10 years ago Rhino released two fine 24-track CD compilations, Come to the Sunshine and Hallucinations, both subtitled “Nuggets from the WEA Vaults.” These compilations made thematic sense and included a lot of unfamiliar music. The sound was consistent as most of the songs came from the Warner Bros./Reprise labels, with a smattering from labels like Cotillion, Atco and Valiant.
Unfortunately, there’s no unifying theme to this compilation. “Farmer John” follows “Black Roses”, and is followed by the Association. Most selections are singles, but then there are album cuts by the Fugs and Iron Butterfly. A few UK singles are mixed in, for no particular reason other than that they were released on Atco or Elektra. There are even a couple Flamin’ Groovies cuts from 1976, originally released on Sire!
Nor is there anything approaching ‘rare’ on this set. The only song that hasn’t already been reissued on CD is the Waphphle’s “I Want You”, which is hardly essential. There are no previously unreleased tracks. 13 tracks appeared on Rhino’s earlier CD set, Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965-1968 including the most inspired choices of obscure songs, such as “The Rebel Kind” by Dino, Desi & Billy, and “Come Alive” by the Things to Come.
A third of the selections come from the Warner Bros./Reprise labels, including oft-reissued fare by the Electric Prunes, the Music Machine and the Premiers. This set would have benefited from songs like the Magic Mushroom’s “I’m Gone”, the New Order’s “Why Can’t I” & “Meet Your Match”, and the Gates of Eden “Elegy”, all originally released on Warner Bros and never officially reissued.
Other than three songs from Love, Elektra is only represented by Leviathan’s “Remember the Times”, Clear Light and the Waphphle (the undeserving “I Want You” instead of the better “Goin’ Down”).
Atlantic/Atco provides the Vagrants (three songs), The Common Cold, Rose Garden, Iron Butterfly, and a couple UK artists: Vamp (“Floatin'”) and Sharon Tandy. The rest of the tracks are from other labels controlled by Warner Music Group, such as Dunwich, Mustang, Roulette, Mira, Original Sound, Autumn, many of which are good selections.
The sound quality is generally good but suffers on certain tracks, such as the Shadows of Knight’s “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” which is brittle and lacking in bass. The clipping was obvious when I opened the file up in an audio editor.
Other than a few nice Record Store Day 7″s, the Rhino Custom imprint seems to specialize in unexciting rehash of old music. The six page booklet has short bios on the three primary labels and ten of the bands. It’s a cheap package, but at 15 tracks per CD, it’s not even a bargain.
Frank Milone sent the photos and history of this North Miami band who unfortunately never recorded.
Frank Milone – lead guitar Butch Cappolino – drums Jim O’Connell – bass Bob Wolfkill – rhythm
The 4-Dimensions were started 1963 in Miami Shores, Florida by three friends, Frank Milone, Butch Cappolino, and Jim O’Connell. Frank had been playing the guitar for several years, Butch had taken drum lessons and Jim volunteered to play bass.
They went through several lead guitar players when they met an older musician Buck Campbell. He trained Frank to play lead, Butch to play drums and Jim some bass. Once he had the band going with a list of top ten songs Buck moved on. The band auditioned several rhythm guitar players and found Bob Wolfkill who matched the temperament of the other three and fit right in.
The band started playing at many of the local schools and community clubs. Their first real big break came when they got a gig with local disk jockey Charlie Murdock. The band played every Friday night at the Cutler Ridge Mall south of Miami and eventually became the house band. They began playing all over the town and especially on Miami Beach. During the summer of 1964 they played in a small club call the Coffee House in Coral Gables where they played rock and roll music six nights a week.
Near the end of 1964 they became one of the regular bands at the North Miami Armory on Sunday nights and at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday nights. These were the top dance locations for teenagers on the weekends.
At the end of the summer of 1965 Bob left for college and the band disbanded. The band had a reunion in 1999 and jammed for the last time.
Frank is now currently playing in two separate bands.
Butch use to jam with Frank every once in a while and still had his original set of drums when he passed in 2008 at age 60.
Jim still has his original Gibson SG bass but does not play.
Bob sold his guitar to go to school when he left the band. All agreed it was the best time of their lives.
Clockwise from left: Bob Wolfkill, Jim O’Connell, Frank Milone and Butch Cappolino
Kevin Longendyke sent me the transfers and scans of this demo acetate by the Cisum V. I have no info on the band, other than it was recorded at Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios at 149 North Franklin Street in Hempstead, NY, on Long Island. Both sides are moody winners, though “I’m So Glad” may have the edge on “You Told Me”.
