July (band)

July
Origin	Ealing, England
Genres	Psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop
Years active	1968–1969, 2009-present
Labels	Major Minor, Ariola, Epic
Members	Tom Newman Pete Cook Chris Jackson Alan James
Past members	Tony Duhig Jon Field

July were a psychedelic rock band from Ealing, London that were professionally active between 1968 and 1969. The band's music was a blend of psychedelic rock and psychedelic pop, marked by lush harmonies, acoustic guitars, keyboards, and intricate lead guitar work. Although none of the band's records managed to chart in the UK or the U.S., July are today best remembered for their songs "My Clown", "Dandelion Seeds", and "The Way", which have all been included on a number of compilation albums over the years.

There is some dispute regarding the band's origin. According to encyclopaedia author Colin Larkin, the Allmusic website, and a number of other sources, the band's origin can be traced back to a late 1950s skiffle group named the Playboys, which later transitioned into a rhythm and blues band and changed their name to The Thoughts, before finally becoming The Tomcats. However, in a 2009 podcast interview the band members themselves disputed this history, calling it "a misunderstanding". According to the band, they initially formed in the early 1960s as The Dreamers and began playing music that was influenced by The Shadows and the Everly Brothers amongst others. The Dreamers soon changed their name to The Tomcats, however, due to the national success that Freddie and the Dreamers were enjoying at the time, and they also transitioned into playing harder rhythm and blues music, influenced by the likes of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. The original Tomcats' line-up included guitarist and singer Tom Newman, bassist Alan James, lead guitarist Peter Cook, and drummer Chris Jackson, but this incarnation of the band broke up in 1965. Alan James has stated that it was Newman's father who suggested The Tomcats as a new name, which the group then used.

...
Wikipedia