group The Real Thing. They had three Top Ten hits on the UK singles chart between 1976 and 1979, including the number one hit "You To Me Are Everything" which peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. They had two more Top Ten hits in 1986 with re-mixes of their first two chart hits from 1976 "You To Me Are Everything" and "Can't Get By Without You".

Answer: The Undertakers

The Undertakers had a number 49 hit on the UK singles chart with "Just A Little Bit" for one week in 1964. It did not chart in the US

The Undertakers like many groups had various personnel changes but their best known line up was Brian Jones (alto and tenor saxophone, vocals), Chris Huston (lead guitar, vocals), Jackie Lomax (lead vocals, bass), Geoff Nugent (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Bugs Pemberton (drums).

Originally called Bob Evans and The Five Shillings, the group then included Les McGuire later a member of The Pacemakers and Mike Millward later a member of The Fourmost. Later, with some personnel changes Bob Evans and The Five Shillings became The Vegas Five.

In 1962 The Undertakers played at The Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. On their return to the UK they had the chance to sign for The Beatles manager Brian Epstein but rejected it. They signed a recording contract with Pye records and Tony Hatch became their record producer. Their one week on the UK singles chart with "Just a Little Bit" may have given them some reason to regret not signing on the dotted line for Brian Epstein.

Answer: The Escorts

The Escorts had a number 49 hit on the UK singles chart with "The One To Cry" in 1964. It did not chart in the US.

The Escorts were originally Johnny Foster (drums), Mike Gregory (bass guitar, vocals), John Kinrade (lead guitar, vocals), Terry Sylvester (guitar, lead vocals) and Ray Walker (lead vocals). Terry Sylvester was later a member of The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Hollies.

The single "The One To Cry" which spent two weeks on the UK singles chart was their only UK hit. They never recorded an album but in 1983 at the behest of Elvis Costello, Edsel records released an album called "From The Blue Angel". The Blue Angel was a Liverpool club where The Escorts began playing in 1962. The album contained the A & B-Sides of their five Fontana singles and the A & B-Side of their Columbia single. The A-Side of this single was "From Head To Toe" on which Paul McCartney played tambourine.

Answer: The Dennisons

"Walkin' The Dog" was a number 36 hit on the UK singles chart for The Dennisons in 1964. It did not chart in the US.

In 1963 the compère at the Cavern club, Bob Wooler, who was also instrumental in introducing The Beatles to Brian Epstein said, "The Dennisons have created the biggest impact in Liverpool since the Beatles". That accolade did not help them nationally as two minor chart hits on the UK singles chart is all that they achieved. The first of which was "Be My Girl" which peaked at number 46 in 1963.

The Dennisons were Terry Carson (bass guitar), Clive Hornby (drums), Steve McLaren (lead guitar), Eddie Parry (vocals) and Ray Scragg (rhythm guitar, vocals). The group became a four piece in 1965 after Eddie Parry left and disbanded altogether in 1967. Drummer Clive Hornby became an actor; he played the character Jack Sugden for 28 years in the UK TV soap "Emmerdale Farm"/"Emmerdale".

Answer: The Cryin' Shames

"Please Stay" was a number 26 hit on the UK singles chart for The Cryin' Shames in 1966.

The Cryin' Shames were Charlie Crane (vocals), Charlie Gallagher (drums), Joey Kneen (vocals), Phil Roberts (keyboards), George Robinson (bass guitar) and Ritchie Routledge (lead guitar, vocals). At the time Ritchie Routledge joined the group he was working as a junior reporter for the national music paper "Music Echo" owned by Brian Epstein.

"Please Stay" written by Burt Bacharach/Bob Hilliard was produced by the ill-fated Joe Meek and was to be his last UK chart success before his suicide in 1967. After "Please Stay" became a minor hit Brian Epstein met the band in the top Liverpool hotel the Adelphi to discuss his offer to manage them but they turned him down. We will never know how that might have worked out but they never bothered the UK chart again.