[1] The Undertakers were originally called Bob Evans and the Five Shillings, with Nugent; lead guitarist Ike X (replaced by Pete Cook (ex the Topspots); drummer Bob Evans (died March 2009) (ex the Renegades); bassist Billy Evans; tenor saxophone player Les Maguire (born Leslie Charles Maguire, 27 December 1941, in Wallasey, Cheshire) and rhythm guitarist, vocalist Mike Millward (born Michael Millward, 9 May 1942, Bromborough, Cheshire - died 7 March 1966, at Bromborough Hospital, Bromborough), who was later in the Fourmost.
Then they became the Vegas Five formed in 1959, a group led by drummer Bob Evans with Geoff Nugent, died 12 October 2014; Chris Huston (ex the Casuals); lead vocalist Jimmy McManus (ex the Topspots); bassist Mushy Cooper (born David Cooper died in 1998) (ex the Topspots) and Les Maguire, who was later in Gerry and the Pacemakers, replaced by alto / tenor sax player, vocalist Brian (Sax) Jones (ex the Rebels) (born 27 November 1940 in Wallasey, Cheshire).
When the Vegas Five were booked to play a dance, they discovered that the local newspaper had inadvertently transposed their name with the word "Undertakers" from the adjacent column.
[1] This was due to the quality of Lomax's singing, the customisation of the band's instruments and amplification by Huston, and the fact that, unlike most Merseybeat groups, they were boosted by a saxophone, which enabled them to play a wider range of R&B songs including more obscure material.
The Undertakers split up after a tour of the United States in 1965, with Lomax, Huston and Pemberton all remaining in that country and developing their own careers in the music industry.