Them (band)

Them
Them in 1965. From left to right: Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Peter Bardens, Pat McAuley.
Them in 1965. From left to right: Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Peter Bardens, Pat McAuley.
Background information
Also known as
  • Belfast Gypsies (1966–1967)
  • The Belfast Blues Band (1990–2015)
OriginBelfast, Northern Ireland
Genres
Years active
  • 1964 (1964)–1972 (1972)
  • (one-off reunion: 1979)
Labels
Past members

Them were a Northern Irish rock band formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in April 1964, most prominently known for their 1964 garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching Van Morrison's musical career.[6] The original five-member band consisted of Morrison, Alan Henderson, Ronnie Milling, Billy Harrison, and Eric Wrixon.

Them scored two UK hits in 1965 with "Baby, Please Don't Go" (UK No. 10) and "Here Comes the Night" (UK No. 2; Ireland No. 2). The latter song and "Mystic Eyes" were top 40 hits in the US.[6]

Morrison quit the band in 1966 and went on to a successful career as a solo artist. Although they had relatively few hit singles, the group had considerable influence on other bands, such as the Doors.[6]

The band's recording of "Gloria" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.[7] It was ranked No. 69 in Dave Marsh's 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever and "Mystic Eyes" was ranked No. 458.[8] "Gloria" was listed at No. 208 in the 2004 Rolling Stone magazine's feature The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[9]

  1. ^ "Van Morrison Biography". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. ^ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 560. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  3. ^ Ingalls, Chris (11 August 2016). "Van Morrison: It's Too Late to Stop Now... Vols. II, III, IV and DVD". PopMatters. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  4. ^ Erik Hage (2009). The Words and Music of Van Morrison. ABC-CLIO. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-313-35862-3.
  5. ^ "Freakbeat, The Garage Rock Era". www.ministryofrock.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "Them Biography on All Music.com". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  7. ^ "GRAMMY Hall of Fame Award". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 1999. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  8. ^ "Dave Marsh the 1001 greatest Singles Ever". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2007.
  9. ^ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. 9 December 2004. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2010.