Herbie Goins and The Night-Timers

Hubert Leroy Goins was born in Ocala, Florida, in 1939. He sang in his local church as a child before forming his first blues group.

Moving to New York City, he continued his singing career, opening for acts like BB King, Bobby Bland and Sam Cooke.

He was drafted in the late 1950s and served as a GI in the medical corps in Germany with Edwin Starr. After leaving the Army, he joined a band led by Eric Delaney, with whom he travelled to England.

Goins then joined the Chris Barber Band for a time before becoming the featured singer in Alexis Korner’s band, Blues Incorporated in late 1963. He sang on their albums Live At The Cavern and Red Hot From Alex before moving to front The Night-Timers.

The band quickly gained a reputation as one of the hottest R&B bands in the UK, especially among the Mods in London clubs such as the Flamingo and the Marquee.

They recorded the single No. 1 In Your Heart, which was not a hit but remained popular among Mods and later became a favourite on the Northern Soul scene.

The band toured the UK in 1966, supporting Otis Redding and released the album Soul Soul Soul (released as No. 1 In Your Heart in some markets).

The Night-Timers briefly merged with Mick Weaver’s band Wynder K Frog before travelling to Italy, where they worked until 1971.

Goins stayed in Italy when the rest of the band returned to England and worked there as a songwriter and record producer. He released several funk records in Italy in the 1980s, including You Don’t Love Me (1983), Scrap Rap (1983), Hold On (1984), and I Feel Good (1986).

He resumed performing in the late 1980s, leading the Herbie Goins Soul Band, mainly at festivals in Europe. He toured the UK in 2009 with Cliff Bennett, Chris Farlowe and the Norman Beaker Band.

Herbie Goins died in Italy on 27 October 2015, aged 76.

Herbie Goins
Vocals
John McLaughlin
Guitar
Mike Carr
Keyboards
David Price
Bass
Mick Eve
Saxophone
Harry Beckett
Trumpet
Bill Stephens
Drums
Speedy Acquaye
Congas