Above: Them in 1965
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Description: Band, UK
Known For: “Baby, Please Dont Go” – “Here Comes The Night”
Music Styles: Rock, garage rock, blues rock.
Location: Belfast, Ireland
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Them (band)
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard “Gloria” and launching singer Van Morrison’s musical career. The original five member band consisted of Morrison, Alan Henderson, Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison and Eric Wrixon. The group was marketed in the United States as part of the British Invasion.
Them scored two UK hits in 1965 with “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (UK No.10) and “Here Comes the Night” (UK No.2; Ireland No.2). The latter song and “Mystic Eyes” were Top 40 hits in the US.
Morrison quit the band in 1966 and went on to a successful career as a solo artist. Although Them had a short-lived existence, the Belfast group had considerable influence on other bands, such as the Doors.
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard “Gloria” and launching singer Van Morrison’s musical career.
The original five member band consisted of Morrison, Alan Henderson, Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison and Eric Wrixon.The group was marketed in the United States as part of the British Invasion.
Them scored two UK hits in 1965 with “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (UK #10) and “Here Comes the Night” (UK #2, Ireland #2). The latter song and “Mystic Eyes”” were Top 40 hits in the US.
Morrison quit the band in 1966 and went on to a successful career as a solo artist. Although Them had a short-lived existence, the Belfast group had considerable influence on other bands, such as The Doors.
In April 1964, Van Morrison established an R&B club at the Maritime Hotel, Belfast with entrepreneurs Jimmy Conlon, Jerry McKernan and Gerry McKervey (known as the “3Js”). Morrison gave notice to the group with which he performed at the time, the Golden Eagles. With an anticipated opening night for the new R&B club approaching, he embarked on a mission to find his ideal line-up.
He had recently been introduced to The Gamblers, an East Belfast group formed in 1962 by Ronnie Millings (drums, born 1937), Billy Harrison (guitar and lead vocals, born William Harrison on 14 October 1942), and Alan Henderson (bass guitar, born 26 November 1944). Eric Wrixon, who was still in school, had been recruited as piano player and keyboardist.
Morrison joined in on tenor saxophone, harmonica and vocals. The group rehearsed over Dougie Knight’s bicycle shop in Shaftesbury Square, Belfast in preparation for their debut at the Maritime.
As the group now felt they needed a new name, they followed Eric Wrixon’s suggestion and The Gamblers morphed into Them after the 1954 sci-fi horror film.
On April 14, 1964, an advertisement in a Belfast newspaper asked: “Who Are? What Are? THEM”. Similarly curious advertisements followed until the Friday before the gig (April 17, 1964) announced that Them would be performing that evening at Club Rado at the Maritime Hotel. Attendance at the two hundred capacity venue quickly grew with a packed house by the third week.
Them performed without a routine, fired by the crowd’s energy: Morrison later commented that while the band was “out of our element” making records… “The way we did the numbers at the Maritime was more spontaneous, more energetic, more everything, because we were feeding off the crowd.”
Morrison ad libbed songs as he performed and “Gloria”, the classic song he had written at eighteen years old, took shape here and could last up to twenty minutes.
According to Morrison, “Them lived and died on the stage at the Maritime Hotel” but only very rudimentary recordings survive. One fan’s recording, of “Turn On Your Love Light”, the group’s most popular number, made its way to Mervyn and Phil Solomon, who contacted Decca Records’ Dick Rowe, who then traveled to Belfast to hear Them perform.
Rowe and Phil Solomon agreed on a two year contract with the members of the band then signed up to Solomon. Morrison, at eighteen had to have his father sign for him. Within a few weeks, the group was taken to England and into the Decca’s recording studio in West Hampstead for their first recording session.
Them’s first recording session took place in London on July 5, 1964. “Turn on Your Love Light” and “Gloria” were recorded during this session as were both sides of their first single, “Don’t Start Crying Now” and “One Two Brown Eyes” as well as “Groovin'”, “Philosophy” and Bo Diddley’s “You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover”.
Their next single, Big Joe Williams’s “Baby Please Don’t Go” retained Bobby Graham, substituted Peter Bardens on second keyboard and added Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar (the distinctive lead guitar was the work of Billy Harrison. It was released in November with “Gloria” as its B-side. In December 1964, Them made their television debut, joining The Rolling Stones, on Ready Steady Go!.
Their manager, Phil Solomon got the track used as the show’s signature tune and within two weeks it was at #26 on a UK Singles Chart, finally peaking in the Top Ten.
Their next release was Them’s biggest hit in the UK, “Here Comes the Night”. This time the producer was the writer of the song, Bert Berns, an American, who had also co-written “Twist and Shout”. Berns’ second keyboardist was Phil Coulter and Andy White played drums. Backed with “All for Myself” it charted in the UK at #2 in March 1965, three weeks after release, and went to #24 in the U.S. in May.
Van Morrison has placed the Them break-up in context: “There was no motive behind anything you did [back then]. You just did it because you wanted to do it and you enjoyed doing it. That’s the way the thing started, but it got twisted somewhere along the way and everybody involved in it got twisted as well, including me.”(1967) “You can’t take something like that, put it in a box and place a neat little name on it, then try to sell it. That’s what they tried to do. That’s what killed Them.” (1973)
Van Morrison went on to great success and fame as a solo artist, but Them’s combination of garage rock and blues proved a major influence on the next generations of rock musicians, and the group’s best-known singles have become staples of rock and roll.
