Biography of The Tornados

Britain's premier instrumental group of the early '60s, the Tornados' fame rests principally on "Telstar," a haunting instrumental written by their producer, Joe Meek, which rocketed to the top of the charts in both England and the United States in early 1962. Although none of their subsequent work went so far (or deserved to), they achieved additional recognition after becoming Billy Fury's backup band; they played on his live album, We Want Billy. Also, their bass player, blond, German-born Heinz Burt (who went by the moniker "Heinz") later became a low-level chart success as a vocalist ("Just Like Eddie," etc.) ~ Bruce Eder