1966-1969: The Groop
The Groop formed in Melbourne in 1964/1965 and had recorded singles, an EP and an LP, before Cadd and Charles were asked to join in October 1966 along with guitarist Don Mudie. On advice from pop magazine Go-Set writer Ian "Molly" Meldrum Cadd changed his surname to Caine, before changing it back after his family protested. The new line-up was: Cadd, Charles, Mudie and Max Ross on bass and Richard Wright on drums.
The first single for this line-up was "Woman You're Breaking Me" (written by Cadd and Wright) which reached #6 in Melbourne and #12 in Sydney in July 1967. Melbourne singer Ronnie Burns had a local hit with "When I Was Six Years Old" written by Cadd (who also produced) and Ross. The band won a trip to UK from the 1967 Hoadley's National Battle of the Sounds; publishers sent "When I Was Six Years Old" to England where it was recorded by Manfred Mann's lead vocalist Paul Jones.
The Groop arrived in UK as the single was released and managed to get a deal with CBS, then they toured there and in Germany. Band members had written most of their hits in Australia, but CBS decided they would cover an Italian ballad, "What's the Good of Goodbye", which failed to chart. The Groop returned to Australia by October 1968 and Ross left, they released two more singles, including "Such A Lovely Way" before disbanding in May 1969. Their last recorded work was an uncredited appearance as instrumental support on Russell Morris' #1 single "The Real Thing".
Read more about this topic: Brian Cadd