The Tornados
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- This article is about the British band The Tornados. For the American surf band see The Tornadoes. For the weather phenomena, see Tornado.
Image:Tornados.jpg The Tornados (in USA they were credited as The Tornadoes) were a British instrumental group of the 1960s who acted as the in-house back-up group for many of Joe Meek's productions. They also enjoyed several chart hits in their own right including the number one hit " Telstar" (named after the satellite) which is famously the first British Number One in the USA, and for a time were considered serious rivals to The Shadows.
The Tornados were also one of the biggest influences on The Who.
Their next single "Globetrotter" made it to number 5 in the British charts, but when bassist Heinz Burt left in 1963 for a solo career, the original group began to fall apart and success began to fade. By 1965 none of the original line-up remained.
The death of Joe Meek in 1967 also meant the end of the Tornados. In 1975 four of the five original members tried an unsuccessful comeback as New Tornados.
Drummer Clem Cattini often played on recording sessions for other artists and sometimes featured in Cliff Richard's backing bands. Plus, rhythm guitarist George Bellamy is the father of the successful British rock band Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy.
Members
- George Bellamy Rhythm guitar - (Born on 10 August, 1941, in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear).
- Heinz Burt, Bass - (Born on 24 July, 1942, in Hargen, Germany. Died on 7 April, 2000).
- Alan Caddy Guitar - (Born on 2 February, 1940, in London. Died on 16 August, 2000).
- Clem Cattini, Drums - (Born Clemente Anselmo Cattini, on 28 August, 1937, in Stoke Newington, London).
- Roger LaVern, Keyboards - (Born Roger Jackson, on 11 November, 1938, in Kidderminster).
External links
- Tornados and Clem Cattini information centre run by Tom Hammond
- www.rockabilly.nl - Band biography
- www.billyfury.com - Billy Fury's Backing Groupsde:The Tornados