THE HERD
 With
personnel from the Kent groups The Preachers and Moon’s Train the Herd
started playing London clubs in 1965 and, due to their growing
reputation, were signed by Parlophone. Their first two singles, Goodbye
Baby, She Was Really Saying Something and a Jagger/Richard
composition So Much in Love disappeared without trace. By now
they had signed with the management and songwriting team of Ken Howard
and Alan Blaikley, replacing original manager Billy Gaff. Howard and
Blaikley had already had success with The Honeycombs and Dave Dee, Dozy
Beaky Mick & Tich. By this time the band had been dropped by
Parlophone. Andrew Steele replaced original drummer Tony Chapman and the
Herd gained a new contract with the Fontana label. Andy Bown was moved
from bass to organ.
Following
another unsuccessful track I Can Fly, the Herd released the
classical-sounding From the Underworld. This reached number 6 in the UK
charts towards the end of 1967.
The
band's fame grew when Peter Frampton was voted The Face of 1968 by Rave
magazine. Howard and Blaikley realised that the group would gain by
promoting Frampton as the leader. Paradise Lost with its “striptease
style” horn introduction gave the group its second hit, reaching
number 15 at the beginning of 1968. The teenage market was proving to be
receptive, especially to Frampton’s looks, and so the next single was
a straightforward pop song. I Don’t Want Our Lovin’ To Die was the
group’s most successful single, going as high as number 5. However,
the group was not happy with the teenage pin-up labels that Howard and
Blaikley had encouraged them to adopt. The managers were finally pushed
out in a dispute over money.
The
freedom they now had did not help their chart career with subsequent
singles relatively unsuccessful including the Frampton-penned Sunshine
Cottage. Both he and drummer Steele left the band in 1969. Frampton
joined up with another star who was tired of the teen-idol role and
formed Humble Pie with Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. Gary Taylor
and Andy Bown continued with new drummer Henry Spinetti releasing a
final single, The Game, before calling a halt to the Herd. Bown and
Spinetti teamed up with some of Amen Corner to form Judas Jump and Bown
later appeared in Status Quo. Gary Taylor played with Fox in the 1970s.
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles
1965 Goodbye Baby Goodbye/ Here Comes The Fool Parlophone R5353 1965
She Was Really Saying Something/ It's Been A Long Time Baby Parlophone
R5413 1966 So Much In Love/ This Boy's Always Been True Fontana TF819
1967 I Can Fly/ Diary Of A Narcissist Fontana TF856 1967 From The
Underworld/ Sweet William #6 Fontana TF887 1967 Paradise Lost/ Come On-
Believe Me #15 Fontana TF925 1968 I Don't Want Our Loving To Die/ Our
Fairy Tale #5 Fontana TF975 1968 Sunshine Cottage/ Miss Jones Fontana
TF1011 1969 The Game/ Beauty Queen
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