The Peddlers emerged as one of the unlikeliest hitmakers on the British music scene across the 1960s and 1970s. Clad in dark attire and cropped hair, the trio cultivated a spare, minimalist look while delivering pop-jazz that stood apart from both the rock 'n' roll they had once performed and the rock sounds then rising around them; nevertheless they amassed sufficient chart entries and sales to sustain a decade-long run that spanned two major labels. Roy Phillips, born May 5, 1943, in Parkstone, Dorset, had earlier served as guitarist for the harmony-driven rock & roll outfit the Dowlands, a group produced by Joe Meek; bassist Tab Martin, born December 24, 1944, in Liverpool, had played with another Meek-associated act, the Tornados; and drummer Trevor Morais, born October 16, 1943, also in Liverpool, had come from Faron's Flamingos, a prominent local Liverpool band of the early 1960s.
Formed in 1964, the three musicians specialized in a lean, improvisatory pop-jazz that found favor at London haunts such as the Scotch of St. James, where they quickly secured a residency. Martin and Morais formed an exceptionally cohesive rhythm section while Phillips distinguished himself as a commanding soloist on both organ and piano; the resulting sound drew loose comparisons to Jimmy Smith and the early Brian Auger & the Trinity yet retained its own distinctive cool and visual identity. Their blues-inflected reading of Teddy Randazzo’s “Let the Sunshine In” reached the British charts in early 1965 on Philips Records, prompting two albums for the label even though further hits proved elusive for several years. Steady work continued at upscale London clubs and northern working-men’s venues alike, with admirers that included the Rolling Stones, Princess Margaret, and Eric Sykes.
Signing with CBS Records, the U.K. division of Columbia, in 1967 revived their fortunes; the following year Freewheelers entered the LP chart, produced and arranged by Keith Mansfield, who oversaw most of their subsequent sessions. Two further albums, Three in a Cell and Birthday, carried the group through the close of the decade, the latter exploring folk and progressive avenues. Their biggest commercial breakthrough arrived in 1969 with the self-penned Top 10 single “Birth,” which elevated them to major stardom and underwrote six years of lucrative live engagements. During the late 1960s and early 1970s the trio’s music also served as introductory and closing themes for various television programs, alongside their extensive cabaret commitments. Philips Records issued Georgia on My Mind in 1971 and Suite London a year later.
After Morais departed in 1972 the remaining members continued until 1976, recording for both Philips and EMI. Phillips eventually withdrew from music and has lived in New Zealand for more than two decades; Martin pursued session work before relocating to Portugal; and Morais contributed to recordings by Bryan Ferry and others while operating El Cortijo Studio in Malaga. In 2002 British CBS issued the double-CD anthology How Cool Is Cool...The Complete CBS Recordings, encompassing material from their three albums, singles, B-sides, and two previously unreleased tracks. More than a quarter-century after their final recordings, the Peddlers still command a devoted following in England at the start of the twenty-first century.
