Liverpool Express

Liverpool Express
Also known as L.E.X.
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres Rock, pop
Years active 1975–present
Labels Warner Bros. Records, Priority Records, Direct Records, Every Man Records
Associated acts Fortune, The Merseybeats, Harlan Cage, 101 South
Website www.liverpoolexpress.com
Members Billy Kinsley (bass, vocals)
Kenny Parry (guitar, vocals)
Dave Goldberg (keyboards, vocals)
Adam Goldberg (drums)
Past members Roger Scott Craig (keyboards, vocals)
Tony Coates (guitar, vocals)
Derek Cashin (drums, vocals)
John Ryan (drums, vocals)
Kenny Mundye (drums, vocals)
Pete Kircher (drums, vocals)
Brian Rawling (drums, vocals)
Phil Chittick (drums, vocals)
Ian Stirrat (keyboards, vocals, production)

Liverpool Express (also known as L.E.X.), are a British pop rock band formed in 1975. They are best known for songs such as "You Are My Love" (which Paul McCartney once declared one of his favourite songs),[1] "Every Man Must Have A Dream", and for charting several hits.

History

Their greatest success was found in South America where three of their singles ("You Are My Love", "Every Man Must Have A Dream", and "Dreamin'") reached No. 1 in the charts.[2] They were the first band to do a major stadium tour there, playing to more than a quarter of a million people.[3]

They appeared on British television quite frequently, including on Top of the Pops.[4] Whilst away on tour, more TV appearances followed, recording their own TV specials in Brazil, Finland, and for the BBC in the UK.

Liverpool Express toured the UK and parts of Europe with Rod Stewart,[4] and by personal request, played for Prince Charles at a Royal Gala show held in Liverpool.

All four band members had previously played with the band The Merseybeats, Billy Kinsley being a co-founding member in the 1960s. In the 1990s, Kinsley re-joined The Merseybeats.[3] Pianist Roger Scott Craig, went on to join Fortune in 1982, and formed the bands Harlan Cage in 1996, and 101 South in 2000.[4] He also played and recorded with German singer, Nina Hagen, in the mid-1980s. Their tour schedule included playing to hundreds of thousands of people at the Rock in Rio concert in Brazil.[3]

When Cashin, Coates and Scott Craig left the group, Kinsley recruited musicians, Dave Goldberg (keyboards) and Kenny Parry (guitar). Kinsley, Goldberg and Parry have since remained the three core members of the band. The original line-up were reunited in mid-2002, when Scott Craig came up with the idea of compiling and releasing a 'Best Of' CD, due to fan interest. A year later, Scott Craig and Kinsley met in Liverpool to write and record new material for the album, Once Upon A Time.[2]

July 2011 saw the band top the iTunes download charts with "You Are My Love" - a day after a re-run of a Top of the Pops episode they were featured on in 1976, this was shown on the UK channel, BBC Four.[5]

Additional information

  • TV presenter and singer Keith Chegwin recorded a version of the song, "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" in 1977. It was issued as a single and was a hit record in South America. Kinsley and Scott Craig later went on to co-write and produce Chegwin's next single, "Destiny". Chegwin was a friend and fan of the band, having met them on Swap Shop and It's A Knockout.
  • Three of their songs were featured in the films: It Lives Again; and the Squeeze.
  • During 1977, they played with German musician Stefan Hallberg on his version of "So Here I Go Again" ("Das Kann Nur Mir Passiern"). It was issued as a single on Warner Bros. Records in Germany. They also played on the single's B-side, "Der Fighter" (written by Hallberg).
  • In 1979, they changed their name from Liverpool Express to L.E.X.
  • During the 1980s, Kinsley and Parry formed a side band with Brian Rawlings (drums) called 'The Cheats', which became popular on the pubs/clubs circuit in and around Merseyside.
  • Kinsley played on the same bill as The Beatles many times at the Cavern Club in Liverpool during the early 1960s. He also worked with George Harrison at Apple Records in the late 1960s, whilst working as a session musician. During a recording session with Jackie Lomax, Paul McCartney joined them on his wedding night (after he married Linda McCartney).
  • The L.E.X. song, "Oh No", was born out of a jam session with McCartney. The jam session had included Kinsley and the drummer, Pete Clarke. It was seven years later when L.E.X. were thinking of songs to write, when Kinsley thought of the song, he knew Pete Clarke had remembered the chorus, and Kinsley wrote additional verses. They contacted McCartney to grant use of the chorus, and it ended up as a B-side to "So Here I Go Again" in August 1977.

Discography

For more details on this topic, see Liverpool Express discography.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Official Website". Liverpool Express. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  2. 1 2 "Liverpool Express". Cottageviews.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Get Ready to ROCK! Interview with Roger Scott Craig of melodic rock band 101 South, January 2010". Getreadytorock.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  4. 1 2 3 "Liverpool Express". Liverpoolmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  5. ↑ "Yes It's Number One: The disappeared: 1/7/76". Yesitsnumberone.blogspot.com. 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
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