Biography
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Years Active
1964 – 1976 (12 years)
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Members
- Roy Phillips
- Tab Martin
- Trevor Morais
The Peddlers was a British jazz-soul trio of the 1960s and 1970s. A reunion gig was held on 25 May 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand.
The trio formed in Manchester, UK in 1964 comprising Trevor Morais (born in Liverpool on 10 October 1944), Tab Martin (born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 24 December 1944) and Roy Phillips (born in Parkstone, Dorset on 5 May 1943; died 24 April 2025). Morais, the drummer, had previously played with Faron's Flamingoes and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (who had struggled to replace Ringo Starr after he had left to join The Beatles). Martin, the bassist, and Phillips, on vocals and keyboards, had both been in The Saints and The Tornados; Phillips had also been with The Soundtracks.
The trio released six singles and an EP on the Philips label before joining CBS in 1967. That year they released the album Freewheelers, consisting of standards sometimes adventurously arranged by Keith Mansfield (composer of the Grandstand theme tune, amongst others). The follow-up, 1968's Three In A Cell, included a downtempo version of 'On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)', from the 1965 musical of the same name, which was later heavily sampled for its bass and hammond organ riff. The third and final CBS album, Birthday, followed in 1969, and brought the band two UK Top 40 singles in 'Girlie' and the title track. Following Birthday, the Peddlers returned to Philips.
The single "Girlie" did well in New Zealand, hitting the no. 1 spot in May 1970. They released Georgia on My Mind in 1971 and Suite London (1972). Also that year, they released "Honey Come Back". It was a hit in New Zealand peaking on week two at no. 8 in The Listener chart in July.
Morais left the trio during an Australian tour in 1972, and was replaced on drums by New Zealander Paul Johnston (died 2013. The Peddlers disbanded in 1976.
see also: www.thepeddlers.co.uk/
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