The group was formed by Barry Langtree and Kevin Heywood in 1956, then known as The Heartbeats. They included vocalist, Tommy Hart, drummer Pete Yeoman, bassist Roger Goodier and became Tommy Hart & The Heartbeats. They were spotted by BBC radio scouts and recorded alongside the Northern Dance Orchestra. Once Hart left the group, they became Barry Langtree & The Lancastrians, and recruited two new members, Terry Benson on bass and John Fleury on drums. The band's manager decided to shorten their name to The Lancastrians.[5]
They played alongside Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Cilla Black, The Moody Blues, and appeared on television, plus they played summer and winter shows. They were introduced to the record producer, Shel Talmy, who produced all their six singles. Session players including Jimmy Page[2][6] and Nicky Hopkins appeared on a couple of their singles. Page played back-up guitar on "Was She Tall" and "The World Keeps Going Round".[7] Their cover version of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine",[2] peaked at No. 44 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1964, where it had a two-week residency.[8]
However, after a tour of Germany in 1967, they decided to disband.[2]
The group reformed in February 2001, and played many local gigs including a reunion show in Chirk, Wales.[5]
