Merseybeats

Real Name: Tony Crane
Birth Date: 17th April 1945
Birth Place: Liverpool

Billy Kinsley
28th November1946
Liverpool

(& The Merseys)

Real Name: John Banks
Birth Date: 23rd September 1943
Birth Place: Liverpool

Aaron Williams
23rd June 1942
Liverpool

The Merseybeats were created during 1962 from the remnants of a previous group called the Mavericks in which Crane and Kinsley had been members. The new group, with its line up shown as above, became a popular local act and soon became signed to Brian Epstein in the rush to find Liverpool talent. However, the relationship with Epstein did not last long because the group's ideas on the direction they wanted to take clashed with the Beatles' manager. Their stage act was a good deal closer to rock and roll than the ballads that they recorded for their 45s. Nevertheless, they managed #28 with their first release and broke the top ten with "I Think Of You". Although their subsequent releases were generally well crafted and gained reasonable chart placings, they never quite managed to produce another really substantial hit

Merseybeats' EPs are very sought after and hard to find. The one shown on the left contains both sides of their first two 45s. It's probably much easier (and cheaper) to buy those tracks on the original singles.

By 1966 record buyer's taste for the Mersey sound was beginning to fade and the prospect of a further hit was probably dying too. The group split up, but Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley decided to try as a duo and suitably abbreviated their name to 'The Merseys'. The new sound worked well and Crane and Kinsley actually had their biggest success in this guise with 'Sorrow' which took them to #4 during the spring of 1966. However, despite a few more tries, it would be the last hit that the pair would have together.

The Merseybeats later reformed with new personnel under the stewardship of Tony Crane and have been active at 1960s nostalgia concerts for many years and still are. Although vocalist/bass player Billy Kinsly had attempted a solo career even during the time that the Merseybeats were at the top, he did not split from Crane for long until the mid 1970s- but he has subsequently been reunited with the group on many occasions.

EP Discography (Merseybeats)