They're so Fab!

What exactly is a teen idol? It's a famous person who generates attention from large numbers of teenagers. Many teen idols are often young, but in many cases are no longer teens. Their popularity may be limited to teens, or extend to all age groups. They're usually actors or pop singers and can include some of the greatest performers and some of the most frivolous. And they're often primarily a result of mass marketing.

There have always been teen idols, in the current sense, since the 1920s, from Rudolph Valentino, Frank Sinatra (1940s). Elvis Presley (1950s-early 60s) "The King," and all his ascendants to the throne, who raised the level of teen idol to a fine art form .

Mid-60s idols were unique: most were British, long-haired, and they came in groups. (Each member could be promoted separately for a unique look and personality; the "shy one", the "smart one", the "rebel", the "cute one", the "funny one", etc. And several of these labels could overlap to describe one member!)

The no. 1 teen idols were of course The Beatles, through the rest of the decade. They quickly transcended this to become so much more, statesmen of their generation and THE musical standard.

But in 1964 through most of 1965, they were at the height of their teen idol fame and their music had what I call the classic British Invasion sound: "Ticket To Ride", "Eight Days A Week", "I'm So Happy Just To Dance With You", "I'll Cry Instead", etc.

And then came Rubber Soul in late 1965, in which the music became more sophisticated and introspective ("Girl", "Nowhere Man", for example).

Revolver in 1966 marked another milestone for the group ("Eleanor Rigby" was one of its many highlights.)

The Beatles were at the top of their game, with more to come. And they were already becoming fashion icons. Young men began loosening up and growing out their pomadours and some adopted "the Beatle look". (And some got suspended from school, for it was considered radical and violating the dress code; in time a modified version became acceptable at some places.)

And long hair became THE look for mid-60s rock bands and singers. (Even Ike Turner wore a Beatle wig!) Suits and ties were still worn at first, but I would say that by 1966, men's clothing styles, particularly in the entertainment field, started loosening up.

Some female idols still had that VERY done hair and wore gowns, but many let the perms and sculptured bouffants grow out, for a longer, looser, free look. Or they had short pixie cuts, like Mia Farrow (who actually created a fashion craze accidentally; Legend has it that she hacked off her long, free-flowing hair in a fit of anger at Frank Sinatra, her then-boyfriend, soon-to-be husband.) And mini-skirts became the rage, as did bright, vibrant colors, and the Mod look (polka dots, big oversized zippers, "poor boy" or "news boy" caps, flower patterns, geometric designs, false eyelashes, white go-go boots.....groovy, baby!).

After the "Fab Four", America was most excited about Billy J.Kramer and The Dakotas, Herman's Hermits, and The Dave Clark Five.

The Searchers, Peter and Gordon, and The Nashville Teens were also very popular.

Kramer and the Dakotas had a no. 7 hit with "Little Children", (1964), their first U.S. entry, but I think the flip side, "Bad To Me" was much better!

Herman's Hermits were HUGE teen idols, particularly in 1965-1966. They were regulars in all the teen magazines and were featured in two films, "Hold On!" and "When The Boys Meet The Girls".

The group was originally known and formed in 1963 as The Heartbeats. They took the name Herman's Hermits when they were joined by 16-year-old former child star Peter Noone, who was thought to resemble the character Sherman from the "Mr. Peabody and Sherman" segment on the Rocky and Bullwinkle TV cartoon show. Their producer Mickie Most thought that Noone looked like a young John Kennedy (the late President).

It was Most who selected the group's material, a mixture of pub songs, oldies, and new tunes. The actual recordings featured Noone on lead vocals, of course, but studio musicians were used!

The Dave Clark Five were nearly equal to the Beatles in sales and hits than any other band in 1964. Dave Clark was the group's drummer and leader, but it was actually keyboardist Mike Smith who sang most of the songs. "Glad All Over" was their first U.S. entry, a no. 6 smash in '64. The DC5 made more appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show than any other British act!

The Hollies started out doing covers of American songs like "Just One Look", but later wrote many of their own hits. I think they were one of the best and at times, underated groups.

