Formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, pop vocal group the Les Humphries Singers was founded by British musician Les Humphries (born John Leslie Humphreys on August 10, 1940, in Croydon, England). Already a member of several groups in his homeland, he was inspired by the Edwin Hawkins Singers and moved to Hamburg to form his own vocal group. The singers in the group were of various ethnic origins and many of them were involved with other popular musical projects including Liz Mitchell (Boney M), John Lawton (Lucifer’s Friend/Uriah Heep), Linda Thompson (Silver Convention), and others. The group’s sound blended pop, gospel, R&B, and disco, and they achieved chart success in Germany and other European countries. They released Rock My Soul, their debut album, in 1970 and followed that up with a string of hit albums including Mexico (1972), Carnival (1973), Mama Loo (1973), and many more. Their biggest hit singles included “We Are Going Down Jordan” (1971), “Mexico” (1972), “Mama Loo” (1973), and “Kansas City” (1974). By 1980, their hits had dwindled and the Les Humphries Singers split up. There were brief reunions in the early ‘90s and ‘00s, but no further recordings from the group. Les Humphries moved back to England after the group’s break up and died from a heart attack on December 26, 2007.
