When US Marine Corps Walter Vickers and Rodney Taylor joined musical forces in Okinawa, Japan, they had no idea of the vibrations they would send around the globe. After the guitarist and drummer transferred back to Camp Lejeuene in North Carolina they fleshed out the band with Billy Hill and Rudolph Johnson, the jigsaw’s missing piece arriving with the sassy pipes of Anita Humes. Masters of the two-minute pop ditty, they were convinced that A-side ‘Are You Going My Way’ – a simple pledge of future happiness – would send them into the charts. While they got that wrong, any disappointment swiftly dissipated as radio DJs gravitated towards its B-side ‘Easier Said Than Done’ – a song they had difficulty realising in the studio. Written by marine pal William Linton, with a rhythm inspired by the teletype machine in their base’s communications room, its easy charm and brassy backing vocals took it to top of the R&B chart and the Billboard Hot 100. The Essex did it again, scoring another enduring hit with ‘A Walkin’ Miracle’, but increasingly struggled to balance the rigours of the promotional treadmill with active service, splitting in 1966.