Mike Markesich suggests this is the same group that recorded the single “Medal of Honor” / Mrs. Orange” on Epic 5-10362, both songs by David Brightman and Phil Galdston for Brigand Music ASCAP. The label credits Stu Krane with production.
However that 45 features keyboards, unlike this demo, besides being a much more sophisticated production.
The Epic group Cisum (‘music’ spelled backwards) were Phil Galdston (keyboards, vocals), Dave Brightman (lead guitar, vocals), Rich Bronsky (rhythm guitar, vocals), Gary Mandel (bass, vocals) and John Glowa (drums, percussion).
Engineer & producer Jim Reeves has a website dedicated to his work at Studio 3 on East 57th Street and at CBS Columbia studios on East 52nd Street, including some (very small) photos of the band, about a third of the way down the page. On another page he writes that Cisum recorded an entire LP, Myriad Marvels at Studio3.
Roe Cree – lead singer, rhythm guitar Mike Nelson – lead guitar and vocals Mike Cooper – bass and vocals Richard Schulze – drums and vocals
All alive and kicking. Played around Dallas from 1964 to 1968, Studio Club regular. We recorded three songs written by Mike Jones but they never went past demo [“Father Brown,” “The Kind of Girl,” “Gone Tomorrow”]. All of us did vocals and that was one thing that we felt set us apart from some groups was the harmonies. Roe sang lead but the others sang back up three and sometimes four part.
We played similar venues as groups like The Novas, The Briks, Kenny and The Kasuals. We never called them rivals because we were all friends. Mike Nelson plays gigs with Kenny yet today.
From the Sensations Mike Nelson went on to play with Gladstone who had a top 20 song “A Piece of Paper” in 1973. Later he became founder and owner of Boomerang Musical Products.
Roe Cree went on with Rose Colored Glass. They had a top ten hit “Can’t Find The Time,” 1971. They played American Bandstand. Roe said Dick Clark was one of the nicest guy he had ever met.
Mike Cooper and Richard Schulze did not continue to pursue music.
Roe Cree’s brother Joe was in the U.S. Britons with Mike Jones, Larry McNeny, Herman Drees and Larry Meletio.
The Odds And Ends have two excellent original songs on their 45 on the South Bay label from November 1965. The band came from Playa Del Rey and Westchester, just north of the Los Angeles airport. The band was probably a quintet or sextet, with keyboards, two guitars, bass, drums and maybe a lead singer not playing an instrument.
“(Cause) You Don’t Love Me” was written by Acqui, Davis, while “Be Happy Baby” by Acqui, Russek. Both songs were produced and published by Daley & Moore, BMI.
The band changed their name to the Heroes for their next 45, released on the M-Gee label in April of 1966. The A-side features a good version of “I Can Only Give You Everything” with keyboard and a drum break.
On the flip is very pop song with harmonica, “Say It With a Smile”. The writing credits for “Say It With a Smile”, Acquarelli and Ferguson for GaryMarv Music, BMI give a fuller last name for what is likely one of the members of the band, Acquarelli.
The Heros single reads “a Garmar Product, Distributed by Cinema City”. I believe Garmar and GaryMarv refers to this being a Gary Paxton and Marvin Phillips production.
I don’t know the names of the band members or any other info on the group, so if anyone have more information or a photo of the band please contact me.
The Impacts, from the towns of Franklin and Oil City in Venango County, Pennsylvania included:
Donald Grove – rhythm guitar and vocals Alvin Watterson – lead guitar Wayne DeSchambeau – rhythm guitar John Heath – bass guitar Frank (Gip) Reavis – drums
The first notice I can find on the group is from January, 1965 when they were scheduled to appear on a March of Dimes telethon in WIIC, Pittsburgh. Franklin, PA is north of Pittsburgh and south of Erie. Wayne’s surname is spelled DeShambeau in this article.
March 4, 1965Less than two months later, a short news clip announces their record on the Mersey label, made by the Process Recording Company. Besides providing alternate spellings of their names including Donnie Grove, Wayne DeShambo and Jip Reavis, it also reads “contacts have been made with ‘Shindig'”… for the group to appear one or two months after the record is released.”
The 45 was “That’s What You Like” (mistakenly reported as “That’s How You Like It”) and “Theme from Impact”. Teen Beat Mayhem calls the A-side “crude lo-fi drum-thumpin’ fast rocker” while the flip is “crude lo-fi guitar instro with car effects”. The label reads “Vocal by ‘Donnie Lee’ Grove”. “That’s What You Like” was written by Al Watterson and Wayne DeSchambeau for Process Music, BMI. The Process Recording Company was located in Franklin, begun in the 1940s.
