The Nashville Teens


The Nashville Teens in 1966

Website: nashville-teens.com
Members: Ray Phillips, Adrian Metcalfe, Colin Pattenden, Simon Spratley, Ken Osborn

The Nashville Teens are an English rock band, formed in Surrey in 1962.[1] They are best known for their 1964 hit single "Tobacco Road", a top 10 UK hit and a top 20 hit in the United States.

History

Art Sharp (born Arthur Sharp, 26 May 1941, Woking, Surrey) began his career in music as manager of Aerco Records in Woking, Surrey. The group's line-up eventually comprised singers Sharp and Ray Phillips (born Ramon John Philips, 16 January 1939, Tiger Bay, Cardiff, South Wales), with former Cruisers Rock Combo members John Hawken (piano), Mick Dunford (lead guitar) (born Michael Dunford, 8 July 1944, Addlestone, Surrey died 20 November 2012, Surrey), Pete Shannon (born Peter Shannon Harris, 23 August 1941, Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) (bass) and Dave Maine (drums). Roger Groome replaced Maine shortly afterward but was in turn replaced by Barry Jenkins in 1963, the year a third vocalist, Terry Crowe (born Terence Crowe, 1941, Woking, Surrey) joined briefly and Dunford left, to be replaced by John Allen (born John Samuel Allen, 23 April 1945, St Albans, Hertfordshire). (Crowe and Dunford formed "The Plebs" with Danny McCulloch and Derek (Degs) Sirmon and were re-united with Hawken in Renaissance in 1970). There was also another member, Derek Gentle (vocals), who was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 1962 and had to leave the band. He died in June 1963.

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Arthur Sharp left in 1972 to join the band's one-time manager Don Arden, and Trevor Williams joined.

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Vic Coppersmith-Heaven

Vic Coppersmith-Heaven (born Victor Smith, August 1945, England) is an English sound engineer and record producer, best known for his production work with The Jam.

Career

Smith worked in the recording studios at Polydor after leaving school in 1961. By 1967 he worked as the engineer on Cat Stevens' album Matthew and Son, and on The Rolling Stones', Let It Bleed. Smith then engineered other hits such as "Honky Tonk Women" and Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help from My Friends". In early 1968 he produced the Nashville Teens' recording of "All Along the Watchtower", the earliest cover version of Bob Dylan's song, which was released as a single in the UK and Europe on Decca Records some six months before Jimi Hendrix's hit version.

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The Vapors track, "Turning Japanese", was produced by Coppersmith-Heaven and reached the top three in the UK Singles Chart, at the same time that The Jam's "Going Underground" was at number one. In September 1980, when "Start!" reached number one it was Coppersmith-Heaven's second production credit on a chart topping hit single. By the end of 1980 Coppersmith-Heaven's term with The Jam ended. "Funeral Pyre" was their first single to be produced by Pete Wilson instead of Coppersmith-Heaven, and was also unique in giving the writing credits to the band.