The Fourmost are an English Merseybeat band that recorded in the 1960s. Their biggest UK hit single was "A Little Loving" in 1964.
History
Formation
Guitarist/vocalist Brian O'Hara and best friend guitarist/vocalist Joey Bower (born Joseph Bower, 17 November 1939, Dingle, Liverpool, Lancashire) formed the Two Jays in 1957. The group changed its name to the Four Jays in September 1959 when bass guitarist/singer Billy Hatton and drummer Brian Redman (born 21 June 1941, Huyton, Liverpool, Lancashire) joined the group. The Four Jays played at the Cavern Club on 1 March 1961. Rhythm guitarist/singer Mike Millward (ex-the Undertakers) joined the Four Jays in November 1961, followed by drummer/singer Dave Lovelady in September 1962. The band changed its name to the Fourmost in October 1962. On 30 June 1963, the group signed a management contract with Brian Epstein.
Early years
With Epstein as their manager, the Fourmost had access to early Lennon–McCartney compositions. The Fourmost's first two singles were written by John Lennon. "Hello Little Girl", one of the earliest Lennon songs, was released on 30 August 1963 and reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart. Their follow-up single, "I'm in Love" (Lennon–McCartney), was released on 15 November 1963 and reached No. 17 in the UK. It was also notable as one of the earliest Beatles-penned songs to be released in the United States but, as with the Fourmost's other singles, it failed to chart there.
Their biggest hit followed. "A Little Loving", written by Russ Alquist, reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in mid-1964. From then on, none of the group's singles cracked the Top 20 in the UK. "How Can I Tell Her" was followed by a cover version of the Four Tops' "Baby I Need Your Loving", sung by Millward, while Hatton took lead vocal on "Everything in the Garden" and "Girls Girls Girls" (first recorded by the Coasters and a hit for Elvis Presley). O'Hara composed most of their songs, which were used as B-sides including "Waitin' for You", "That's Only What They Say", "He Could Never", and "You Got That Way".
Peak years
On the group's only 1960s album, First and Fourmost, from September 1965, they covered Jackie DeShannon's, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine". Other tracks included "My Block" sung by Hatton They recruited George Peckham as replacement. In August 1966, the Fourmost covered another Beatles song, "Here, There and Everywhere", They performed both "Hello Little Girl" and "A Little Loving" among other covers of 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s hit songs. Charley Records later issued a 20-track compilation album also titled First and Fourmost, while EMI Records later released a CD stereo/mono version of the original 1965 album in 1999. Brian O'Hara took his own life the same year. In 2005, they also released a 33-track CD compilation The Best of The Fourmost, which included the stereo version of "I Love You Too", and four previously unreleased songs with booklet notes written by Hatton.
In 2008, Hatton and Lovelady lost a court case to own the trademark on "The Fourmost" name, to the iteration of the band dating back to when they both left in 1978. In the following years afterwards, the two toured as "The Original Fourmost".
Hatton died in 2017.
In 2018, the Fourmost completed a 59-date theatre tour on the Sensational 60s Experience Tour along with other acts from that period.
Original band members
- Brian O'Hara, born 12 March 1941, Dingle, Liverpool; died 27 June 1999, Wavertree, Liverpool (suicide),
!<small>AU</small>
!<small>US</small>
|-
| rowspan="1" |1965
| rowspan="1" |First and Fourmost
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
|-
| rowspan="1" |1975
| rowspan="1" |The Fourmost
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
| align="center" | -
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="3"| Chart positions
|-
! <small>UK<br></small>
|-
|rowspan="2"|1963
|"Hello Little Girl"
|align="center"|9
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"I'm in Love"
|align="center"|17
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|rowspan="4"|1964
|"A Little Loving"
|align="center"|6
|align="center"|98
|align="center"|-
|-
|"If You Cry" <small>(US Only)</small>
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"How Can I Tell Her"
|align="center"|33
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"Baby I Need Your Loving"
|align="center"|24
|align="center"|63
|align="center"|-
|-
|rowspan="2"|1965
|"Everything in the Garden"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"Girls Girls Girls"
|align="center"|33
|align="center"|21
|align="center"|-
|-
|rowspan="2"|1966
|"Here, There and Everywhere"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|120
|-
|"Auntie Maggie's Remedy"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|43
|align="center"|-
|-
|rowspan="2"|1968
|"Apples, Peaches And Pumpkin Pie"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"Rosetta"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|rowspan="1"|1969
|"Easy Squeezy"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|}
See also
- List of bands and artists from Merseyside
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of artists who have covered The Beatles