Billy J Kramer had been friends with John Lennon for some time and John gave the group a demo of a new song, “Do You Want to Know a Secret”, which they perfected whilst working in Hamburg at the Star Club. On returning to Britain, the song was recorded at Abbey Road studios, with producer George Martin. It stormed up the charts and reached No.2 in the spring of 1963. It must be remembered that the Dakotas and Billy each had separate recording contracts with Parlophone, and that they were billed as “Billy J Kramer WITH the Dakotas”. To maintain the group’s identity, the Dakotas’ guitar instrumental “The Cruel Sea” was released as a single, and it reached the Top 20 around the same time as “Secret”. This Mike Maxfield tune was released in America as “The Cruel Surf”, coinciding with the surf craze.
The first Billy J Kramer with the Dakotas album, “Listen…”, was released at the end of 1963, and eventually reached No.11 on the LP chart. Early in 1964, the group felt they needed to release a single that wasn’t written by the Beatles (!) and chose “Little Children”. This controversial move paid off, and the record went to No.1 on the British charts in the spring of 1964. Later that year, both “Bad To Me” and “Little Children” made the American Top 10, and the group visited the ‘states, appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, and playing to sell-out frenzied fans of the “British invasion” sound.
The Reformation 1989 - 2008
The first studio album since the 60s “The Dakotas -Volume 1” was released in August 1991, including a contemporary orchestrated version of the 1963 hit single, “The Cruel Sea”. In April 1992 the Dakotas did a three week tour of Sweden with fellow Manchester band, Herman’s Hermits. Between 1992 and 1994 the band appeared all over the UK, as well as regular trips to Germany.
In 2003 the Dakotas released their fourth studio album, “Everlasting”, to coincide with a massive 70-date “Solid Silver 60s” tour of the UK and Ireland.The tour also featured the Searchers, Wayne Fontana, Dave Dee and Barry Ryan, and ran from February until May 2003. Later that year, the band’s keyboard player, Toni Baker wrote the theme music, and the Dakotas were among the session musicians for the immensely successful British TV comedy series “Phoenix Nights”, starring Peter Kay.
In the spring of 2004 the Dakotas undertook yet another major 50 date UK theatre tour, teaming up once again with Peter Noone and Wayne Fontana, plus Bryan Hyland and John Walker of the Walker Brothers. To tie in with the tour, the band released their fifth album, “Strong” named after the title track I’m Gonna be Strong originally recorded by Gene Pitney. Almost straight after the tour, Toni Baker started co-writing the new music with Peter Kay for his TV series “Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere”. The show also featured Tony Christie singing the theme song, also co-written by Toni & Peter Kay.
The Dakotas were filmed in an episode of Peter Kay’s “Max and Paddy”, which was eventually broadcast in October 2004. Dressed as various 80s characters, the band performed and also backed Peter Kay on “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”.
In August 2004 tragedy struck, when guitarist Mike Maxfield suffered a stroke and had to stop performing, although he is still actively involved behind the scenes.
Richard Benson, who had worked with Toni on the Max & Paddy recordings, joined the band as lead guitarist but due to his heavy teaching schedule, couldn’t commit to long-term involvement.
Alan Clare has now taken over the role of the band’s lead guitarist.
In spring 2007 the Dakotas again toured the UK along with The Searchers, The Merseybeats, John Walker & Wayne Fontana on the Solid Silver 60s Tour.
Once again a new CD was released to coincide with this tour.
The CD, called “Evolution” to mark the changes undergone by the band over the last few years, features many new songs including an original song specially written for the band by Toni Baker called “Falling From Heaven”. There are 17 tracks in all.
You can hear and download some these songs on the music player at the top of the myspace page
Anyone wanting a copy of the CD can email the band at thedakotasuk@yahoo.com.
Eddie Mooney joined the Dakotas in the late 80s after being a member of the band “Park Avenue”. The drummer in that band was Tony Bookbinder, who had been the original drummer in the Dakotas, and this connection eventually led to the reforming of the band with Mike Maxfield.
