Apollo 100

Apollo 100 was a short-lived British instrumental studio-based group that had a hit with the Johann Sebastian Bach-inspired single "Joy" in 1972.

Contents

• Apollo 100 joy bach s jesu joy of man s desiring
• Apollo 100 joy performed by arturo pozo
• Discography
• Songs
• References

The recording of "Joy" as performed by Apollo 100 is a nearly note-for-note remake of the arrangement of Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (but with modern pop music flourishes like percussion, electric guitar and bass) recorded by the British band Jigsaw on their 1970 debut album Letherslade Farm.

Tom Parker was an accomplished arranger responsible for most of the successful arrangements from the Young Blood catalogue, such as the Top 20 American hit "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" and a number of Don Fardon's recordings. Parker is a multi-instrumentalist, having played keyboards, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and a number of other instruments from an early age. His first performances were in and around Newcastle upon Tyne, where he performed in a number of jazz clubs. Following this he was associated with a number of groups, including The Mark Leeman 5, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, and Eric Burdon with the New Animals. He put together the band in 1972, with drummer Clem Cattini, guitarist Vic Flick, guitarist Zed Jenkins, percussionist Jim Lawless, and bassist Brian Odgers. Their first single, "Joy", based on Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring", rose to number 6 on the pop singles chart in the US. None of their subsequent efforts were as successful, and they broke up in 1973.

The US release of "Joy" was handled by the Memphis-based independent label Mega Records, who released it there as a 7" single in November 1971.

"Joy" has subsequently been featured in the soundtracks of the films Boogie Nights, One Day in September, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin and in 2014 and 2015 it was featured in radio and television commercials for Miller Lite beer, as well as Hewlett Packard Enterprise's 2015 TV commercials.