Singles
Don’t Start Crying Now / One Two Brown Eyes – (1964)
Baby, Please Don’t Go / Gloria – (1965) UK #10, US #102
Here Comes the Night / All For Myself – (1965) UK #2, IRE #2, US #24
One More Time / How Long Baby – (1965)
Gloria / Baby, Please Don’t Go – (1965) US #93, US #71 (1966 Re-release)
(It Won’t Hurt) Half As Much / I’m Gonna Dress In Black – (1965)
Mystic Eyes / If You And I Could Be As Two – (1966) US #33
Call My Name / Bring ’em On In – (1966)
I Can Only Give You Everything / Don’t Start Crying Now – (1966)
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue / I’m Gonna Dress In Black (Netherlands) – (1966)
Richard Cory / Don’t You Know – (1966)
Friday’s Child / Gloria – (1967)
The Story Of Them, Part 1 / The Story Of Them, Part 2 – (1967)
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue / Bad Or Good – (1973) GER #13
Personnel
Over 30 musicians have played with the group;
(April 1964 – January 1965)
Van Morrison – lead vocals, saxophone
Alan Henderson – bass
Billy Harrison – guitar
Ronnie Millings – drums (until 12/64)
Eric Wrixon – keyboards (except 6/64-12/64)
Pat McAuley – keyboards (after 6/64), then drums (after 12/64)
(January 1965 – April 1965)
Van Morrison – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Billy Harrison – guitar
Jackie McAuley – keyboards
Pat McAuley – drums
(May 1965 – July 1965)
‘The Angry Young Them
Here Comes The Night’
Van Morrison – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Billy Harrison – guitar
Pat McAuley – drums
Peter Bardens – keyboards
(July 1965 – August 1965)
Van Morrison – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Joe Baldi – guitar
Peter Bardens – keyboards
Terry Noon – drums
(about September 1965 – November 1966, as ‘THEM’,
‘OTHER THEM’, or
‘BELFAST GYPSIES’)
‘Belfast Gypsies’
Pat McAuley – organ (until January 1966), then drums
Billy Harrison – guitar (until November 1965)
Mark Scott – bass
Skip Alan – drums (until November 1965)
Nick Wymer – lead vocals (until January 1966)
‘Don’ – guitar (about November 1965 to January 1966)
Viv Prince – drums (about November 1965)
Ken McLeod – drums (November 1965 until January 1966), then guitar
Jackie McAuley – lead vocals, organ, harmonica (from January 1966)
Peter Bardens – keyboards (for a few shows in 1966)
(September 1965 – April 1966)
‘Them Again’ Van Morrison – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Jim Armstrong – guitar
Ray Elliot – keyboards, saxophone, flute
John Wilson – drums (until December 1965)
Dave Harvey – drums (after December 1965)
Eric Wrixon – keyboards (for a few shows in September 1965)
Billy Harrison – guitar (subbing for Armstrong, November 1965)
Terry Noone – drums (subbing for Wilson, November 1965)
(April 1966 – September 1966)
Van Morrison – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Jim Armstrong – guitar
Ray Elliot – keyboards, saxophone, flute
Dave Harvey (David Tufrey) – drums
Steve Reush – drums (briefly in August 1966)
Sammy Stitt – drums (briefly in September 1966)
(September 1966 – October 1966, as ‘THEM AGAIN’)
Van Morrison – lead vocals
Eric Bell – guitar
Joe Hanratty – drums
Mike Brown – bass
Alan Henderson – second bass for a couple shows
(1966–1967)
‘Now And Them’
Kenny McDowell – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Jim Armstrong – guitar, sitar
Ray Elliot – keyboards, saxophone, flute
Dave Harvey – drums
(1967–1968)
‘Time Out! Time In For Them’
‘Corina /
Dark Are The Shadows’
Kenny McDowell – lead vocals
Alan Henderson – bass
Jim Armstrong – guitar, sitar
Dave Harvey – drums
Johnny Guerin – drums (studio sessions)
(1969–1970)
‘Them’ Alan Henderson – bass
Jerry Cole – vocals, guitar, percussion
Ry Cooder – guitar (studio sessions in 1969)
Jack Nitzsche – keyboards (studio sessions in 1969)
John Stark – drums, vocals (uncredited album sessions in 1969)
Mark Creamer – guitar, vocals (uncredited sessions on two album cuts in 1969)
(1971, as ‘THEM
featuring Alan Henderson’)
‘Them In Reality’ Alan Henderson – bass
John Stark – drums, lead vocals
Jim Parker – guitar, vocals
(mid 1969 – early 1971,as ‘TRUTH’)
‘Of Them And Other Tales’
Jim Armstrong – guitar
Kenny McDowell – lead vocals
Curtis Bachman – bass
Reno Smith – drums
Ray Elliot – keyboards, flute (briefly, 1970)
Buddy Clark – drums (briefly when the group reformed in Chicago, under the management of Circle Productions. Clark is now an attorney in Westminster, CA and a judge pro-tem in LA County, and has a band in CA called Highway)
(1979)
‘Shut Your Mouth’
Alan Henderson – bass
Billy Harrison – guitar (studio sessions)
Eric Wrixon – keyboards (studio sessions)
Mel Austin – lead vocals
Billy Bell – drums
Jim Armstrong – guitar (tour)
Brian Scott – keyboards, flute (tour)
(from 1993 – as ‘THEM
THE BELFAST BLUES BAND’)
Eric Wrixon – keyboards, lead vocals[34]
Jim Armstrong – guitar
John Wilson – drums
Billy Bell – drums
Ally MacKenzie – bass
Siggi Heilek – drums
Billy McCoy – guitar
Luca Nardi – bass
Tom Wagener – drums
Extended links:
- The Music Collector’s Guide – full chronology of Them/Van Morrison
- Allmusic.com Biography: Them
- Them the Band tripod.com
- Detailed biography Them and band member’s later careers by John Berg
- Month-by-month biography of Them at Garagehangover.com
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia