Dementions, third version (Battle of the Bands winners, 1968) with (L-R) Randy Belger, Don Wadyka, Bill Bernico, Carl Block, Kim Steffen
The Dimensions (first lineup) with (L-R) Bill Bernico, Randy Belger, Don Wadyka, Dan Shaske Bill Bernico sent these photos of his bands, the Dimensions, High Water and Pye, based around Sheboygan, Wisconsin, about halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay.
I formed the band in the fall of 1965 and our first name was The Dimensions, later changed to The Dementions and finally to High Water (we found a road sign warning of High Water).
We played throughout Wisconsin until July of 1972 at which time we all went our own ways. We played a lot of Sheboygan Armory jobs, opening for such acts as The Robbs, Cryan’ Shames, Skunks, Tony’s Tygers, ? and the Mysterians, The Legends, Next Five and on and on. As for our members, they were… and were from…
Bill Bernico…Sheboygan Don Wadyka…Sheboygan Falls Dan Shaske…Batavia Randy Belger…Batavia Carl Block…Random Lake Kim Steffen…Fredonia
Second version of Dementions with (L-R) Randy Belger, Bill Bernico, Don Wadyka, Kim Steffen, Carl BlockAfter more than 43 years, I am the only one still active as a working musician. I’ve pared down from a 6-piece band to a duo and now a solo act. Other Sheboygan bands I’ve played with included PYE, Colonel Corn and Flashback.
As for recording, we had the song all picked out, rehearsed and ready to record when our keyboard player decided he didn’t want to have to tour to promote it, went to another band.
Bill Bernico, 2009
High Water with (L-R) Kim Steffen, Carl Block, Randy Belger, Bill BernicoHigh Water, final lineup (1971) with Kim Steffen, Bill Bernico, Randy Belger (back) and Carl Block (front)Pye, my 1969 band (lasted 6 months) with (L-R) Tom Roth, Bill Bernico, Steve Progar, Mick Johnston, Dick Colbath
Yet another surprising find from the KRLA Beat archive! August 13, 1966.Yuzo Kayama was a movie idol and rival to premier ‘eleki’ guitarist Takeshi Terauchi. Eleki was an instrumental genre influenced first and foremost by the Ventures.
“Black Sand Beach” is maybe his most perfect composition, while “Los Angeles no Nisei Matsuri” certainly his toughest. “Violet Sky” is like Davie Allen channeling Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.
My copy is a scratchy Peruvian pressing! As I’ve pointed out before, stereo sound was standard for major Japanese labels by the mid-60s, if not before.
Kayama cut a number of vocal tunes that were among his biggest hits. They’re not as hip as the instrumentals, but for fans of Japanese pop from this time, they have their charm, and some good guitar work as well.
As the musical style was changing to vocal combos in the wake of the Beatles, a new term was needed to replace eleki without using the the difficult-to-pronounce phrase (for the Japanese) ‘rock ‘n roll’. Julian Cope’s Japrocksampler recounts how Kayama, who had his own TV talk show, was interviewing drummer and band leader Jackey Yoshikawa (best known among rock fans for “Psychedelic Man” with the Blue Comets):
Yuzo Kayama – right there on live TV – demanded of his guest how could any of them possibly become true to their chosen art form if they couldn’t even manage to pronounce ‘lock’n’lorr’! … the media-savvy Kayama was surprised when Yoshikawa admitted his difficulty. But instead of merely sweating and looking foolish, Jackey turned the tables … and challenged his TV host to come up with something more appropriate. Raising his eyes heavenwards and blowing out several lungfuls of hot air, Kayama fell silent briefly before asking: ‘Why don’t we call the music “The Group Sounds”?’
If this is true, then he named a whole genre of music while it was still underway – a rare feat.
Kayama’s musical legacy is well preserved on video, with a dozen or more great performances available with a quick search, including some that were never released on record.
