The Equals

The Equals, a British rock band, formed in 1965 with members Eddy Grant on lead guitar, John Hall on drums, Dervan "Derv" Gordon on vocals, Patrick "Pat" Lloyd on rhythm guitar, and Lincoln Gordon on bass. The group originated from a council estate in Hornsey Rise, London, where Eddy Grant, Pat Lloyd, and John Hall were school friends at Acland Burghley. Their initial performances in London gained them a following for their energetic style mixing pop, blues, R&B, ska, and bluebeat. In 1966, they released their first single "I Won’t Be There" with "Hold Me Closer" coming up next, featuring "Baby, Come Back" as the B-side. Although it did not initially succeed in the UK, "Baby, Come Back" became a number one hit in Germany and the Netherlands. In 1968, they achieved their breakthrough in the UK with the re-release of "Baby, Come Back", which reached number one and sold over a million copies by June 1969. The band released several albums, including Unequalled Equals (1967) and Explosion (1968), both charting in the UK. Notable hits include "I Get So Excited" (1968), "Viva Bobby Joe" (1969), and "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys" (1970). The Equals disbanded in 1979 following a series of lineup changes and health issues affecting Eddy Grant. They reformed in 1982 with a modified lineup, continuing to produce music and perform until the present day, releasing their first new single in decades, "Nobody's Got Time", in 2022. A re-recorded version of "Baby, Come Back" arrived in 2024, along with "Black Is Black" as a single.