“Yeh Yeh” – Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames

Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames were a British rhythm and blues group during the 1960s whose repertoire spanned R&B, pop, rock and jazz.

They were originally the backing band for rock and roll singer Billy Fury.

At the end of 1961, their piano player Georgie Fame took over as lead vocalist and they went on to enjoy great success without Fury. They were influenced by Jon Hendricks, Mose Allison and blues musicians such as Willie Mabon.

The group found other influences in ska, which could be heard in Jamaican cafes in and around Ladbroke Grove, England, and frequented by the group’s Jamaican born trumpeter Eddie Thornton. During the group’s three-year residency at The Flamingo Club, Fame heard the latest jazz and blues from America, and it was Booker T. & the M.G.’s recording “Green Onions” which inspired him to take up playing Hammond organ with the band.

In October 1964, the album Fame at Lastreached No.15 in the U.K. album chart. The band’s version of the song “Yeh, Yeh” was released as a single in the U.K. on 14 January 1965 and reached No.1 on the U.K. Singles Chart for two weeks (out of a total of twelve weeks on the chart).

From 1966 and throughout many concert tours,  the band underwent different reformations.  There were band name changes with new musician lineups.

For the 1980 tour, they were called the Thrill Seekers, and were led by a front line of Keith Stirling (trumpet), Col Loughnan (saxophones, flute), and Herb Cannon (trombone) with Steve Murphy (guitar), Greg Lyon (bass), and Willie Qua (drums) completing the line-up. The next year the band changed their name to the Aussie Blue Flames.