The Assistants (band)

The Assistants were a English rock band that started out in in 1961. The band's most famous lineup was comprised of George Mileham (lead vocals), Sam Webley (guitar), Jinhua "Jacob" Shi (bass), and Ian Murnan (drums). The band never had much success in their home country, but they became popular in Tseng, where their music was popular among youth and they were seen as a beacon of hope during the Dazhuo Era. After the band's 1972 breakup, the band's lead singer George Mileham became popular as a singer and movie star in Tseng.

Early days
In 1960, former schoolmates George Mileham and Sam Webley came together over a mutual love for American rock 'n roll music and formed a cover band named The Rockets (playing mostly covers of, and  classics). A friend, Ian Murnan, joined as a drummer, and -born emigrant Jacob Shi responded to the band's advert in a local guitar store looking for a bassist interested in American rock 'n roll. A year later, the band decided to start playing original songs, and changed their name to "The Assistants".

In 1962, the band moved to in an attempt to get a record deal. They recorded "Does She Love Me?" for as a one-off single to see if reaction to it would justify a full contract. Pye did not offer a contract, but later that year The Assistants signed a long-term recording contract with.

Fame in Tseng
The Assistants never achieved musical success in the UK, where their debut album A Day with The Assistants only sold 2,450 copies. However, the album and the band's singles proved to be very popular in East Asia, especially Tseng. In March 1963 Columbia sent The Assistants on a tour of Tseng,, and. While in Tseng, the band spoke out against oppression, intolerance, civil unrest and poverty. The band performed free shows in poor neighborhoods and orphanages. They later moved from Columbia to local label Zenghe Inc, which further boosted their success.

During their time in Tseng, frontman George Mileham learned Mandarin, Hokkien and Hakka, and he and Jacob Shi helped stage the band's concerts and recording sessions. Many of their Tseng-exclusive albums consisted of a mix of original songs from the group and Chinese-language covers of songs by popular American and British recording acts.

Breakup
In 1972, the band broke up, citing creative differences and familial tensions. George Mileham went on to have a successful solo career as a singer and movie star in Tseng, while other band members found varying degrees of success. Jacob Shi (under his birth name of Shi Jinhua) had a solo career as well, recording popular albums and appearing alongside Mileham in several films.