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The Fortunes

English music group

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In 1966 their manager, Reginald Calvert, was shot dead in a dispute over pirate radio stations.

Biography

In 1958 two Birmingham teens, Rodney Bainbridge (born 31 March 1944) and Barry Pritchard (born 3 April 1944), were attending Moseley School and formed a duo called The Strollers, eventually adding a bassist and drummer. In 1963 The Strollers were spotted by music promoter/pirate radio pioneer Reginald Calvert and his wife Dorothy, who had started a performance school on their estate at Clifton Hall, near Rugby, Warwickshire, and invited Rodney and Barry to live there.

Among those who also attended the school at Clifton Hall were Calvert's other discoveries, such as Johnny Washington, Danny Storm, Buddy Britten and Robbie Hood (a.k.a. Mike West, who had sung with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates), who were being groomed for stardom when Rodney Bainbridge (now Rod Allen) and Barry Pritchard arrived. Reg would also go on to manage Screaming Lord Sutch and the pop group Pinkerton's Assorted Colours. Calvert decided to pair Robbie Hood with Rod (now on bass) and Barry (on guitar) as his "Merry Men".

But after a short time, Calvert decided to break Rod and Barry off to form their own group with a singer named Johnny Washington, who was soon replaced by vocalist/guitarist Glen Dale (Richard Garforth) from Kent who was born on 24 April 1943. The new group was christened The Cliftones and featured as its roster: Rod Allen, Glen Dale and Barry Pritchard as vocalists, Chris Capaldi as piano player, Gary Fletcher as drummer and Tony Britnell (later with the group Jigsaw) as saxophone player.

The Cliftones placed an instrumental track on a compilation album, Brumbeat, issued by the local Dial record label. "Cygnet Twitch" was a working of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", and they subsequently signed to British Decca in 1963. Their first single, a cover of The Jamies 1958 US hit "Summertime, Summertime", was credited to the Fortunes and the Cliftones. However, the vocalists (Rod, Barry and Glen) jettisoned the other Cliftones and added Andy Brown on drums and David Carr on keyboards renaming as "The Fortunes Rhythm Group", which was soon shortened to "The Fortunes". It was the group's American producer, Shel Talmy, who suggested their new name.

The follow-up disc "Caroline", co-written by the singer-songwriter and future Ivy League member Perry Ford and songwriter Tony Hiller, is still in use as the signature tune for the pirate radio station, Radio Caroline.

The Fortunes toured Scotland in October 1964 as the opening act to The Beatles.

The group's next two singles, Gordon Mills' co-composition "I Like the Look of You" and a revival of "Look Homeward Angel" — like the initial brace of releases overseen again by Shel Talmy — also failed to chart. Their fifth release, the Roger Greenaway/Roger Cook number, "You've Got Your Troubles" (1965), reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was a worldwide hit, including reaching Number 1 in Canada and the American Top 10. Their next two singles were "Here It Comes Again", a UK Number 4 (American Number 27), and "This Golden Ring" a UK Number 14. These sold well, but each less than the previous release.

In late 1965, the group first toured the US, which had them appearing on TV shows like Hullabaloo and playing for 10 days at the Fox Theater in Brooklyn alongside Wilson Pickett, The Toys, The O'Jays, Moody Blues, Peter and Gordon, Lenny Welch and The Vibrations

On 21 June 1966 the group's manager Reg Calvert was shot to death at his home by a former politician Major Oliver Smedley after a business dispute over their two pirate radio stations, Radio City and Radio Atlanta. Smedley was later found not guilty due to self defense.

And when Glen Dale left for a solo career in July 1966, he was replaced by Peter Lee Stirling (formerly of the Beachcombers and the Bruisers), then Scottish singer/guitarist Shel Macrae (from The Kimbos). Stirling, as Daniel Boone, went on to the score the hit "Beautiful Sunday" in 1972.

Three more Fortunes singles ("You Gave Me Somebody to Love", "Is It Really Worth Your While?" and "Our Love has Gone") all failed to chart.

At this point in 1967, the Fortunes left Decca for United Artists. They reunited with Talmy for their next release, "The Idol", a song they had written themselves and although it did get some airplay in the UK, it did not become a hit.

The Fortunes also recorded an advertisement for Coca-Cola in the United States. Their first recording in 1967 was a version of the theme tune, "Things Go Better with Coke", but they are most remembered for introducing the 1969 new slogan recording, used as the main theme for Coca-Cola on both radio and television commercials — "It's The Real Thing".

In 1968 they covered The Move's hit "Fire Brigade" for the US market, but received little airplay or sales. And a recording of Jacques Brel's song "Seasons in the Sun" later that year also failed to generate any interest (but was later a big hit for Canadian Terry Jacks in 1974).

David Carr left the Fortunes in August 1968 due to back issues and moved into production work in the US. Scottish keyboardist George McAllister eventually succeeded Carr in 1970.

In 1970 they recorded an album, That Same Old Feeling, for the US World Pacific record label, with the title track, "That Same Old Feeling" (written by Tony Macaulay and John Macleod), charting for the Fortunes but proving to be a bigger hit for another UK group Pickettywitch. The Fortunes then signed with Capitol in both the UK and US in 1971.

Then followed a steady succession of singles, some of which were hits outside of the UK and US. And it was during this period they had worldwide hits with "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" and "Freedom Come, Freedom Go" in 1971, along with "Storm in a Teacup" in 1972.

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