The Group Sounds scene was contrived, commercialized, and controlled to the point of absurdity. Record companies wouldn’t let bands associate with each other! There are exceptions, but even my favorite groups have picture sleeves that are downright embarrassing.
The Japanese folk-rock movement of the late ’60s was partly a reaction against Group Sounds. By 1968, the record-buying public was looking for ‘authenticity’ and more complex lyrics, while the authorities preferred the subdued music. As a commercial genre, however, folk-rock seems to have been short-lived.
This 45 from Norihiko Hashida and the Shoebelts shows how closely ‘folk-rock’ could adhere to pop standards. “Nanimo Iwazuni” works very well on a pop level, but gives just lip service to any idea of ‘folk’. The A-side, “Kaze”, is similarly orchestrated and even more sentimental. There’s a film clip that shows the band earnestly working in the studio, playing acoustic guitars and standup bass on stage in some ridiculous garb, and receiving a gold record and munching sushi at a press party!
Norihiko Hashida had started out with the Folk Crusaders, a little more earnest but no less commercial. In the Crusaders video clips he’s the short one in the middle. With the Shoebelts he had several more releases that I haven’t heard.
Those searching for authenticity had to look underground or overseas. Most of the public followed the next pop trend, a diluted r&b sound. Folk stayed vital into the ’70s as a contrast to heavy blues and rock, but the mainstream ignored the best artists (like the Jacks) as much as their heavier rock contemporaries.
From Daytona Beach and named after the San Francisco nightclub, of course. The Hungri I’s were regulars at the Beachcomber Nightclub and the Surf Bar, as well as the Vanguard Club in Titusville. The lineup was Neil Haney lead vocals and organ, Danny Rowdon lead guitar, Chris Drake guitar, Allen Martin bass and Lou Shawd drums.
They cut some tracks at the Bee Jay studio run by Eric Schabacker, and “Hold On” was released on Bee Jay Demo vol. 2, on Tener. It’s a good organ-led version of the Sam and Dave hit (thanks for sending me that Ad Z.)
At Bob Quimby’s studio in Ormond Beach they recorded a fine original by Neil Haney, “Half Your Life”. Danny Rowdon’s lead guitar really gives the song some momentum. The flip is a relaxed cruise through How Come My Dog Don’t Bark, retitled “Comin’ Round” and credited to Danny Rowdon.
The band paid Gil Cabot to release the two songs on his Paris Tower label, supposedly because he offered to make them famous. Paris Tower was known as a vanity label, however, and never did any promotion for its releases. Years later you could say Cabot’s words have come true, as this 45 is very well known amongst fans of 60’s 45s.
Some Paris Tower singles were issued with a sheet with a photo of the band on one side and a bio &the Paris Tower logo printed on the back. I’m not sure if the Hungri I’s 45 came with this – could anyone verify that insert exists?
It was up to the band to distribute the 500 copies pressed in November of ’67, so for some reason they took to the road and toured Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana.
Fuzz, Acid and Flowers lists Ralph Citrullo and Allen Dresser as later members, but I believe it was Neil Haney and Chris Drake who left the I’s and joined the Third Condition, previously known as The 2/3rds, which already included Citrullo and Dresser.
The Riviera label was created for the Riveras, who scored with their first single, “California Sun”, released in October ’63 and hitting the national top ten in early ’64. Bill Dobslaw owned the label and also managed the Rivieras, occasionally singing with them as well.
Besides the Rivieras, the label released one 45 each by the Kastaways and the Sigma Five, one and the same group according to Otto Nuss of the Rivieras, who recalled in an interview with Kicks magazine that the original name of the group was the Sigma 5. This group was from La Porte, Indiana, a few miles west of South Bend. The Sigma Five’s keyboardist uses the electric piano instead of the organ sound that the Rivieras made popular.
“Comin’ Down” is a cool adaption of “Money”, credited to their producer Bill Dobslaw. The neat instrumental “Pop Top” was written by Banicki, who also wrote the Kastaways b-side “You Never Say”, which I haven’t heard yet.
