Tony Rivers & The Castaways

Led by Tony Rivers, this group started out doing R&B-based material in the early '60s. Originally signed to EMI's Columbia label, they covered songs by Jackie Wilson in their early days, and had a special penchant for recording songs from American artists, regardless of the idiom. As the decade progressed, they moved into more of a pop and harmony based sound, recording songs like "She" and, in 1966, a single of their version of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." They jumped to Parlophone later that year, and then Immediate, where they stayed for one single, "Girl Don't Tell" b/w "Girl From Salt Lake City," then released a single through Polydor. They split up in 1968 when Rivers, with Ray Brown and Kenny Rowe, formed Harmony Grass, a more overtly psychedelic outfit. ~ Bruce Eder