[1] From 1962 he changed the group's name to The Mike Cotton Sound, and their musical direction to a more pop-based style,[1] achieving a UK chart hit single "Swing That Hammer" that year.
[3] Member Dave Rowberry left the band in 1965 to join The Animals,[4] and among those who auditioned to take his place were Elton John and Joe Cocker.
[3] Ultimately the position went to Steve Gray who went on to play in The Eric Delaney Band and Sky.
In 1966 Cotton changed the band's style again to a more soul-based sound and brought in a second vocalist, a former American airman named Bruce McPherson Lucas, known by his surname.
[1] The band backed a number of artists in live and studio work at various times during the 1960s, including Sugar Pie DeSanto, Gene Pitney, Stevie Wonder, Doris Troy, The Four Tops and Solomon Burke.