The Barron Knights

The Barron Knights

The Barron Knights are a British comedy pop group from the United Kingdom, originally formed in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1959 as The Knights of the Round Table. They take the name The Barron Knights in October 1960 and remain active from 1960 onwards. Their line-up includes Peter Langford, who is the only original member still remaining from the earlier formation.

Style and early career

The group begins as a straight pop act and spends several years touring English dance halls before travelling to Hamburg, Germany. They develop a reputation for humorous parodies and novelty material while also recording conventional beat group songs. Their stage act becomes a major part of their career, and they continue to perform in cabaret and seaside summer seasons.

Breakthrough and chart success

The Barron Knights first gain wider attention in 1964 with Call Up the Groups, a parody that plays on the sound of several leading British pop groups of the period, including The Searchers, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Dave Clark Five, The Bachelors, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The song reaches number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. A further parody, Bits and Pieces by The Dave Clark Five, becomes Boots and Blisters in the group's version.

In 1967 they release Lazy Fat People, a satirical song written by Pete Townshend of The Who. In 1974 they tour South Africa with Petula Clark. In 1977 CBS Records signs the group and Live in Trouble reaches number 7 in the UK Singles Chart, giving them their first hit in more than nine years. The record includes a parody of Angelo.

Later hits and notable recordings

Their biggest hit is 1978's A Taste of Aggro, which sells more than one million copies. They also achieve four other hit singles in the 1960s and 1970s. Their only entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 is The Topical Song, a comedic parody based on Supertramp's The Logical Song. The lyric is written by the American poet Robert Spring White, who also writes humorous songs for the group and later wins the 1980 American Song Festival folk award for Where Does The River Go.

Members

Named members include Duke D'Mond, born Richard Edward Palmer in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, who is the original lead singer and dies in Oxford on 9 April 2009; Barron Anthony, born Anthony John Osmond in Abingdon, Oxfordshire; Butch Baker, born Leslie John Baker in Amersham, Buckinghamshire; Peter Langford, born in Durham; and Dave Ballinger, born David Alan Ballinger in Slough, Buckinghamshire. Butch Baker retires in January 2007 and is replaced by Len Crawley.