Singer Paul Hewitt and guitarist Doug Thompson who both worked at the Austin Motors were putting together their own group in 1959 along with drummer Terry Bond (born 22 March 1943, Birmingham) and bass guitarist Mark Johnson. In search of a good lead guitarist, they learned that the Rockin' Berries were disbanding and so invited Chuck Botfield to join them. Botfield agreed providing that the new group would also call themselves the Rockin' Berries. Doug Thompson made a deal with the owners of the disused Palace Theatre in Redditch that the Rockin' Berries would play there and keep the door takings in return for cleaning the place up. The arrangement proved so successful that The Rockin' Berries started playing there regularly along with many other local groups.
Meanwhile, original Rockin' Berries bass guitarist Tim Munns had joined up with another former school friend Geoff Turton and singer Bob Lawton in a line-up known as "The Chimes". They were moderately successful locally - even winning a Birmingham Parks Band Competition. Tim Munns re-joined the Rockin' Berries at the request of Chuck Botfield when Mark Johnson left the band to pursue a full-time career. By this time, the Berries were very well-known locally as they were now fronted by two vocalists; Paul Hewitt (now with the stage-name of Bobby Thompson) and Jimmy Powell - easily one of the most powerful singers in the West Midlands. The complete line-up of the Rockin' Berries at this time was Chuck Botfield (lead guitar), Doug Thompson (rhythm guitar), Tim Munns (bass), Terry Bond (drums), Dennis Ryland (tenor saxophone), Paul Hewitt and Jimmy Powell (vocals).
In November 1961, the Rockin' Berries were offered some bookings in Germany which they accepted but Paul Hewitt did not want to go so local singer Clive Lea (born 16 February 1942, Birmingham), joined the group as his replacement. Clive Lea lived in Longbridge and had won the "Elvis of the Midlands" contest while being backed by his own group The Phantoms. Lea was quite well known around Birmingham at the time as a singer and impressionist.
Upon returning from their tour of Germany, the Rockin' Berries were auditioned by TV pop music promoter Jack Goode who was scouting for the Decca Record Company. The group failed to secure a contract but Goode showed interest in signing singer Jimmy Powell. As the Rockin' Berries had a return engagement in Germany, they returned there but when offered an extension to stay longer, the group was divided over the prospect of remaining and the outcome was that Doug Thompson, Dennis Ryland and Jimmy Powell returned to Birmingham leaving the others to carry on in Germany. Jimmy Powell would take up Jack Goode's offer of a recording contract and become the first "Brumbeat" recording star in 1962 (see Jimmy Powell). Doug Thompson embarked on a new career and became well known around Birmingham as a music promoter and booking agent.
The remaining Rockin' Berries needed a replacement vocalist to complete their engagement and Chuck Botfield remembered that his former schoolfriend Geoff Turton was playing guitar in a group back in Birmingham called the Swinging Chimes. When contacted, Geoff Turton agreed to join the Rockin' Berries in Germany and it was soon discovered that Turton also posessed a unique falsetto vocal style that was used by the group to their advantage when performing songs such as Frank Ifield's I Remember You and Sherry by the Four Seasons. In this way, the group was unusual in that it had two lead vocalists in Clive Lea and Geoff Turton. Another line-up change also occurred at this time when Tim Munns left to be replaced by bass guitarist Roy Austin (born 27 December 1943, Birmingham) from Sir Hiltons Road, West Heath. He was previously in a local group called The Eko's. Tim Munns went on to work for Kinks manager Larry Page and later re-joined Jimmy Powell in his band "The Five Dimensions".
When the Rockin' Berries returned to Birmingham, they were contacted by Decca Records who had been sent a demonstration tape of songs by the group. The Rockin' Berries were signed up and went to London to record with Decca Records releasing two singles, the second of which Itty Bitty Pieces got them a TV appearance on Ready Steady Go! but neither single was a hit. Despite this, the publicity generated served to increase their following and the group refined their stage shows by introducing comedy which included impersonations from Clive Lea. After a year they were dropped by Decca and then signed to the Pye subsidiary Piccadilly by talent scout John Schroeder who also became their manager. Their first release on this label I Didn't Mean To Hurt You, was a minor hit and featured Geoff Turton's distinctive falsetto vocal which became a band trademark.
The Rockin' Berries appeared at London's famous Marquee Club where they were seen by American record producer Kim Fowley who would play an influential role in the careers of a number of Midlands groups. Fowley was impressed by the Rockin' Berries and decided that they should record a version of a song written by famous composers Goffin & King called He's In Town as performed by The Tokens in the USA. Re-recorded by the Rockin' Berries and released as a single in October of 1964, the song went to No. 3 in the charts.
The next Rockin' Berries single What In The World's Come Over You was less successful and reached No. 23 but the next single Poor Man's Son again made the top ten in May of 1965. The song featured a lead vocal from Clive Lea and was a cover of a song by the US group The Reflections. At this time, bass player Roy Austin left the Rockin' Berries and was replaced by Bobby Thompson from Liverpool who had played in Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, a group that had at one time included Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. By coincidence, Thompson had the same name as was used on stage by one-time Rockin' Berries singer Paul Hewitt.
A Rockin' Berries album entitled In Town was released in 1964 and got to No. 15 in the album charts but the group seemed to have reached their peak in chart terms and subsequent single releases comprised of more cover versions. The group was certainly at a disadvantage from not having internal songwriters but as the hits became fewer, they concentrated on a career in cabaret which included comedy routines featuring Clive Lea's impersonations of Norman Wisdom and George Formby.
By the time of the Rockin' Berries last hit The Water Is Over My Head in 1966, the pop music scene had changed and the era of the beat groups was over. The band was by this time one of the UK's top cabaret acts who were heavily in demand for bookings all over the country. One of the more notable engagements for the group took place when they were invited to and performed at 1967's Royal Variety Performance attended by The Queen and Prince Phillip.
