The Dealians
| Company type | Pop ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | January 1968 |
| Founder | Mike Fuller |
| Headquarters | East London , South Africa |
| Products | Music recordings, live performances |
The Dealians emerged as a pop ensemble originating from East London, South Africa in January 1968, founded by Mike Fuller. Their name was inspired by the Deal's Hotel, a local venue where they frequently performed.
The founding members were:
- Mike Fuller (guitar, backing vocals)
- Malcolm Martin (lead vocals)
- In MacDonald (keyboards, vocals)
- Derek de Klerk (bass guitar)
- Mike Rome (drums)
Subsequent additions to the band included Len Cooper (lead vocals, keyboards, trumpet), Laurene Gordon (organ, vocals), and Peter Richardson (drums). Later on, Mike Rome returned to replace Richardson on drums, while Gary van Zyl took over bass duties from Malcolm Martin.
On 20 April 1971, Peter Lotis—a well-known South African radio host and singer—awarded the group a gold disc for their chart-topping single "Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow," which reached number one in South Africa in January of that year. The Dealians also performed live at the Colosseum cinema during the premiere of Midnight Cowboy, the highest-grossing South African film of 1970. This track was a rendition of a song originally by the Monkees, penned by Neil Diamond and produced by Lotis himself.
Their next release, "When Love Comes Knockin' At Your Door," also taken from the Monkees' album More of the Monkees, climbed to number three on South African charts in 1971.
On 24 January 1975, East London's Daily Dispatch reported that after seven successful years and still enjoying considerable popularity, The Dealians chose to disband. At that time, the lineup consisted of Mike Fuller (band leader and guitarist), Len Cooper (lead vocalist and trumpeter), Peter Richardson (drummer), Gary van Zyl (bassist), along with Laurene Gordon and Sue van Staden handling organ, electric piano, synthesizer, and lead vocals.
Notably, The Dealians were the first act to secure three consecutive South African Recording Industry (SARI) Awards—the nation's counterpart to the Grammy Award—winning in 1972, 1973, and 1974.
Len Cooper died on 7 July 2011.
Songs
- 1970 — "Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow"/"Never Trust a Woman" (No. 1 in South Africa and Rhodesia)
- 1971 — "When Love Comes Knockin' At Your Door" (Reached No. 3 in South Africa)
- 1971 — "All of the Time Girl"/"I Just Can't Help Believing" (No. 13 in South Africa; No. 5 in Rhodesia)
- 1972 — "Hey Diddle Diddle"/"I'll Take What I Want"
- 1972 — "Two of Us"/"Twenty Miles" (No. 17 in South Africa; No. 12 in Rhodesia)
- 1973 — "Time"/"Moonshadow" (No. 4 in South Africa)