Page 9 - August 2021

before, renamed the new group ‘Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders’.
The record deal didn’t bring instant success. The first single, Hello Josephine,only reached 46 in the UK charts, the follow-ups, For You, For You, and Little Darlin’, were placed significantly lower. In 1964, Stop, Look, And Listen, fared better at 37, but it was the curiously-named Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, a cover of US soul singer, Major Lance’s American hit (written by Curtis Mayfield), that launched them into the British ‘Top Ten’ for the first time, reaching number 5. The following year, The Game Of Love, bought a number 2 placing. Already a first album had been issued -a treasure trove of fifties and sixties standards: BoDiddley’s Cops an’ Robbers, Chuck Berry’s Jaguar And The Thunderbird, Git It, The Girl Can’t Help It, She’s Got The Power, A Certain Girl . . . I remember borrowing it from a friend, playing it over and over, until he finally demanded it back.
Success also meant touring -initially in the UK with Brenda Lee, later in the States, with ‘Freddie And The Dreamers’ and ‘Herman’s Hermits’ as part of the ‘British invasion’. All seemed to be going well; the band was as sharp as ever; American girls reacted to Wayne’s voice, winning personality, and good looks, in much the same way as British girls. A second album was released. Everything appeared to be rosy. But already there was writing on the wall.
Musical differences, exhaustion, petty jealousies suddenly amplified. After The Game Of Love, the 9
chart placements started to drop. There was sly back- biting, paranoia, recrimination, the list will be familiar to all who have experienced the disintegration of any form of relationship: be it marriage, working partnerships, or beat group dynamics. The folding up of Wayne and the Mindbenders was slow, but inevitable. It culminated in his walking offstage midway through a concert. The others simply played on without him.
In 1966, the Mindbenders ‘without their tambourine player’ as they bluntly put it to a Brit music journalist, had a hit of their own with Groovy Kind Of Love. It was a one-off, none of their subsequent records managing to emulate its success. The group folded after Eric Stewart left to form 10cc with Graham Gouldman and Godley and Crème.
Wayne worked on as a solo act, but with the exception of Pamela, Pamela, few of his offerings were able to make any big impression. He sank into debt, drank too much, suffered depression, and was detained for eleven months under the Mental Health Act. He cleaned himself up, joined the ‘Revival Circuit’, played the clubs and liners, but was dogged by ill health. Diagnosed with cancer, he died on August 6th last year. He had all the trappings of a great star. How had it all gone wrong?
Rob Atkins