Rivets, The

This German group formed in Hamburg in 1962 and became one of that city’s first beat bands.

Their initial break came when they beat 28 other groups to win a battle of the bands contest sponsored by Hamburg’s famed Star-Club. They appeared frequently at the club (earning the title of ‘Hamburg’s Beatles’) and, as a result, they were booked for club dates in Denmark and the UK.

Support slots followed for groups like The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Unfortunately, musical differences saw guitarists Henry Buttgereit and Raimi Seidl quit. The pair subsequently formed The Shouts and were replaced in The Rivets by guitarist Joachim Koschnitzke.

Another personnel change saw original drummer Jens Engelhardt replaced by a chap called ‘Porgy’.

Following several singles released on the Star-Club label, the group’s debut album, Yes It’s Time, was released in 1966.

The album featured several original compositions (although a couple of songs listed as originals were actually covers of The Platters‘ Only You and Curtis Mayfield‘s Um Um Um Um Um), with all twelve tracks performed in English (even if some of the lyrics lost a bit in translation).

Over the next two years, the band began chasing popular tastes while continuing to release a steady stream of singles.

The group called it a day in 1968. Bassist Michael ‘Kuno’ Dreysse became the managing director for the Star-Club and went on to manage other clubs, including Hamburg’s Madhouse disco, before opening up his own club (Kuno’s Backstage Bar). In the mid-1990s, he became a fixture on German television, where he hosted a music program.

Henry Buttgereit
Lead guitar, vocals
Raimund ‘Raimi’ Seidl
Rhythm guitar, vocals
Michael ‘Kuno’ Dreysse
Bass, vocals
Jens Engelhardt (P.H. Jackson)
Drums
Joachim Koschnitzke
Guitar, vocals
Porgy
Drums
Rolf Nieke
Bass
Henner Hoier
Bass, vocals