Formed in the Los Angeles area during the early 1960s, the American instrumental group known as the Routers saw its initial lineup—Mike Gordon, Al Kait, Bill Moody, Lynn Frazier, and one unidentified musician—quickly set aside once recording began. After signing with Warner Brothers Records, the quintet was placed under producer Joe Saraceno, who replaced the actual members with session players for the 1962 single “Let’s Go (Pony).” That track climbed to number 19 on the US charts, and the accompanying album Let’s Go! With The Routers appeared soon afterward, though it too relied on studio contributors such as Hal Blaine and Plas Johnson. Warner Brothers kept releasing singles credited to the Routers, among them “Sting Ray,” which entered the charts in 1963, and followed with three additional albums on the label. Further singles later surfaced on RCA Records and Mercury Records—the latter also issuing an album—extending into 1973 before the name was retired and the remaining musicians disbanded.
Unbeknownst to the group and the song’s writers, the handclap-and-chorus hook of “Let’s Go” was taken up by British football supporters in the mid-1960s, who substituted their club’s name for the original lyric. Historians credit West Ham fans with introducing the chant, which other London clubs soon copied; it has since become a standard across the sport. Had the composers received performance royalties each time it was sung, their earnings would have reached billions many times over.
