Mersey Beat - The Chants

                                                                                                         The Chants

'The Chants' were a Doo Wop group from Toxteth, an area of Liverpool with a large Caribbean population. Originally called 'The Shades', they were formed in 1962 at the Stanley House Community Centre and, coming from a deprived part of the city, were championed by local MP Bessie Braddock. The group was formed by Joe Ankrah, Eddie Ankrah, Nat Smeda, Alan Harding and Eddie Amoo. Joe and Edmund Ankrah's father was a church minister who played organ and he taught his sons how to sing in harmony. They had enlisted a few of their friends to join them in forming a harmony group and rehearsed in the cellar of the Ankrah's house, initially practicing harmony with a version of Paul Anka's, 'Don't Gamble With Love'. They also listened to doo-wop recordings by outfits such as the 'Del Vikings', along with the music of artists such as Johnny Otis and Little Richard and 'The Miracles' – this was before these artists became mainstream and popular.

                          At the New Brighton Ballroom with Little Richard and The Beatles   

Joe first met Paul McCartney at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton on 12 October 1962. He had 'blagged' his way into Little Richard’s dressing room after the concert and Paul spotted him leaving. Paul wanted to find out who he was and was fascinated when Joe told him about being in an a cappella group so invited them to come along to The Cavern. The other Beatles were equally enthusiastic and big fans of the group, so in late 1962 'The Chants' turned up at the Cavern Club for an audition but didn't have a backing group. 'The Beatles' offered to provide backing for them but Brian Epstein objected. John Lennon and the boys overruled him and so 'The Chants' made their Cavern debut in November 1962 and with 'The Beatles' providing their backing performed. 'Duke Of Earl', 'A Thousand Stars', '16 Candles' and 'Come Go With Me' before an enraptured audience with their set lasting approximately 20 minutes. Brian Epstein was impressed and became their manager for a short period, but without any formal signing that link did not last long as nothing seemed to happen for 'The Chants' through early 1963 as they continued to miss the wave of the Mersey Sound.
Eventually they managed to convince a clearly-disinterested Epstein to release them from their contract and they ended up in Manchester with Ted Ross, who arranged a record deal with Pye Records in London in April 1963.

However Pye were not an R&B label and didn't know how to market the group. They were a good group, a very good group, extremely talented with a great sound but it seems a mixture of disinterested management and the lack of appreciation of Rhythm and Blues meant that they never managed to make it as big as they should have. On the special all-Beatles edition of the TV show Juke Box Jury, the first record played to them was 'I Could Write A Book' by 'The Chants', which they voted a hit – but it became a miss, despite their positive comments.

The Chants are one of the many groups that led to the 'Merseybeat' sound and prove that Liverpool and its music history are far deeper than just the likes of 'The Beatles'. Popular locally, they never managed to chart a single, but they left behind some superb records, including impeccably sung but rocking versions of Rodgers and Hart's, 'I Could Write a Book' (from Pal Joey) and arranged by Tony Hatch; the 'Del-Vikings' 1950s hit, 'Come Go with Me', and the bracing 'She's Mine'.

Eddie Amoo reflected, "Unfortunately, none of our singles ever happened and it's a bit sick when I look at the success of 'Showaddywaddy' and 'Darts'. They were doing exactly what 'The Chants' were doing, only not as well."
They broke up in the mid-1960s and Eddie Amoo went on to be successful when he formed 'The Real Thing' with his brother Chris with their best known hit perhaps 'You To Me Are Everything'. This is such a good song and deserved all the success it achieved.

See also - http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2015/11/mersey-beat-roadrunners.html?q=mersey+beat