Ashton, Gardner and Dyke
Ashton, Gardner and Dyke | |
|---|---|
 Kim Gardner (left) and Tony Ashton (right) of the band (Roy Dyke is not pictured); in the centre is their supporting guitarist Mick Liber | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Ashton, Gardner, Dyke and Co. |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1968–1972[1] |
| Labels | |
| Past members | Tony Ashton Kim Gardner Roy Dyke |
Ashton, Gardner and Dyke were a British rock trio, most popular in the early 1970s. They are best remembered for their song, "The Resurrection Shuffle", a transatlantic Top 40 one-hit wonder in 1971.
History
Founding band member Tony Ashton first met the drummer Roy Dyke when playing with various Blackpool-based groups.
Ashton was invited to join the Liverpool beat group The Remo Four as organist/vocalist, whilst Roy Dyke became the group's drummer, having joined them in 1963. Their best work came in 1966 when they released their album Smile!. Before their breakup in 1968, they backed George Harrison on his album Wonderwall Music. Harrison later played guitar on their song "I'm Your Spiritual Breadman".[2]
Ashton and Dyke then joined forces in 1968 with the bassist Kim Gardner,[1] who had previously played in minor British groups The Birds and The Creation. The three simply called themselves Ashton, Gardner and Dyke. Mick Liber, formerly of Python Lee Jackson, played lead guitar with the group.[3]
They released their first single "Maiden Voyage"/"See The Sun In My Eyes" on Polydor Records in 1969, but it flopped. Also in the band for a period of time as the producer of their first single, and on the cover of their "Best Of" CD was ex-Bee Gees guitarist Vince Melouney.
However, their next single, "Resurrection Shuffle" on Capitol Records, made them household names. The song entered the UK Singles Chart on 16 January 1971, had a chart life of 14 weeks, and peaked at Number 3.[4] The song reached number 40 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[5] The song was their only hit record, earning them the designation of one-hit wonders. The trio soon hired a small group of musicians to help them perform on stage; these members were Scottish/Australian guitarist Mick Liber (of Python Lee Jackson fame), and a brass section that included Lyle Jenkins (saxophone) and Dave Caswell (trumpet) of the Birmingham band Galliard, as well as a trombone player, John Mumford (formerly of Bruce Turner's Jump band[6]), was also briefly with them.[7]
They performed the song on BBC's Top of the Pops, on 27 December 1971, with Ashton singing live and remembering most of the words.[8] The song has since been covered by a number of artists, including Tom Jones and Clarence Clemons.
Their follow-up single "Can You Get It" lacked the general boisterous appeal of "Resurrection Shuffle", and failed to chart. Nevertheless, Ashton Gardner and Dyke persevered and recorded three albums. The trio also backed Irish singer Jonathan Kelly on his 1970 debut album and the following year, they appeared together with other British jazz and rock musicians on Leigh Stephens' Cast of Thousands (1971).[9]
With the release of their final studio album, What A Bloody Long Days It's Been, came a change to the band name, as they were credited on the album as Ashton, Gardner, Dyke and Co., as a way to incorporate their supporting musicians without changing the recognisable name.[7]
Their last recording together was a collaboration with Jon Lord on the soundtrack for a B movie, The Last Rebel, starring former gridiron star, Joe Namath. Ashton also appeared on Lord's first solo album Gemini Suite in 1972. The trio finally split the same year.[1]
Afterwards
After the band's demise, Tony Ashton went on to play for Medicine Head, and was briefly in Family before teaming up again with Deep Purple's Jon Lord in Ashton & Lord. Later still he appeared with Lord and Purple's drummer Ian Paice as Paice Ashton Lord. Dyke and then Gardner joined Badger.
Ashton died of cancer on 28 May 2001 in London, aged 55.[10][11] Gardner also died of cancer on 24 October 2001, in Los Angeles, California, aged 53.
