Reg Presley
As frontman of The Troggs, he growled the immortal garage-rock anthem 'Wild Thing' and later penned the enduring love song 'Love Is All Around.'
1941–2013 (age 72)·British singer·Birthday: June 12·The Silent Generation
Biography
Reg Presley, born Reginald Ball, was the unlikely leather-clad heart of The Troggs, a band from Andover that distilled rock and roll to its primal essence. With Presley's raw, unpolished vocal and the band's simple, driving chords, 'Wild Thing' became a 1966 global smash, an anthem of teenage desire that felt both dangerous and playful. The Troggs rode the British Invasion wave, but Presley proved his songwriting had a softer side years later with 'Love Is All Around,' a sweet, chugging ballad that became the band's other signature hit. His later life took a curious turn into ufology and alternative science, but his musical legacy remains cemented by two songs that couldn't be more different, yet both achieved timeless status.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Reg was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Reg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Reg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2013Died at 72
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- As lead singer of The Troggs, recorded the international #1 hit 'Wild Thing' in 1966.
- Wrote the Troggs hit 'Love Is All Around,' which became a global smash again in 1994 via Wet Wet Wet.
- Co-wrote many of The Troggs' songs, including 'With a Girl Like You.'
- Helped define the garage rock sound that influenced countless punk and alternative bands.
Did You Know?
He changed his surname to Presley as a tribute to Elvis.
He used royalties from 'Love Is All Around' to fund personal research into crop circles and ancient civilizations.
The Troggs' infamous 'Troggs Tapes,' a recording of the band arguing in the studio, became a cult classic among musicians.
His song 'Love Is All Around' spent 15 weeks at #1 in the UK in 1994.
“Wild Thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy.”
