The Sorrows


The Sorrows are a rock band formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, by Pip Whitcher, and were part of the British beat boom of the 1960s. They were a fixture in the English mod scene and are sometimes referred to as freakbeat.

Career

The band was formed in 1963, and toured Germany for a month, playing several sets each day. The band's first recording was a version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", recorded in Joe Meek's bathroom. They were signed by Pye subsidiary Piccadilly Records, and began working with producer John Schroeder. Their line-up included Fardon, Whitcher, Juckes, Packham and Finlay.
The Sorrows released their first album, Take a Heart, in 1965 on Piccadilly. The Sorrows played a hard, aggressive version of contemporary R&B; later this style of music was termed freakbeat.
After the band achieved a minor chart position on the UK Singles Chart, Phil Packham and Don Fardon left the group. Fardon had a UK chart hit with "Indian Reservation". Wez Price joined the group on bass guitar, Roger Lomas became lead guitarist, and Pip Whitcher did vocals. The band relocated to Italy, where they were moderately successful. Whitcher and Lomas later recorded at Air Studios under Mike Sullivan.
Lomas in the early 1980s became a record producer for his own company, ROLO productions, and produced 1980s ska bands such as Bad Manners. In 2003 Lomas produced the Grammy Award winning album, Jamaican E.T. for Lee "Scratch" Perry.
In 2011, the band was re-formed by Fardon and Packham, and they began performing live again. The new line-up comprised Fardon, Packham, Nigel Lomas, Marcus Webb and Brian Wilkins.

Personnel

Initial line-up

After 1966

  • Philip Whitcher – rhythm guitar and vocals
  • Wesley 'Wez' Price – bass –
  • Roger Lomas – lead guitar. 1966 – 1967
  • Bruce Finlay – drums
  • Chuck Fryers – guitar, vocals.. 1967 – 1969
  • Geoff Prior – bass. 1967 –
  • Chris Smith – lead vocals, Hammond organ
  • Rod Davies – guitar, vocals. 1968 –

After 2011

  • Don Fardon – lead vocals
  • Phil Packham – bass guitar and vocals
  • Nigel Lomas – drums and vocals
  • Marcus Webb – lead guitar
  • Brian Wilkins – guitar, harmonica and vocals

After 2013

  • Don Fardon – lead vocals
  • Nigel Lomas – drums and vocals
  • Marcus Webb – lead guitar
  • Brian Wilkins – guitar, harmonica and vocals.
  • Mark Mortimer – bass guitar
  • Paul Rollason – lead guitar

Discography

Singles

  • "I Don't Wanna Be Free" / "Come With Me" 1965
  • "Baby" / "Teenage Letter" 1965
  • "Take a Heart" / "We Should Get Along Fine" 1965 – UK Singles Chart – No. 21
  • "Nimm mein Herz" / "Sie war mein Girl" 1965
  • "You've Got What I Want" / "No No No No" 1966
  • "Let The Live Live" / "Don't Sing No Sad Songs For Me" 1966
  • "Let Me In" / "How Love Used To Be" 1966
  • "Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red" / "My Gal" 1967
  • "C'mon Everybody" / "Let's Have A Party" 1977
  • "Gonna Find A Cave"/"Don't Do That", "Doin' Alright Tonight" 2014

Albums

  • Take a Heart –,
  • Old Songs, New Songs – ; officially reissued on CD by Wooden Hill Records – 2009
  • Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red –
  • The Sorrows –