Vanity Fare

The American audience chiefly recalls harmony pop group Vanity Fare through their enduring single "Hitchin' a Ride." The ensemble formed in Kent, England, during 1968 with vocalist Trevor Brice, guitarist Tony Goulden, bassist Tony Jarrett, and drummer Dick Allix. Initially known as the Avengers, they attracted local entrepreneur Roger Easterby as manager; he secured a Page One contract and directed them to record the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun" as their first release. Their refined vocal blend and polished appearance prompted a name drawn from a playful rearrangement of the title of William Makepeace Thackeray's celebrated novel, yielding Vanity Fare. That debut single reached the U.K. Top 20 during summer 1968, yet a full year passed before "Early in the Morning" climbed into the Top Ten in both Britain and the United States. By then the quartet had traded tailored suits for neckerchiefs and Carnaby Street attire while recruiting keyboardist Barry Landeman, an alumnus of Kippington Lodge alongside Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwartz. Landeman's keyboard work anchored the infectious 1969 smash "Hitchin' a Ride," which moved more than a million copies stateside alone. A subsequent North American tour drew scant attention, prompting a swift return to Britain. Goulden departed first, followed by Allix; Candy Choir guitarist Eddie Wheeler and Canterbury Tales drummer Mark Ellen stepped in as replacements. (Dick Allix died on March 13, 2024.) The revised lineup notched a modest success with the 1972 ballad "Better by Far" and shifted focus to the cabaret circuit, sometimes playing fourteen shows weekly. The demanding schedule eventually prompted Jarrett's exit; former Tranquility bassist Bernard Hagley joined for "I'm in Love with the World," the band's inaugural Phillips single. After 1974's "Fast Running Out of World," their recording activity ceased, though live work continued, encompassing repeated Scandinavian engagements. During one Danish visit, Brice fell in love and left the group, with Phil Kitto assuming vocal duties. Kitto later exited as well, leaving Kevin Thompson as frontman when Vanity Fare issued "Dreamer" in 1986, their first single in more than a decade. The 1993 release "Rain" marked another recording hiatus, yet the band kept touring; Steve Oakman succeeded Thompson in early 2002.