Simon Dupree

SIMON DUPREE & THE BIG SOUND. British psychedelic rock band active between 1966-69. The group were signed Parlophone and their first few singles notably "I See The Light" (1966) failed to chart. In October 1967, the group's management and their record label decided to try moving Simon Dupree and the Big Sound in the direction of psychedelia. They broke through at the end of 1967 with their UK Top10 single "Kites". Regarding themselves as blue-eyed soul brothers, they did not like it as it was unrepresentative of their usual style. The follow-up "For Whom The Bell Tolls" was only a minor hit and a subsequent single "Broken Hearted Pirates", featuring an uncredited Dudley Moore on piano made no further impact. A then unknown keyboard player by the name of Reginald Dwight was hired to fill in for an ill Eric Hine and he joined them on a 1967 tour of Scotland. They were asked to allow him to stay on and he was almost recruited as a permanent member. They politely rejected the chance to record any of his compositions (although they did ultimately record "I'm Going Home" as the B-side of their final (contractually obligated single) and laughed when he told them he was adopting the stage name of Elton John ! Frustrated as being seen as one-hit wonders they disbanded in 1969 and the Shulman brothers went onto form the successful progressive rock group Gentle Giant