Line-up included:
- Mrs. Babs Fletcher (Miss Barbara Florence) - vocals (1963 - 1965)
- Edward Stuart 'Ted' Fletcher - vocals (1963 - 1965)
- Guy Fletcher (Mervyn Guy Fletcher) - vocals (1963 - 1965)
Maidstone, Kent band The Cameos formed in 1963 with a line-up of Mrs. Babs Fletcher on vocals (b. Miss Barbara Florence, Saturday, August 10, 1940, Yeovil, Somerset, England d. Sunday, December 16, 2018), her husband Ted Fletcher on vocals (b. Edward Stuart Fletcher, April 1938) and his younger brother Guy Fletcher on vocals (b. Mervyn Guy Fletcher, Friday, April 21, 1944, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England).
The Cameos had started out as The Guy Fletcher Trio.
Miss Babs Florence was born into a military family in. As a child of 6 years old, she was living in Gibraltar where her father was a regimental sergeant-major. She told the story of how her father used to put her up on a table in the sergeant’s mess for her to sing to the troops; she had a glorious voice and a powerful stage presence even then. In 1957 Miss Florence was 17 and was discovered by a talent scout in Maidstone. He changed her name to Jackie Daniels and managed gigs for her to sing at where she would play the guitar and sing the pop songs of the time. In November 1957 local amateur musician Ted Fletcher was playing clarinet in a trad band at a venue in Maidstone and was struck by a vivacious girl dancing at the front. Once Fletcher heard her sing it was a win-win situation; they formed a new music/singing group and worked together. Ted Fletcher married Miss Babs Florence on Saturday, August 1, 1959.
Mrs. Babs Fletcher's singing ability was extraordinary and worked well with the musical aspirations of Ted Fletcher and his brother Guy Fletcher. Their amateur efforts quickly led to professional achievements and as a vocal group, The Cameos and from 1963 they worked for the legendary record producer, Joe Meek (b. Robert George Meek, Friday, April 5, 1929, 1 Market Street, Newent, Gloucestershire, England d. Friday, February 3, 1967, 304 Holloway Road, Holloway, North London, England).
The trio had been heard by the Beat group The Original Checkmates. The trio got together, and The Guy Fletcher Trio sang impromptu with The Original Checkmates, only one night after the show. Alan Hawkshaw (1937 - 2021), organist of The Checkmates, offered to introduce the group to independent producer Joe Meek, who needed a session singing group. The Fletchers got the job and the trio provided literally hundreds of backing for such artists as Heinz Burt (1942 - 2000), The Tornadoes, Mike Berry (b. 1942), The Saints, The Original Checkmates, Roger LaVern (1938 - 2013), Mike Cox (b. 1940), Glenda Collins (b. 1943), Jennie Moss (1945 - 2006) and many others.
For their first single they became The Cameos.
In August 1963 The Cameos released their first single 'Powercut' (Guy Fletcher) and 'High Low And Lonesomely' (Eddie Hirst, Thornton Allen) on Columbia DB 7092. It was produced by Joe Meek and recorded at his R.G.M. Studios, 304 Holloway Road, Holloway, North London.
In January 1964 The Cameos released their second single 'My Baby's Coming Home' (Barry White) and 'Where E'er You Walk' (Ted Fletcher, Guy Fletcher) on Columbia DB 7201. It was produced by Joe Meek and recorded at his R.G.M. Studios, Holloway, North London.
The Cameos split in 1965.
Discography
UK 45s
- Powercut (Guy Fletcher) / High Low And Lonesomely (Eddie Hirst, Thornton Allen) Columbia DB 7092
- My Baby's Coming Home (Barry White) / Where E'er You Walk (Ted Fletcher, Guy Fletcher) Columbia DB 7201
Info courtesy John H Warburg December 2024
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