Guide to British Music of the 1960s
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Terry Clark - vocals / rhythm guitar, Louis Cennamo - bass, Tony Chapman - drums, Andy Bown - guitar / keyboards
With personnel from the Kent groups The Preachers and Moon’s Train, the Herd started playing London clubs in 1965 and, due to their growing reputation, were signed by Parlophone. Their first two singles, Goodbye Baby, She Was Really Saying Something and a Jagger/Richard composition So Much in Love disappeared without trace. By now they had signed with the management and songwriting team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, replacing original manager Billy Gaff. Howard and Blaikley had already had success with The Honeycombs and Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich. By this time the band had been dropped by Parlophone. Tony Chapman was replaced on drums in 1966 by Mick Underwood.
There were then a number of changes with Bown the only original member. Andrew Steele replaced drummer Mick Underwood, Gary Taylor came in on bass and a young Peter Frampton joined on guitar and vocals. The Herd also gained a new contract with the Fontana label. Following another unsuccessful track I Can Fly, the Herd released the classical-sounding From the Underworld. This reached number 6 in the UK charts towards the end of 1967.
The band's fame grew when Peter Frampton was voted The Face of 1968 by Rave magazine. Howard and Blaikley realised that the group would gain by promoting Frampton as the leader. Paradise Lost with its “striptease style" horn introduction gave the group its second hit, reaching number 15 at the beginning of 1968. The teenage market was proving to be receptive, especially to Frampton’s looks, and so the next single was a straightforward pop song. I Don’t Want Our Lovin' To Die was the group’s most successful single, going as high as number 5 in April 1968. However, the group was not happy with the teenage pin-up labels that Howard and Blaikley had encouraged them to adopt. Like their friends in the Small Faces, their ability as musicians was seen as less important than being pop icons for the girls. The managers were finally pushed out in a dispute over money.
The freedom they now had did not help their chart career with subsequent singles relatively unsuccessful including the Frampton-penned Sunshine Cottage. Both he and drummer Steele left the band in 1969. Frampton joined up with another star who was tired of the teen-idol role and formed Humble Pie with Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. Gary Taylor and Andy Bown continued with new drummer Henry Spinetti releasing a final single, The Game, before calling a halt to the Herd. Bown and Spinetti teamed up with Allan Jones of Amen Corner to form Judas Jump and Bown later appeared in Status Quo. Gary Taylor played with Fox in the 1970s. Peter Frampton went on to major stardom as a solo artist after leaving Humble Pie.
Making Time Recommendation
- Paradise and Underworld