Scarborough Singer Joins Leading British Pop Group

A Scarborough pop group singer, 20-year-old Allen Palmer, has landed a job with an internationally famous British pop group, The Alan Bown. Getting the job as lead singer constitutes the biggest achievement ever for a pop musician from Scarborough.

Mr. Palmer has been the lead singer with the local pop group The Mandrakes for the last six years and always said : "I am not interested in going professional".  The job with The Alan Bown, formely The Alan Bown Set, became open when lead singer Jess Roden decided to pull out and start his own group. Competition for the job was fierce. To take the job, Mr. Palmer will give up his apprenticeship as a process engraver with The Evening News.

For The Mandrakes, the news comes as a bit of a blow. But, despite the fact that they are losing their vocalist, the group aims to carry on and plans for a girl vocalist to take Mr. Palmer's place are being considered. The Mandrakes had perhaps their most successful moments last month, when they made their 16-day tour of Denmark and were widely acclaimed.

One of the highlights of the near future for Mr. Palmer and The Alan Bown will be a 10-week tour of the US, starting in September. Some of the past hits of The Alan Bown were Toyland and Headline News. In their early days, they were described as a soul group but later as a folf-blues group.

Mr. Palmer is a former pupil of the Scarborough High School for Boys. He expects to take his place with the group in the near future. From then on, he is to be known as Robert Palmer because there is already an Alan in the group.

The Scarborough Evening News - 1969