THE SWINGING BLUE JEANS:It Isn't There

The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; "Hippy Hippy Shake", the follow-up, Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "You're No Good", a Clint Ballard song that provided a change of pace and furnished the group's most enduring achievement. But subsequent singles released that year and the next made no impression. In 1966 their version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Don't Make Me Over" peaked at #31 in the UK Singles Chart, but the group never charted again.

The Swinging Blue Jeans performed on many popular TV shows in the United Kingdom and Europe, appearing with The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, and The Merseybeats. The Swinging Blue Jeans had the standard Shadows line-up of two guitars, a bass guitar and drums and achieved local fame with their appearances at the Mardi Gras Club and the Cavern Club. They had a three year spell of success, rising and falling with Merseybeat itself.[2]
An album Blue Jeans a' Swinging was released in 1964 by HMV; an contemporaneous American LP composed of 45 and EP tracks, Hippy Hippy Shake included a released-in-the-US-only Shadows-style instrumental, "Wasting Time". Ralph Ellis who, with Ray Ennis was one of the two songwriters in the group, left in early 1966, and was succeeded by Terry Sylvester from The Escorts. Finding themselves trying to keep up with the rapidly changing times, the band recorded a second album at Abbey Road Studios in early 1966 which had a limited release in Canada. The band drifted into a middle of the road direction which failed to bring them any success. In 1967, the band's producer Ridley decided to try and transform Ray Ennis into a solo star, cutting the disc "Tremblin'" with session musicians and backing vocals by Madeline Bell and Kiki Dee, but it was ultimately released under the band's name. Later that year another member from The Escorts - Mike Gregory joined the band making it a five piece line-up. Gregory played bass and Braid moved to the keyboards until 1972. Gregory left for family reasons and Braid reverted back to playing bass. June 1968 saw a one off disc credited to 'Ray Ennis and The Blue Jeans', but this failed to bring any change in fortune, and Sylvester left at the end of 1968 to replace Graham Nash in The Hollies. "Hey Mrs Housewife" was credited to The Blue Jeans in April 1969, after which they were dropped by EMI. The band then changed their name to Music Motor for a one off single on Deram, "Happy", after which they reverted back to The Swinging Blue Jeans name and the band eventually retired to the cabaret circuit.

The Swinging Blue Jeans, continued with Ray Ennis and Les Braid until Braid's death in 2005, leaving Ennis as the sole original member. After fifty years as an active member, Ray Ennis announced he would retire after the band's tour which ended in Liverpool on 30 May 2010.

Band members

Ray Ennis - Vocalist / Guitarist - born Raymond Vincent Ennis, 26 May 1940, Huyton, Liverpool
Ralph Ellis - Guitarist - born 8 March 1942, Liverpool
Les Braid - Bassist / keyboardist - born William Leslie Braid, 15 September 1937, West Derby Road, West Derby, Liverpool — died 31 July 2005, Fazakerley Hospital, Fazakerley, Liverpool
Norman Kuhlke - Drummer - born 17 June 1942, Liverpool
John E. Carter - Singer, guitarist - born 21 May 1938, Liverpool. Carter came from HyKatz Skiffle Group in 1959, before leaving for Canada in June 1961.
Terry Sylvester - Singer, guitarist - born 8 January 1946, Liverpool. Sylvester came from The Escorts in 1966, before leaving to replace Graham Nash in The Hollies.
Colin Manley - Guitarist - born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, Old Swan, Liverpool — died 9 April 1999 (ex-guitarist with The Remo Four)
John Ryan - Drummer - born 5 April 1953, Pinehurst Avenue, Liverpool (ex-drummer with Liverpool Express)
Bruce McCaskill - Guitarist / vocalist - born 15 January 1940, Liverpool
Mike Gregory - Bass guitarist - born Michael Gregory, 7 November 1946, Liverpool Maternity Hospital, Liverpool (ex-bassist with The Escorts)
Kenny Goodlass - Drummer - Liverpool (ex drummer with The Escorts)
Mick McCann - Drummer - born 2 February 1949, Liverpool; occasionally deputised for Kuhlke in 1967/8
Phil Thompson - Drummer - born 18 October 1947, Liverpool; joined the band in 1983 and left same day as Ray Ennis.
Hedley Vick - Guitarist - 24 April 1953, Birkenhead, Merseyside; 1975/6 including tours of UK, Europe and New Zealand; brother of opera director, Graham Vick
Alan Lovell - Guitarist - born 5 January 1952, Newtown, Wales (ex-guitarist with The New Vaudeville Band 1981-88)
Jeff Bannister - keyboardist, vocalist - born Jeffrey Bannister, 7 January 1943, Slough, Berkshire
Pete Oakman - bassist, vocalist - born Peter Andrew Oakman, 12 December 1943, Cuffley, Hertfordshire

Category:

Music

Tags:

• THE
• SWINGING
• BLUE
• JEANS
• It
• Isn't
• There

[Babyhowdy233]

@kathykay2010

You're welcome! This is probably my very favourite by them.

[kathykay2010]

Thanks for the upload...I've never seen much of them anywhere!

Thanks again!