About Them

Them was a Northern Irish rock and roll band that was formed in Belfast in 1963. Best known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and for launching singer-songwriter Van Morrison's careers, the group had an energetic sound that fit right into the British blues and rock boom of the 60s. With Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, it featured as well Billy Harrison on guitar, Eric Wrixen on piano and keyboards, Alan Henderson on bass, and Ronnie Millings on drums, with several other musicians replacing those artists or doing side contributions during the life of the band. The group released its first single, "Don't Start Crying Now"/"One Two Brown Eyes, in August 1964. The single was a flop. The band's managers and producers then hired session players Jimmy Page, Peter Bardens, and drummer Bobby Graham to back Morrison on a cover of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go". The single, which featured the now-legendary "Gloria" as a B-side, was a smash in the U.K., sailing to #10 on the charts in December 1964. Radio DJs were also in for a big treat when the turned the record around and set loose the powerful B-side. The band then released its biggest hit in the U.K., "Here Comes The Night"/"All for Myself", which hit #2 in March 1965. It went to #24 in the U.S. that May as well, and Them enjoyed their well-earned success. Later that year, the instrumental track additionally "Mystic Eyes" reached #33 in the U.S. The following year, American band Shadows Of Knight had a top ten U.S. hit with their rendition of "Gloria", and the tune has had a long life since, covered by multiple other artists such as rockers The Doors The band went on to release two albums on Decca, 'The Angry Young Them' and 'Them Again', and both of them failed to sell. The group found itself at a crossroads. In mid-1966, Van Morrison left the band to pursue a solo career. The rest of the outfit continued on into the early 70s, releasing four albums and touring steadily after relocating to California around 1967. Two of these post-Morrison albums, 'Now And Them' and 'Time Out! Time In For Them', found the band experimenting with psychedelia. Them reunited briefly in 1979 without Morrison yet still struggled to reach a major audience. Van Morrison went on to greater success and fame as a solo artist, but Them's combination of garage rock, blues, and soul proved a major influence on the next generation of rock musicians, and the group's best-known singles have earned praise for decades. "Gloria" still remains a rock n roll classic.