The next notice I can find on the Impacts is from 1971, where the lineup has changed: Wayne and Al Watterson remain (his name spelled Al Waters), and the band has replaced the others with Ken Wheeler on organ, piano and bass, Denny Johnson on drums and Don Rivers on guitar and vocals.
After this the band changed its name to Everybody Does, active locally into the 70s. The lineup at this point included Wayne DeSchambeau bass and vocals, Mark West lead guitar, Ron Feroz, Dave Foote on drums and vocals, John Keeley and Al Waterson on guitar and vocals.
If anyone have better quality photos of the ’60s version of the band please contact me!
Trey Lotz, Peter Brohl, Ralph Guastaferro and John Lotz
I picked up this great 45 by the Roosters on the Krishna label, not the Los Angeles group, but one from upstate New York. “The Rooster Song” has a fantastic crunching guitar sound, and shows they must have been a fun, tight live band. The flip is a ballad, “Lost and Found”, an original by Lotz-Barbour for Fat John Music Inc. BMI.
The Roosters were one of a number of bands from the area near Utica, Oneida and Syracuse. They shared a record company, if it can be called such, with Eric and the Chessmen. The person heading this operation was some way assocated with Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and released singles on labels such as “Buddha”, “Krishna” and “Kama”.
The Roosters were:
John Lotz – lead vocals Trey Lotz – lead guitar Peter Brohl – bass Ralph Guastaferro – drums
There’s also a piano player on “The Rooster Song”, but I don’t know his identity.
Trey Lotz produced the Krishna 45. “The Rooster Song” label reads “In album ‘The Roosters Live At The Appollo'” but I don’t believe this LP was ever released. If it was recorded, I’d love to hear it.
The Roosters have another 45 which I suspect came earlier, “I Wanna Do It” on Buddha Records. with a Hamilton College address.
The Roosters, from left: Ralph Guastaferro, Trey Lotz, John Lotz with Peter Brohl lying on the ground
Peter Brohl sent in the photos seen here and wrote to me:
The band was formed in 1965 (I think) by Jim Solan of the JS agency. I was playing with a true garage band that had just disbanded and Trey, a student at Hamilton College, was looking for a group to play with. When we got together, his brother, John, came to town and registered with Utica college. They then brought their friend and drummer, Ralph, who went to MVCC. We all jelled and the band was formed!
We used to play “The Ale House” once a week for a year or two in the ’65-’67 time frame. Of course we played locally but we were mainly a college concert band. Our agent would book us into a college for the weekend where we would usually play a couple of fraternity parties and a Saturday afternoon concert. We were very popular at St. Lawrence University, Union College, Cornell, Colgate, Vassar and a bunch of others who’s names escape me. We really only played the local bars and school dances if we didn’t have a college gig. During the summer months we would do Old Forge and the Adirondack circuit.
There never was an album called “Live at the Apollo”. That was a pipe dream of Trey’s. We did do an album for Decca records but it was never released; it didn’t have a title at that time.
The flip side of “I Wanna Do It” was “You Don’t Need Any Reason”, originally recorded by the Zombies.
Another question was who played the piano on the record [“the Rooster Song”. If my memory serves me correctly, it was John. Even in the mid-60’s records were multi-tracked. So, the piano was added as an enhancement. “The Rooster Song” was not recorded live as we always told our audiences but was done in a multi-track studio. It sounded live but, we were our own “live” audience. After the music tracks were layed down, we became the background ‘audience’. Also, on “Midnight Green” you will hear a celeste. That was a last minute addition by Trey because we found the celeste in the recording studio and it fit the song perfectly. Yep, it had it’s own track.
The Roosters also released a third single entitled “Midnight Green”. It was written by Barbour and recorded at 15 W. 45th Street in NYC; the same studio as the Lovin’ Spoonful, using the same technician. It was understandably the best production of the lot. The flip side was “Hurry Sundown”.
We continued as a quartet through mid-1967 when I decided to leave to pursue another career. The last time we all got together as a group was at Ralph’s wedding in 1971. The only one of us still playing music is Ralph. Last I heard he was playing with a dance band in Buffalo, NY. John and Trey both live in the LA area but neither are playing music these days.
