Tony Rivers and The Castaways After working at
Butlins' Holiday Camp in
Clacton, he joined a group called 'The Cutaways' and they became 'Tony Rivers and the Castaways'. The band were supporting acts for the likes of
The Beatles and
The Rolling Stones. They
recorded six
singles for
EMI and
Columbia Records between 1963 and 1966, but the only
hit the band had was with their cover of
the Beach Boys' "
God Only Knows", which made number 46 in the
Melody Maker charts in August 1966; Columbia had been under the impression that the original would not be released as a single. According to Rivers, he had befriended the Beach Boys when they visited the UK in 1964, and was inspired to cover "God Only Knows" after the band played him their
Pet Sounds album. Rivers left to go solo in July/August 1970, and was replaced by Joe Williams, however by the end of the year Harmony Grass had disbanded.
Session work He started to do
session work and performed many
cover versions on the
Top of the Pops records. He recalled performing the vocals of
Alvin Stardust,
Donny Osmond,
Johnny Rotten, and at one point having to replicate the vocal harmonies of "
Bohemian Rhapsody" by
Queen. He was the voice of
West Ham United F.C. for their hit version of "
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and the voice leading the
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? theme song. Rivers sang backing vocals for
Elton John when John performed at
Live Aid in 1985. == Personal life and death ==