THE GROOVE

The Groove were an R&B pop group formed in Melbourne in early 1967 – all members had some experience in other bands. The original line-up was Geoff Bridgford (ex-Steve & the Board) on drums, Jamie Byrne (ex-Black Pearls, Running Jumping Standing Still) on bass guitar, Tweed Harris (ex-The Clefs) on keyboards, Rod Stone (ex-The Librettos, Normie Rowe & The Playboys) on guitar and Peter Williams (ex-Max Merritt & The Meteors) on lead vocals and guitar. They were gathered together by artist manager and booking agent, Garry Spry manager of The Twilights. The Groove played Stax Soul and 1960s R&B in the style of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Arthur Conley and The Isley Brothers. The Groove's repertoire was tailored to the vocal style of Williams, who had gained experience in this genre when with Max Merritt & The Meteors, one of its earliest exponents in Australasia.

The Groove scored early national chart breakthrough with their first single "Simon Says" previously recorded by The Isley Brothers. The Groove's version was a Top 10 hit in Sydney and Melbourne and peaked at #17 on the Go-Set National Top 40 Singles Chart in December 1967. The group undertook a national tour in February 1968 and in April their most successful single and second national Top 20 hit – a cover version of Sam Cooke's "Soothe Me" – peaked at #10. That same month they issued their debut self-titled album, 'The Groove', on Columbia Records. In July they won the grand final of a national band competition, Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds – their prize was a trip to London.

Their next single, "What Is Soul?", was a cover of Ben E. King's song, it was a #13 hit in Melbourne, reached the Top 40 in Brisbane, and peaked at # 35 on the national Top 40. They released a further single, "You Are the One I Love", which made the lower reaches of the Melbourne and Brisbane charts. In March 1969, using their Hoadley's competition prize, the band relocated to the United Kingdom. Later that month their single, "Relax Me", reached the Go-Set Top 40. In the UK they worked and recorded for two years. In June 1969 they released their last single, "The Wind". In early 1970 the group changed their name to Eureka Stockade and issued another single, "Sing No Love Songs", in February. The group recorded an album for Decca Records which was not released, then, early in 1971, they disbanded.  Tweed Harris was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late 1990s and underwent surgery, he died on 13 October 2004, aged 63.

Members

Geoff Bridgford (drums), Jamie Byrne (bass), Tweed Harris [AKA Winston John Harris] (keyboards), Rod Stone (guitar), Peter Williams (vocals, guitar)

SINGLES

''Simon Says (#16) / With This Ring'' 1967 Columbia
''Soothe Me (#10) / I See A New Day'' 1968 Columbia
''Goin' Back / What Is Soul'' (#35) 1968 Columbia
''Merry-Go-Round / You Are The One I Love'' (#39) 1968 Columbia
''Relax Me (#34) / Dance To The Music'' 1969 Columbia
''The Wind (#82) / Play The Song'' 1969 Columbia

EPs

'Soothe Me' 1969 Columbia

ALBUMS

'The Groove' 1968 Columbia

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Groove_%28band%29

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