The Loved Ones - Blueberry Hill (1966)

(Al Lewis - Larry Stock - Vincent Rose)
 Australia
#12 Sydney #19 Melbourne #11 Perth

Track on The Loved Ones, EP on the W&G label.

Melbourne band The Loved Ones, formed in October 1965, were one of the shining lights of Australian pop music in the wake of the British Invasion. Their output wasn't enormous, but at least three of their original songs, all written by band members, are classics of the beat/r&b era: The Loved One (their biggest hit), Everlovin' Man and Sad Dark Eyes.

Distinguished by Gerry Humphreys' powerful soul-blues voice, and by his striking physical presence, The Loved Ones' musicality owed something to their background in Melbourne's jazz scene. Gerry Humphreys, Ian Clyne and Kim Lynch, for example, had all been in trad jazz band The Red Onions.

The Loved Ones broke up in October 1967. Rob Lovett joined vocal trio The Virgil Brothers in 1968: see their Temptation 'Bout To Get Me.

Gerry Humphreys, who had a side career as a TV entertainer, formed Gerry And The Joy Band in 1971, compered the first Sunbury Pop Festival in 1972, and worked in management. He retired from the music scene and moved to London in the late 70s.

Gerry Humphreys died in London in late 2005. Of the tributes I read, the most vivid and moving was by Melbourne writer Barry Dickens in the Melbourne Age. Dickens, who knew Gerry Humphreys in the late 60s as a workmate (they built sets at Channel 7) remembers a man who made me laugh as soon as I looked at him… a Cockney bloke with enormous black eyes and remarkable long, black hair and dimples… a gentle and incongruous Englishman, who was exploding with talent but was also contemplative, often aghast at life. [The Age, Melbourne, 10 December 2005]

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References, further reading: 1. Ian McFarlane's Encyclopedia of Australian Rock & Pop (1999), pp.375-6. 2. Milesago's Loved Ones page.

Not to be confused with 60s Chicago all-woman band The Luv'd Ones.