Barry Graham & The Mustangs circa 1964.


F


or whatever reason, the golden California harmony-pop of The Beach Boys struck a powerful chord in the United Kingdom, spawning such (relatively) well known pop groups as Tony


Rivers & The Castaways and The Symbols, as well as legions of lesser know acts that ranged from The Lancastrians to The Factotums. In the mid-60s, there was certainly no shortage of English pop groups vying for the coveted title of “the English Beach Boys”.


One of the better groups to rise to the challenge was The Majority. There’s no denying the strong Beach Boys vocal influence on the lion’s share of the eight singles they recorded for Decca between 1965 and early ’68. But, unlike fellow travellers like Tony Rivers, The Majority frequently transcended their harmony-pop influences, even turning out a self-penned ’66 freakbeat classic in ‘One Third’. By late ’68, they broke free from their harmony- pop roots once and for all when three of the original five members left the group and were replaced by new musicians. The transformation of The Majority into a first rate pop-psych band culminated when the group decamped to Europe, changed their name to Majority One and cut one of the finest English LPs of the ’60s (though admittedly it was cut in France in late ’70!)


The group may have made their name playing the nightclubs of Swinging London, but their story begins in Hull. They initially


came together as The Mustangs, evolving into Barry Graham & The Mustangs in ’63, before finally settling on The Majority in early ’65, comprised of lead vocalist Barry Graham (real name Barry Wigley), rhythm guitarist Bob Long, lead guitarist Roger France, Ken Smith on bass and Don Lill on drums. With their intricate harmony vocals, an inventive lead guitarist and a propulsive rhythm section that gave the band a far more forceful sound than the typical harmony-pop groups of the day, The Majority quickly became one of the top groups around Hull and the surrounding areas. But they longed to go to London and turn professional. In early ’65, John Turner, an acquaintance of the group and former road manager for another Hull band, crossed paths with The Majority when he returned home to Hull for a visit. Turner was living in London and offered to get them a booking in the capital, arranging for them to play at the famed 2i’s coffee bar in Soho. The group jumped at the offer and were apparently quite well received in London. They soon attracted the attention of a manager, Malcolm Thompson, who signed them to his MJTA Enterprises management company. Turner recalls how “This manager – who we gave the nickname ‘Stretch’ – spoke with a very upper class British accent and had one very expensive Savile Row suit which he wore for meetings with financial backers and people from record companies. But any time we went to his flat, he would be wearing only underclothes and a dressing gown. He didn’t even have a pair of jeans to


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