Peter Staples was bassist for the Troggs, the British Invasion band who originated the often-covered "caveman" rock classic "Wild Thing."
Staples was born May 3, 1944, in
Andover, England. The band, also including singer Reg Presley, guitarist Chris Britton and drummer Ronnie Bond formed in Hampshire in 1965. They named themselves from the word "troglodyte."
The Troggs, who sounded like an early incarnation of power pop bands that flourished in succeeding decades, topped the Billboard Hot 100 with their first single, the Chip Taylor-written "Wild Thing" (RealAudio excerpt), in 1966. They also scored that year with "With a Girl Like You" (RealAudio excerpt) and "I Can't Control Myself."
In 1968, the group enjoyed a top-10 hit with "Love Is All Around," which was covered by Wet Wet Wet in the '90s. The Troggs disbanded a few years later. Future versions of the Troggs didn't include Staples.
The Troggs influenced bands such as R.E.M., who collaborated with them on Athens Andover (1992), as well as the MC5 and the Ramones.
Other birthdays Wednesday: Frankie Valli, 63.
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