The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in Old Swan, Liverpool, Lancashire; died 9 April 1999) (lead guitar/vocals), Phil Rogers (rhythm guitar/bass guitar/vocals) (born Philip Rogers, 5 March 1942, in Liverpool; died 14 January 2020), Don Andrew (born Donald M. Andrew, 14 July 1942, in Liverpool) (bass guitar/vocals), Keith Stokes (vocals/guitar) and Roy Dyke (drums) (born 13 February 1945, in Liverpool). Andrew and Manley were in the same class at school (Liverpool Institute for Boys) as Paul McCartney.

Career

Colin Manley and Don Andrew formed the Remo Quartet in 1958, with singer/guitarist Keith Stokes (born in 1942 died 19 June 2010) and drummer Harry Prytherch (born 4 August 1941, Liverpool; died 13 October 2015). They progressed from playing local parties and contests to regular hall appearances, and turned professional, changing their name to the Remo Four in mid-1959. They played a mix of vocal harmony material and instrumental numbers in the manner of the Everly Brothers, the Shadows, the Ventures, and Chet Atkins. The Remo Four were voted Number Three Group in a 1961 Mersey Beat poll, and among their fans were the Beatles, fresh from a season in Hamburg, Germany. Both groups were among the regulars at the Cavern Club during 1961 and 1962, and both shared the bill with Gerry & The Pacemakers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, and Ted "Kingsize" Taylor and the Dominoes, at the 1961 "Operation Big Beat", a festival at New Brighton's Tower Ballroom. While the Beatles travelled back and forth to Hamburg, the Remo Four began playing U.S. Air Force bases in France, building their stage and musical experience. Johnny Sandon joined the band as vocalist in 1962, and stayed for two years. In early 1963, Prytherch left the band to marry and find a regular job, and was replaced by Roy Dyke. Stokes also left and was replaced by Phil Rogers. That year the band signed up with Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises and acquired a new lead singer, Tommy Quickly, and a recording contract with Piccadilly Records, backing Quickly on Lennon and McCartney's "Tip of My Tongue" and other songs. The band also released instrumentals, including a rendition of Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn". In a significant line-up change, Tony Ashton (keyboards/vocals) replaced Don Andrew, with Rogers moving to bass. Another NEMS artist, Billy J. Kramer, became a frontman for the band, which adopted the name "The New Dakotas" while backing him. Despite their talent and track record, the band's success in the record market was limited, and most of their work came as backing musicians, or as the house band in German clubs, including the Star-Club in Hamburg. They released an album, Smile!, on the Star-Club's own label in 1967, featuring elements of rock and jazz. Late in 1967, George Harrison hired the Remo Four as his backing band for part of his first solo project, the soundtrack album to the movie Wonderwall. While the songs were mostly instrumentals, they did record one lyrical song, "In the First Place", with Harrison, which was left unreleased until the 1990s. In the late 1960s, the band became Billy Fury's backing band. Disbanding in 1970, Ashton and Dyke joined guitarist Kim Gardner, formerly of the Creation and the Birds, to form Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, who later recorded a song called "Ballad of the Remo Four". Ashton later formed Paice Ashton Lord with Ian Paice and Jon Lord of Deep Purple. Manley became an accompanist for singers including Engelbert Humperdinck, and later joined the Swinging Blue Jeans. Andrew and Manley appeared with Gerry Marsden performing on stage in an episode of the UK soap opera Brookside in the 1990s. Manley died of cancer on 9 April 1999, and a memorial concert was held for him that June, with some of his former bandmates performing. Ashton also died of cancer, on 28 May 2001. Stokes died on 19 June 2010. Rogers died on 14 January 2020 in Buckinghamshire.

Discography

Singles Compilation albums (Tracks 1-12 feature Tommy Quickly, 13-20 feature Johnny Sandon, and 21-26 feature Gregory Phillips.) *with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly *with Johnny Sandon; ** with Tommy Quickly