Peter & Gordon

In June 1964 Peter & Gordon became the first British Invasion group after the Beatles to reach the top of the U.S. singles chart, doing so with “A World Without Love.” Connections, at least as much as innate ability, accounted for that breakthrough and the string of follow-up successes. Peter Asher was Jane Asher’s older brother; throughout much of the decade she was Paul McCartney’s companion, a link that opened the door to several Lennon-McCartney compositions the Beatles themselves never recorded—“A World Without Love,” “Nobody I Know,” “I Don't Want to See You Again,” and “Woman,” the last of which McCartney wrote under an assumed name.

Even so, the pair possessed real gifts. They functioned as a British Invasion counterpart to the Everly Brothers and, in a modest way, anticipated the folk-rock sound that would surface a year or two later. When Gene Clark first spoke with Jim McGuinn in 1964 about forming the ensemble that later became the Byrds, he proposed modeling it on Peter & Gordon.

The two singers had already been harmonizing since their time together at Westminster School for Boys. Their signature hit, “A World Without Love,” captured the brighter, more melodic side of early Beatles writing; the year’s remaining chart entries, “Nobody I Know” and “I Don't Want to See You Again,” were agreeable yet unremarkable. Both tracks, essentially McCartney-led outtakes, received gentler, acoustic-centered arrangements rather than the harder-edged guitar attack favored by most contemporary British Invasion bands. Strings appeared on “I Don't Want to See You Again” and would surface again on later singles as the duo’s style drifted steadily toward mainstream pop.

A handful of folk-tinged B-sides hinted at songwriting promise, yet, like many less prolific British Invasion acts, their limited compositional resources and inability to keep pace with changing tastes eventually proved costly. They still reached the charts for another two years with remakes of Buddy Holly’s “True Love Ways” and the Teddy Bears’ “To Know Her Is to Love Her” (retitled “To Know You Is to Love You”), a Top Ten version of Del Shannon’s “I Go to Pieces,” and the brass-driven McCartney number “Woman.” Their final major success arrived in late 1966 with the whimsical British novelty “Lady Godiva.”

After the partnership dissolved in 1968, Asher moved into production, serving as director of A&R for the Beatles’ Apple Records and overseeing James Taylor’s debut album. Settling in Los Angeles during the seventies, he helped shape the mellow California sound through his work with Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.