Sometimes you just have to build a band centered around your chauffeur.

Pete Townshend’s chauffeur went by the name of John “Speedy” Keen and The Who recorded one of his songs for their 1967 album The Who Sell Out. Some of his other songs were pretty good, too, but of course The Who already had a fairly decent and prolific songwriter in the fold. So Pete decided to take Keen into the studio and produce a couple of tracks for him. As it happened, Townshend knew two other promising musicians and he planned to work on projects with them, as well, but his manager suggested it might save time and energy to combine all these fellas into one uber-project to rule them all.

As a result, singer/guitarist/drummer John “Speedy” Keen, Dixieland jazz pianist Andy “Thunderclap” Newman, and 15-year-old Scottish lead guitarist Jimmy McCullough all met each other for the first time when they arrived at Townshend’s home studio in early 1969 to record one of Keen’s songs, “Something In The Air.”

Originally titled “Revolution,” the song’s subject matter wasn’t just theoretical to the young people of the 1960s, many of whom fully embraced the concept and marched in the streets to fight the power. But even those averse to overthrowing governmental status quo were enacting private revolutions with their dress, their music, their spirituality, their choice of mind-altering substances, and their very open acceptance of new ideas. Walking down the school hall or up against the wall, everyone shared in the changes.

Released as a single in the spring of 1969, “Something In The Air” speedily ascended to the lofty heights of the UK charts, reaching #1 in only a few short weeks and taking everyone by surprise. After all, the temporary conglomerate known as Thunderclap Newman barely knew one another and two of them were basically hired guns for the single. With this much success, however, the pressure mounted to become a real band — which they did, adding a couple of members, playing a few live gigs, and recording a full-length album — but unfortunately not everyone liked everyone else, either personally or musically, and the project dissolved.

For a brief time in 1969, something was in the air, on the pop charts and in the people’s hearts.

So get it together — you know that it’s right …. with Thunderclap Newman.