Barron Knights

The Barron Knights originated as a five-piece musical comedy ensemble in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England, during 1960. Its lineup consists of Duke D'Mond (born Richard Palmer on February 25, 1945, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire), who handles vocals and guitar; Peter "P'nut" Langford (born April 10, 1943, in Durham), also on vocals and guitar; Butch Baker (born Leslie John Baker on July 16, 1941, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire), likewise contributing vocals and guitar; "Barron" Anthony Osmond (born June 15, 1940, in Abingdon, Berkshire), responsible for vocals and bass; and Dave Ballinger (born January 17, 1941, in Slough, Buckinghamshire), who plays drums. The act began performing conventional material before achieving recognition through spoofs of the Merseybeat acts that dominated the early 1960s, after which it sustained a career by satirizing later musical movements. "Call Up the Groups," which reached number three in 1964, marked their breakthrough single, and they accumulated thirteen UK chart entries extending through 1983, among them "Pop! Go the Workers" at number five in 1965, "Merry Gentle Pops" at number nine the same year, "Live in Trouble" at number seven in 1977, and "A Taste of Aggro" at number three in 1978. Their sole appearance on the US charts occurred in 1979 via "The Topical Song," a send-up of Supertramp's "The Logical Song."