At the height of the psychedelic era, the song Yellow Rainbow was recorded by members of the Rockin' Berries and was apparently composed by Roy Wood of The Move who may have also contributed backing vocals. Unfortunately, the recording was never released although it was certainly commercial enough to have made the charts at the time.
In 1968 Geoff Turton left the band and briefly joined the Birmingham group Sight And Sound but with encouragement from manager John Schroeder, soon embarked on a fairly successful solo career (see Jefferson). Yorkshire singer/impressionist Terry Webster joined the Rockin' Berries in 1970 to replace Clive Lea who left to start a solo career as an impressionist and later joined local comedy group The Black Abbotts as replacement for Russ Abbott. The remainder of the Rockin' Berries continued to perform in cabaret as a music/comedy act although drummer Terry Bond later moved into management and was replaced by Keith Smart, previously from Roy Wood's chart-topping group Wizzard (see The Move).
Despite numerous other personnel changes (which include occasional appearances with Geoff Turton), the Rockin' Berries along with remaining original member Chuck Botfield, continue to be a popular attraction on the cabaret and nostalgia circuit to this day.
Poor Man's Son
The Rockin' Berries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've got a job and it must be done
I leave for work feelin' good
'Cause you're on my mind
Each part of you help me pass the time
I'm a poor man's son
Push, push, and on workin' with a smile
I'll get my pay like the rest
When the week is through
Gonna buy you something that pleases you
I'm poor man's son
No man, rich or poor
Could ever love you any more, woo
I work my hand nearly to the bones
These thoughts of mine lever lets me go
I'm workin' hard every day
For the things we plan
I'll love you so, 'cause you understand
I'm a poor man's son
That's why I'm up every day with the risin' sun
I've got this job and it will be done
I'm a poor man's son
I'm a poor man's son
I'm a poor man's son
In the song "Poor Man's Son" by the Rockin' Berries, the singer talks about being a hard-working man who wakes up early every day for work. Despite being a poor man, he is determined to work hard and buy something that pleases his loved one. The lyrics describe the singer's feelings towards his loved one, "you're on my mind, each part of you help me pass the time." These lyrics show the power of love and how it motivates us to work hard to make our loved ones happy. The singer is grateful for his job, and even though it may be hard, his love for his partner makes it all worthwhile.
The Bridge of the song talks about how the love of the singer for his partner is unmatched. "No man, rich or poor, could ever love you anymore" indicates that regardless of your status in life, love is the only thing that really matters. The singer tells his partner to understand that he is working hard every day for their plans and their future together.
"Push, push, and on workin' with a smile, just lovin' you makes it all worthwhile" is a reminder that love is the true reward for all the hard work. These lyrics showcase the power of love in inspiring and motivating us to reach our goals and be the best versions of ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm up each day with the risin' sun
Every day, I wake up early at sunrise.
I've got a job and it must be done
I have a job that I must do and complete.
I leave for work feelin' good
I start my workday feeling happy.
'Cause you're on my mind
Because I'm thinking of you, my loved one.
Each part of you help me pass the time
Thinking about each part of you helps me make it through the day.
I'm a poor man's son
I come from a family with little wealth or resources.
Push, push, and on workin' with a smile
I work hard and continue with a positive attitude.
Just lovin' you makes it all worthwhile
Loving you is what makes all my hard work worth it.
I'll get my pay like the rest
I will receive my paycheck like everyone else.
When the week is through
At the end of the workweek.
Gonna buy you something that pleases you
I plan to purchase something for you that will make you happy.
I'm poor man's son
I come from a family with little money or resources.
No man, rich or poor
No matter how much money a man has or doesn't have
Could ever love you any more, woo
None could love you more than I do.
I work my hand nearly to the bones
I work really hard, until my hands are sore.
These thoughts of mine lever lets me go
I always think of you and can't stop.
I'm workin' hard every day
I work hard every day.
For the things we plan
Working towards the things we have planned together.
I'll love you so, 'cause you understand
I love you so much because you understand and support me.
That's why I'm up every day with the risin' sun
That's why I wake up early every day at sunrise.
I've got this job and it will be done
I have a job to do and I will complete it.
I'm a poor man's son
I come from a family with little money and resources.
I'm a poor man's son
I come from a family with little money and resources.
I'm a poor man's son
I come from a family with little money and resources.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB HAMILTON, EUGENE HAMILTON, JEANA E JACKSON, SEVASTOS CONSTANTI VENETOULIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@633squadrongoodwin
The perfect marriage of a great song, great performance and great production, and the instrumental break at 2.00 mins, still gives me goosebumps, what a song !
@bobradford2637
Yep I remember this song when it hit the charts. Massive hit. reached number 5 in June 1965, in the British charts
@jussix48
The Rocking Berries was such a great and unique tunemaker band...! ❤️👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
@gazza9481
A great song, very catchy tune and wonderful lyrics.
@Muswell
Radio London - Big L. Memories. ❤
@MuckSpreader99
I was 14 in South Australia when this came out. For the next 9 years, it was a bit of an ear worm with just parts turning up in my memory from time to time. In 1974, in Hong Kong, I discovered a single in amongst a load I was looking through. Well bugger me, if it wasn't Poor Man's Son when I played it. I now knew who and what it was called and that has remained all my life, nearly 60 years from when I first heard it. Great tune, harmony, melody and rhythm.
@ianbentley7276
FABULOUS SONG.
@philipjackson3053
so have i and still play it still as good as the day i got it when i was a kid. the b side was follow me
@magikmusic77
I just love Geoffs voice. xx
@theesbband
Pure quality. Recorded with B side in 3 hours. 😁