Tornados (band)
From Freepedia
The Tornados were a British instrumental group of the 1960s who acted as the in-house back-up group for many of Joe Meek's productions. They also enjoyed several chart hits in their own right including the number one hit "Telstar" (named after the satellite) which is famously the first British Number One in the US, and for a time were considered serious rivals to The Shadows.
Their next single "Globetrotter" made it to number 5 in the British charts, but when bassist Heinz Burt left in 1963 for a solo career, the original group began to fall apart and success began to fade. By 1965 none of the original line-up remained.
The death of Joe Meek in 1967 also meant the end of the Tornados. In 1975 four of the five original members tried an unsuccessful comeback as New Tornados.
The group's name is a deliberate mis-spelling of tornadoes.
Drummer Clem Cattini often played on recording sessions for other artists and often featured in Cliff Richard's backing bands. One member, the rhythm guitarist George Bellamy is the father of the successful British rock band Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy.
Members
The Tornados of 1962 who recorded Telstar were
- Alan Caddy, lead guitar
- George Bellamy, rhythm guitar
- Heinz Burt, bass
- Clem Cattini, drums
- Roger LaVern, keyboards
