Grapefruit (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1967 in London, England |
| Founder | Terry Doran |
| Fate | Disbanded in 1969 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States, Germany |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Grapefruit was a British band based in London during the late 1960s, established by Terry Doran of Apple Publishing, a company affiliated with the Beatles. Their sound fused late-60s rock with psychedelic elements such as phasers and vocoders, complemented by classical music arrangements.
Biography
In the summer of 1967, Terry Doran—Apple Publishing's managing director and a longtime associate of Brian Epstein—signed George Alexander (born Alexander Young), a Scottish-born vocalist and bassist. Alexander was the elder sibling of The Easybeats' George Young and AC/DC founders Malcolm and Angus Young. Unlike his family, who relocated to Australia, Alexander remained in Britain, having previously toured Germany in the mid-1960s with The Bobby Patrick Six. In November 1967, John Perry, formerly with Tony Rivers and the Castaways, presented songs to Doran. Instead of accepting the songs alone, Doran suggested forming a new band incorporating Perry, brothers Geoff and Pete Swettenham, and Alexander. The group’s name, Grapefruit, was chosen by John Lennon after Yoko Ono’s book titled Grapefruit. Doran took on management duties upon recognizing their commercial promise.
Apple Publishing licensed Grapefruit’s U.S. publishing rights to Terry Melcher’s newly formed label Equinox. Since Apple did not have its own record label at that time, RCA Records handled their releases in the UK while Equinox managed U.S. distribution. Grapefruit became Apple’s second signed act following Liverpool’s Focal Point. The Beatles maintained involvement: Lennon introduced Grapefruit at their January 1968 media event and invited Perry to join the choir on the recording of "Hey Jude." Attendees at this launch included Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Brian Jones, Donovan, Cilla Black, Jimi Hendrix, and Sajid Khan.
Terry Melcher produced Grapefruit’s debut single "Dear Delilah," which climbed to number 21 on the UK Singles Chart in spring 1968. Lennon and McCartney took on production duties for their next single "Lullaby" (also known as "Lullaby for a Lazy Day"), recorded at Advision Studios. However, while Lennon and McCartney were in India, RCA requested an alternative follow-up release; consequently, Grapefruit issued a double A-side single featuring "Elevator" and "Yes," which did not chart. Their third single featured a rendition of The Four Seasons’ "C'mon Marianne," remixed by Derek Lawrence at RCA’s behest, reaching number 35.
Before their subsequent single release, RCA ended Grapefruit’s contract in the UK. Mike O'Connor, Apple Publishing's new head, released all members except Alexander from their agreements; Doran then directly signed the band to Equinox. Melcher resumed production duties and remixed prior recordings; however, the Lennon-McCartney-produced version of "Lullaby" remained unreleased.
By December 1968, John Perry switched instruments to bass while Alexander transitioned to guitar; Mick Fowler joined as keyboardist. They released a fourth single titled "Someday Soon," which failed to chart. Grapefruit produced two albums—Around Grapefruit (1968) and Deep Water (1969)—both met with modest success; notably, their single "Deep Water" reached number 19 in Germany. The group disbanded toward the end of 1969 after Pete Swettenham departed and was succeeded by Bob Wale for the second album sessions. During this period, under Alexander’s songwriting leadership with Wale's input, Grapefruit evolved toward a rock-oriented style characterized as soft rock in a Billboard advertisement promoting Deep Water.
Following the breakup, Alexander remained musically active by collaborating with his brother George Young and Harry Vanda of The Easybeats on projects under the Young Blood label such as Paintbox and Tramp in 1970. He also participated in Marcus Hook Roll Band sessions led by Vanda and Young. In 1971, Grapefruit briefly reunited to release the one-off single "Universal Party" / "Sha Sha," which saw no subsequent follow-up.
In 2016, RPM Records issued Yesterday's Sunshine, a compilation featuring 20 tracks from Grapefruit’s Apple recordings prior to November 1968. This collection included 18 compositions by Alexander, one by Perry, plus their cover of "C'Mon Marianne." Notably, it contained the previously unreleased original Lennon-McCartney-produced version of "Lullaby," whereas earlier album versions had been produced collectively and remixed by Melcher with added orchestration.
Endeavors Beyond Grapefruit
Peter Swettenham shifted his focus towards production and engineering, contributing to singles for artists such as Driftwood, The Playground, Jimmy Cassidy, Liverpool Express, John Le Mesurier, The Cats, among others. Additionally, he held the role of assistant engineer on the album Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings.
Band Members
- George Alexander (originally Alexander Young; born 28 December 1938 in Glasgow – died 4 August 1997) – bass guitar, vocals, guitar, saxophone
- John Perry (born Charles John Perry on 16 July 1949 in Dagenham, London) – lead guitar, vocals, bass guitar
- Pete Swettenham (born Peter Francis Swettenham on 24 April 1949 in Streatham, London) – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Geoff Swettenham (8 March 1948 – 28 September 2020, London) – drums
- Mick Fowler (25 July 1948 – 30 January 2022, California, U.S.) – piano, organ, guitar
- Bob Wale (born 2 October 1948 in Birmingham) – lead guitar, vocals, harmonica
Studio Albums
- Around Grapefruit (1968)
- Deep Water (1969)
- Yesterday's Sunshine (2016)
Singles
- "Dear Delilah" / "Dead Boot" (1968) (charted No. 18 in Canada)
- "Elevator" / "Yes" (1968)
- "C'mon Marianne" / "Ain't It Good" (1968)
- "Someday Soon" / "Theme for Twiggy" (1968)
- "Round Going Round" / "This Little Man" (1969)
- "Deep Water" / "Come Down to the Station" (1969)
- "Thunder & Lightning" / "Blues in Your Head" (1969)
- "Lady Godiva (Come Home)" / "Can't Find Me" (1970)
- "Universal Party" / "Sha Sha" (1971)