Chad & Jeremy--A Summer Song (1964)

     Not all of the bands who came in through the British Invasion were of the Beatles/Stones variety. Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde rode in on that tide as a pair of intellectual folk singers. Their first hit, "Yesterday's Gone" was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, but it was the last and only hit in Britain.

     Seeing clips of them from back in the day, I have to believe their success in the US was based on 1). The music was light and poppy, with a hint of folk. Remember that just before the Beatles hit, folk music was one of the most popular genres....there were still a lot of those fans out there. and 2). Their music and look was less threatening to adults who saw the Beatles/Stones axis too much.

     Their follow up, "A Summer Song" actually became their biggest hit stateside, reaching #7in the fall of 1964. They had a series of songs on the chart up to the end of 1966. Both had been drama students in England and by the end of the decade, Jeremy had chose to go back to home to resume his acting career. Chad stayed in the states and continued working as a songwriter. Both have resumed touring since 2008.