The Equals

The Equals are an English rock band. They are best remembered for their million-selling chart-topper "Baby, Come Back", though they had several other chart hits in the UK and Europe. Drummer John Hall founded the group with Eddy Grant, Pat Lloyd and brothers Derv and Lincoln Gordon, and they were noted as being "the first major interracial rock group in the UK" and "one of the few racially mixed bands of the era".The group's members met on a Hornsey Rise council estate, where Grant, Lloyd and Hall were school friends at Acland Burghley. In late 1964, Hall suggested that they form a band. John Hall (drums), Eddy Grant (lead guitar), Pat Lloyd (rhythm guitar), Derv Gordon (vocals) and Lincoln Gordon (rhythm guitar) became the Equals. The three-guitar lineup continued until 1969, when Lincoln Gordon switched from rhythm guitar to bass.At first the Equals performed in London, and gained a following "with their apparently limitless energy and a distinct style fusing pop, blues, and R&B plus elements of ska and bluebeat." They often opened the bill at shows by visiting American R&B and soul artists such as Bo Diddley, Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett. A neighbour of Grant's, singer Gene Latter, put them in touch with President Records, whose boss Edward Kassner heard them and agreed to sign them.The Equals released their first single "I Won’t Be There" in 1966, followed by "Hold Me Closer", with "Baby, Come Back" as the B-side. It did not do well in the United Kingdom, but after DJs in Europe began playing "Baby, Come Back", it went to the number one position in Germany and the Netherlands.1968 saw the release of "I Get So Excited", which reached the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. The subsequent re-issue of "Baby, Come Back" in early 1968 reached the top position in the UK, giving President Records its only number one hit. The song reached one million sales in June 1969, and was certified gold. Several of their later singles charted in the UK, including two further top 10 hits, "Viva Bobby Joe" (1969) and "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys" (1970).

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.