The Velvet Haze, from left: Art Meushaw, Marty Martinez, Roger Bullock, Jim Jost, Rick Stone (obscured by speaker cabinet), and Mike Mullins, at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, VA (circa 1970)
The Velvet Haze came from Alexandria, Virginia. The band started out as the Arratics in 1965. Members were Jim Jost vocals, Mike Mullins guitar, Ron Collins guitar, Dave Padgett bass and Steve Larrick drums. In 1966 they changed their name to the Velvet Haze.
The next year they had a major lineup change. Rhythm guitarist Roger Bullock told me that “Mike Mullins started the Velvet Haze and I joined in what could be termed phase II, i.e., Mike Mullins and Jim Jost remained from the original band, and Art Meushaw, Tom Futch and I joined the band — and a short time later we added Butch Martinez as a second vocalist.”
The Haze were known for playing some rough venues and it shows up in the heavy, scuzzy sound of their only 45, from 1968. The gem is the insane psychedelia of “Last Day on Earth”, an original by Mullins & Marty “Butch” Martinez. A drill-to-the-skull fuzz riff, garbled vocals, sharp solo and a cool drum break by Tom Futch, who is thrashing away throughout the song. The other side is a straight blues, “Bad Women”, written by Bullock and Martinez.
Members on the recording were:
Marty “Butch” Martinez – vocals Jim Jost – vocals Mike Mullins – lead guitar Roger Bullock – guitar Art Meushaw – bass Tom Futch – drums
Roger Bullock commented below in detail about “Last Day on Earth”, so I’ll repeat some of his comments here:
Mike Mullins wrote and played the lead guitar riff. “Last Day on Earth” was literally composed in Tom Futch’s garage.
Mike Mullins was playing a Gibson ES-335 through a Fender Super Reverb and standard, off-the-shelf, Maestro “Fuzz-Tone”. I played rhythm also using a Gibson ES-335, but played through a Fender Band-Master amp. Art Meushaw played a Gibson EB-0 Bass through a Fender Bassman amp.
The label has producer James Wilson’s Lorton, VA address. I’ve read that this was recorded at Wilson’s home studio in Mount Rainier, MD, however Roger Bullock remembers it differently:
The recording was done at the Roy D. Homer studios in Clinton, Maryland. Roy was a superb engineer in all respects with top end gear. James Wilson, our producer arranged the recording sessions. James was a disc jockey on WPIK/WXRA country radio station from Alexandria, Virginia. We provided the music for his cover release [as James Wilson & the Lorton Boys] of Joe South’s “The Games People Play” b/w the traditional “Worried Man Blues”.
Sometime after the single, Rick Stone took over as drummer until the band broke up in 1971. They reunited around 1975 for a show with Rick Stone on drums, at a local Alexandria, VA community center. Recordings of “Grizzly Bear” and “Let It Be Me” come from that show.
Several members continued in music in various combos right up to today. They had a website at velvethaze.com, but that is now defunct.
Thank you to Mike Mullins for sending in the photo at the top of the page.
Does anyone have photos of the group or one of their posters?
You could hardly find a 45 that defines ‘amateur’ better than this one by the Riviaires. That’s not to criticize – this duo of Wattsy Watts and Bill Latham are well-rehearsed. Sure the singing is off key and nasal, but the drummer’s precise and they don’t lack self-confidence!
I assume that’s ‘Wattsy’ on amplified acoustic guitar and vocals because he’s also the songwriter for both sides, which would make Bill the percussionist, but I could be wrong. They were maybe pushing fourteen at the time of recording. Released on Steck Records, Oxford, Mississippi.
I’m not sure how they got their timing info for the labels – “Bad Girl” is listed at 2:48 but runs close to 30 seconds less, and “Sticks” is clocked at 2:51, but actually runs only 1:39. Maybe we’re meant to play the single at some in-between speed, like 37.5 rpm!