After a 30+ year hiatus, I finally picked up the bass again and have been playing in my home for my own enjoyment. In addition, I have started to refurbish/restore guitars and basses on a very limited basis. I have rebuilt a Fender ‘P’ bass and built a Fender telecaster from the ground up. Needless to say I can’t call them “Fenders” so I call them “Roosters”.
Thank you to Peter Brohl for sending in the photos and providing some history of the Roosters.
Other bands from this scene who may not have made recordings include the Vandels, Andy & the Classics, Jack & the Naturals, the Mercy Side 5, Willie & the New Yorkers, and the Brass Buttons.
Does anyone know of other recordings by bands in Oneida, Clinton or Utica in the years ’64-’67?
When I found this 45 by Bob London and the Bobbies, I thought it might be Robb London, who came out of San Antonio with his band, the Rogues. A quick listen tells me it’s someone else, plus the names on the credits are different, suggesting this singer’s real name is Robert Vinson.
He seems to be trying to fake a London connection, but “Times In My Life” / “Don’t Know Where To Start” are both light folk-rock songs and not English-sounding at all. Of the two, I prefer “Times In My Life”. Unfortunately my copy is badly scuffed, so I’m looking for a better one.
Both sides were written by R. Vinson for Ernstrat Music BMI, and arranged by G. Brown and Vinson, a Theo-Sax Production. The 45 was pressed at RCA’s plant in Indianapolis in 1966.
The only reference to a Bob London I can find is a DJ at K-CUB in Tucson. However, a more likely location is Detroit, where Ernie Stratton owned a publishing company called Ernstrat Enterprises, with the same account number (927) as this 45.
Stratton usually recorded soul music, but occasionally did other styles, even country. He released singles on a wide variety of labels. Tommy & the Starlighters “So Long Motor City” on Meadowlark and the Royal Playboys “Arabia” / “Bring It Back” on DoDe both have Ernstrat credits on at least one side.
Tucson, December, 1965 probably not the right Bob London
Hooterville Trolly in the Albuquerque Journal, December 4, 1967, from left: Don Kinney, Bill Chreist, Wayne Galio, Martin Nassif and Doug Borthwick
The Hooterville Trolley’s “No Silver Bird” is a hypnotic track with string and sound effects probably produced by a Chamberlain, a keyboard with tape sampler, a precursor to the Mellotron.
Long considered to be a studio group only, the Hooterville Trolley who cut “No Silver Bird” were a working band in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Gary Garman wrote a profile of the band in the Albuquerque Journal on December 4, 1967:
Hooterville Trolly Hard-Hitting ‘Psych-Rock’ Group
The sound is that of a hard-hitting ‘psyche-rock’ group called the Hooterville Trolly.
The band has been fortunate enough to have appeared with the Buffalo Springfield and the Seeds.
Composed of five seniors from Highland High School seniors and one from Sandia High School, the sextet was originally a three-man band which grew last summer.
In the group are Cris Arlenth, manager; Martin Nassif, lead and rhythm guitar; Don Kinney, bass guitar; Wayne Galio, lead and rhythm guitar; Bill Chreist, organist; and Doug Borthwick, drummer. Wayne is the outsider from Sandia.
Martin, Don and Doug were the original group, formed this past April.
“We decided we needed more members to make our sound complete,” they said. “So we auditioned Wayne and he came into the group in May. Bill joined us in July.”
With practice sessions at least twice a week and engagements each weekend, the group claims their favorite spot for a job is Carnaby 66, a teenage night club.
…
“We play with a style of our own,” they say.
All compose the songs performed by the Hooterville Trolly, “but Martin is the brain power behind most of our songs,” Wayne said.
The Hooterville Trolley played at least twice at Sandia High School, once for the Cheerleaders’ Dance on October 21, 1967, and again during the school’s TWIRP week (The Woman Is Required to Pay), probably Friday, February 16, 1968, featured in the Sandia yearbook for 1968. Note the band’s name is spelled Hooterville Trolly in most news clippings, their drum head, and in the sign at the front of the stage.
I asked Bill Chreist a number of questions, including how the group formed:
The band was formed in 1967 in Albuquerque New Mexico. The original members of the band were Don Kinney (bass & vocals), Martin Nasiff (lead guitar & lead vocals), Bill Chreist (keyboards & vocals), Wayne Galio (rhythm guitar) and Doug Borthwick (drummer and back up vocals). We played live at dance clubs in Albuquerque (Carnaby 66 was one of the popular clubs in 1968), Santa Fe & Colorado. We also played at the Hullabaloo club in Oklahoma.
