BARRY LEE SHOW, THE

Lead Vocals: Barry Lee

Guitar: Mike Dybal

Guitar: Tony Dybal

Vox, Bass: Roger Reynolds

Drum: Angus Jarvis

The Alysham based Planets had come a long way since winning The NM&J Great Beat Comp at the Royal Norfolk Showground in July 1965. The act had always contained an element of comedy between songs and in May 1966 changed their name to The Barry Lee Show to highlight this.

They were now playing many of the top clubs throughout the country, including The Marquee, Ldn. In August 1966 Jack Barrie the club’s manager and a good friend of producer Norman Smith, introduced the group to him; Smith had at the time been working with Pink Floyd. He took The Show under his wing and during recording sessions in February, March and May 1967 recorded their first tracks for Columbia Records (subsidiary of EMI Records) at Abbey Road Studios. The tracks included Everybody Knows My Name, the group’s first single released in July 1968. Despite the epic studio production and plenty of airplay, the track had no impact on the UK chart, a trend that would unfortunately plague all four of the group’s releases.

Minor international recognition did come by way of the group’s second single I Don’t Want To Love You, which was picked up for release in USA and Canada in 1968 and achieved number 28 in the Chicago Top 40. The group’s final single produced by Nick Firth (The Art Movement) was the aptly named Wasn’t It Good While It Lasted and went out on another of EMI’s subsidiary labels, the now well recognised Parlophone Records.

The group’s time spent on EMI shouldn’t be overlooked as it allowed Tony Dyball and Reynolds to cut their teeth as song writers. Reynolds remarked, “The label seemed reluctant to push our self penned songs as A sides. We had our own style with those, and feel they would have been received much better.” In 1970 their composition Everything You Need was chosen as one of Mary Hopkins’ six songs in the UK’s Song for Europe selection show. “We sent in so many postal votes for our own song,” laughs Reynolds.

The band’s failure to impact the charts did not deter them as their variety act continued to gain popularity and eventually outweighed their stature as a pop act. In 1968 Lee, who was looking to take his singing career further, left the group to go solo. The band were by now a fully fledged variety act and in 1970 changed their name briefly to The Performin’ Lees before finally becoming The Brother Lees. It was this incarnation of the band that went on to dominate prime time TV in the early seventies with over 60 national TV appearances.

Discography:

7” Everybody Knows My Name b/w Don’t Call Me

Columbia DB8237 released 21/07/67

7” I Don’t Want To Love You b/w Over and Over

Columbia DB8299 released 17/11/67

Independence Records IND-84 released 09/03/68 [USA]

Capitol Records ?? released ??/??/68 [Canada]

7” I Won’t Cry Anymore b/w Kathy Come Home

Columbia DB8350 released 08/03/68

7” Wasn’t It Good While It Lasted b/w One In A Million

Parlophone R5704 released 14/06/68

7SSAct Harry udat

7Act Come Away With Me b/w Live Life To The Full udat

7Act Do I Love You b/w Yesterday Was Yesterday udat

NB: Both BLS demos Live Your Life To The Full and Yesterday Was Yesterday were released in 1970 when the group became The Performin’ Lees.

Selected advertised supports:

03/07/66 Tavern Club, Dham - Dave Anthony’s Moods

31/07/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - Paul & Barry Ryan with Robb Storm & The Whispers

18/09/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - Hamilton & The Hamilton Movement

15/10/66 Marquee, Ldn - The Herd

23/10/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - The En-Devers Ltd

15/11/66 Marquee, Ldn - Cliff Bennet & The Rebel Rousers

04/12/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - Nepenthe with the Subterranean’s

05/02/67 Tavern Club, Dham - The Motivation

29/07/67 Boston Gliderdrome - Garnett Mimms with The Clockwork Orange

30/07/67 Bournemouth Pav- Dusty Springfield

Tours:

UK & S.Africa with Engelbert Humperdinck & Mary Hopkin Jan 1969.

The group received a scare in January 1969 while on tour in South Africa, minutes out of Johanasburg airport the plane developed engine problems and had to return. Luckily they landed saftely.

Mediography:

Norfolk group disc debuts NM&J 03/02/67 (P)

Lee Show single out Friday UP udat

Alysham groups first record H&N EEN 17/07/67

Big break for Norfolk cabaret group H&N EEN 23/01/67

Top flight bookings for Barry  H&N EEN 03/07/67

Lee Show disc H&N EEN 04/03/68 (P)

Lee Show gets summer season H&N EEN 01/04/68

Lee Show’s newie H&N EEN 27/05/68

What a turn up? H&N EEN 20/05/68

Good Show, Barry Lee H&N EEN 10/06/68

Which local group for the charts H&N EEN 24/06/68

Lee Show back on home ground H&N EEN 08/07/68 (P)

Lee shows top tour in the sun H&N EEN 16/12/68(P)

Barry Lee Show drama H&N EEN 13/01/69 (P)

Engelbert boosts Barry Lee Show H&N EEN 17/02/69(P)

Barry Lee’s year H&N EEN 03/03/69 (P)

Song could bounce them into Eurovision fame - H&N EEN 22/12/69 (P)

Venues: La Dolce Vita, Newcastle / The Forty Thieves, Bermuda

Bibliography:

EBBS Pub

BDP 78/45 rpm Vol 1 Pub 86

The Planets <> The Performin Lee’s

Releases
Cover	Title	Studio	Label	YoR
	EVERYBODY KNOWS MY NAME		COLUMBIA RECORDS	1967
	I DON'T WANT TO LOVE YOU		COLUMBIA RECORDS	1967
	I WON'T CRY ANYMORE		COLUMBIA RECORDS	1968
	WASN'T IT GOOD WHILE IT LASTED?		EMI RECORDS	1968