Band members
Ashton, Gardner and Dyke
- Tony Ashton — (born Edward Anthony Ashton, 1 March 1946, Blackburn, Lancashire;[12] died 28 May 2001[10]) — keyboards, vocals
- Kim Gardner — (born 27 January 1948,[13] Dulwich, London; died 24 October 2001) — bass
- Roy Dyke — (born 13 February 1945,[14] Liverpool, Lancashire) — drums
Supporting musicians
- Vince Melouney (born 18 August 1945, Sydney, Australia) — guitar, producer (1969)
- Howie Casey (born 12 July 1937, Huyton, Liverpool, Lancashire) — saxophone (1970)[15] (session saxophonist on "The Resurrection Shuffle")
- Mick Liber — (born 1 March 1944, Peebles, Scotland) — lead guitar (1971–1972)[7][16]
- Dave Caswell (born 1 March 1942, Birmingham, Worcestershire[17]) — trumpet (1971–1972)[7][16]
- Lyle Jenkins (born 18 November 1937, Oxford, Oxfordshire[18]; deceased[19]) — saxophone (1971–1972)[7][16]
- John Mumford (born 22 September 1940, London[20]) — trombone (1971)[21]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Billboard 200 | Label + Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Ashton, Gardner and Dyke | — | Polydor – 583 081 |
| 1971 | The Worst of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke
(US - Ashton, Gardner & Duke - Resurrection Shuffle) |
185 | Capitol – EST 563 |
| 1972 | What A Bloody Long Day It's Been | — | Capitol – EST 862 |
Soundtracks
| Year | Title | With | Label + Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Last Rebel • Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Jon Lord | Capitol – SW-827 |
| 2002 | The Last Rebel (Expanded Edition) | Purple – PUR 309 |
Live albums
| Year | Title | Label + Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Let It Roll – Live 1971 | Purple – PUR 307 |
| 2011 | Live In Montreux 1970 | Thompson Music |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label + Cat. No. | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUS | BEL | BEL | CAN | GER | IRE | MAL | NL | NL | US | US | |||
| 1969 | A: "Maiden Voyage"
B: "See The Sun In My Eyes" |
Polydor – 56306 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | A: "The Resurrection Shuffle"
B: "Hymn To Everyone" |
Capitol – CL 15665 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 28 | 35 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 25 | 40 | 37 |
| 1971 | A: "Can You Get It"
B: "Delirium" |
Capitol – CL 15684 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | — | — | 33 | 24 | — | — |
| 1972 | A: "Still Got A Long Way To Go" | Capitol | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Dave Thompson. "Ashton, Gardner & Dyke | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1977). "1970 – And God Had Indigestion". All Together Now – The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975 (Second ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. p. 92. ISBN 0-345-25680-8.
- ↑ Hill, Robin E. (1 April 2012). It Ain't Rock & Roll: The biography of drummer John Kerrison. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781326622084. Retrieved 15 January 2019 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 31. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Gillett, Charlie & Frith, Simon (1975). Rock File 3 Chartlog - Sources of British Hit Songs:Writers, American Hits and Original Versions. St. Albans, Herts.: Panther. p. 168. ISBN 0-586-04261-X.
- ↑ "Living Jazz - John Mumford interviewed, with film". Thejazzcentreuk. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 B, Tom (26 February 2022). ".Westerns...All'Italiana!: Who Are Those Singers & Musicians ~ Ashton, Gardner & Dyke". .Westerns...All'Italiana!. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Top of the Pops Archive – Christmas 1971 – Part 2".
- ↑ "Cast of Thousands – Leigh Stephens | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- 1 2 Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2001". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Clayson, Alan (19 July 2001). "Obituary: Tony Ashton". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ↑ William Ruhlmann. "Tony Ashton | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ "Kim Gardner". The Telegraph. 15 November 2001. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ↑ "Roy Dyke | Credits". AllMusic. 13 February 1945. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ Leigh, Spencer (27 October 2023). Little Richard: Send Me Some Lovin'. McNidder & Grace. ISBN 978-0-85716-245-8.
- 1 2 3 "ASHTON, GARDNER, DYKE & CO. – WHAT A BLOODY LONG DAY IT'S BEEN - Repertoire Records". Repertoire Records - Specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Dave Caswell". Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lyle Jenkins". Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Molympus (22 July 2010). "Lyle Jenkins (sax / flute)". The Musicians' Olympus. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "John Mumford". Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Psychedelicized. "Ashton, Gardner & Dyke | Psychedelicized". Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top LPs, 1955–1996. Record Research. p. 12. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ↑ "ASHTON, GARDNER AND DYKE". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Go-Set Australian charts - 5 June 1971". gosetcharts.com. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- 1 2 "Ashton, Gardner & Dyke - The Resurrection Shuffle - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Library and Archives Canada.
- ↑ Offizielle Charts / retrieved 24 August 2026
- ↑ "Resurrection Shuffle | IRMA". Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 14 August 1971. p. 53.
- ↑ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. "Top 40-artiesten (A)". Top40.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ tolsen (2 January 2013). "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 7/24/71". www.cashboxarchives.com. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ashton, Gardner & Dyke | Discography". AllMusic. 1 May 2001. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ↑ "Ashton, Gardner & Dyke Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.