Houston Wells and the Marksmen

Houston Wells and the Marksmen were a British country band that were most successful in the early 1960s. They charted one UK Single hit in August 1963 with "Only the Heartaches". They were also known for their association with experimental producer Joe Meek, and were one of the UK's first professional country bands.

Houston Wells

Houston Wells (born Andrew Smith on 25 February 1932 in Northumberland, England)[1] was a British country singer. In 1958 in Southend-on-Sea, Smith joined a band called the Coasters, and renamed themselves Andy Smith and the Coasters. There was already an American group with the same name, so they changed their name to the Marksmen. Their record company, Parlophone Records, decided that 'Smith' was too plain of a name for a singer, and renamed him Houston Wells. After some minor chart success, the Marksmen felt that they were being exploited by Wells and his management, and tore up his return ticket home during a trip to Ireland and removed him from the group.[2] He then recorded with another group 'The Outlaws,' but never charted again. He later worked as a logger. Wells died 28 December 2013 in Taupo, New Zealand.[1]

Career

Houston Wells and the Marksmen attained a UK Singles Chart hit in August 1963 with "Only the Heartaches" (No. 22, 10 weeks).[3] Record producer Joe Meek was interested in country music and took an interest in Houston Wells and the Marksmen. The band recorded 28 tracks with Meek, but they have never been published due to legal problems with Meek's estate.[4]

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References
  1. "Houston Wells: Country singer who worked with Joe Meek and was A". 2014-03-29.
  2. "Houston Wells and the Marksmen | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 596. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. "Houston Wells and the Marksmen | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
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