Brian Poole is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band The Tremeloes and then Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. He was brought up in the East End of London and grew up in Barking, East London. Poole attended Park Modern Secondary School, Barking and Barking Abbey Grammar School.
Early career
The Tremeloes
Poole met Alan Blakley and Alan Howard, at Park Modern Secondary School. In 1956, heavily influenced by their interest in rock and roll music, they decided to form a band. The original line-up consisted of Poole, Blakley, Howard and Graham Scott. While still in their teens, the band members met and befriended Dave Munden, who shared a love and passion for rock n’ roll. A strong bond was formed, which saw Munden join the band on the drums in 1957. A swift change of tactics saw Blakley switch to guitar, which Poole relinquished to take the title of lead vocalist and thus front the band. In the early years, The Tremeloes were inspired by Buddy Holly and The Crickets and mainly covered their songs. They quickly gained local fame by playing at small venues in the area; during that time, their singing style developed and flourished. With Poole's Holly-style glasses and the band's unique style of harmony, The Tremeloes soon developed a wide fan-base and following. This continued to grow until they became one of the top dance hall attractions across Great Britain. On New Year's Day in 1962, The Tremeloes auditioned for a record contract with Decca Records, along with another up-and-coming band, The Beatles. Their regular slot on BBC Radio and large following meant that The Tremeloes were an obvious choice, and they were signed by the record label. Upon signing with Decca, the company bosses insisted that the band be billed as 'Brian Poole and The Tremeloes', since this was the trend at the time. The band quickly embraced their new name. Their diverse musical talents meant that as well as producing their own singles, they also performed as backing for other recording artists. Their first chart entry was "Twist and Shout" in June 1963. "Twist and Shout" reached number four in the UK singles chart, selling over one million copies, and other chart hits were soon to follow. In September 1963, they released "Do You Love Me". It reached number one in the UK charts, famously knocking The Beatles’ second number one hit, "She Loves You", from the top slot. "Do You Love Me" remained at the top of the charts for three weeks. 'Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' continued to produce hits and thrive in the UK charts, with tracks such as "Candy Man" and the popular ballad "Someone, Someone". In 1966, the band officially split. Poole left to begin a solo career and pursue other opportunities, one of which included starting his own record label called Outlook Records. Other members of the band continued under their previous name, The Tremeloes.
Later career
During the 1970s, when not working in music, Poole worked in his brother's butcher shop in Romford Road, Manor Park. In 1986, by Royal Command, Poole performed at the televised Royal Gala Performance. He was privileged to personally meet Princess Anne afterwards. In 1988, Poole hooked up with four other stars from the 1960s; Reg Presley from The Troggs, Mike Pender of the Searchers, Tony Crane from The Merseybeats and Clem Curtis from The Foundations. Together, they formed the Corporation, also affectionately known as the Travelling Wrinklies. They released a single, a cover of "It Ain't Nothin' But A Houseparty", a 1968 hit for The Showstoppers. In 1996, Poole wrote his first book entitled Talkback, a guide to cockney rhyming slang. Poole released further singles and a solo album entitled Antique Gold, in 2008.
Tours
Between 2002 and 2007, Poole toured and performed in the global 'Reelinandarockin' 1960s tour, where he performed to sell-out audiences in the UK, and as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and China. 'Re-elinandarockin' was the first 1960s show ever to perform in China. Stars such as Dave Berry, Gerry Marsden, Mike d'Abo, Dave Dee, Mike Pender and The Nolans were among the line-up. In 2006, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes did a reunion tour, to mark their 40th anniversary. The line-up consisted of Chip Hawkes, Ricky Westwood, Dave Munden, Joe Gillingham, Jeff Brown, and Poole himself. In 2008 and 2009, Poole toured with P.J. Proby in the production Oh Boy, which was a mix of non-stop 1960s hits. In 2012, Poole performed in the Solid Silver '60s Show to sell-out audiences at venues across the UK. He appeared alongside Peter Noone, Chris Montez, Brian Hyland and Vanity Fare. In 2013, Poole appeared in the Sixties Gold Tour, starting in September in Cardiff and ending in November in Manchester. He appeared with Chip Hawkes alongside Gerry and the Pacemakers, P. J. Proby, The Searchers and The Fortunes. In 2014, Poole was booked to appear in the Solid Silver Sixties Show alongside The Tremeloes, Chris Montez, Chris Farlowe, Wayne Fontana and Vanity Fare.
Family
In 1968 he married Pamela Poole. They have two daughters, Shelly McErlaine and Karen Etherington, who were both in Alisha's Attic and granddaughters named Evie Etherington and Rose Dolly.