Before the Night Mist were the Shags, from left: Terry Ottinger, Frankie Gorman (on drums), Bobby Burgess and Mike McMahan
The Night Mist came from Newport, Tennessee, east of Knoxville. A tremendous distortion sound distinguishes the psychedelic “Last Night”. The drummer pounds the toms throughout and the lead solo is cutting. Very few people have heard the flip side, the slow and dense ”Janie” which has more good fuzz and some wah as well. A promising solo gets cut by the fade out. Both sides were written by Michael McMahan.
Mike Markesich tells me it was released in December 1967, much earlier than I thought.
The Night Mist recorded at Vibrant Studios, which I thought was in either Cosby, TN, south of Newport, or Crosby, TN, half an hour north of Newport on the Dixie Highway (Rte 32, Interstate 25E) along Cherokee Lake, but Terry Ottinger says the studio was in Newport.
Above and below: the Shags
I had very little info on the Night Mist until I heard from bassist Terry Ottinger, who sent me the photos included here. As it turns out, the Night Mist were originally known as the Shags:
This 1965 photo [above] shows the original members of the Shags practicing in the basement of Terry’s home in Newport, Tennessee. Derry James on the sax and vocal, Terry Ottinger playing bass and vocal and Mike McMahan playing rhythm & lead guitar and singing lead.
The Shags of Newport, Tennessee started with original members:
Derry James (sax, lead vocals, drums) Terry Ottinger (bass and vocal) Mike McMahan (lead singer and guitar) Frankie Gorman (drums and vocal)
Later Bobby Burgess (lead guitar and vocal) and Jerry Burgess (keyboard and vocal) became members.
We played school proms, parties, dances, fairs, clubs and shows from 1965 through 1968. Competing twice, 1966 and 1967 for the Tennessee State Championship, the Battle of the Bands finals held in Oakridge, Tennessee.
Our managers were Gene “Wompo” Laymen; Frank Gorman Sr. and Dennis Burgess; Clinton Francis; and our last managers, Matt Osborne and Jack Brockwell, for both the Shags and Night Mist.
The Night Mist members were as follows (“M-F-T Record”):
Mike McMahan (lead singer and lead guitar) Frankie Gorman (drums and vocal) Terry Ottinger (bass guitar and vocal)
Terry Ottinger, May 2011
The Night Mist, from left: Mike McMahan, Frankie Gorman and Terry Ottinger photo courtesy of Terry Ottinger
The Tills under their new band name, the Yankee Clipper. Clockwise from left: Paul Strasser, Bob Kruse, Bob Fawcett, Ray Jacobs, and Nick Nizich in front center.
Tom Cleary, one of the owners of the Cody label in Chicago sent me these scans of the Tills 45. Tom writes about the Tills:
“A southwest side Chicago group Cody recorded in 1967 at Sound Studios. I met them at a performance and turned the recording element over to my partners. Stu Black, Chicago’s preeminent sound engineer of the day ran the session. They had limited play on radio station WCFL in Chicago. It exists as a DJ copy only.”
Both sides are fantastic upbeat pop. ”One Sided Love” has a siren-like guitar riff, good harmonies, and sharp drumming. “I Remember” is similar with fine vocal arrangements and a very Byrds-like guitar solo.
Either side could have been a hit with a little luck.
I knew nothing else about the group until Bob Kruse commented below. Then in 2021 Ray Jacobs sent in the promotional photo and holiday card seen here, with the band’s new name, the Yankee Clipper.
Members were: Paul Strasser – vocals Ray Jacobs – lead guitar Bob Kruse – rhythm guitar Bob Fawcett – bass Nick Nizich – drums
Ray Jacobs wrote to me:
Started playing along with Bob Kruse in High School rehearsing in his basement 1963/64. A few months later added Bob Fawcett [and] a few drummers that didn’t work out. Paul Strasser then joined the band followed by Nick Nizich.
