Beatle People: Tommy Quickly

Tommy Quickly (born Thomas Quigley, 7 July 1943, Liverpool, Lancashire, England) was a Liverpool rock and roll singer in the early 1960s. He was a later signing of artist manager Brian Epstein, whose biggest act was The Beatles.

Spotted as the vocalist with local group the Challengers, Epstein liked Quigley but not the band, suggesting first a name change (to "Tommy Quickly and the Stops"), then pairing him instead with The Remo Four. The next change was in song selection; whilst Quickly's voice was best suited to rhythm and blues, Epstein steered him toward pop songs, starting with his first single, "Tip of My Tongue," written by the Beatles songwriters Paul McCartney and John Lennon. He then made the usual round of appearances on-stage and in public, and was promoted by Epstein as part of his NEMS Enterprises artist stable.

"Tip of My Tongue" was a flop, as were his next four singles. His fifth single, "Wild Side of Life," charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, spending eight weeks in the chart. Described as young, naive and impulsive, and seemingly overwhelmed with matters since parting with the Challengers, Quickly was ill-prepared for the spotlight. When follow-up hits did not materialize, and with manager Epstein unable to push him further, Quickly retired from the music industry in 1965.

Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four can be seen performing "Humpty Dumpty," in the 1965 film, Pop Gear aka Go Go Mania.

Singles

* "Tip of My Tongue" (Lennon/McCartney) / "Heaven Only Knows" (August 1963, Pye Piccadilly 7N 35137)
* "Kiss Me Now" / "No Other Love" (1963, Piccadilly 7N 35151)
* "Prove It" / "Haven't You Noticed" (1964, Piccadilly 7N 35167)
* You Might As Well Forget Him" / "It's As Simple As That" (1964, Piccadilly 7N 35183)
* "Wild Side Of Life" / "Forget The Other Guy" (October 1964, Pye 7N 15708) UK #33
* "Humpty Dumpty" / "I'll Go Crazy" (December 1964, Pye 7N 15748)

Wikipedia