Биография

A US instrumental unit formed in the early 60s in the Los Angeles, California area, the original Routers were not the same musicians that eventually secured the band’s only hit in 1962 with ‘Let’s Go (Pony)’. The original band comprised musicians Mike Gordon, Al Kait, Bill Moody, Lynn Frazier and a fifth musician (unknown). Signed to Warner Brothers Records, the quintet was assigned to producer Joe Saraceno, who then proceeded to use studio musicians and not the actual band on the recording of ‘Let’s Go (Pony)’. The single reached the US charts at number 19 and Let’s Go! With The Routers, was released, but it too was apparently recorded by session musicians such as Hal Blaine and Plas Johnson. Warner Brothers continued to issue singles under the name Routers, one of which, ‘Sting Ray’, reached the charts in 1963. There were three other Warner albums, followed by later Routers singles on RCA Records and Mercury Records (which also released an album) as late as 1973, after which the name was apparently shelved and the remaining members disbanded. Probably unknown to the band and the composers of the song ‘Let’s Go’ was that this chorus was adopted by UK football fans in the mid-60s. The handclapping is followed by the chant of the ‘let’s go’ lyric, which is replaced by the name of the team in question. Football historians have deemed that West Ham supporters were the first to use it, later imitated by other London clubs. It is now a universal chant. If the composers were entitled to a performing royalty they would be billionaires many times over.