60 years ago (almost) to the day my dad give me 2 records and a Dansette Bermuda record player and, from that day on I was hooked on music. (The records were From Me To You and Scarlet O’Hara) 2 of the Beatles are no longer around and Jet Harris & Tony Meehan are gone too.
I started to wonder which groups from that period could, in theory, could tour/perform once again with their original lineup and, shockingly, I can only think of one! That group is Manfred Mann.
Can anyone think of any others?
Black Sabbath and Slade come to mind.
Sorry I was really thinking of bands from about 60 years ago. I think Black Sabbath were later in the ‘60s
Aye, Slade were formed in 1966, 57 years ago and, relative youngsters, Black Sabbath in 1968.
The Hollies?
Nope – Eric Haydock (bass) left us a few years ago as did original tub-thumper Don Rathbone
The Hollies appearing at ‘the Halls Wolverhampton’ which is what AEG have now called the Civic. Two original members.
It’s a very safe re-opening for a much-loved venue – Siouxsie, Sparks, Sugababes, James, Starsailor, Ocean Colour Scene, Europe, Gabrielle, Level 42, Suzi Quatro, Leftfield, Mcfly. The middle-age live pound very much rules the middle and small large-scale venue scene.
Until recently the Spencer Davis Group were all alive, but Spencer passed a couple of years ago. I certainly can’t think of another band from that era who are all still with us.
The Searchers could almost do it…John McNally and Frank Allen (who joined in 1964) are going out again this month, and Mike Pender has only just stopped touring. John Blunt became their drummer, replacing Chris Curtis, in 1966 and is still around.
However…band politics would never allow it! McNally and Pender fell out big time in the 80s, so much so that Scott Ottaway, who drummed for the last 10 years or so up until their retirement, wasn’t invited back after being pictured on social media with Pender a couple of years ago.
The Guess Who, formed in Winnipeg 1962 – original line up
Randy Bachman
Jim Kale
Garry Peterson
Chad Allen
Bob Ashley *
* Believe he is still with us, the others are . Burton Cummings, who joined in 1965 certainly is
The Osmonds are all still alive as far as I know. According to the internet they started in 1958.
Except for Pete Quaife, the Kinks could do it, and they could have Pete’s replacement, John Dalton, in the line up.
What about the opposite? Bands with no original members being alive, despite not being that old. We have been without an original member of the Ramones for almost a decade, which is remarkable for a band that only started in the mid 70s.
Lynyrd Skynyrd fulfil that one, if flight Convair CV-240 took on much the early heavy lifting. Tragic.
The Applejacks?