The Mindbenders

The Mindbenders

The Mindbenders are a pop rock group from Manchester, United Kingdom, active from 1963 to 1968. They form around Wayne Fontana, Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell and Eric Stewart, and begin as Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders before Fontana leaves during a concert in 1965.

After a series of early singles that do not make much impact, the group records “Um Um Um Um Um Um” in 1964. The song becomes a major hit in Britain and leads to a tour with Brenda Lee. They also reach number one in the United States with “The Game of Love.”

When Fontana departs, Stewart takes over as lead singer and the band drops “Wayne Fontana” from its name. Their first single under the shorter name is “Groovy Kind of Love,” a Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine composition, which reaches number two in the United States. The single is later revived by Phil Collins in the 1980s.

The Mindbenders also release an album of the same name, but it is a failure, and their later singles and albums also do not match their earlier chart success. They appear in Sidney Poitier’s film To Sir, with Love before breaking up in 1968.

Afterwards, Fontana continues as a solo act under contract to Fontana Records and has a solo hit with “Pamela, Pamela,” which reaches number 11 in the UK singles chart in early 1967. Stewart later forms Hotlegs and, with Graham Gouldman, 10cc. Lang later joins Racing Cars, whose only hit is “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” in 1977.