Biography
Among Liverpool groups that never secured a hit record even in their hometown, Faron's Flamingos ranked among the most promising, though its personnel repeatedly moved through more celebrated and longer-lasting outfits. The musicians first assembled in 1959 as the Ravens, also known as Robin & the Ravens, at a time when few adults in the city took notice of local music. The original roster featured Nicky Crouch on guitar and vocals, Billy Jones also handling guitar and vocals, Eric London on bass, and Trevor Morais on drums. Two years later Bill Ruffley, previously the vocalist for the Tempest Tornados and known as Faron Ruffley, stepped in as lead singer; legendary Liverpool DJ Bob Wooler is credited with proposing the name Faron's Flamingos in 1961.
Personnel shifts began almost immediately. Eric London and Billy Jones departed in 1962, after which Dave "Mushy" Cooper, formerly of the Undertakers, took over on bass while guitarist and singer Paddy Chambers joined shortly afterward. Already renowned for an exuberant live show that included comic acrobatics from Faron and Morais, the band toured France in 1962, before the Merseybeat surge had fully emerged. By the start of 1963 Cooper had left and Faron assumed bass duties alongside his role as lead vocalist.
The quartet nearly bypassed the beat explosion sparked by the Beatles. They secured a last-minute opportunity to record the energetic rock & roll numbers "Let's Stomp," "So Fine," and "Talkin' 'Bout You" for the multi-artist collection This Is Merseybeat. An agreement with Oriole Records, then England's largest independent label, followed, and their August 1963 single "Do You Love Me" is regarded as the first Liverpool 45-rpm release of a Motown song, though Oriole initially placed it on the B-side of "See If She Cares." Within days Brian Poole, reportedly after coaxing the lyrics from Faron in a tavern, recorded a version with Brian Poole & the Tremeloes for Decca that became a substantial hit, later overshadowed by the Dave Clark Five's rendition. The October 1963 release "Shake Sherry" backed with "Give Me Time" fared no better, and by the close of November the members agreed to disband.
Faron and Paddy Chambers moved into the second lineup of the Big Three, Nicky Crouch joined the Mojos, and Trevor Morais found success with the jazz-oriented trio the Peddlers. Locally known in the music press as "the Panda-footed Prince of Prance" for his flamboyant stage presence, Faron revived a version of Faron's Flamingos in 1965 and worked in France through the late 1960s; in later years he led a Liverpool edition that included ex-Undertakers saxman Brian Jones. Serious health issues later limited his activity, yet he retained strong local regard and appeared occasionally. Faron's Flamingos stands as one of the most compelling footnotes to the Merseybeat era, enjoying brief international notice alongside the Undertakers, Lee Curtis & the All Stars, and Rory Storm & the Hurricanes during the mid-1970s revival of interest in 1960s sounds when anthologies such as the British United Artists double-LP Merseybeat 1962-1964 appeared.
Personnel shifts began almost immediately. Eric London and Billy Jones departed in 1962, after which Dave "Mushy" Cooper, formerly of the Undertakers, took over on bass while guitarist and singer Paddy Chambers joined shortly afterward. Already renowned for an exuberant live show that included comic acrobatics from Faron and Morais, the band toured France in 1962, before the Merseybeat surge had fully emerged. By the start of 1963 Cooper had left and Faron assumed bass duties alongside his role as lead vocalist.
The quartet nearly bypassed the beat explosion sparked by the Beatles. They secured a last-minute opportunity to record the energetic rock & roll numbers "Let's Stomp," "So Fine," and "Talkin' 'Bout You" for the multi-artist collection This Is Merseybeat. An agreement with Oriole Records, then England's largest independent label, followed, and their August 1963 single "Do You Love Me" is regarded as the first Liverpool 45-rpm release of a Motown song, though Oriole initially placed it on the B-side of "See If She Cares." Within days Brian Poole, reportedly after coaxing the lyrics from Faron in a tavern, recorded a version with Brian Poole & the Tremeloes for Decca that became a substantial hit, later overshadowed by the Dave Clark Five's rendition. The October 1963 release "Shake Sherry" backed with "Give Me Time" fared no better, and by the close of November the members agreed to disband.
Faron and Paddy Chambers moved into the second lineup of the Big Three, Nicky Crouch joined the Mojos, and Trevor Morais found success with the jazz-oriented trio the Peddlers. Locally known in the music press as "the Panda-footed Prince of Prance" for his flamboyant stage presence, Faron revived a version of Faron's Flamingos in 1965 and worked in France through the late 1960s; in later years he led a Liverpool edition that included ex-Undertakers saxman Brian Jones. Serious health issues later limited his activity, yet he retained strong local regard and appeared occasionally. Faron's Flamingos stands as one of the most compelling footnotes to the Merseybeat era, enjoying brief international notice alongside the Undertakers, Lee Curtis & the All Stars, and Rory Storm & the Hurricanes during the mid-1970s revival of interest in 1960s sounds when anthologies such as the British United Artists double-LP Merseybeat 1962-1964 appeared.