John Schroeder had worked with Johnny Pearson previously over at Oriole Records, producing Johnny Pearson's first solo album. Moving to Pye, Schroeder was quick to assemble the line-up which would become Sounds Orchestral, intended to be a competitor group to EMI's successful Sounds Incorporated. Johnny Pearson (piano), Kenny Clare (drums and percussion), and Tony Reeves (bassist, who later played with Curved Air) filled out the group. Other members included Peter McGurk on bass, who died in June 1968. McGurk's position was assumed by Frank Clark. Generally in the studio, there would be a trio, backed by other instruments led by Tony Gilbert, who would play violin on many of the tracks. On the second last album in 1975, members had changed to Johnny Pearson on piano, Ronnie Verrell on drums, and Russ Stapleford on bass guitar.
Sounds Orchestral's version of Vince Guaraldi's 1962 instrumental "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" hit No. 1 on the 1–15 May 1965 US Adult Contemporary charts and No. 10 on 8 May 1965 Hot 100.[1] With Sound Orchestral's peak that week, the British Commonwealth came closer than it ever had or would to a clean sweep of a weekly Hot 100's Top 10, lacking only a hit at number two instead of "Count Me In" by the US group Gary Lewis & the Playboys.[2][3] "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" sold over one million copies and achieved gold disc status.[4] The track peaked at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart some three months earlier. The follow-up, "Moonglow" (1965) reached No. 43 in the UK.[5]
Sounds Orchestral made one last original album, in 1977 for K-tel, featuring 20 of the most current and popular television and movie themes. By the close of 1977, Sounds Orchestral had released sixteen different record albums, twelve vinyl 7" singles and three vinyl EPs, besides those in the United Kingdom, which had many differently packaged versions of the latter, particularly singles.
Pianist Johnny Pearson is featured on all the Sounds Orchestral albums. When Sounds Orchestral had effectively come to an end in 1977, Pearson had already established a successful solo career on other record labels. He was also music arranger on the UK BBC television programme, Top of the Pops.
At the end of the late 1980s, the CD era arrived. A number of Sounds Orchestral albums were re-released for the first time on compact disc. Most notable was the reissue in 1991, of the fourth 1966 Sounds Orchestral album, Sounds Orchestral Play Favourite Classical Melodies. Retitled Classical Classics, but with eight new tracks by Schroeder and Pearson, the album was dedicated to the memory of Sounds Orchestral members who had died, including McGurk, Clare, and Gilbert. Pearson himself died on 20 March 2011.
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