The Dennisons

The Dennisons were an archetypal Merseybeat group who formed in 1961. Highly popular in Liverpool, many people predicted great things for them. They were initially influenced to form a group by watching the resident band at their local youth club. This was The Ravens who later became better known as Faron's Flamingos. The quintet would attend the Ravens' rehearsals and copy down the chords to their songs.

They were initially influenced to form a group by watching the resident band at their local youth club. This was The Ravens who later became better known as Faron's Flamingos. The quintet would attend the Ravens' rehearsals and copy down the chords to their songs. In their early days, Eddie Parry also played guitar, but he soon gave it up to concentrate on his singing and their early success in local dance halls was attributed to Parry's performances as a showman.

They began their career with a Saturday night residency at the BICC Club in Melling. They signed up with Kennedy Street Enterprises and turned professional in early '63. At that time the bass guitarist, Alan Willis, didn't want to give up his apprenticeship and chose to leave the band with Terry "Tex" Carson coming in as his replacement.

The Dennisons made many appearances at Liverpool's famous Cavern Club, including several on the same bill as the Beatles. Their popularity on Merseyside soon attracted the attention of the leading record companies and they were signed to Decca in 1963. They toured the country alongside such acts as Billy J. Kramer, Tommy Roe, Gerry & the Pacemakers and the Walker Brothers.

They made solid recordings and wrote their debut record "Be My Girl" themselves backstage at the Cavern. The song achieved some minor chart success. The follow-up was a good version of Rufus Thomas' "Walkin' The Dog", and fared slightly better. The flip side of the record, "You Don't Know What Love Is", was specially written for them by Ben E. King, who they were touring with. Around that time they turned down the chance to record Lennon and McCartney's "All My Loving", a song which would almost have guaranteed them a chart placing.

The final single, "Nobody Like My Baby", came out in November '64, despite possessing a commercial sound it failed to reach the charts. They also appeared on the "Live At The Cavern" compilation album.

Singer Eddie Parry quit the group in 1965 and they eventually broke up in 1967.

After Tex Carson's death in 1991, the group got together to play a special memorial show for charity. Parry died in 1995 Hornby went on to play Jack Sugden in the hit T.V. soap 'Emmerdale'

and in 1997 the remaining three Dennisons were reunited for Clive Hornby's appearance on 'This Is Your Life'.