After fronting The Dakotas for 20 years, Eddie amicably left The Dakotas in January 2008 to join The Fortunes after their long-standing frontman, Rod Allen sadly passed away.
Paul Rafferty was recruited to join the Dakotas as new frontman/bass player in late Feb 2008. Paul was well known to Toni & Pete from earlier years on Piccadilly Radio as a singer/songwriter & performer.
Paul has toured Britain before with his own band supporting Bucks Fizz and he has had two singles released on EMI lable: ‘The Man behind The Scenes’ which he wrote himself, and ‘Too Late Now’ written for him by Junior Campbell. They were recorded at Abbey Rd Studios London and can also be heard on our music player here on myspace.
For a few years, Paul sang & played bass at ‘Bookbinders’ a top Manchester night club. The owner of the club, the late Brian Bookbinder was also the uncle of Tony Bookbinder the Dakotas’ original drummer!
After several great singers and musicians were considered for the role of Dakotas’ frontman, Paul’s experience & fabulous vocals stood him in good stead when the final few were being considered. His natural experience of live gigs & recording made him feel instantly at home in his new environment.
Toni Baker joined the Dakotas early in the 90s, though he has a long history of working in well known bands. He played on Billy Ocean’s early recordings in the 70s, & was a member of “Shabby Tiger”, a hugely successful group in Europe, with many hit singles, such as the No.1, “Slow Down”.
Toni, who is still a top UK session man, now owns his own recording studio “Moose”. He is also a talented songwriter, who had a Number 5 hit in Japan with Eat You Up.
More recently Toni wrote all the music, including the theme tune, for Britain’s top comedian Peter Kay on his highly acclaimed comedy series “Phoenix Nights” and Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.
Toni and fellow band member Pete Hilton also starred in the first episode of the first series of Phoenix Nights as members of a folk band called “Half A Shilling”. Toni continues his production and session work for major TV programmes including “Waterloo Road” and “League of Gentlemen”.
A CD containing much of his recent TV work - The Best of Peter Kay So Far -was released in December 2005.
Toni is working on the music production of a guitar tuition DVD at the moment, called “killerguitartips”.
Pete Hilton joined the Dakotas in 1999, but has also a long established pedigree. An ex-member of Freddie & the Dreamers, he is also a respected session drummer, and has been touring since 1963. In the late sixties Pete worked the original Liverpool Cavern Club with the eminent guitarist Robin Hill. Pete and Robin went on to form jazz rock band “Spring”. There were memorable live performances with Mike Oldfield, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, Deep Purple, & Traffic. In the late seventies Pete worked theatres throughout the UK with many greats such as Frankie Howerd and Bob Monkhouse. Rolf Harris & Tommy Cooper also played an important role in Pete’s musical education! In the late seventies while working with pop group Family Affair (Alan Clare was also in the band!) Pete grabbed the opportunity to gig with the Supremes (Mary Wilson). He also worked alongside David Essex, who later inspired Pete to perform in “Godspell” while he was living in Canada. Pete is passionate about jazz and classical music and was delighted to collaborate with Robin Hill once again to perform the Claude Bolling concerto. Pete is currently recording again with Robin. He continues to teach drumming, as well as performing with the Dakotas.
Alan Clare joined the band in 2006. His varied guitar talents lend themselves perfectly to The Dakotas’ many faceted musical styles.
Alan has worked in many bands, including Freddie & the Dreamers alongside Pete Hilton, and is still a major session player, having worked with artists as diverse as the Supremes, Dionne Warwick, Buddy Greco, Cliff Richard, Gene Pitney, Gerard Kenny, Kenny Lynch, Lynn Paul and Ken Dodd.
As well as being one of the North’s leading session guitarists, Alan also teaches a master class in advanced jazz guitar techniques.
Sorry
The Dakotas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't mean to let you down
cnd now I'm hurtin
This the hardest one I found
Now I'm lonely
I only need you by my side
cll I wanted,
I only wanted us to thrive
Our life was all I see
I'm on my mind, it's hard to breathe
cnd all we said it's time to be
cpart
cnd this pain it's breakin me
There's nothing left of me
Mental battle goin through
cnd new phase I come into
Now I'm gettin out the blues
Lose my mind, who's losing you?
