The Tornados
| The Tornados | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Tornados.net Original Tornados (1975 reunion) Tornados 65, The New Tornados |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Pop, instrumental rock, surf rock, beat |
| Years active | 1960–1967, 1975 current www.thetornados.net ( Dave Watts version ) |
| Labels |
Decca, Columbia (EMI) (UK) London (US and Canada) |
| Associated acts | The Saxons, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Billy Fury (1962), The Churchills |
| Website | thetornados.net |
| Past members | Former members |
| Notable instruments | |
| Clavioline | |
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. #1 "Telstar" (named after the satellite and composed and produced by Meek), the first U.S. #1 single by a British group. The Tornados (Dave Watts version) still perform concerts around the UK and Europe; the band consists of Dave Watts (keyboards), Shaun Corrigan on guitar for '60s band the Symbols ("The Best Part of Breaking Op"), Pete Gill on bass from '60s band The Rebounds, Jamie Thurston (vocals/guitar from ITV Heartbeat tour, "ITVtheRoyal") and Tristan Long on drums (performed with Gareth Gates, Deacon Blue, Midge Ure, SKIN, Halloween, Foundations, Fortunes, etc.).
From January 1962-August 1963 The Tornados were the backing band for Billy Fury (as well as recording and performing as an act in their own right); they toured and recorded with Fury as The Tornados. Their recordings with Fury were produced by Mike Smith and Ivor Raymonde.
The Tornados made a scopitone film (an early form of music video) for "Telstar" and another for their chart hit "Robot" featuring members of the group walking around a woodland dressed in appropriate headgear with their guitars, flirting with various young women and being finally arrested by policemen after lighting a campfire.
For a time The Tornados were considered serious rivals to The Shadows. The Tornados' single "Globetrotter" made it to #5 in the UK Singles Chart. However, pop instrumentals began to lose popularity with British audiences during the course of 1963 as the "Mersey Sound", most notably The Beatles, became more and more popular. In the summer of 1963 Joe Meek induced The Tornados' bassist Heinz Burt to start a solo career, as The Tornados' chart success as an instrumental outfit waned, and from that point onwards The Tornados began to fall apart. By 1965 none of the original lineup remained.
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Wikipedia