Herbie’s People
1965/66
© Herbie’s People
In November 1965 "You Thrill Me to Pieces" (flip side "Sweet and Tender Romance") was released on CBS and was well received. Despite Janice Nicholls voting it a miss on the TV show Jukebox Jury, it entered the UK top 40. Many promotional bookings ensued and the band were to be found playing in London sometimes several nights per week, driving back home after their gigs to attend their day jobs, since they were still semi-professional. The band appeared in an ATV Today  feature. The lads were filmed at their workplaces, and “You Thrill Me to Pieces” formed the soundtrack. On 21st December 1965, the band appeared on Five o' Clock Club with Lonnie Donegan and Vince Hill.
On 22nd December Herbies People recorded a track for their second disc, a Bill Bates song entitled "You Never Know". It was intended to be the A side but became the B side of "One Little Smile". The band, meanwhile had secured a contract to play for 5 weeks at the Liverpool Club in the heart of Düsseldorf. Again the band appeared on ATV Today miming to “One Little Smile”. It was followed by a further appearance on Five o’ Clock Club  hosted by Muriel Young. Alexis Korner was the house band with Vince Hill, Ollie Beak, Fred with Daisy the cow. The next appearance of Five o’ Clock Club was with Joe Brown, and Hermans Hermits. Una Stubbs was host.
The journey to Düsseldorf itself was memorable for the band. They left England on the Dover to Ostende crossing on 31st December 1965, New Year's Eve. In Belgium the band’s Commer van started to give trouble and by the time they reached the outskirts of Brussels it had packed up altogether - electrical problems. They spent the night huddled together in freezing cold, hungry and dirty but in good spirits outside an apartment block. Next morning, a resident approached and asked if they were okay and said they could have spent the night at his party had he known they were there! The van was fixed on New Year's Day and they recommenced their journey on a bitterly cold and windy day. But, by this time, they were way behind schedule . . .
popular 60s recording group
The Official Web Site
Herbies People in concert for the 2nd time at the Royal Albert Hall, 1966
Left to right: Mike Taylor, Alan Lacey, Len Beddow, Danny Robinson, Pete Walton
Herbies People at the Liverpool Club in Düsseldorf, Germany, January 1966