Every so often, we discover a ‘blast from the past’ photo or story that is just waiting to be discovered and shared with our Coronado fans. This morning, we found this great website sharing the history of Coronado’s own London Beats – a band from 1966 made of Coronado locals – many of which still live in Coronado or surrounding area. Here is the intro from their website below. You can see more photos and learn more here.
The London Beats formed in February, 1966, about three years after Coronado and the rest of the US were rocked by the British Invasion. Inspired by the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, Them, and especially the Rolling Stones, the members of the band collectively decided to emulate the look as well as the sound, as the pictures below suggest. Upon seeing a photo of the band in a news clipping from an article in the Coronado Journal, the late Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio once contended that they didn’t “look scruffy enough,” a kind of confirmation that the London Beats had achieved the deliberately “packaged” look of british pop acts of the time.
The music was something else. Because the founding band members sought to emulate Rolling Stones’ aggressive, R & B driven sound, the London Beats weren’t as slick as they looked, opting instead for an imposing lead vocalist and the vibrant sound of not one or two but three guitars plus bass and drums. The band began when Joey Simpson, Bill and Tuck Lyons, and Tom Moran got together with Danny Orlino and Howie Clark.
