Apollo 100 was a short-lived British

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

group, that had a U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 top 10 hit with the

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

–inspired single " Joy" in 1972.

History

Apollo 100 was founded by arranger and multi-instrumentalist Tom Parker, who was known for his arrangements from the Young Blood catalogue, such as the Top 20 American hit "

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep "Chirpy Chirpy, Cheep Cheep" is a song recorded in 1970 by its composer Lally Stott, and made popular in 1971 by Scottish band Middle of the Road for whom it was a UK #1 chart hit. That version is one of fewer than fifty singles ever to ha ...

" and a number of Don Fardon's recordings. Parker had played keyboards, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and a number of other instruments from an early age, and entered the music industry as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

by the 1960s. In the intervening time, he associated with a number of groups, including The Mark Leeman 5, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, and

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer. He was previously the lead vocalist of R&B and rock band the Animals and funk band War. He is regarded as one of the British Invasion's most distinctive singers with his deep, po ...

with the New Animals. Parker formed Apollo 100 in the latter part of 1971 with fellow session musicians

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

Clem Cattini,

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Vic Flick, guitarist Zed Jenkins,

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Excl ...

Jim Lawless, and

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low bra ...

Brian Odgers. In December 1971, they released their first single, "Joy", an electrified arrangement by Clive Scott of Bach's " Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". The single rose to number 6 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in the US. None of their subsequent efforts were as successful, and they broke up in 1973. Parker went on to form the New London Chorale.

Soundtrack appearances

Apollo 100's first single "Joy", released from their premiere album ''Joy'', has subsequently been featured in the soundtracks of the films ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American period comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornograph ...

'', '' One Day in September'', and '' The 40-Year-Old Virgin''. While not featured in the ''

Battle of the Sexes Battle of the Sexes refers to a conflict between men and women. Battle of the Sexes may also refer to: Film * ''The Battle of the Sexes'' (1914 film), American film directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Battle of the Sexes'' (1920 film), a 1920 Germa ...

'' soundtrack, the song was played during a scene in the movie and was cited in the end credits. The song Mendelssohn's 4th appears in Gaslit S1E4 as the backing track of a montage.

History

Soundtrack appearances

Charting discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References