THE GROOP

The Groop, a rock band formed in Melbourne in 1964, was started by Peter McKeddie, Max Ross, and Richard Wright, who were former Wesley College students. Initially a folk trio called The Oxford Trio, named after the Oxford Hotel near RMIT in Swanston Street, Melbourne, they shifted their focus to rock and roll after being inspired by its new trends. They recruited guitarist Peter Bruce, who had recently moved from the UK and responded to their ad. The Groop gained popularity on the Melbourne singles chart in 1966 with hits like "Ol' Hound Dog" (#13), "Best in Africa" (#10), and "I'm Satisfied" (#21), bolstered by positive reviews from Ian "Molly" Meldrum of Go-Set magazine, who had previously been their roadie. This lineup released two albums, 'The Groop' (1965) and 'I'm Satisfied' (1966), both under CBS Records. In January 1966, they supported the Australian tour of Herman's Hermits and Tom Jones.

In August 1966, McKeddie and Bruce left the band, prompting the remaining members to recruit Don Mudie (ex-Sherwood Green) as their guitarist. At McKeddie's farewell party before his trip to the UK, The Groop was supported by another R&B band, The Jackson Kings. Max Ross invited Ronnie Charles to join as lead singer, who then suggested bringing in his former bandmate Brian Cadd from The Jackson Kings, as adding a keyboard player seemed logical.

Seeking a more blues and rock-oriented sound, the new lineup—Cadd, Charles, Mudie, Ross, and Wright—released "Sorry," which climbed to #12 on the Melbourne charts in January 1967. Their next single, "Woman You're Breaking Me," written by Cadd and Wright and released in May 1967, hit #4 in both Melbourne and Sydney, becoming their only national top ten hit. This powerful track also found international release in the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. The band earned a trip to the UK after winning the final of the 1967 Hoadley's National Battle of the Sounds. This lineup of The Groop recorded the album 'Woman You're Breaking Me' (1967).

Cadd and Mudie wrote "When I Was Six Years Old," which was sent to England and recorded by Paul Jones, former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann. In 1968, Melbourne singer Ronnie Burns, a close friend of Meldrum, had a local hit with the song, reaching #22. The Groop left Melbourne, leaving their single "Seems More Important to Me," which hit #30 in early 1968, and traveled to the UK aboard the Sitmar line cruiser Castel Felice, giving several performances during the voyage.

Upon arriving in the UK, The Groop found that Paul Jones' cover of "When I Was Six Years Old" had been released. They secured a deal with CBS in England and toured there as well as in Germany. Although they wrote most of their hits in Australia, CBS chose for them to cover an Italian ballad, "What's The Good of Goodbye," which was never released. They recorded one more single in the UK, "Lovin' Tree / Night Life," which was also released in Germany and Australia. 

The Groop returned to Australia in October 1968, after which Max Ross left the band. They released two more singles, with "Such A Lovely Way" being the only one to reach the national top 20 before their disbandment in May 1969. Their final recording was an uncredited instrumental appearance on Russell Morris' #1 single "The Real Thing." Cadd and Mudie, eager to pursue a more rock-oriented sound, dissolved The Groop to form Axiom. In 1974, former vocalist Peter McKeddie created a third version of the band in country Victoria, which lasted a couple of years. The Groop reunited for a national tour from late 1988 to early 1989, featuring members from both versions: Bruce, Charles, McKeddie, Mudie, and Wright, along with Rob Glover on bass (ex-Sports) and Tweed Harris on keyboards (ex-Groove). A CD compilation titled 'The Best and The Rest' was released by CBS in 1989. Richard Wright died in 2020, and Peter Bruce died in 2022.

Members

Richard Wright (drums), Peter Bruce (guitar), Peter McKeddie (vocals), Max Ross (bass), Brian Cadd (keyboards, vocals), Ronnie Charles (vocals), Don Mudie (guitar), Graeme ''Daisy'' Davidson (drums), Alex McKenzie, Mick Harris (bass), Bill McCormick 

SINGLES

''Cry, Cry Baby (Don't Start Crying Now) / Ol' Hound Dog'' (#30) 1965 CBS
''I'm Satisfied (#53) / (These Are) Bad Times'' 1966 CBS
''The Best In Africa (#32) / Gloria'' 1966 CBS

''Empty Words (#99) / The Gun And Flower Pot Trick'' 1966 CBS
''Who Do You Love / Sorry'' (#34) 1966 CBS
''Woman You're Breaking Me (#8) / Mad Over You'' 1967 CBS
''Annabelle Lee (#40) / Seems More Important To Me'' 1967 CBS
''Lovin' Tree (#65) / Night Life'' 1968 CBS
''Such A Lovely Way (#16) / We Can Talk'' 1968 CBS
''You Gotta Live Love (#92) / Sally's Mine'' 1969 CBS

EPs

'The Groop' 1966 CBS
'Woman You're Breaking Me' 1967 CBS
'Such A Lovely Way' 1968 CBS

ALBUMS

'The Groop' 1966 CBS
'I'm Satisfied' 1966 CBS
'Woman You're Breaking Me' 1967 CBS

References

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/