Arrows was formed in August 1973 when Alan Merrill (born Allan Preston Sachs in New York) – who was enjoying solo success in Japan – moved to England at the request of high school friend and fellow New Yorker, Jake Hooker, to form a band with English drummer Paul Varley, who had worked with Jake in another group, Streak.
Producer Mickie Most suggested they record Touch Too Much as a single. It hit the Top Ten in several countries.
The band released the original version of I Love Rock & Roll in 1975 on RAK.
The song was written by band members Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and was later covered successfully by Joan Jett (and others).
By 1976 the band had their own TV show on ITV (pictured below). Terry Taylor joined the band on guitar and they performed for a while as a four-piece.
The band were ultimately unable to shake off the teenybop tag they had once studiously courted and Jake Hooker departed after the TV series ended.
Hooker retired as a musician after marrying actress/singer Lorna Luft on Valentine’s Day 1977 and becoming her manager. He passed away on 4 August 2014 in California.
Alan Merrill passed away in March 2020 after contracting coronavirus. He was 69.
Alan Merrill
Vocals, bass, piano
Jake Hooker
Guitar, vocals, saxophone
Paul Varley
Drums, vocals, piano Terry Taylor Guitar, vocal
Video
Related Posts
Animals, The Alan Price started out as a northern British bluesman, playing with a combo of Hilton Valentine, Bryan 'Chas' Chandler and…
April Wine In their first ten years together, Canadian band April Wine went through several changes in style and personnel with Myles…
New World Portrayed as an Antipodean import, the band was actually largely English; John "Fuzzy" Lee was born in Ashtead, Surrey, John…
Focus Focus began in 1969 as a trio formed by Thijs van Leer, a singer, flautist and keyboard player who had…
Hello The front room of a house in Edmonton (suburban North London) is hardly the best setting for any group, but…
Redhouse Originally formed as The Redhouse Roll Band, this Geelong (Victoria, Australia) quartet was that city's premier rock attraction during the…
Mud Originally formed in 1966 around the Streatham area of South London, Mud came together from two local bands; The Mourners, featuring…
Scaffold, The The Scaffold - the name comes from a Miles Davis LP, Lift To The Scaffold (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) - were formed in…
