The Mudlarks (Luton, Bedfordshire, England)



Personnel :


Jeff Mudd

Fred Mudd

Mary Mudd



Discography :

Singles :
1958 - Mutual Admiration Society / A New Love (Columbia DB4064)     
1958 - Lollipop / Young Dove's Calling (Columbia DB4099)     
1958 - Book Of Love /Yea, Yea (Columbia DB4133)     
1958 - There's Never Been A Night / Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice (Columbia DB4190)
1958 - My Grandfather's Clock / Which Witch Doctor (Columbia DB4210)          
1959 - The Love Game / Abdul The Bulbul Amer Cha Cha (Columbia DB4250)     
1959 - Tell Him No / Time Flies    (Columbia DB4291)      
1959 - Waterloo / Mary (Columbia DB4331)          
1959 - True Love, True Love / Tennessee    (Columbia DB4374)      
1960 - Candy / Never Marry A Fishmonger (Columbia DB4417)          
1960 - You're Free To Go /(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains (Columbia DB4513)   
1961 - When Mexico Gave Up The Rumba / Toy Balloon (Columbia DB4636)        
1961 - The Mountain's High / Don't Gamble With Love (Columbia DB4708)          
1962 - Coney Island Washboard / Them Twistin' Bones (Columbia DB4788)          
1962 - Manana Pasado Manana / March Of The Broken Hearts (Columbia DB4861)   
1962 - I've Been Everywhere / Just The Snap Of Your Fingers (Decca F11537)   
1962 - The Little Cracked Bell Of San Raquel / La De Da (Decca F11601)     
1964 - Walk Around / Here's Another Day (Fontana TF495)     

Eps:
1958 - The Mudlarks (with accompaniment by Ken Jones) (Columbia SEG7854)
There's Never Been A Night / Lollipop  / Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice / Book Of Love

Biography :

The Mudlarks were an unusual musical phenomenon in several ways. Unusually, the group were composed, at least for most of its lifetime, by real siblings- the children of the Mudd family from Luton in Bedforshire. Jeff, Fred and Mary are all alleged to have had jobs at the large Vauxhall motor plant which dominated the town.

However, they spent their spare time singing together whenever the opportunity arose. They enjoyed singing the kind of pop tunes that were to become popular during the second half of the 1950s- not quite rock and roll, and not conventional ballads either.

Their's was an up-beat novelty style and it attracted the attention of David Jacobs who had only recently established himself as a top disc jockey at the BBC. After an appearance on the the seminal "6-5 Special" TV show, a recording contract with Columbia quickly followed.

The Mudlarks' first release didn't sell well, but their second, the novelty "Lollipop" (a cover of a record by Americans, Ronald and Ruby), went almost to the top despite having another cover version from U.S. four-piece girl group, "The Chordettes" close behind.

They chose another US number for their next release. Despite this being a doowop number, from the deeper voiced US group "The Monotones", they successfully transformed it into another novelty and again managed the top ten.

Sadly, this was to be their last major hit on record although the group remained popular until well into the 1960s. Despite the fact that record buyers seem to have gradually lost their taste for the pop novelties that the Mudlarks were so good at producing, the group remain one of those that surely pioneered the emergence of a new UK grown sound.  http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirm/mudlarks.htm




Songs :

   
Lollipop                                    Book Of Love

   
Which Witch Doctor                       Time Flies

   
You're Free To Go                   My Grandfathers Clock