Brian Poole (born 2 November 1941)Eder, Bruce
Brian Poole Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

. Retrieved 17 August 2014 is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band

The Tremeloes The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, England. They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me". After Poole's departu ...

(1957–62) and then Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (1962–66). He was brought up in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have un ...

and grew up in Barking, East London. Poole attended Park Modern Secondary School, Barking and Barking Abbey Grammar School.

Career

The Tremeloes

Poole met Alan Blakley and Alan Howard, at Park Modern Secondary School, Barking. In 1956, heavily influenced by their interest in rock and roll music, they decided to form a band. The original line-up consisted of Poole (vocals, guitar), Blakley (guitar), Howard (bass) and Graham Scott (guitar). While still in their teens, the band members met and befriended Dave Munden, who shared a love and passion for rock n’ roll. A strong bond was formed, which saw Munden join the band on the drums in 1957. A swift change of tactics saw Blakley switch to guitar, which Poole relinquished to take the title of lead vocalist and thus front the band. In the early years,

were inspired by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, " That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...

and mainly covered their songs. They quickly gained local fame by playing at small venues in the area; during that time, their singing style developed and flourished. With Poole's Holly-style glasses and the band's unique style of harmony, The Tremeloes soon developed a wide fan-base and following. This continued to grow until they became one of the top dance hall attractions across Great Britain. On New Year's Day in 1962, The Tremeloes auditioned for a record contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

, along with another up-and-coming band,

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

. Their regular slot on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

and large following meant that The Tremeloes were an obvious choice, and they were signed by the record label. Upon signing with Decca, the company bosses insisted that the band be billed as 'Brian Poole and The Tremeloes', since this was the trend at the time. The band quickly embraced their new name. Their diverse musical talents meant that as well as producing their own singles, they also performed as backing for other recording artists. Their first chart entry was "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brother ...

" in June 1963 (a cover version of a song by

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

that was also covered by The Beatles). "Twist and Shout" reached number four in the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, selling over one million copies, and other chart hits were soon to follow. In September 1963, they released "

Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 1 ...

". It reached number one in the UK charts, famously knocking The Beatles’ second number one hit, "

She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...

", from the top slot. "Do You Love Me" remained at the top of the charts for three weeks. 'Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' continued to produce hits and thrive in the UK charts, with tracks such as " Candy Man" (which reached number six) and the popular ballad " Someone, Someone" (which reached number two). In 1966, Poole left the Tremeloes to begin a solo career and pursue other opportunities, one of which included starting his own record label called Outlook Records. Other members of the band continued as

Family

In 1968 he married Pamela Poole (née Rice). They have two daughters, Shelly McErlaine (née Poole) and Karen Etherington (née Poole), who were both in Alisha's Attic.

Discography

Singles

Albums

EPs

Solo

References

External links

Official Brian Poole website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Brian 1941 births Living people English male singers English pop rock singers Beat musicians People educated at Barking Abbey Grammar School Singers from London