“No Silver Bird” / “The Warmth of Love”
On July 7, 1968, the Hooterville Trolley went into Norman Petty’s recording studio in Clovis, New Mexico with producer Tommy Bee. They cut two songs, “No Silver Bird” / “The Warmth of Love”, both previously recorded on a single by another Albuquerque, New Mexico group, The Creation.
The Creation were two brothers, Al and Mike O’Donnell, plus Ernest Phillips. They were young musicians who landed a publishing deal with Tenmand Music run by Joe Green. They recorded two singles of their original songs on the Centurion label in late 1967.
Possibly through Ernest Phillips, who was employed by Tommy Bee Enterprises around this time (according to the Billboard 1969 Intl. Tape Directory), or through someone handling distribution at Lance Music Enterprises, the Creation’s second single made its way to Tommy Bee.
The Hooterville Trolley had no connection to the Creation. Ernest Phillips’ name was kept on the writing credits (but O’Donnell was left off of “The Warmth of Love”) and the publisher switched from Tenmand to Tommy Bee’s Stinger Music and Henry Reginald Hines’ Reginald Music Publ.
Bill Chreist told me:
Ernest Phillips wrote the original song but we (Martin, Don and I) re-wrote the words because we didn’t think the original words were “heavy” enough for the songs of that time, but let him still get the credit for the song.
Norman Petty who owned the recording studio had just received a new “string machine” that he was excited to try out. He asked us if he could add it to the song “No Silver Bird” saying if we didn’t like it he would take it out. We told him to go ahead and see what he could come up with. We loved it and thought it added a new sound that we hadn’t heard before. The only problem was when we played live we couldn’t duplicate it but no one seemed to care at the dances we played at.
The song was played a lot in Albuquerque but never became a national hit. Our manager at the time (Tommy Benavidez) paid for the recording so he owned the master.
Onstage at Sandia High School. TWIRP week was February 12-17 that year so photo was probably taken Friday, February 16, 1968. Note spelling on drum head and sign: Hooterville Trolly
Like the Creation’s song, the Hooterville Trolley’s version has only six lines, but these are sung twice:
Go, get ready to fly, Lock all the doors as if to hide, Don’t worry about faces inside, Just come with me, and ride.
Go, get ready to fly, You’ll see silver birds in the sky,
Go, get ready to fly, Lock all the doors as if to hide, Don’t worry about faces inside, Just come with me, and ride.
Go, get ready to fly, You’ll see silver birds in the sky.
Regarding the string sounds, Alec Palao says he believes Norman Petty had a Chamberlin, a U.S. manufactured precursor to the Mellotron. Alec added “Petty treated instruments a lot with EQ, compression and echo/reverb, and got some pretty unique sounds in the process. His multi-tracks are amazing to listen to.”
Six months after recording, in January of 1969, Bee released the songs on Lynnette Record Corp. LA 551; Lynette was connected to Hines’ labels in Greenville, Mississippi (see below).
The Creation’s O’Donnell brothers were unaware of the Hooterville Trolley’s versions of their songs until 2018.
A few months before the single was cut, the Hooterville Trolley was involved in a violent incident. The Albuquerque Tribune reported on March 16, 1968:
Band Player Stabbed In Fight Over Music
A young Albuquerque musician was beaten and stabbed at the Paradise Hills Country Club because a gang of boys though the band was not playing “soul music” at a teen dance, sheriff’s officers reported.
A guitar player for the bnad, 17-year-old Bill Chreist of 1015 Washington NE was in Presbyterian Hospital today with a stab wound on the left side.
Young Chreist, who plays with the “Hooterville Trolly” rock and roll group was beaten and stabbed in a fight with approximately 15 boys, officers said.
One member of the five-man band said the fight occurred after the dance was over and the group was packing up to leave.
The band member said that after a security guard left the group of boys jumped Chreist. They beat him with clubs and stabbed him, the band member said.
When the boys fled they took a microphone stand, a drum and a guitar worth a total of $350, Sheriff’s officers reported.
The Tribune followed up on March 22, 1968:
3 Youths Charged In Fight With Band At Teen-Age Club
Two 16-year-old boys and a 17-year-old youth have been ordered to report to juvenile probation officers after they were arrested in connection with the stabbing of another 17-year-old rock and roll band member Friday night at Paradise Teen Club, 5601 Paradise NW, police said.
Detective Ed Tanuz and Officer Vance Adams of the state police said one of the 16-year-olds admitted stabbing William Chreist, 17, of 1015 Washington NE, during a fight at the club at about 11:10 p.m. Friday.
The boy was charged with aggravated assault.
