Meet The Factotums

The Manchester area in the UK has nurtured thousands of musical acts, ranging in styles as diverse as Freddie Garrity and Liam Gallagher. Although many have been adopted on a national scale, others have managed to stir only local interest before their eventual demise. The Factotums were a four-piece harmony based band (1965-69) very much in the mould of The Beach Boys. They recorded Mr. & Mrs Regards as a CBS single A side in 1969. As for the O'Sullivan connection, April Music Ltd. was also Gilbert's music publisher at the time. Both Gilbert's first two singles: Disappear [CBS 3089] and What Can I Do [CBS 3399] were orginally published by April Music and released by CBS. Therefore, it would be safe to say that the music publisher was shopping GOS compositions to other artists as was the case with The Tremeloes and You and Come On Home and What Can I do.

A fair number of pop groups and personalites were from the Manchester area including: Herman's Hermits, Elkie Brooks, Freddie and The Dreamers, The Hollies, John Mayall, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders and The Dakotas (before Billy J. Kramer)! Please visit Manchesterbeat.com for more information!