Reg Presley (lead vocals) and Ronnie Bond (drums) were childhood friends and in the early 1960s formed an R&B band in their home town of Andover.[8] In 1964 they were joined by Pete Staples (bass) and Chris Britton (guitar) and became the Troggs.[8] They were signed by Larry Page, manager of the Kinks, in February1966.[9] They recorded on Page's Page One Records, and Page also leased them to CBS for the debut single "Lost Girl".[4] Their most famous hit was the single "Wild Thing" which, with the help of television exposure on Thank Your Lucky Stars, reached number 2 in the UK (Reg Presley's song "From Home" was the B-side) and number 1 in the United States in July 1966. Its combination of a simple heavy guitar riff and flirtatious lyrics helped it to quickly become a garage rock standard (the recording also contains an ocarina solo).[10] The band's success in the U.S. was also limited by the band not touring there until 1968.[2]
The Troggs posing at Cheddar Caves, Somerset in 1966
They also had a number of other hits, including "With a Girl Like You" (a UK number 1 in July 1966, US number 29), "I Can't Control Myself" (a UK number 2 in September 1966; their first UK single release on the Page One label, POF 001; this was also their second and final dual-label release in the US, with Fontana retaining the rights to all subsequent releases),[11] "Any Way That You Want Me" (UK number 8 in December 1966), all at Olympic Studios, "Give It to Me" (UK No.12 1967), "Night of the Long Grass" (UK number 17 in May 1967), "Love Is All Around" (UK number 5 in November 1967 and US number 7 in May 1968) plus "Hi Hi Hazel" (UK No.42, 1967). The band's popularity completely waned the following year. Former Plastic Penny bassist Tony Murray replaced Pete Staples in 1969. Richard Moore filled in for Britton on their 1972–1973 tour. In 1974, after a spell on Pye Records, in an attempt to re-create their 1960s successes, the Troggs re-united with Larry Page, now running Penny Farthing Records. The resulting cover version of the Beach Boys hit "Good Vibrations" failed to chart.[12] A reggae version of "Wild Thing" also failed. Richard Moore and Colin Fletcher substituted for Britton, who temporarily quit music to manage a night club in Spain, for the recording of The Troggs Tapes album released in 1976.[12] The band found a sympathetic ear at French label New Rose in the 1980s, releasing the Black Bottom LP (1982) and AU (1990).[12] Original drummer Ronnie Bond left in 1988.
In 1991, they recorded Athens Andover, an 11-song collaboration between themselves and three members of R.E.M.[2] It was recorded in the American band's hometown of Athens, Georgia, and was released in March 1992.[4] The band attempted to capitalise on this new exposure with two collaborations on new versions of "Wild Thing". A 1992 recording with actor Oliver Reed and snooker player Alex Higgins failed to chart,[13] but another version the following year featuring Wolf from the TV show Gladiators reached number 69 in the UK Singles Chart.[4][14] In 1994, Wet Wet Wet's cover of "Love Is All Around" was No. 1 in the UK for 15 weeks, resulting in substantial royalties for Presley.[15]
Ronnie Bond died on 13 November 1992. In January 2012, Reg Presley retired after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The band carried on with new lead singer Chris Allen (born 3 October 1952, Rossendale), who was hired in June 2012.[17] Presley died on 4 February 2013.[18]
Guitarist Richard Moore (born 3 June 1949, Canada) died in San Francisco on 30 April 2016.
The last original member, Chris Britton, left the band in 2017 and was replaced by John W. Doyle. Britton now makes rare guest appearances.[16] Dave Maggs (born 22 September 1950), drummer for over thirty years, left in 2018.
Bass guitarist and backing vocalist Pete Lucas retired from the band in 2022, after almost forty years in the group. Soon after, he was diagnosed with cancer and died on 16 December 2023, his 73rd birthday.[19] Since his retirement, the band didn't hire an official bassist for two years, but Fortunes bassist Eddie Mooney sometimes appears on stage, but isn't an official member, when Mooney didn't attend a gig, Chris Allen played bass. Dave Peters was added as a full time bassist in December 2024.
