Them

About

Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in 1963, best known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's career. The band featured Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, Billy Harrison on guitar, Eric Wrixen on piano and keyboards, Alan Henderson on bass, and Ronnie Millings on drums, with other musicians replacing or contributing during the life of the band. The group released its first single, "Don't Start Crying Now"/"One Two Brown Eyes", in August 1964. The single was a flop. The band's managers and producers then hired session players Jimmy Page, Peter Bardens, and drummer Bobby Graham to back Morrison on a cover of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go". The single, which featured the now-legendary "Gloria" as a B-side, was a smash in the UK, sailing to #10 on the charts in December 1964. The band then released its biggest hit in the UK, "Here Comes the Night"/"All for Myself", which hit #2 in March 1965 (it went to #24 in the US that May). Later that year the instrumental "Mystic Eyes" reached #33 in the US. (The following year American band Shadows of Knight had a top ten US hit with their rendition of "Gloria".) The band released …