The Troggs are a rock band that originated in the 1960's in a small town called Andover in Hampshire, England, west of Basingstoke. Today, Andover has a population of about 40,000 people.

The group formed as The Troglodytes in 1964. The original group members were singer and guitarist Dave Wright, bass player Reg Ball, drummer Ronnie Bullis (Bond) and guitarist Howard Mansfield. Both Mansfield and Wright left the newly formed band however and they were replaced by Pete Staples and Chris Britton. Reg Ball moved from bass to lead vocals and changed his last name to Presley.

The Kinks' manager Larry Page signed them to Page One Records in 1966 and it was at this time that their name was shortened to The Troggs on Page's recommendation. The Troggs, when they were signed in 1966, was comprised of: Reg Presley, Chris Britton, Pete Stapleton, and Ronnie Bond.

Reg Presley - vocals (born Reginald Ball, June 12th 1943, Andover)
Chris Britton - guitar (born June 21st 1945, Watford)
Pete Staples - bass guitar (born May 3rd 1944, Andover)
Ronnie Bond - drums (born Ronald Bullis, May 4th 1943, Andover, died November 13th 1992)

The original band split in 1969 with individual members making solo albums. Since then the Troggs have reformed from time to time and enjoy a kind of cult status. The Troggs tour throughout Europe to the current day and their appearances attract thousands of fans of all ages. The band is currently fronted by Reg Presley, with Chris Britton on lead guitar. Newer members of the band are bassist Pete Lucas, and Dave Maggs on drums.

Arguably, the best-known song covered by The Troggs is "Wild Thing". "Wild Thing" became a huge hit in England and performed even better in the US, where it topped the charts at #1 in September, 1966.

The 1967 top-ten hit single written by Reg Presley "Love is All Around" was covered by "Wet Wet Wet" for the film "Four Weddings and A Funeral", making it a great success again in the 1990's.

The Troggs are also notoriously well-known for a bootleg tape of them swearing at each other during a recording session. At the time, they had no producer and vented their frustration on each other in a very (shall we say) colorful fashion. This recording is said to have inspired a scene in the film "This is Spinal Tap".

The Troggs possess a raw energy that still draws fans to their music, and many of their ballad-style songs have a softer edge that is more sophisticated than The Troggs are generally given credit for. You can check out what CD's are available on the CD page of this site.

Picture above: Saturday market in the High Street, Andover, Hampshire, England by Frank Riddle of Hampshire Cam (http://www.hampshirecam.co.uk/)