The current Troggs lineup is Chris Allen (lead vocals), Martin Shorrock (drums), Stu Clark (guitar) and Dave Peters (bass).
The Troggs are widely seen as a highly influential band whose sound was an inspiration for garage rock and punk rock.[7] Influential American critic Lester Bangs "called the band the progenitors of punk", according to NPR.[20] For example, the Troggs influenced artists such as Iggy Pop,[21] and the early version of British pop-punk pioneers Buzzcocks featured "I Can't Control Myself" in their live repertoire. The Ramones are also among the punk bands who cited the Troggs as an influence. "I Can't Control Myself" is perhaps the most enduring favourite of critics; it continues to be championed for its originality and lasting influence by radio hosts such as "Little" Steven Van Zandt.
A specially tailored version of "Give It to Me" featured in the "Sadie's Daydream" sequence of Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup. "I Can't Control Myself" appears at the climax of "The Little Chaos", the 1967 short film by German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder and in the "1967" episode of the 1996 British television serial Our Friends in the North.
"With a Girl Like You" is featured uncut in a school dance scene from the 1991 Nicole Kidman/Noah Taylor movie Flirting. It also is featured in Shine, The Good Night and The Boat That Rocked. "Wild Thing" is prominent in Jonathan Demme's 1986 film Something Wild. A modified version of "Love Is All Around" was featured in the film Love Actually (2003), performed by actor Bill Nighy. The Troggs was the name of the high school gang in the movie Bang Bang, You're Dead that persuade the main character to join them in attacking their high school. The point-and-click adventure game Hopkins FBI features "I Can't Control Myself" and "Lost Girl". Trogg is the name of one of Bane's three henchmen in Dennis O'Neil's Batman: Knightfall comic arc. The other henchmen are Bird and Zombie, named after two other popular 1960s rock bands: the Byrds and the Zombies.
The Troggs in 1971
The Jimi Hendrix Experience famously covered "Wild Thing" during their appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, introducing it as the British/American joint "national anthem", and climaxing with Hendrix burning his guitar.[2]MC5 covered "I Want You" at their live shows and recorded the song for the album Kick Out the Jams, although they renamed it "I Want You Right Now". In 1990, the first hit for (and first single by) the band Spiritualized was a cover of "Anyway That You Want Me". This cover later was used in the movie Me and You and Everyone We Know. In 1991, "Love Is All Around" was covered by R.E.M. during live performances and was released later that year as a B-side on their "Radio Song" single. They also performed an acoustic version of the song on MTV Unplugged. In 1994, Scottish band Wet Wet Wet's version of "Love Is All Around" spent 15 weeks at number one in the UK after its inclusion in Four Weddings and a Funeral. The authorship royalties enabled Reg Presley's 1990s research and publication on extraterrestrials and other paranormal phenomena. In 2012, Norwegian band Ulver covered the song "66-5-4-3-2-1" for their covers album Childhood's End. "Wild Thing" was covered by an ensemble featuring Queen guitarist Brian May to open the Wildlife Rocks' event at Guildford Cathedral in May 2014.
An in-studio tape of Reg Presley's running commentary on a recording session, filled with in-fighting and swearing (known as The Troggs Tapes), was widely circulated in the music underground, and was included in the Archaeology box set, as well as the compilation album, The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records. The group infighting is believed to be the inspiration for a scene in the comedy film This Is Spinal Tap, where the band members are arguing. Some of this dialogue was sampled by the California punk band the Dwarves on their recording of a cover version of the Troggs song "Strange Movies".
Band members
Founding members are in bold.