Bob Fawcett linked us to a manager to book the band and later named the band the Tills, which no-one really liked. We were previously known as The Chosen Few, and the Ragged Edge.
I wrote the songs (copyrighted) as we needed to start moving away from being a cover band. The manager linked us to the people in Cody. We met at a home in Riverside and eventually booked a session at sound studios and got some play on WCFL.
Tills played at various teen clubs i.e. InnMotion, Green Gorilla, The Deep End (Papa Joes) and various school dances, battle-of-the-bands and night clubs in the Chicagoland area and Michigan. [The] band changed its name to Yankee Clipper as advised by manager Michael Degaetano.
Holiday card sent out by Yankee Clipper
Later, personnel left and changed things to the point of breaking up.
I went on to playing Rush Street (thanks to Nick) and various clubs with bands known as Chicago Choir and Rooster. We played throughout Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan ending in 1987.
Paul went to Colorado. I heard Nick went to Arizona. I know Bob Fawcett was into flying planes as he attended Butler aviation.
Last time I saw Bob Kruse and Nick was in a club called Let It Be on 83rd and Wood, 1970, where they came to see us as the Chicago Choir.
Thanks to Tom for sharing his memories of the Tills and scans of their 45. Special thank you to Bob Kruse for his comments, and to Ray Jacobs for contacting me.
Yankee Clipper holiday card with Ted Augustyn listed as member
Left-right: Jim McDaniels, Mike McCloud, unknown drummer, Sonny Page, Cleo Riley, unknown bassist
Al Collinsworth of the Outcasts wrote this history of the band of his friend Sonny Page, and sent in the fantastic photo above.
Sonny Page and the Triangles represented Lemco Records’ entry into the country music scene. Sonny’s recording of “Big Wheels”, which began with the sound of an 18-wheeler shifting gears as it sped by, received air-play on country radio stations such as WAXU in Lexington, KY and was promoted by Grand Ole Opry and Columbia Records recording star Esco Hankins. The recording included the Triangles and studio musicians Kenny Whalen on guitar and Bill Wasson on bass.
The original Triangles included Sonny page on vocals and guitar, Charles Burgess on steel guitar, Raymond ‘Timber’ Lowery on bass, William Hanshaw on guitar and David Miller on drums. Later, the Triangles added Jim Mcdaniels and Cleo Riley on guitars. Sonny also recorded on the Rem Records label (“The Golden Book” / “Lost City”).
During the 1960s, Sonny and the Triangles played country music shows with such stars as Webb Pierce, Pee Wee King, the Collins sisters and George Morgan. Always a very popular singer in the Lexington area, Sonny worked with the famous 50s star Little Enis and was a regular performer at Lexington’s Zebra Lounge. Sonny also worked at Martins where JD Crowe first started in Lexington.
Sonny retired from professional music and had a very respectable career as a peace officer. He was a lieutenant with the Fayette County Police, a Fayette County Deputy sheriff, a Fayette County deputy jailer and a bailiff for several high profile Fayette County judges.
Sonny is now happily married and living peacefully in Lexington, KY. Sonny told me that like many of us 60s era musicians, he too had lots of fun and has always had a genuine love of music.
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
From Daytona Beach and named after the San Francisco nightclub, of course. The Hungri I’s were regulars at the Beachcomber Nightclub and the Surf Bar, as well as the Vanguard Club in Titusville. The lineup was Neil Haney lead vocals and organ, Danny Rowdon lead guitar, Chris Drake guitar, Allen Martin bass and Lou Shawd drums.
The Riviera label was created for the Riveras, who scored with their first single, “California Sun”, released in October ’63 and hitting the national top ten in early ’64. Bill Dobslaw owned the label and also managed the Rivieras, occasionally singing with them as well.
You could hardly find a 45 that defines ‘amateur’ better than this one by the Riviaires. That’s not to criticize – this duo of Wattsy Watts and Bill Latham are well-rehearsed. Sure the singing is off key and nasal, but the drummer’s precise and they don’t lack self-confidence!
