Amen Corner

The band was named after The Amen Corner, a weekly disc spin at the Victoria Ballroom (later to become The Scene Club) in Cardiff, Wales, where every Sunday night Dr Rock would play the best soul music from the United States.

Initially, they specialised in a blues and jazz-oriented style but were steered by their record labels towards a more commercial sound. Their first singles and album appeared on Decca's subsidiary label, Deram but they left at the end of 1968 to join Immediate, where they were instantly rewarded with a number one, (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice in early 1969, followed by another Top Five entry with the Roy Wood composition, Hello Susie.

After recording a final studio album, Farewell to the Real Magnificent Seven, with a cover version of the Beatles' Get Back released as their swansong, they disbanded at the end of 1969. The band also appeared as themselves in the 1969 horror film, Scream and Scream Again, singing the film's eponymous theme song.

Whilst saxophone player Allan Jones went on to form Judas Jump, guitarist and vocalist Andy Fairweather Low led Dennis Bryon (drums), Blue Weaver (organ), Clive Taylor (bass) and Neil Jones (guitar) into a new band, Fair Weather. The band scored a UK number six hit with Natural Sinner in 1970 and recorded one album before disbanding after Blue left to join The Strawbs a year later.

Amen Corner's Decca back catalogue has been re-issued as part of the "Collection" series; and their Immediate work, including their singles, live album and material recorded for an unreleased studio album, has been released on If Paradise Was Half as Nice: The Immediate Anthology.