The Fortunes
A fairly typical British Invasion quintet inspired by the bouncy, harmony-driven sound of Merseybeat, the Fortunes are probably best-known in the U.S. for their oldies-radio staple "You've Got Your Troubles." Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1963 as the Cliftones, the group was originally a vocal trio consisting of Rod Allen (bass, lead vocals), Glen Dale (guitar, vocals), and Barry Pritchard (guitar, vocals) (born April 3, 1944). However, with the explosion of the Beatles and the Merseybeat sound, the group quickly rethought its direction, adding keyboardist David Carr and drummer Andy Brown, and changing their name to the Fortunes (though their first single, "Summertime, Summertime," was oddly credited to both groups). The group found its niche crafting melancholy, orchestrated ballads similar to Peter & Gordon, the Moody Blues, or the Zombies (and in fact toured with the former two). Their second single for Decca, "Caroline," was adopted as theme music by the famed U.K. pirate station Radio Caroline upon its release in early 1964, yet never charted despite all the heavy airplay. Two more non-charting singles followed, but the group hit its stride in 1965 with "You've Got Your Troubles," which hit the U.S. Top Ten and went all the way to number two in the U.K.