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Bio:
The Greenbeats began as The Caravelles formed in Dun Laoghaire in 1960. They were led by John Keogh.
There were some lineup changes in 1961: Ted Carroll switched
from bass to manager, marking the beginning of a long career in band (Thin Lizzy, etc)
and record label (Chiswick Records) management. His place was taken by Brian Lynch;
Des Bonner left for Sweden; and Ken Healy was replaced by Maurice 'Mog' Aherne.
This lineup went on to become one of Dublin's top beat groups of the 1960s.
The Caravelles ruled the Dublin scene from 1962-65. They had a large repertoire of songs
including Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, James Brown and Roy Orbison as well as
the Stones, Beatles and Searchers among many others.
In 1963 they made their TV debut on RTE's Curtain Up variety show. In September the
same year they provided backing for the Springfields on their '63 Tour of Ireland.
They changed their name to The Greenbeats
when they played Liverpool's Cavern Club in April 1964 to avoid confusion with another band.
The Greenbeats
were a sensation in Ireland in the mid-1960s thanks to a regular beat group slot on RTE TV's weekly The
Showband Show during 1964-65. Alas, no video of this show survives. There was an attempt to smear
the beat scene with bad publicity in the mid-60s -- the showbands had a lot to lose -- and the Greenbeats
were almost a victim of this when their slot on The Showband Show was cancelled by RTE in 1965, only to be
reinstated following public outcry.
Ironically the band had decide to opt for an augmented lineup and the showband
circuit in September 1965. They contined to be very popular in Ireland for a number of years but
their beat credentials were somewhat tarnished. Brian Lynch had returned to his studies in early 1965 and
had been replaced by Peter Barden. Mog Aherne left in 1966 and was later in
Aesop's Fables and the Never Greens. Guitarist Paul Williams was killed in a
car crash on 22 November 1967.
Bobby Kelly (ex The Hootenannys and Chosen Few,
later in The Sands) was his replacement.
John Keogh left for full-time employment at RTE as a sound engineer in
June 1968, The band split a couple of months later in August.
The Greenbeats recorded six singles during their lifetime. The first three belong to the beat era.
The second A-side "If This World Were Mine" is
mediocre but the B-side is a good version of an early Jagger/Richards composition "You Must Be The One".
Both sides were produced by
John Paul Jones which adds to the singles collectability nowadays. It was released on Pye in Ireland and the UK
and Jerden -- with the sides reversed -- in the USA. The third single "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" is also well worth
tracking down. It was two years before the bands fourth single emerged, a cover of "Pretty Woman",
by which time the
Greenbeats had entered their showband phase. This and the fifth single "A Certain Misunderstanding"
were issued domestically
on the bands own Diamond Records label, launched in 1967.
Their sixth and final single was a cover of Jon Ledingham's "La La Song",
released on Target in 1968.
Though he'd quit performing to work for RTE, John Keogh was still involved in the music scene and formed
Full Circle in the late 70s. He's also most likely behind a single released in 1974 under the name
The Light Blue to celebrate Dublin's victory in the All-Ireland: "Heffo's Army" / "The Dubs Are Back"
(Hawk Records HASP 351).
Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic.