Johnny Sandon (originally named William "Billy" Francis Beck,
27 May 1941 – 23 December 1996) was a British musician, best known for being an early
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
singer
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
who was part of the Merseybeat phenomenon in the early 1960s.
Sandon started singing at age twelve and in 1958 appeared on
Opportunity Knocks.
The mothers of Sandon and
John McNally both worked at the same bakery, and it was McNally's mother suggested to John to add him into the group.
Sandon's first gig as the Searchers frontman was at St Luke's Hall in Crosby.
His stagename, Johnny Sandon, was recommended by John based of The Sandon, a pub near
Anfield stadium.
Sandon led the Searchers from 1960 to February 1962, playing his last gig at the Cavern club on 28 February 1962.
He then joined
The Remo Four
The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in Old Swan ...
for one year, before leaving to pursue a solo career. He appeared on ITV talent show ''
New Faces
''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: ...
'' on 6 November 1976.
Death
Sandon suffered from depression, and committed suicide on 24 December 1996, aged 55.
He was discovered hanging in his bathroom by his daughter at his home.
At the time of his death, he was a taxi driver and was living at 31 St Paul's Close in
Birkenhead
Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...
.
Discography
Studio Vinyl Singles
*Yes / Magic Potion – Johnny Sandon And The Remo Four (Single),1963
*Lies – Johnny Sandon And The Remo Four (Single) Pye Records, 1963
*The Blizzard (Single) Pye Records, 1964
*Sixteen Tons / The Blizzard (Single)
*Donna Means Heartbreak / Some Kinda Wonderful (Single) Pye Records, 1964
*Studio Albums
*Compilations, Tommy Quickly, Johnny Sandon, Gregoly Philips
See also
*
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas–Indian wars, and stars John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War v ...
*
The Remo Four
The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in Old Swan ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandon, Johnny
1941 births
1996 deaths
English male singers
Musicians from Liverpool
20th-century English singers
20th-century British male singers