Chreist was admitted Saturday to Presbyterian Hospital with a slash in the left side of his stomach, officers said. He was released Sunday, a hospital spokesman said.
Detective Tanuz said the 17-year-old told officers that he had been involved in the fight along with several other youths. Tanuz said the boy also admitted taking a guitar belonging to a member of Chreist’s five-man band, “Hooterville Trolly.”
Sheriff’s deputies said that the fight apparently broke out after a dance at the teen club. They said about 15 youths were involved.
Tanuz said the second 17-year-old boy was charged with assault and fighting.
All three youths were released to their parents, Tanuz said, and are to appear in juvenile probation office April 3.
Albuquerque Tribune, March 10, 1969
Tragically their lead and rhythm guitarist Wayne Galio died the following spring, only a couple months after the release of their single. On March 10, 1969, the Tribune reported:
Albq Youth Dies in Crash
Wayne David Galio, 20, of 2136 Erbbe NE, was killed last night when a car driven by George Bryan, 19, 9905 Green NW, ran into a parked car on Interstate 40 west of Santa Rosa, State Police reported today.
Mr. Galio, a freshman at Eastern New Mexico University, was on on his was back to school with three other students when the accident occurred.
Their car hit a vehicle owned by a Las Vegas, Nev., man, who was sleeping on the back seat, police said. Santa Rosa hospital officials reported the man was not seriously hurt.
Bryan suffered a broken collar bone and was taken to Presbyterian hospital here where he is reported today in satisfactory condition. Other passengers, John Morris, 19, of 3012 Tahiti NE, and Tiborcio Felix Barerras, 19, of 9517 Woodland NE, escaped with minor injuries.
Galio was a liberal arts major at the university and a 1968 graduate of Sandia High School.
Described as a “Friendly boy” by his mother, Galio played the guitar and formerly sang with the “Hooterville Trollies,” a local teen-age rock and roll band.
Galio is survived by his two sisters, Charlene, 17, and Denise, 13, and a brother, Thomas, 15; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Galio.
Audience for the Hooterville Trolley at the Cheerleaders’ Dance, which was October 21, 1967
Tommy Bee, Lance Records and Lynn’s Productions
The Albuquerque Journal, January 20, 1968How the Hooterville Trolley’s single ended up on a Mississippi label is a story that requires me to back up and discuss the Lance Records label and their in-house producer, Tommy Bee.
Tommy Bee (short for Tom Benegas according to an Albuquerque Journal article) produced records for Albuquerque’s recent upstart, the Lance Records label including the Lincoln St. Exit’s “Paper Place” / “Who’s Been Driving My Little Yellow Taxi Cab” and the Cellar Dwellers’ “Love Is a Beautiful Thing” / “Working Man”. Many of the compositions he published through his company Stinger Music, BMI.
In February 1967 Bee produced the Fe Fi Four Plus Two’s “I Wanna Come Back (from The World of LSD)” at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico. He would return to Petty Studios to record the Hooterville Trolley.
According to an article in the Albuquerque Journal, Tommy Bee resigned from Lance Music Enterprises on August 25, 1967, dissolving his partnership with Dick Stewart and Ross Benavidez. After Tommy’s departure Lance released six more singles, half of them Spanish music, then closed up the label and the Lance newsletter by the end of 1967.
Tom Bee (as Tommy Benegas) filed a lawsuit against Lance over ownership of the exclusive contract with the The Sheltons, whose single “Find It” he had sold to Dot Records that summer. The suit was settled out of court. Terms were not disclosed, but it seems Tommy Bee won control of the artists and productions he had brought to Lance.
The Albuquerque Journal, September 27, 1968
Bee continued to produce and release music by some of the artists he had worked with back in New Mexico, mainly by placing recordings with Reginald Records distribution out of Greenville, Mississippi. I’d like to know how he found Reginald and its owner Henry Reginald Hines (aka Lynn Williams). In any case it was to be a fruitful collaboration.
One of the most surprising things about this arrangement is how many of the songs Bee would send to the Mississippi company had been already released on Lance. These include two Lance recordings of the Sheltons, “Find It” / “I Who Have Nothing” were re-released on the Reginald-distributed Bar-Bare label, Doc Rand & the Purple Blues “I Want You (Yeh I Do)” / “I Need a Woman” (originally Lance 119/120), which was re-relased on Landra Records 020, and the Vendels’ version of “Try Me”, originally released on Lance 113, shows up on Lynn’s Records LR 1728, backed with one I haven’t heard, “Boo Ga-Louie”.
