Buddy Britten & The Regents

Emerging from the Reg Calvert stable of carbon-copy pop stars, Britten was a lanky, Liverpudlian Buddy Holly clone, whose stage act was solid and well regarded during the early 60s. Britten’s likeness to Holly captured the interest of famed producer Norman Petty who reportedly invited him to record in New Mexico. Britten was also considered for the leading role in a film based on Holly’s life story. His backing group, the Regents, were a workmanlike unit, ideal for live performance. After playing at various clubs in Hamburg, Britten developed a more abrasive Merseybeat sound and provided a strong single coupling James Ray’s ‘If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody’ and ‘Money’. The former song lost out to Freddie And The Dreamers’ version and subsequent Britten singles on the Oriole and Piccadilly labels were seldom heard outside the Midlands.