They were the only band to regularly use a banjo. And their idol was Buddy Holly, hence the group name. With hits that included "Bus Stop", "On A Carousel", "Look Through Any Window", "Carrie Anne", (inspired by MarianneFaithfull), "Stop, Stop, Stop," among others, the group members also showed considerable skill as songwriters.

I'm not sure if The Searchers were really teen idols, but they were British, and at the time, anybody British.....you get the picture.

Also managed by Brian Epstein, for a short time, this group was neck and neck with The Beatles. And both started with a similar sound. Their first British no. 1 was "Sweets For My Sweet" (a remake of the Drifters hit); their first U.S. one was "Needles And Pins".

The Zombies, formed in 1963, were signed by Decca Records, the same company who had turned down The Beatles.

Many believe that if this group had the type of managing, marketing, and studio producing the Beatles had, they would have given the Beatles a run for their money.

They were much bigger in the U.S., Japan, and The Philippines (they once had five records in the Top Ten here!) than in their homeland.

The Rolling Stones, on the other hand, were the beneficiaries of a great marketing strategy by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham (an ex-publicist for the Beatles). The Stones were presented as the antithesis of the Beatles, the "anti-". Whereas, the Beatles were presented as "cute, cuddly, neat and wholesome, smiling, safe, and clean", the Stones were presented as "raunchy, crude, offensive, gamy, threatening, uncouth, and profane'.

It worked.

Parents were appalled; teens loved them.

They didn't actually catch on stateside until their second tour. And they ensured further success with a new rock sound that was less blues-oriented. (Privately the Beatles and the Stones were the best of friends; in fact, the Beatles gave the group "I Wanna Be Your Man", which was a Top 10 U.K. hit in Dec. 1963.)

Sometimes the magic formula of being British and long-haired didn't always work; for some other acts, it took a few years to catch on. Next to Elvis, Cliff Richard was and still is, I believe, England's all-time most successful chart artist. His first U.S. Top 40 hit was "Living Doll" with The Drifters in 1959, which peaked at no. 30 (I don't know if this is THE Drifters.). In Jan. 1964, he had a no. 25 hit with "It's All In The Game". But for some reason, Richard didn't become a star in the States until 1976!

The Animals, The Yardbirds, Kinks, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy (who were bigger stars here than in their homeland), Manfred Mann, Freddie and The Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders, The MoodyBlues, and Gerry and The Pacemakers were all also teen idols stateside.

Tom Jones appealed to not just teens, but their mothers, older sisters, grandmothers, and just about every female on the planet. Many didn't care if he could sing a lick at all!

But he could. And extremely well. And was so darn handsome doing it!

Jones began singing professionally in 1963, performing as Tommy Scott with The Senators, a Welsh beat group. While singing in a local club, he got the attention of Gordon Mills, an artist manager. Mills signed him, changed his name (shortened, rather, from Thomas Jones Woodward), and helped him record his first single for Decca Records (that company again!), "Chills And Fever", released in late 1964. And then came "It's Not Unusual".

Acting upon all this sudden activity, American record companies scrambled to sign anybody with long hair and an English accent.

Now where did all of this sudden British activity leave the current American acts? Well, a few thrived and went on to further success (The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons), some fell on hard times and were "temporarily displaced" (Dion, Bobby Vee), and some were "permanently displaced" (The Shirelles, Ruby and The Romantics).

Many previous teen idols, R + B acts, and girl groups were casualties of the British Invasion, which was ironic, for most of the British acts loved their music.

But the Americans were (and still are) a resilent bunch. And there arose a new regiment to help their fallen comrades and take up the battle: One of the most successful was Paul Revere and The Raiders, who ventured forth with "Just Like Me" (late 1965). Dino, (Dean Martin, Jr.), Desi (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) and Billy ( Hinsche) debuted with "I'm A Fool", also from 1965. The Beau Brummels, The Young Rascals (later The Rascals), Gary Lewis and The Playboys, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Cyrkle, (managed by Brian Epstein, but they were American), The Byrds, The McCoys, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, The Walker Brothers (Discovered in England, but still American), The Turtles, The Righteous Brothers and Johnny Rivers, among others, also fired back with hits and teen appeal from the flanks to keep the British on the run.