Besides re-releasing earlier Lance singles, Tommy Bee also produced new 45s by the artists he worked with in Albuquerque, either for a Reginald imprint or for his own Souled Out label.
These include the Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2’s second single, “Pick Up Your Head” / “Mr. Sweet Stuff” for Odex, and the Trademarques’ “I Can Set You Free” / “Free Your Fears” on Randolph. Tommy Bee produced “Straighten Up and Fly Right” by the Beaumont, Texas group The Kidds for another Randolph front, the Big Beat label.
Those interested in reading more on the history of Henry Reginald Hines and his various labels and productions should take a look at Greenville And Beyond. Be sure to check out the chilling debt collection letter at the bottom of that page, it has to be read to be believed.
Mike Dugo’s article on Lance Records is very informative. It was published on 60sgaragebands.com/scenesthings/lancerecords.html, but that page is now defunct.
Magic Sand
Magic Sand’s LP on UniIn 1970 the Hooterville Trolley’s exact recording of “No Silver Bird” turned up on Magic Sand’s eponymous UNI LP, retitled “Get Ready To Fly”, sounding like nothing else on the LP, which is a rougher soul or blues-based rock. No members of Hooterville Trolley were in Magic Sand. Ernest Phillips’ name is off the song writing credits which instead go to A. Klein (Highwood Music Corp./Segway Music BMI) whose name is on many of the songs on the LP, while the musicians’ names are not listed. A. Klein also turns up in the credits for Mud’s Uni LP Mud on Mudd.
Al Klein and Buffalo Bill Productions in Billboard, August 1, 1970
A. Klein is Al Klein, head of Buffalo Bill Productions. He may have been the same Al Klein who was Southwestern district sales manager for Motown in the mid ’60s. Vic Gabriele, who had been in the Monkeymen (“Route 66” / “Mojo” on QQ 311) and the Piggy Bank (“Thoughts of You” / “Play With Fire” on Lavette), and whose name also turns up on Magic Sand writing credits, was vice president for Buffalo Bill productions. Harry Narviel and Rick Knott were other employees.
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Thank you to Bill Chreist, Gregor Kessler, Alec Palao, Max Waller and Westex for their help with this article.
The Kandy Kolored Konspiracy came from Waco, not Dallas as has been written. Despite staying on local charts for a couple months, their 45 is now a rare one. “One Million People” includes some sharp lines like:
“Well I see reality is just an imperfection of the mind, What they do, and what they say is locked in a velvet wall of time, All they have is their lies and their cotton candy alibis…”
Gary Anderson, who wrote the songs on the single, tells the band’s full story below. If anyone has a photo of the Kandy Kolored Konspiracy, please get in touch.
Gary Anderson – lead guitar Rick Connor – rhythm guitar Don Bolan – bass Jimmy Campbell – keyboards Nick Connor – drums
My name is Gary Lane Anderson, and I was the songwriter and lead singer/lead guitar for Kandy Kolored Konspiracy — one of my early bands.
I developed the band name from a combination of Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, a collection of Tom Wolfe’s essays that I was reading at the time, and a sense of the racial tension and paranoia of the times (the Konspiracy and KKK references).
I had taught myself to play guitar since age 14 and lived in the Waco, Texas, area at the time. The band’s drummer was Nick Connor, the rhythm guitar player was his brother, Rick, the bass player was Don Bolan, and the keyboard player was Jimmy Campbell, all of Waco.
At Buddy’s Teen Club, August 1969The band played constantly all over the Waco area and surrounding towns. We played for the opening of a Super Slide and a $.10 hamburger place in Waco. It was held in a huge parking lot. There were hundreds if not thousands of people there. All the local radio stations were present. This was during the time our record was out and we were a hot item in Waco. We also staged our own dances by renting a hall setting everything up ourselves. We did this at a large hall on Franklin Street in Waco owned by the YWCA. One time we drove to Dallas to open for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.
I played a white Fender Mustang through a Fender Deluxe Reverb sitting on a Bassman 212 cabinet, I no longer own any of this equipment. The rhythm guitarist played a red Fender Mustang through a Fender Bandmaster. The keyboard player used a red Farfisa organ, I don’t remember what amp he used. I don’t recall the bass player’s bass or amp. The drummer played a set of Ludwig drums, the Hollywood set in a psychedelic color. This is the same equipment we recorded with. I don’t recall what we used for a live PA.
I wrote the music and lyrics for “One Million People,” and the music for “Konspiracy “68”– the B-side instrumental, in 1966 when I was 16 years old.
