Rod Allen

Jan 16 2008 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

WHEN the song, which would become a big hit, was first heard on the radio, the reaction of many listeners was, “Is that the Searchers?”

Certainly, there was something similar, even if the vocals were a little smoother and the famous jingle-jangle guitar sound was not there.

But the song was You’ve Got Your Troubles, and the singer with the smooth but soaring pitch was Rod Allen, who helped make The Fortunes one of the most popular groups of the 1960s and ’70s.

Before that, however, they brushed a rebellion, which didn’t entirely comply with the clean-cut image, by recording Caroline, which became the theme song of the pirate radio station.

Allen was born Rodney Bainbridge in Leicester, where he learned the piano and cello at school. With his pal Barry Pritchard, Allen joined the stable of promising pop stars run by the promoter and manager Reg Calvert from Clifton Hall, Rugby, a “character” in the business.

An early frolic on the bass with Robin Hood and the Merry Men, a combo required to wear Lincoln green tights to add authenticity to their act, left Allen happy to be in Calvert’s new group. The others were the guitar players Glen Dale and Pritchard. Once they had perfected their tight harmonies, which would later be echoed, like those of the Searchers, in America’s West Coast sound, David Carr (keyboards) and Andy Brown (drums) were added to the line-up.

The first single, Summertime Summertime, was quickly forgotten. They followed it with Caroline, which, though not a hit, has its own place in pop history.

Success came in 1965 with You’ve Got Your Troubles, and a few months later Here It Comes Again. Both were international hits written by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Despite their family image and their sweet melodies, The Fortunes were innocently caught up in controversy when Calvert, one of the great rock hustlers, was shot dead in a dispute over ownership of a radio transmitter. By then, Dale had left the group.

But they recovered to have further hits with Freedom Come, Freedom Go (1971) and Storm in a Teacup (1972).

Although there were changes in personnel, Allen, married with two children, remained a constant in the group, which continued to have a large and loyal following. A recent illness ended his career.

Rod Allen, singer; born March 31, 1944, died January 10, 2008.