The Migil Five

The Migil Five (sometimes styled The Migil 5) were a British pop, rhythm and blues and (originally) jazz group in the early to mid-1960s, whose biggest hit was a bluebeat version of "Mockin' Bird Hill". The group's origins were in North London in 1960, as a backing group for club singer Lennie Peters. Its members at that time included pianist Gil Lucas and bass player Lenny Blanche. Various people - including, on occasions, Peters' nephew Charlie Watts, later of the Rolling Stones - stood in as drummer, until the position was filled more permanently by Mike Felix. After Peters left for a solo career - going on to chart success in the 1970s as one half of Peters and Lee - Felix became the lead singer, and the group recruited guitarist Stan "Red" Lambert. They named themselves The Migil Four, drawing on the names of Mike Felix and Gilbert Lucas. The group played a mixture of pop, R&B and jazz music on the cabaret circuit until they were seen by trad jazz bandleader Kenny Ball. He performed onstage with them, and recommended them to his record label, Pye Records. Their first single, "Maybe", was released in 1963. They then added tenor saxophonist Alan "Earl" Watson, formerly a member of Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, so becoming The Migil 5, and won a residency at the Tottenham Royal dance hall, replacing the Dave Clark Five. Expanding their repertoire to cater for a younger audience, they recorded their second single, "Mockin' Bird Hill" - a country song which had been a US hit for Les Paul and Mary Ford - in a style then known as "bluebeat" and later as ska. It was released the same week as Millie Small's ska hit "My Boy Lollipop", and entered the UK Singles Chart in March 1964, rising to #10. It also reached number one in Ireland.

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