Robin Brian recorded us in late 1967, just after I turned 17, at the Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. On their website, www.robinhoodstudios.com is a picture of the recording equipment installed in 1963 and used to record our 45.
The drummer’s family had resources and arranged for the recording. The producer was Arnold Joseph “Joe” Poovey, known at the time as “Johnny Dallas,” and later as “Groovey” Joe Poovey. Joe had just produced the hit, “Heart Full of Love,” so we had high hopes for our 45. The only time I saw Joe was at the recording studio. The label was Media, and the publisher was Giant Publishing, but the only person we had any contact with was someone whose name I can’t remember, an associate of Joe’s.
The record was released in late 1967, but neither Johnny nor the label or publisher promoted it. I think we pressed 500.
When the record came to us, the credit on it was Gary Alexander, instead of Gary Anderson. Poovey’s associate said it must have been a printing mistake since he called in the information to the printer, but he never offered to correct it. I wondered later that the mistake was made on purpose to steal my copyright, in case the record took off, but at the time, I didn’t know things like copyrights existed. On the other hand, it could have just been an honest mistake. I do know that neither I nor my parents signed any contracts, so the legal handling of the project was sloppy at best, and I have not been able to determine who actually held the copyright, which would have expired around 1992 under old copyright law.
“One Million People” climbing the charts in the Waco Tribune Herald, June 9, 1968Although it was registered with BMI and played on the radio in and around Waco, Texas, and remained in the local Top Ten, as reported weekly in the Sunday newspaper for at least six weeks, as well as being Number One for several weeks, I never received a penny from them. We sold a few records in and around Waco, but the proceeds went to repay Nick’s family. I still have a couple of the singles. I also have an original psychedelic-styled poster, which was hand-painted by my girlfriend at the time, but we never had copies made of it. (Sidenote: She is now Lea Lisa Black (nee Douthit) on The Real Housewives of Miami.)
To my knowledge, nothing else ever came of the record until the A-side song got picked up by garage band web sites and placed on compilations from Germany and Australia. “One Million People” plays in rotation on several underground and garage band music stations around the world.
After high school the Kandy Kolored Konspiracy members went their separate ways. As far as I know, Nick, Rick and Don gave up music after the band broke up, and I don’t know about Jimmy.
Another player I went to high school with was playing in a band. They needed a guitar player and asked me to play. David Hall was the drummer. We had been aware of each other since elementary school because our parents took us to the same church. Playing in this new band we became friends. This band did not last long so David and I decided to form another band. This was the beginning of Warlock.
My high school friend had a girl friend named Gill. She and my friend from high school broke up and she started dating Buzz Gilleland from the band Society. On a side note, I played many years later in a band with the drummer from Society who had switched to keyboards. His name is Jesse Day. In the sixties he was known as Pucky Day. We played together in a country band called Fire Creek.
Gill got Buzz, David and I together. David knew a bass player named Mike McKissic. And Warlock was complete.
I continue to play, sing, teach and write in Austin and central Texas. To see and hear my current work and bio, please go to www.reverbnation.com/garyanderson4 or facebook.com
Gary Anderson
For more on Warlock see On the Road South. Thanks to Don Julio for transcribing the lyrics and to Mark Taylor for the label scan.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
The band changed their name to the Heroes for their next 45, released on the M-Gee label in April of 1966. The A-side features a good version of “I Can Only Give You Everything” with keyboard and a drum break.
The Heros single reads “a Garmar Product, Distributed by Cinema City”. I believe Garmar and GaryMarv refers to this being a Gary Paxton and Marvin Phillips production.
The Impacts, from the towns of Franklin and Oil City in Venango County, Pennsylvania included:
I picked up this great 45 by the Roosters on the Krishna label, not the Los Angeles group, but one from upstate New York. “The Rooster Song” has a fantastic crunching guitar sound, and shows they must have been a fun, tight live band. The flip is a ballad, “Lost and Found”, an original by Lotz-Barbour for Fat John Music Inc. BMI.
Peter Brohl sent in the photos seen here and wrote to me:
When I found this 45 by Bob London and the Bobbies, I thought it might be 
The only reference to a Bob London I can find is a DJ at K-CUB in Tucson. However, a more likely location is Detroit, where Ernie Stratton owned a publishing company called Ernstrat Enterprises, with the same account number (927) as this 45.
My name is Gary Lane Anderson, and I was the songwriter and lead singer/lead guitar for Kandy Kolored Konspiracy — one of my early bands.
