The group was formed in 1961 as The Mavericks. This name was deemed to sound too much like a country band and, after a short period as The Pacifics, they settled on "The Merseybeats" in early '62.

They had an effective stage presence, sporting frilly shirts, bolero jackets, and a mass of rings on their fingers, and provoked an enthusiastic response from their female fans.

Signed to Fontana in '63, their debut 45 was a cover of The Shirelles' romantic ballad "It's Love That Really Counts", it didn't climb very far up the charts, but it sold 100,000 copies over a period of time. The follow-up, in a similar vein, was a Peter Lee Stirling composition "I Think Of You", this time they made the top five.

At the height of their success Billy Kinsley walked out, his place being taken by Johnny Gustavson from The Big Three. For the next two years they continued to make interesting singles, most of which sold reasonably well before the group, effectively, broke-up.

In 1966, Crane and Kinsley reunited as a duo, shortening their name to The Merseys, and scoring a major hit with "Sorrow". Backed by The Fruit Eating Bears, they carried on making records until splitting in '68.