The Applejacks (UK band)

The Applejacks were a UK pop and beat group of the 1960s. They were the first "Brumbeat" group (that is, from the West Midlands conurbation) to reach the UK Top 10, and were unusual for having a female bass guitarist, Megan Davies (no relation to the Davies brothers of The Kinks).

Band members

*Al Jackson (born 21 April 1945, Birmingham, Warwickshire), lead vocals (from July 1962);
*Martin Baggott (born 20 October 1947, Birmingham, Warwickshire), lead guitar (from early 1961);
*Don Gould (born 23 March 1947, Solihull, Warwickshire), organ (from December 1961);
*Phil Cash (born 9 October 1947, Birmingham, Warwickshire), rhythm guitar (from early 1961);
*Gerry Freeman (born 5 May 1943, Solihull, Warwickshire), drums (from early 1961);
*Megan Davies (born 25 March 1944, Sheffield, Yorkshire), bass (from early 1961)

All of the Applejacks (except Jackson) were members of the same scout troop as children. Baggott, Cash and Freeman began playing together in a skiffle group named The Crestas in 1961, occasionally performing at a local youth club. Davies joined the group in 1961, Gould the following year. Lacking a vocalist, they were strictly an instrumental band until the addition of singer Al Jackson in '63; they began playing rock 'n' roll songs and secured a residency at Solihull Civic Hall. During that time they changed their name to The Jaguars before finally becoming The Applejacks in July 1962.

Signed to Decca late in 1963, their success was largely due to the strength of their first record, "Tell Me When". Written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens, "Tell Me When" was released in February 1964 and shot to #7 in the UK. After meeting the Beatles during rehearsals for a TV appearance, John Lennon and Paul McCartney provided the Applejacks with a song which was to be their second single: "Like Dreamers Do". Disappointingly, the record only reached No. 20 in the charts. Their final hit was "Three Little Words", also in 1964, reached #23.

Although Decca continued to issue Applejacks recordings during 1965 (including the first released version of Ray Davies' "I Go To Sleep") they met with little response from the public leading to a rapid return to playing local gigs. After 1966 the group became an act on some of the world's greatest cruise liners, working for Cunard until the end of the decade and frequently aboard the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth 2.

Freeman and Davies were later married, and Davies retired from music to become a nurse.

UK chart discography

Singles

*Tell Me When/Baby Jane (Decca F 11916) 1964 (#7 UK, #135 US)
*Like Dreamers Do/Everybody Fall Down (Decca F 11916) 1964 (#20 UK)
*Three Little Words/You're The One (Decca F 11981) 1964 (#23 UK)
*Chim Chim Chiree/It's Not A Game Anymore (Decca F 12050) 1965 (withdrawn)
*It's Not A Game Anymore/Bye Bye Girl (Decca F 12106) 1965
*I Go To Sleep/Make Up Or Break Up (Decca F 12216) 1965
*I'm Through/We Gotta Get Together (Decca F 12301) 1965
*You've Been Cheating/Love Was In My Eyes (CBS 202615) 1967

LP

"The Applejacks" (Decca LK 4635) 1964 - Tell Me When/Wishing Will Never Make It So/Over Suzanne/Hello Josephine/As A Matter Of Fact/Too Much Monkey Business/Memories Of You/Ain't That Just Like Me/Kansas City/I Wonder/Three Little Words/Baby Jane/See If She Cares/What's The Matter Girl?/What'd I Say?

ee also

*List of performers on Top of the Pops
*List of artists under the Decca Records label
*Tudor Grange Grammar School
*Lennon/McCartney

External links

* [http://www.brumbeat.net/applejks.htm Biography / Discography at Brumbeat]
* [http://www.solihull-online.com/applejacks.htm Applejacks at Solihull Online]

Note

The Applejacks were also a United States musical group, led by guitarist Dave Appell, that played primarily instrumental rock and roll during the 1950s.