The Flower Pot Men
| Company type | Studio-based pop ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | John Carter, Ken Lewis |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Pop music recordings |
The Flower Pot Men (occasionally written as The Flowerpot Men) were a British pop ensemble established in 1967 after the success of their single "Let's Go to San Francisco". This track, performed by session musicians, entered the UK Top 20 and gained traction across European markets during the autumn of 1967.[1] Their signature style featured lush three-part vocal harmonies.
History
The Flower Pot Men began as a studio-based initiative created by songwriters John Carter and Ken Lewis, both formerly members of The Ivy League. They also provided backing vocals on early albums by The Who and contributed to "My World Fell Down," which was later interpreted by Sagittarius.[2] Ken Lewis opted out of touring due to lack of interest, and Carter soon followed to concentrate on songwriting efforts.
"Let's Go to San Francisco"
Composed by the songwriting pair known as Carter & Lewis, "Let's Go to San Francisco" was a psychedelic tune drawing inspiration from the vocal and instrumental style of The Beach Boys.[1][3] The band's name was inspired by the BBC children's program Flower Pot Men, with an additional reference to the flower power movement and cannabis culture prevalent during the psychedelic era. In American radio, they were frequently referred to as The Flower Men to avoid drug-related implications.[4]
Deram Records acquired licensing rights for the track but did not have an actual performing group. Since Carter and Lewis were not inclined toward touring, they assembled a band consisting of selected session musicians and vocalists to promote the release. Vocalist Tony Burrows led this lineup, which included Neil Landon, Pete Nelson, Robin Shaw, and members from Billie Davis's backing band. Briefly, future Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and bassist Nick Simper joined, although they did not participate in recordings.
Over the following three years, Carter and Lewis maintained control over writing, recording, and producing most of the band's material.[1]
Subsequent releases
Following "Let's Go to San Francisco," the group released "A Walk in the Sky" in November 1967. While it did not chart in the UK, it achieved No. 4 in the Netherlands and found popularity in Germany. Although Carter and Lewis continued creating new songs, Deram sought another commercial hit to replicate their initial success. When the third single by Carter-Lewis, "Man Without a Woman" / "You Can Never Be Wrong," failed to chart in April 1968, Deram had the touring band record "In A Moment of Madness," penned by Roger Greenaway, without Carter and Lewis's involvement; this also did not chart. As noted by Mark Frumento in the retrospective compilation Listen to the Flowers Grow, Deram considered the Flower Pot Men brand no longer commercially viable and released their next single, "Piccolo Man," under the name 'Friends.' The final Flower Pot Men single issued in 1969 was produced by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway.
By this point, significant changes had occurred within the Flower Pot Men lineup. Jon Lord and Nick Simper departed in mid-1968; Neil Landon left in December 1968 to join Fat Mattress. Ricky Wolff replaced Landon in January 1969. Wolff, Burrows, Shaw, and Nelson continued working with Greenaway and Cook, brought in additional musicians, and rebranded themselves as White Plains, achieving success with "My Baby Loves Lovin'" in 1970. Subsequently, The Flower Pot Men disbanded.
Post 1970
Following their time with the group, Burrows and Shaw became involved in John Carter's project The First Class, which achieved a single Top 40 success with "Beach Baby," a song that referenced "Let's Go to San Francisco." In 1981, Carter also produced "Let's Go Back To San Francisco (Parts 1 and 2)" under the name 'Beautiful People'; these tracks were later included on compilations featuring First Class and Flower Pot Men material.
In 2000, Carter issued Peace Album / Past Imperfect, a release containing two previously unreleased Flower Pot Men albums dating from 1967 to 1969. Burrows and Landon continue to perform on the oldies circuit, while Shaw remains active with White Plains.
According to Mark Frumento's liner notes for the 2007 release Listen to the Flowers Grow, Pete Nelson passed away several years before.
Tony Burrows has contributed his talents to numerous groups such as White Plains, Edison Lighthouse, Brotherhood of Man, the Pipkins, in addition to pursuing solo work.
Robin Shaw played bass guitar for Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers between 1988 and 2002.
After a short period with Zenith in 1974, Pete Nelson stepped away from the music industry.
The involvement of Lord and Simper in this era of pop music was humorously referenced in the satirical rock film Spinal Tap, where the fictional debut hit "(Listen to the) Flower People" alluded to "Let's Go to San Francisco."
Between 2004 and 2006, Shaw took part in a reassembled lineup of White Plains; later, in 2013, Shaw and Burrows joined for a reunion tour.
Pete Nelson (born 10 March 1943) died in Ealing, London on 23 October 2005 at age 62 after a battle with cancer.
Neil Landon (born 26 July 1941) passed away in Hamburg, Germany on 26 March 2020 at age 78, also succumbing to cancer.
Personnel
- Tony Burrows – vocals
- Neil Landon (born Patrick Cahill, 26 July 1941, Kirdford, Sussex – died 26 March 2020, Hamburg, Germany) – vocals
- Robin Shaw (born Robin George Scrimshaw, 6 October 1943, Hayes, Middlesex) – vocals
- Pete Nelson (born Peter William Lipscomb, 10 March 1943, Uxbridge, London – died 23 October 2005, Ealing, London) – vocals
- Ricky Wolff (born Richard Wolff, 8 July 1945, Pretoria, South Africa) – keyboards, saxophone, flute (from Autumn 1968), vocals (from January 1969)
- Ged Peck (born 19 October 1947, West Hendon, London) – guitar
- Carlo Little (born Carl O'Neil Little, 17 December 1938, Shepherd's Bush, London – died 6 August 2005, Cleadon, County Durham) – drums
- Robin Box (born 19 June 1944) – guitar
- Nick Simper – bass
- Jon Lord – organ
- Mick Stewart – lead guitar
- Tony 'Tex' Makins – bass
- Gordon Haskell – bass
- Billy Davidson – keyboards
- John Carroll – organ
- Tony Hall – saxophone
- Roger Hills (born 1948) – drums
Sources
- Mark Frumento, liner notes of Listen to the Flowers Grow (RPM Retro 809), April 2007.
- Mark Frumento, liner notes John Carter – A Rose by any Other Name (Rev-ola REV 84), October 2004.
- Bob Stanley, liner notes The John Carter Anthology – Measure by Measure (RPM rpmd268), 2003.