But the Brits had a secret weapon: female ammunition in the form of Hayley Mills and Twiggy. Neither were singers, although Mills did have two Top 40 hits in 1961 and 1962 here, "Let's Get Together" (no. 8), and "JohnnyJingo" (no. 21). Mills was a world-renowned actress and one of the best teen stars, if not the biggest, of the day. And the U.S. public adored her, particularly teenage girls. She was an icon; everyone wanted to be or look like Hayley Mills.

Twiggy (her real name was Leslie Hornsby; the nickname came about because she reminded many of a young tree twig!) was also an international sensation. She burst upon the fashion scene in 1966 (discovered by her then-boyfriend, Justin de Villeneuve, born Nigel John Davies) and captivated the world.

She made the super skinny look very fashionable. Cute as a button, she also was the epitome of the Mod sixties look, as was Jean Shrimpton. (But Twiggy was more famous, I think.) Teenage girls all over the western world also wanted to look like and be her.

America had to bring out the big guns: The Monkees.

For a couple of years, this other "Fab Four" really gave the Beatles and other British acts a run for their money. They were a prefabricated American version of The Beatles, created and put together by producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider.

The duo placed an ad in all the major Hollywood trade papers for "four insane boys, age 17-21, want spirited Ben Frank types (Ben Franklin?!!) for acting roles in new TV series."

Within a month, 437 hopefuls were auditioned, including Stephen Stills and Charles Manson.

Four were finally picked: Robert Michael Nesmith, shortened to Mike Nesmith, an unknown folk singer; Mickey Dolenz, a former child actor (He was Corky in the TV children's series "Circus Boy") and recently had played in a garage band: Peter Thorkelson, shortened to Peter Tork, a Greenwich Village folk singer, and David Jones, shortened to Davey Jones, who had some considerable acting and singing experience. He had appeared on Broadway as The Artful Dodger in "Oliver", appeared in "Ben Casey", and had released an album of pop songs, some of which he performed on the same Ed Sullivan show on which the Beatles had debuted.

In late 1965, a pilot was made and bought quickly; the producing duo began grooming their new foursome. There were intensive acting lessons. The music was created and handled by the likes of songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, all the Brill Building songwriters and Neil Diamond, who also doubled with Carole King as backup vocals.

Then-studio musicians such as Leon Russell and Glen Campbell played the instruments. All the Monkees had to do was sing their part. And all of this was overseen by the now-President of the Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems TV and its new record label, Colgems, none other than former Brill Building music publisher Don Kirshner.
And the Monkees became a hit. It was one of the greatest marketing campaigns in rock history, just a great marketing campaign, period. Some radio stations would even have a Monkees vs. the Beatles playoff!

And teen magazines, particularly 16, was a HUGE and important factor in promoting and marketing the British and American teen idols. If you're able to obtain one from the mid-60s, read through it. There's always a list of an idol's favorite food, hobbies, etc. and color posters to die for!

I think the cutest teen idol was Paul McCartney during this period, with George Harrison a close second, then Davey Jones, Peter Noone, Mike Smith (DC5), and Graham Nash (The Hollies). Honorable mention would be all of Dino, Desi, and Billy, Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and The Raiders), and perhaps Mitch Ryder.

But the most HANDSOME was Tom Jones, bar none. (He could have been the first male supermodel!)

It seems that most of the teen idols during this period were singers, but David McCallum and Robert Vaughn, the stars of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", were very popular, especially McCallum. And there was Noel Harrison (son of Rex Harrison, who starred in the spin-off, "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E." with Stephanie Powers. And I'll venture to say that Don Grady, Paul Petersen, Dirk and Dack Rambo, Christopher Jones, and perhaps Michael Landon were TV idols.

Black teen idols with crossover or mainstream appeal were new group The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson (The Miracles), and Sam Cooke (until his untimely death). Gene Chandler, Chuck Jackson, Major Lance, and Jerry Butler maintained their popularity among an uban demographic.

The U.S.Dept. of Labor even got into the teen idol act, in a sense. During this time, they announced that it would not issue many British rock bands with work permits or visas. Among those affected were: Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders (who had just hit no. 1 then with "Game Of Love"), The Hollies, The Zombies, Nashville Teens, and The Animals. ( Perhaps that's why several groups did filmed segments on many American shows?!!)