The Beau-Marks

The Beau-Marks were a Canadian rock music group formed in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec. Their first release, the April 1959 single "Rockin' Blues" b/w "Moonlight Party", came out under the name The Del-Tones, but the group changed their name soon afterward in a nod to the Bomarc missile. Their breakthrough hit was "Clap Your Hands," which hit #1 in Canada and Australia,^[1] peaked at #45 on the US Billboard pop charts,^[2] and #40 on Cashbox.^[3] It reached #8 on the New Zealand Lever Hit parade.^[4] The tune was also released in French as "Frappe Tes Mains" and a Quebec version as "Tape des mains", lyrics by late Michel A. Lebel, as one of Rock n' Roll Queen Lucie Marotte's finale favorites. Their debut, ten-track full-length LP came out in 1960. They also appeared on American Bandstand and at a charity concert at Carnegie Hall soon afterwards. Two more albums followed before the group broke up in 1963; a 1968 reunion saw "Clap Your Hands" get a re-release which reached #74 on the RPM charts.^[5]

The Beau-Marks were the first Canadian band to be headliners at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City and to be invited to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.