The Tams were a group of five black singers from Atlanta, Georgia, who came together in 1960. They chose the group’s name as a reference to the Tam O’Shanter hats that they wore on stage. The founding members were Joseph Pope, Robert Lee Smith, Horace Key, Charles Pope and Floyd Ashton. They had their first hit in 1962, when they recorded a Joe South song called “Untie Me”, but 1964 saw them reach the number one spot on the Billboard and Cash Box R&B charts. The song, “What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am)”, released on ABC-Paramount, also reached number nine on the Pop chart. They recorded the single at the FAME studios with Rick Hall and the FAME session band, Norbert Putnam (bass), David Briggs (piano), Jerry Carrigan (drums), Terry Thompson and Earl “Peanut” Montgomery (guitars), with Jill Shires on flute.
The song was written by Ray Whitley, who wrote many of the Tams’ songs, including their next big hit “Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me”. This single was released in 1964, charting at number forty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and number ten on the Billboard Best-Selling Soul Singles chart. In 1971 the re-issued song went to number one on the UK Official Pop Singles Chart on 18th September (three weeks) and also on the Irish Singles Chart on 30th September (one week), becoming extremely popular on the Northern Soul circuit in England. The Tams appeared on the BBC TV show Top of the Pops eight times in 1971!
Header Image: The Tams Greatest Hits album
