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Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs

| image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| background = group_or_band

| alias =

| origin = England

| genre = Pop, novelty

| years_active = 1972–1977

| label = UK Records, Sonet

| associated_acts =

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs were an English novelty band that issued a few recordings in the early 1970s. The band was an alias adopted by Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts but signed to a different record label.{{cite book|first=Colin |last=Larkin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of The Blues|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QeaHodj5fwC&pg=PR62|date=2013|isbn=9781448132744 |work=Ebury Publishing|publisher=Random House |via=Google Books}}

Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs was created to promote the hit single "Seaside Shuffle". The name was not a reference to any particular band member, but was a pun on the name of the Jurassic flying reptile pterodactyl. Notable band members were Jona Lewie (composer/vocals/accordion) and Keef Trouble (percussion).

Recordings

Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs released three singles in 1972 and 1973: "Seaside Shuffle" (1972), "On a Saturday Night" and "She Left; I Died" (both 1973). "Seaside Shuffle and its B-side "Ball and Chain" were both written by John Lewis (aka Jona Lewie).

In 1972, the band released "Seaside Shuffle" with the marketing and distribution aid of Jonathan King's UK Records label. The song reached number two in the UK Singles Chart.{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 133}} "On a Saturday Night" did not achieve the same popularity, just making the Top 50. The final single, "She Left; I Died" did not chart. The band did not have another top 10 chart single, consigning it to perennial one-hit wonder status. Subsequently, band members returned to performing as Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts, except for Jona Lewie, who pursued a solo career.{{cite book|first=Colin |last=Larkin |title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7HMkAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA613|date=1992|isbn=9781448132744 |work=New England Pub. Associates|publisher=Guinness Pub. |via=Google Books}}

In 1977 the single "Come Away" was released by 'Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs with Jona Lewie'.{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/son2115 |title=Terry Dactyl And The Dinosaurs With Jona Lewie - Come Away (Bate O Pe) / Cherry Ring - Sonet - UK - SON 2115 |publisher=45cat |date=17 July 2012 |accessdate=7 January 2014}}

Single discography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title

! rowspan="2" style="width:7em;"| Label

! colspan="5"| Peak positions

! rowspan="2"|Album

style="font-size:smaller;"

! style="width:4em;"| UK
{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14635/terry-dactyl-and-the-dinosaurs/ |title=Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs |work=The Official Charts Company }}

! style="width:4em;"| AUS
{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=80}}

! style="width:4em;"| GER
{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-313760 |title=On A Saturday Night |work=Offizielle Deutsche Charts }}{{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-158152 |title=Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs: Seaside Shuffle |work=Offizielle Deutsche Charts }}

! style="width:4em;"| IRE
{{cite web |url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=artist&placement=Terry+Dactyl+and+the+Dinosaurs |title=The Irish Charts }}

! style="width:4em;"| NLD
{{cite web |url=https://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=terry%20dactyl&cat=s |title=Terry Dactyl |work=Dutchcharts.nl }}

1972

! scope="row"| "Seaside Shuffle"
b/w "Ball and Chain"

| rowspan="3"|UK Records

| 2

| 20

| 22

| 13

| 15

|Alias Terry Dactyl -
Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eygEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=From the Music Capital of the World|magazine=Billboard |date=12 August 1972 |page=52}}

rowspan="2"| 1973

! scope="row"| On a Saturday Night"
b/w "Going Round the World"

| 45

| —

| 45

| —

| —

|

scope="row"| "She Left I Died"
b/w "Too Self Centred"

| —

| —

| —

| —

| —

|

1977

! scope="row"| "Come Away" (with Jona Lewie)
b/w "Cherry Ring"

| Sonet Records

| —

| —

| —

| —

| 26

|

colspan="12" style="font-size:90%;" | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or not released in the territory

References

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Category:British novelty song performers

Category:English pop music groups