The Troggs in 2014
Current members
Chris Allen – lead vocals (2012–present)
Martin Shorrock – drums (2023–present)
Stu Clark – guitar (2024–present)
Dave Peters – bass (2024–present)
Former members
Chris Britton – guitar, backing vocals (1964–1972, 1979–2017)
Reg Presley – lead vocals, ocarina (1964–2012; died 2013)
Ronnie Bond – drums (1964–1988; died 1992)
Pete Staples – bass, backing vocals (1964–1969)
Tony Murray – bass, backing vocals (1969–1977, 1979–1984)
Richard Moore – lead guitar (1972–1979), rhythm guitar (1976–1979)
David Wright – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1972–1974)
Colin Fletcher – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1974–1976)
Pete Lucas – bass, backing vocals (1984–2022; died 2023)
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".
The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was taken from the 1970s animated television series Groovie Goolies, a spinoff of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
"Love Is All Around" is a song recorded by English rock band the Troggs. Released as a single in October 1967, it was a top-ten hit in both the UK and US.
"Wild Thing" is a song written by American songwriter Chip Taylor and popularized by the English rock band the Troggs. It was originally recorded and released by the American rock band the Wild Ones in 1965, but it did not chart. The Troggs' single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart in 1966. Their version of "Wild Thing" was ranked at number 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has also been performed by many other musicians.
Reginald Maurice Ball, known professionally as Reg Presley, was an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer with the 1960s rock and roll band the Troggs, whose hits included "Wild Thing" and "With a Girl Like You". He wrote the song "Love Is All Around", which was featured in the films Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually.
Athens Andover is a collaborative album between the Troggs and what was then three-quarters of R.E.M. Released in March 1992, the name of the album is derived from the hometowns of the two bands: Andover, Hampshire, in England, and Athens, Georgia, in the United States.
"With a Girl Like You" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in July 1966. On the back of the success of "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" topped the charts in the UK, and was similarly a success across Europe, but did not fare as well in the US, only peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Wild Ones were an American rock band from New York City, initially led by singer Jordan Christopher. They are perhaps best known for recording the first version of Chip Taylor's song "Wild Thing", which later was a smash hit for The Troggs.
From Nowhere is the debut album by the English band the Troggs, released in 1966. It was released with an alternative track listing as Wild Thing in the United States.
Trogglodynamite is the second studio album by the English rock band The Troggs, released in 1967. The album was re-released in 2003 with eight bonus tracks by Repertoire Records.
Cellophane is a 1967 studio album by British garage rock band The Troggs.
"My Baby Left Me" is a rhythm and blues song written by blues singer Arthur Crudup.
Instrumental Assassination is a 1966 jazz-rock EP by Manfred Mann, produced by Shel Talmy and released by Fontana Records (TE17483). Mann reported that the group "loved it" and the producer was "particularly pleased": Fontana's Jack Baverstock found it full of ideas, humour and new thinking, but the EP sold poorly and was re-released in its entirety on the 1968 Fontana compilation album What A Mann.
The Wild Angels is an English rock and roll group. The group got their name from the 1966 Roger Corman film The Wild Angels starring Peter Fonda.
Mixed Bag is a 1968 studio album by British garage rock band The Troggs.
"Hi Hi Hazel" is a song first released by soul band Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band as a single in July 1966. A version by rock band the Troggs was released as a single in July 1967, and both were minor hits in the UK.
The 1980 Floor Show was a rock musical spectacle featuring English rock musician David Bowie as the protagonist, held at the Marquee Club in Soho, London, on October 18–20, 1973. It was broadcast in the United States by NBC on November 16, 1973, as part of the series The Midnight Special, and presented the last performance of Bowie as his character Ziggy Stardust.
"Any Way That You Want Me" is a song written by Chip Taylor that was first released in September 1966 by Tina Mason as the B-side to her single "Finders Keepers". It has been covered by a number of artists, with the most successful version being by English rock band the Troggs.
"I Can't Control Myself" is a song by English rock band the Troggs, released as a single in September 1966. It continued their success after "Wild Thing" and "With a Girl Like You", becoming a top-ten hit in a number of countries.
"Lost Girl" is a song by British rock band the Troggs, written by lead singer Reg Presley. Released as the group's debut single in February 1966, backed by "The Yella in Me", it failed to chart in the UK but became a top-ten hit in Sweden in December of that year.
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