ArtistInfo

The Factotums

GB, Greater Manchester
Rock and Pop
A.k.a. Barley Bree (2)

The Factotums were formed from two groups who were all pupils at Audenshaw Grammar School, Tameside, Greater Manchester, England and the members were Nidge Thomas, Jeff Lees, Ian Thornton and Steve Knowles. Merseybeat may have put Liverpool on the map in the 1960s, but Manchester bands like The Hollies and Herman’s Hermits sold millions of records in the same era. In April 1965 alone, three Mancunian acts took it in turns to top the charts in the USA, while another held the top spot in the UK. Though they never ‘made it big’ in the traditional sense, another Manchester band of the time, The Factotums, were signed by The Rolling Stones’ manager, supported The Kinks, played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Jones, Pink Floyd and Cream, and toured Sweden with Manfred Mann. The group disbanded in 1969

Genres

• Rock
• Pop