Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes

Ted "Kingsize" Taylor - lead guitar/sax/vocals

John Frankland - guitar/vocals

Bobby Thompson - bass guitar/vocals

Sam Hardie - keyboards

Gibson Kemp - drums

 

 Claiming to be the first of the Merseybeat groups, the Dominoes were formed in late 1957 by ex-members of two skiffle groups - The Sinners & The Bobby Bell Rockers. The following year, Taylor joined from the James Boys.

Taylor, with his trademark chequered jacket, would go on to become a stable element in a group which was afflicted by many changes of personnel. For a period between 1960 and 1962 a young Cilla Black sang with them.

They became an integral part of the Hamburg scene. Indeed, it was Taylor, using a home tape recorder, who recorded The Beatles playing live at The Star Club during one such visit in 1962.

Apart from recording under their own name, they also released records as "The Shakers", but despite being a fine group and at the forefront of the action in Liverpool, they received little national publicity and none of their records sold in sufficient quantities to make the charts.

Taylor and The Dominoes parted company in mid '64, shortly after backing Chuck Berry on his first tour of Britain. The Dominoes disintegrated fairly quickly but Taylor went on to work with The Griff Parry Five before forming Kingsize Taylor & His Band.

With success still eluding him, Taylor quit music in 1967 and returned to working in the family butcher business.

 

 

Singles

1963

Memphis, Tennessee/Money

Polydor NH 66990

-

1963

Hippy Hippy Shake/Dr. Feelgood

Polydor NH 66991

-

1964

Stupidity/Bad Boy

Decca F 11874

-

1964

Somebody's Always Trying/Looking For My Baby

Decca F 11935

-

1965

Thinkin'/Let Me Love You

Polydor 56152

-

 

E.P.

Jan '65

Teenbeat 2 - All Around The World/Slippin' And Slidin'/You Can't Sit Down/Hello Josephine

Decca DFE 8569

 

L.P.s

 

Twist Time Im Star-Club 2 (shared with The Bobby Patrick Big Six) - All Around The World/Stupidity/Slippin' And Slidin'/Unchain My Heart/Bad Boy/Short On Love/Hello Josephine/You Can't Sit Down

Ariola 70 952 IT

 

Star-Club Time Mit Kingsize Taylor & The Dominoes - I've Been Watching You/All Around The World/Down In The Valley/She Said Yeah/You Make Me Happy/Sherry Baby/Shake, Shake, Shake/Skye Boat Song/Golly Golly What/Bad Boy/Clarabella

Ariola 71 430 IT

 

Liverpool Beat (shared with The Bobby Patrick Big Six) - Heeby Jeebies/Oo Papa Doo/Wa Watussi/Let's Dance/Broken Arrow/Lipstick, Powder And Paint

Ariola 71 764 IT

 

 

Re-issue

 

Die Ariola Star-Club Aufnahmen - Four CD Box-Set which includes The Roadrunners' first album plus tracks by The Roadrunners,The Bobby Patrick Big Six, The Giants, The Team Beats, The Rattles, The Bats, The German Bonds, The Boom Town Band, The Four Renders, Bif Goff & The Tigers & The Phantom Brothers.

All Around The World/Stupidity/Slippin' And Slidin'/Unchain My Heart/Bad Boy/Short On Love/Hello Josephine/You Can't Sit Down/I'm Late/She Said Yeah/Golly Golly What/I've Been Watching You/Skye Boat Song/You Make Me Happy/Shake, Shake, Shake/Sherry Baby/Down In The Valley/Clarabella/Heeby Jeebies/Oo Poo Pa Doo/Wa Watussi/Let's Dance/Broken Arrow/Lipstick, Powder And Paint

Bear Family Records BCD 16226 DK