#22: Resurrection Shuffle by Ashton, Gardner & Dyke

City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: August 1971
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #11
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #40
YouTube: “Resurrection Shuffle”
Lyrics: “Resurrection Shuffle”

Ashton, Gardner & Dyke were a British rock trio. Anthony “Tony” Ashton was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, in 1946. At the age of 13, in 1959, he joined a local group, the College Boys, on rhythm guitar and piano. When Ashton left school at the age of 15 he was already an accomplished pianist. By 1961 he fronted the Tony Ashton Trio at the Picador Club in Blackpool. He was asked to join The Remo Four, managed by Brian Epstein (who also managed the Beatles). Among the quartet was drummer Roy Dyke (born in 1945 in Liverpool). The Remo Four were voted No. 3 Group in a 1961 Mersey Beat poll. While the Beatles travelled back and forth to Hamburg, the Remo Four began playing U.S. Air Force bases in France, building their stage and musical experience. Johnny Sandon joined the band as vocalist in 1962, and stayed for two years. Ashton and Dyke replaced others in the line-up in 1963. The Remo Four (including Tony Ashton and Roy Dyke) were an opening act for The Beatles on a fall 1964 tour in the UK, along with Mary Wells. The Remo Four released a debut album in 1966 titled Smile! 

In 1968, The Remo Four backed George Harrison on his debut album Wonderwall Music. The following year, Ashton and Dyke met Kim Gardner (born in 1948 in London). He was in several bands including the Thunderbirds (later The Birds), The Creation – whose 1966 single “Making Time” made the Top 40 in the UK.

Ashton, Gardner & Dyke released a single in 1969 titled “Maiden Voyage”. This was accompanied by a self-titled album release. A followup release in 1970 was “Mr. Freako”. However, they failed to crack the Too 100 in either the UK or the USA.

The trio released “Resurrection Shuffle” in 1971.

Tony Ashton wrote “Resurrection Shuffle” The lyrics invite people to “twist” into the middle of the floor. “The Twist” was a song recorded in 1958 by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters, which became a number-one hit for Chubby Checker in both 1960 and 1962. While the “Resurrection Shuffle” evokes a decade-old dance, it next invites the guys to “throw a kiss to the woman next door.” Then dancers are invited to “make a peace sign and throw back your hair.” Moreover, “think about nothing” and “advocate love.” Meanwhile, on the physical level, “put your hand on your hip, let your backbone slip.” All in all, it was a song to remind listeners and dancers that “all God’s children got soul.”

Aston, Gardner and Dyke went on tour with Deep Purple and shortly after the single was released.

“Resurrection Shuffle” peaked at #1 in Hamilton (ON), Waterloo (IA), and Santa Rosa (CA), #2 in San Jose (CA), Cedar Rapids (IA), and Louisville (KY), #3 in Salt Lake City, Chilliwack (BC), Seattle, and Cincinnati (OH), #4 in Atlanta, Toronto, and Olympia (WA), #5 in San Francisco, Oshkosh (WI), and Chicago, #6 in Eugene (OR), Salem (OR), Sioux Falls (SD), and Boise (ID), #7 in Marietta (GA), #8 in Spokane (WA), and Cleveland, #9 in Vancouver (WA), and Saskatoon (SK), #10 in Providence (RI), New Haven (CT), Winnipeg (MB), and Denver, and #11 in Vancouver (BC).

Internationally, “Resurrection Shuffle” topped the pop chart in Malaysia, reached #3 in the UK, #6 in Ireland, #13 in Australia, while climbing into the Top 30 in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and West Germany. In the USA the disc stalled at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1971, Tom Jones covered “Resurrection Shuffle” and charted it to #16 in Belgium, and the Top 40 in Canada and the USA.

Several single releases followed, “Can You Get It?”, “Rolling Home” and “Still Got A Long Way To Go”. But they failed to get much attention. As a result, Ashton, Gardner & Dyke are known as ‘one-hit wonders.’ The trio released What A Bloody Long Day It’s Been in 1972. However, they fell off the radar after their brief time in the spotlight. The trio disbanded in 1973.

Ashton briefly joined the UK band Family, who had enjoyed popularity with a Top 5 hit in 1971 titled “In My Own Time”. He also played as a session musician for Jerry Lee Lewis, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and others. In the 1980s he co-hosted a UK variety show with Rick Wakeman named GasTank. In the 1990s, Tony Ashton developed his talents as an artist and painter. He became ill with cancer in 2000 and died at the age of 55 the following year.

Kim Gardner moved to Los Angeles in 1974 and spent the rest of the 1970s as both a touring musician and session musician. During this time he played on twenty-seven albums for such artists as Bo Diddley and Eric Clapton. He was also with a band called Badger. He toured with several bands including Pacific Gag & Electric. In 1982 Gardner opened a pub in Hollywood named The Cat & The Fiddle. As well, Gardner painted and displayed his lithographs at his pub. He died of cancer at the age of 53 in October 2001, five months after Tony Ashton passed.

Roy Dyke also joined Family in 1973, and was with Badger, along with Gardner. He was with Pat Travers band in the mid-1970s. By the late 70s he was part of the trio Bauer, Garn & Dyke. In the early 80s he moved to Hamburg, Germany. He works with Boogie House in Germany.

November 7, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
“The Beatles live: Empire Theatre, Liverpool, November 8, 1964,” The Beatles Bible.
Alan Clayson, “Tony Ashton: Obituary,” Guardian, July 19, 2001.
Dennis McLellan, “Kim Gardner, 53; British Pub Owner, Former Musician,” Los Angeles Times, October 31, 2001.