280) The Gentry — “Sing Me a Sad Song”
This gorgeous ’69 single was the first by the showband* from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, led by Cahir O’Doherty:
By early December, 1968 . . . the band were “the only Northern group the young kids in Dublin really want to know about. . . . Cahir is a great favourite with almost everybody.” . . . Charismatic lead singer Cahir O’Doherty had good looks and talent, but the group never quite made it out of the beat group scene. [In 1969] they announced they were becoming a showband. Heralded as a new mod “super showband-group,” they took ex-members of Granny’s Intentions and the Fire Brigade and became a seven piece. [T]he band released its first single, Sing Me A Sad Song and took to the ballroom circuit. . . . [Later, O’Doherty] was a major player on the Irish stage, taking starring roles in both Jesus Christ Superstar and as Pharaoh in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
https://www.irish-showbands.com/Bands/gentry.htm
* Rob Baker:
When Irish teenagers started to hear the new rock n’ roll from the US and the UK, reflecting the changing tastes, the Irish Showband was born. They played upbeat rhythm and blues and pop music with one aim – to get people dancing. A second wave of showbands arrived in the late sixties and early seventies playing a rock, blues and soul style . . . .
https://flashbak.com/brilliant-pictures-of-irish-showbands-1965-1975-60546/
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations😊 