Biography
Originally operating under the name the Raiders, the lineup of lead guitarist Gary Le Port, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Rayther, bassist Pete Johnson and drummer Tony White began with vocalist Robert Farrent, who performed under the stage name Bobby Shafto. During 1960 the group, still featuring Rod Stewart, was tested by producer Joe Meek inside a north London church hall as he hunted for an instrumental outfit capable of capturing his planned piece “Night of the Vampire.” Yielding to Meek’s vision, the musicians set Stewart aside and, rebranded as the Moontrekkers, secured a solitary week at number 50 on the UK Top 50 plus a BBC prohibition for their Parlophone Records release, whose eerie effects included a creaking coffin lid and wailing wind. A follow-up single, “There’s Something at the Bottom of the Well,” failed to repeat that modest chart showing, prompting Johnson and White to depart for the Aristocats. With Rayther also gone, Le Port assembled fresh Moontrekkers who achieved a final flourish when the 1963 Decca Records single “Moondust” climbed into Sweden’s Top 10. The founding members reconvened in 1991 to perform at several Joe Meek memorial concerts and continued with occasional semi-professional engagements thereafter.