The Idle Race was a British rock band from Birmingham formed in 1959 as Billy King and the Nightriders. Following the departure of vocalist Billy King in 1962, Mike Sheridan joined, and the group signed with EMI in 1964 as Mike Sheridan and the Nightriders. After guitarist Roy Wood left to join the Move, Johnny Mann briefly took his place before also departing, and guitarist Jeff Lynne joined the group, which then shortened its name to the Nightriders. Renamed the Idle Race in 1967, the band secured a deal with Liberty Records. Its scheduled debut single, "Here We Go 'Round the Lemon Tree", was pulled in the UK due to conflicts with the Move's version, though it was issued in the US. The group released the albums The Birthday Party (1968) and Idle Race (1969). Although Lynne left to join the Move in January 1970, the band did not disband immediately, recruiting guitarist Mike Hopkins and singer Dave Walker to release Time Is (1971) before finally dissolving in 1972. Original bassist Greg Masters died in 2025.
