The Rocking Birds

The Rockingbirds were an anomaly, a British country-rock band on the hip Heavenly label whose peak activity unfortunately coincided with the fallow period between the roots-rock movement of the 1980s and the "No Depression" resurgence of the mid-'90s. Formed in London in 1990, the Rockingbirds were founded by singer/songwriter Alan Tyler, singer/tambourine player Sean Reed guitarist Andy Hackett, pedal steel guitarist Patrick Arbuthnot, bassist Dave Goulding and former Weather Prophets drummer Dave Morgan. The success of their debut singles "A Good Day for You" and "Jonathan, Jonathan" (a tribute to Jonathan Richman) led to the release of their 1992 eponymous debut, which earned a warm critical response but met with commercial failure. A cover of Right Said Fred's "Deeply Dippy," released on an EP of Fred covers recorded with Heavenly labelmates Saint Etienne and Flowered Up, garnered some airplay, but a subsequent EP, Rockingbirds R Us, also stiffed. After 1995's oft-delayed but excellent Whatever Happened to the Rockingbirds met a similar fate, the group disbanded.