Rockobit: Paul Revere

Paul Revere, 60s teen idol, has died.

I'd always assumed that Paul Revere was a cheesy stage name, but it turns out it was only half that - he'd been born Paul Revere Dick, and you can see why you might run the risk of adopting the name of a legend of your nation's history rather than going on under a "Paul Dick" banner.

Oddly, Revere was the titular hero of Paul Revere And The Raiders, despite being the organist rather than the singer. Vocals were provided by Mark Lindsay.

Lindsay had been a baker; Revere ran a few restaurants; it was hamburger baps that brought them together.

The band was successful, but not always a happy one - there was a painful split in the mid-60s; when one of the escapees, Drake Levin, returned he was punished. Although Levin had gone to serve in the National Guard, Revere believed he was responsible for other members quitting; when the band were booked to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, Levin was sidelined, and made to teach his replacement, Freddy Weller, the music.

Paul Revere and a form of the Raiders were still playing music - a tour had been booked for next month. Revere was 76; he died October 4th.

While the band were quite a big deal in the States, for kids growing up in the UK, they'd be best known for their dodgy political endorsements: