UK-based folk rockers Eclection actually only had one British musician in their original line-up (drummer Gerry Conway) – the rest of the band came from Norway (Georg Hultgreen), Australia (Kerrilee Male and Trevor Lucas) and Canada (Michael Rosen), and later had an American vocalist.
Formed in 1968, the group had four strong vocalists and rich multi-part harmonies. Their original material was also strong, with two capable composers in the line-up in Hultgreen and Rosen.
They recorded one self-titled album for Elektra, produced by Ossie Byrne at IBC Studios in London. Byrne was, of course, not British either, hailing from Australia (and most well known for overseeing the first international hits of The Bee Gees).
Eclection did not sell well and remains one of the finer overlooked folk-rock recordings of the 1960s, and perhaps the best relatively unknown British folk-rock LP of its time.
Their debut single, Nevertheless, was a California-flavoured slice of sunshine pop which received substantial airplay in Britain but also failed to chart.
Kerrilee Male left the band late in 1968 and was replaced by Dorris Henderson, a black Californian who had moved to the UK in the mid-60s. She had already established herself as a noted folk singer, particularly with her first album, 1965’s There You Go! a collaboration with top British guitarist John Renbourn.
The new line-up did cut one single, Please (Mark II), a soulful cover of a song by the Californian psychedelic band Kaleidoscope, and although Eclection remained a popular live act on the university/college circuit, several personnel changes saw the band ultimately disappear within a year of their arrival.
Trevor Lucas and Gerry Conway later turned up as part of Fotheringay (with Trevor’s girlfriend – and later wife – Sandy Denny), while Norwegian Georg Hultgreen – the son of a Russian prince and a Finnish sculptress – became Georg Kajanus (his mother’s maiden name) and headed into a chart-topping career in the 1970s with Sailor.
Dorris Henderson briefly headed up a revamped version of Eclection in the 1970s.
Kerrilee Male
Vocals
Michael Rosen
Guitar, vocals, trumpet
Georg Hultgreen
Guitar, vocals
Trevor Lucas
Bass, vocals
Gerry Conway
Drums
Dorris Henderson
Vocals
