Wayne Fontana, Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell and Eric Stewart formed Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders in Manchester, England in 1963, joined a short time later by Graham Foote. The band issued their first single, “Hello Josephine”, on Fontana Records in 1963. The single entered the UK’s Top 50, but their next two singles failed to chart. Things began to turn around for the band when the single “Stop Look and Listen” (1964) entered the Top 40. The next single, “Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um” was their first big hit, climbing to Number 5. Their debut album, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (AKA Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um – It’s Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders) was issued in 1964. Their first single of 1965, “Game of Love”, was a massive international success. It reached Number 1 in the U.S and Number 2 in the UK. In the U.S., their label rush-released the album The Game of Love, which featured the title track and songs previously released in the U.K. The band’s next two singles – “It’s Just a Little Bit Too Late” and “She Needs Love” – didn’t sell as well as “Game of Love” and after the album Eric, Rick, Wayne, and Bob – It’s Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders was released in 1965, Fontana famously walked out of the band in the middle of a concert. Eric Stewart took on the role of frontman as the band continued as The Mindbenders, scoring a huge hit with “A Groovy Kind of Love”. Wayne Fontana died of cancer on August 6, 2020 at the age of 74.
