Five Man Electrical Band

Canadian band best known for their 1971 anti-establishment hit "Signs". Featured guitarist/vocalist Les Emmerson, bassist Brian Rading, keyboardist Ted Gerow, and drummers Rick Belanger and Mike Belanger. After moving to Los Angeles is when on the advice of Brian Rading changed name from The Staccatos to Five Man Electrical Band. Originally known as The Staccatos formed in Ottawa, Canada the group formed in the mid-'60s and earned their first big break with the 1967 hit "Half Past Midnight"; their first attempt at stateside success came that year when they recorded A Wild Pair with the Guess Who. The album sold well and "Half Past Midnight" was released as a single in the U.S., but the group was dismissed as sounding too much like the Beach Boys. The Staccatos released their second album, Five Man Electrical Band, in 1968, and renamed themselves after it the following year.