The Equals

Emerging as one of Britain’s earliest interracial groups, the Equals barreled across the mid-1960s and subsequent years on the strength of sharp songcraft, high-voltage performances, and a hybrid style that merged pop, blues, maximum R&B, ska, and bluebeat. After the band fractured in the early 1970s, founding singer Eddy Grant launched a thriving solo path, while co-founder Pat Lloyd kept various lineups active as fresh listeners unearthed their catalog. Although Roots marked the final collection of original material in 1995, later reinterpretations by the Clash, the Specials, the Detroit Cobras, and others sustained interest, and fresh anthologies such as the 2021 set All the Hits Re-Recorded continued to surface.

School friends Lincoln Gordon on guitar, his twin Dervin Gordon handling initial vocals, Pat Lloyd switching between guitar and bass, singer Eddy Grant, and drummer John Hall came together in North London during 1965 and soon began performing locally, where their tireless drive and memorable originals quickly drew crowds. European bookings followed that same year, and the group issued its debut single on President Records. While “Hold Me Closer” failed to register, disc jockeys favored the B-side, propelling “Baby, Come Back” to the summit of the German and Dutch charts by 1967; twelve months later the track reached number one in Britain and edged onto American listings. Follow-up releases never matched that instant impact, leaving the band with just two additional Top Ten entries: “Viva Bobby Joe” and the pointed “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys.”

A 1969 motorway crash in Germany sidelined the entire group and left Grant with severe injuries; he stepped away from touring to recover, then departed permanently for a solo career in 1971. Although chart success ended, the Equals stayed in demand on stage and folded reggae and funk textures into their raw pop approach on the 1976 album Born Ya!. They followed with Mystic Syster in 1977 just as punk emerged and a younger cohort began rediscovering earlier singles. The Clash included a version of “Police on My Back” on their 1980 album Sandinista!, while garage, rock, and pop acts offered further renditions over time. Roots arrived in 1995 as the last studio effort of new songs, yet assorted lineups kept performing live for decades afterward.