I won't die, you waste my time
Bring me life, I'm alright
I mean did you cry?
Thought we had something
Hold me hard
That's all I wanted
ch I'm sorry
I didn't mean to let you down
cnd now I'm hurtin
This the hardest one I found
Now I'm lonely
I only need you by my side
cll I wanted,
I only wanted us to thrive
Our life was all I see
I'm on my mind, it's hard to breathe
cnd all we said it's time to be
cpart
In the song "Sorry" by The Dakotas, the singer expresses deep regret and remorse for letting someone down. They acknowledge the pain they are feeling and describe it as the hardest they have ever experienced. The feeling of loneliness is also prominent as they realize how much they need the other person by their side. The singer laments that all they wanted was for their relationship to flourish and thrive, indicating a strong desire for a successful and harmonious partnership.
The lyrics continue to portray a sense of loss and longing, with the singer reflecting on how their life seemed to revolve around the other person. The mention of struggling to breathe suggests a suffocating feeling of emotional distress and heaviness. Despite recognizing that it is time to move on, the singer is finding it incredibly challenging to come to terms with the pain and separation, indicating a deep sense of heartache and devastation.
As the song progresses, the singer delves deeper into the internal struggles and turmoil they are experiencing. They describe a mental battle and transitioning into a new phase while trying to overcome the sadness and melancholy (represented by "the blues") they are feeling. The lyrics also touch upon the fear of losing the other person and the thought of them moving on, further intensifying the emotional turmoil and inner conflict the singer is going through.
The closing verses of the song build upon the theme of longing, regret, and the desire for reconciliation. The singer questions whether the other person cried and expresses a heartfelt plea for understanding and forgiveness. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the sincerity of the apology and highlights the singer's unwavering wish for their relationship to thrive and flourish once again. Overall, the lyrics of "Sorry" by The Dakotas paint a poignant picture of remorse, heartache, and the longing for love and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sorry
Apologizing for causing pain
I didn't mean to let you down
Didn't intend to disappoint
And now I'm hurtin
Feeling emotional pain
This the hardest one I found
This situation is particularly difficult
Now I'm lonely
Feeling isolated and alone
I only need you by my side
Craving companionship and support
All I wanted
My desire was simple
I only wanted us to thrive
I wanted our relationship to succeed
Our life was all I see
Our life together was everything to me
I'm on my mind, it's hard to breathe
Struggling to focus and feeling suffocated
And all we said it's time to be part
Realizing it's time to move on
And this pain it's breakin me
The emotional pain is overwhelming
There's nothing left of me
Feeling empty and drained
Mental battle goin through
Struggling with internal conflicts
And new phase I come into
Entering a new chapter of life
Now I'm gettin out the blues
Moving past sadness
Lose my mind, who's losing you?
Fearing the loss of you more than my sanity
I won't die, you waste my time
I'll survive, but time spent without you feels wasted
Bring me life, I'm alright
Finding solace in being alive
I mean did you cry?
Wondering if you felt the pain too
Thought we had something
Believed our relationship was special
Hold me hard
Craving physical and emotional closeness
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian McFadden
Thanks for posting...this got no airplay here in the States. The song was written by Chip Taylor and Al Gorgoni. They recorded it under the name "Just Us" on a fantastic album that's long out of print. If you look up on youtube: Just Us - I Can't Grow Peaches on a Cherry Tree," you'll get a good feel for their sound. Chip wrote "Wild Thing" for the Troggs and hundreds of other songs. Brian McFadden
rcpinsa
originally was going to be Billy J Kramer's first solo single but though given a cat no was not released
flatop47
rcpinsa Cheers Mate.....Where Have You Been....No Contact For A While......Brian
rcpinsa
still around Brian
Mike P and the Classics
Nice, but needs a little more punch. Sounds a little Russian like Those were the Days.
flatop47
Great Info Again....Cheers
flatop47
Cheers
flatop47
Cheers Mate
rcpinsa
Produced by ex Searcher Chris Curtis