Formed:
1963 (London, England)
Genres:
British Invasion, Merseybeat, Pop, Pop-rock, Folk-rock
Principal Members:
- Peter Asher (born June 22, 1944, Willesden, London, England): vocals, guitar
- Gordon Waller (born Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller, June 4, 1945, Braemar, Scotland; died July 17, 2009, Ledyard, Connecticut): vocals, guitar
Contributions to music:
- Their close harmonies and folky style earned them a position in British Invasion pop not unlike that of the Everly Brothers in early rock
- The first British band after the Beatles to score a US #1
- Equally adept at lush balladry and British music-hall humor
- One of the greatest interpretive groups of their time
- The most successful interpreters of the Lennon-McCartney songbook
Early years:
Although closely associated with the Beatles, specifically Paul McCartney -- Paul dated Peter Asher's sister Jane for years, and provided the duo with three of their biggest hits -- Peter and Gordon came by their fame quite honestly. The two originally met while attending London's Westminster School, and while Asher actually preferred jazz and folk to Waller's rock leanings, the two got along fabulously and decided to play together at a local pub. Before long, they'd achieved enough of a reputation to land a steady gig at London's Pickwick Club. It was there that EMI's Norman Newell discovered them and signed them.
Success:
The combination of being signed to EMI and knowing Paul McCartney through Jane got the duo access to several Paul songs never recorded by the Beatles, four of which -- "I Don't Want To See You Again," "Nobody I Know," "A World Without Love," and "Woman" -- hit the US Top 20. While on tour in Australia, Del Shannon provided them with a song that would become one of their biggest hits, "I Go To Pieces" (not the Patsy Cline song). As the gentler, more romantic side of the British Invasion, the two enjoyed a run of chart hits for four years, a significantly long time for pop music, and for the era.
Later years:
In 1968, with the hits drying up, the duo amicably went their separate ways. Gordon tried an abortive solo career, then originated the role of Pharaoh in the stage musical Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before moving into music publishing. Asher went on to even greater success, signing James Taylor to Apple and later following him to Los Angeles, where he became one of the most successful soft-rock producers of the '70s. The duo reunited in 2005 at a benefit for ailing DC5 frontman Mike Smith, and began a successful touring run for years thereafter. Gordon Waller died of cardiac arrest on July 17, 2009.
Other facts:
- Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds originally fashioned themselves musically after the duo
- "I Go To Pieces" was originally offered to the Searchers, who rejected it
- Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones plays bass on some of their singles
- Andrew Lloyd Webber cast Waller for Dreamcoat in part because the two had been schoolmates at Westminster
- Waller was an avid gardener, bird breeder, and HO-scale railroad enthusiast
- Asher won three Grammys for his producing work and was later made Senior VP of Sony Music
- Asher's nerdy look was the main inspiration for Mike Myers' eventual development of the Austin Powers character
Awards/Honors:
Recorded work:
#1 hits:
Pop:
Pop:
"A World Without Love" (1964)
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
"I Go To Pieces" (1965)
"Lady Godiva" (1966)
Other important recordings: "I Don't Want To See You Again," "Nobody I Know," "Love Me, Baby," "I Still Love You," "True Love Ways," "Don't Pity Me," "Broken Promises," "Crying In The Rain," "Somewhere," "Freight Train," "Pretty Mary," "To Know You Is To Love You," "Woman," "There's No Living Without Your Loving," "To Show I Love You," "The Town I Live In," "Knight In Rusty Armour," "My First Day Alone," "Sunday For Tea," "You've Had Better Times," "The Jokers"
Covered by: World Party, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Gyllene Tider, Acker Bilk, Honor Blackman, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Bobby Goldsboro, The Mavericks, Bobby Rydell, Del Shannon, The Supremes, The Techniques, Southern Pacific, Rachel Sweet
