The Dennisons were named after a Liverpool street and managed by the parents of drummer (and ex-accountancy student) Clive Hornby – Their lead singer Eddie Parry was only sixteen when the group first appeared at The Cavern in May 1962.
Eddie and guitarist Steve McLaren wrote (Come On) Be My Girl while waiting to perform during an all-night session at The Cavern, and the publicity for the record described the band as “five 17-year-old Aintree storm troopers”. Although it entered the charts in August 1963, it stopped at #46.
Walkin’ The Dog was recorded on a day off from a tour with Gerry & The Pacemakers and Ben E King. The B-side, You Don’t Know What Love Is, was specially written for them by Ben E King.
Walkin’ The Dog reached #36 – better than the Rufus Thomas original which didn’t make the charts in Britain at all. Unfortunately for The Dennisons, The Rolling Stones released the track on an LP at the same time and the band lost a lot of sales as a result.
When Eddie Parry left the group in 1965, The Dennisons revised their line-up and became a soul group, disbanding a year later.
Drummer Clive Hornby went on to achieve national fame in the UK as Jack Sugden in Emmerdale Farm – a part he played for almost 30 years. Hornby passed away in 2008.
Eddie Parry
Vocals
Steve McLaren
Guitar
Clive Hornby
Drums
Alan Willis
Bass
Ray Scragge
Guitar
Terry Carson
Bass
