The Joystrings (originally credited as The Joy Strings) were a 1960s
UK Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
music group led by
classically trained keyboard player and singer Joy Webb, an officer (now retired) in
the Salvation Army.
History
After appearing on
Cliff Michelmore's
BBC ''
Tonight'' television show, they were given a recording contract by
EMI Records
EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
.
In 1964, they became the first Salvation Army
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
group to achieve
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
success with "It's An Open Secret" and "On A Starry Night".
The main members through the years were Joy Webb (who wrote the group's first hit), Peter and Sylvia Dalziel, Bill Davidson, and Wycliffe Noble. The group had a number of other singers drawn, at intervals, from cadets at the
William Booth Memorial Training College,
Denmark Hill
Denmark Hill is an area and road in Camberwell, in the London Borough of Southwark. It is a sub-section of the western flank of the Norwood Ridge, centred on the long, curved Ruskin Park slope of the ridge. The road is part of the A215 road, A21 ...
in
London.
They also recorded a version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," using the music of The Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun" - an unusual blending.
In September 2013, 50 years after the Joystrings' formation, group member Sylvia Dalziel wrote about the group in a book published by Shield Books. The book included an introduction by General John Larsson, a tribute from
Sir Cliff Richard, a full discography and many photographs never previously published.
Discography
Track Listing at joystrings.co.uk
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Singles
*"It's An Open Secret" (1964) – UK Number 32Regal Zonophone
Regal may refer to:
Companies
* Regal Beloit, usually referred to as Regal, an American manufacturer of electric motors
* Regal Cinema (disambiguation), several cinemas of that name
* Regal Cinemas, a major American theater chain
* Regal Cinemas ...
: RZ501)
*"Million Songs" (1964)
*"A Starry Night" (1964) – UK Number 34Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
(USA): 5-10195)
*"Christmas Can Be Every Day For You" (1966)
EPs
* ''The Joy Strings'' (1964)
* ''Have Faith in God'' (1965)
* ''Christmas with The Joy Strings'' (1965)
* Joy Strings abroad (1966)
* The song break (1967)
Albums
*''Well Seasoned'' (1966) Regal Zonophone, LRZ4016 mono; SLRZ4016 stereo, UK
*''Well Seasoned'' (1966) EPIC Records, US
*''Carols Around The World'' (1967)
*''Joystrings Restrung'' (2011)
*''Joystrings Christmas Collection'' (2012)
Bibliography
*
*
*
References
External links
Rhythm Finds Its Groove: History of the JoystringsJoystrings tribute sitePage at Cross RhythmsPathé News report of the Joystrings performing "It's an Open Secret"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joystrings, The
English pop music groups
English Christian musical groups
English Salvationists
Musical groups established in the 1960s