Topaz were a vocal harmony group formed in 1969 after Robert Valentine left The Button Hole Band.
The band comprised (left to right): Ian Edlin (vocals), Roy Burchell (drums), Jan Edlin (vocals), Keith Richard (lead guitar) and Robert Valentine (bass/vocals).
The Stardusters went professional in 1963 when they changed name to Unit 4 (no relation to the Ealing band nor the better known Unit 4 Plus 2) to back HMV recording artist Ricky Bowden.
The band comprised (as shown in the above photo, left to right):
Robert Valentine (rhythm guitar)
Brian Ranger (bass)
Graham Willeard (drums)
Richard Miles (lead guitar)
In 1964, Valentine went on to form The Clockwork Oranges.
Robert Valentine (lead vocals)
Brian Brockie (lead guitar)
John Hawksley (bass)
Alan Attridge (baritone sax)
Roger Shoesmith (tenor sax)
John Parish (drums)
Formed by Valentine and Parish in early 1968 when The Clockwork Oranges broke up, Brian Brockie had previously played with The Honey Band. The group played at the Witchdoctor in Catford and on one occasion (most likely 17 February), they supported Marmalade.
Thanks to Robert Valentine for the photo and history
Robert Valentine (rhythm guitar/vocals)
Roger Cotton (lead guitar/keyboards/vocals)
Harry Blakey (bass/vocals)
John Parish (drums)
The Trophies released one single in October, 1965, “With a Love” backed with the uptempo “C’mon Little Lady”.
If the members were also the song writers, then the band included:
George Jevicky
Andy Martin
Daniel Nasimento
Geo. Jevicky, Andy Martin wrote the moody “With a Love” published by Blue Coast Music, administered by SESAC. Daniel Mascimento wrote “C’mon Little Lady” published by Duval BMI.
This is the only release on the Golden Sound label that I know of, GS 1011.
Teen Beat Mayhem lists the band’s location as San Francisco, California, but the label credits read “produced by Suwanee Songs, Lenoir City, Tennessee”.
I’d like to know how a San Francisco band wound up on a label out of Lenoir City, a small metropolis southwest of Knoxville.
Little Richard Morton cut this one single on his own Morton Records in June of 1964, backed by “His Musical Four”. Richard Morton wrote both songs, the rocker “Sad, Sad Song” and the slow “A Love I Once Enjoyed Is Now a Dream”.
The crude recording quality, prominent organ and r&b backing help push “Sad, Sad Song” into what could be called ‘garage’. His intonation is very country, so it’s no surprise the same month he made this single, he played a western dance at Womack Hall in Clifton, TX as Little Richard Morton and His Rainbow Valley Tophands.
The dead wax etchings “Manco-Morton #1 6-10-64” show this was recorded and released through Manco Recording, a Fort Worth company that released over forty singles, including “She’s A Doll” / “Kiwi Boogie” by Jim Jones & the Chaunteys.
The address of N. Pendell Ave, Cleburne was probably Morton’s home address at the time. Cleburne, TX is 30 miles south of Fort Worth.
According to copyright records, his full name was Richard Lowell Morton. Bluebonnet Pub Co. published both songs.
Richard Morton has other copyright registrations for religious songs.
The Templars came from the Del Mar area of San Diego County. They cut one single, “Chafungie” / “Get Out of My Life” on Paragon Records k-57.
Members were:
Bob Rez – guitar (bass?)
Tom Larson – guitar
Bob Ellis – guitar
Skip Pawson – keyboards
John Hall – drums
Both songs on the single were originals by the group. “Chafungie” is an organ and fuzz guitar instrumental by Robert Ellis and Robert Rez (though the article above gives his name as Chris Rez). “Get Out of My Life” is a half-spoken vocal, written by Skip Pawson and Robert Ellis.
Robert Ault produced the single and signed the copy pictured here, along with the band.
The San Bernardino County Sun ran a feature on the group on April 14, 1967 about their upcoming appearance in the Jerry Lewis movie, The Big Mouth:
Teen Band Gets Break by Karen Rhiner
Tom Larson was so excited about appearing with Jerry Lewis in a movie that he couldn’t talk straight …
Tom is the leader of the Templars, a Del Mar area band which will go to Hollywood soon to film a sequence for Jerry Lewis’ new movie, “Big Mouth.”
It’s a big break for this five-man, clean-cut combo. They’ll appear on screen – alone – for almost three minutes playing their “Chafungie,” a song written by Templars Bob Ellis and Chris Rez. They’ll also provide background music during a scene taking place in a teen nightclub.
And, after the film is released, they’re scheduled for a 25-day, 51-city personal appearance tour to promote the movie.
Other members of the band are John Hall and Skip Pawson. All-are either juniors or seniors at San Dieguito High School or San Diego Military Academy near here.
What’s the secret of their success?
“We have an original sound and an original appearance,” Tom said. “We don’t have long hair, and our clothes are neat. We decided we wanted to look like boys and like ourselves. We’d be copying if we’d go with long hair. We wanted to bend the trend.
“Our sound is a driving one. We have one of the best drummers in the county (John Hall), and he comes through to pace a driving beat. Yet we can play the smoothies, too like “Georgia On My Mind” as well as polkas and Roaring 20s tunes.
“Our morale is pretty high, too. That helps. There’s nothing that can tear a band down more than dissension. If you don’t get along with each other, playing is a job. With us, it’s a pleasure and a hobby.”
The band leader thinks originality is important. “Bands shouldn’t try to copy,” Tom said. “Record companies don’t want copies of big groups. You’ve got to play around until you find a sound of your own.
“In the beginning, as with the Templars, you conform to other groups. But along the way somebody in the group does something terrific and you stick with it. It took us about six months before we found out what our sound is.
Although the group is only a year and a half old, it already has a record, “Chafungie” – the tune they’ll play in the movie in release.
I’ve only seen a few clips from The Big Mouth, so I’m not sure if the band actually appeared in the film.
At least a couple members of the Templars became a group called the Magical Mist, who had an excellent single, “When We Use Our Minds” / “Time Out to Fly”, both songs by Robert P. Ellis, George Pawson and Alan Decotes (Alan Decoates according to BMI’s records). Robert Ellis produced the single, released on Cross-Winds CW 105 out of Wildomar, CA in June of 1968, publishing by Rolling Wheels Music.
Thank you to Jonas Carlsson for his help with the article.
The Hustlers included Chauncey Romero, Doug Grantz, and John Tavaglione Tavaliogne, plus two members I do not have first names for, Roach and Bedwell.
The Hustlers first cut “Hangin’ Five” and “Barefoot Adventure” on the House of Note Records label, as early as December, 1962. I haven’t heard either song yet. They were cut at Paul Buff’s PAL studio, and an alternate version of “Hangin’ Five” exists on tape.
Sometime in 1964 they made their next single, changing to the Original Hustlers, probably to differentiate the group from the Hustlers with Grant Baker who recorded two excellent R&B/exotica instrumental singles on Downey, “Inertia” / “Eight Ball” and “Kopout” / “Migraine”.
“Cueball” was written by L. Fields, with publishing by David Marshall Co., I’m not sure what the original source was for this song, but it’s a fine surf instrumental.
“Barefoot” is an original by the Hustlers, released on LaBelle L-64121.
LaBelle mainly released records by the folk group the Countrymen, but it also issued the Swords “Raunchy” / “Fibreglass”, which I haven’t heard yet (and could use label scans of).
Chauncey Romero first managed, then owned the House of Note music store in Redlands. The Redlands Daily Facts from July 18, 1966 wrote:
The House of Note music store at 20 N. Sixth street is now operating under the new ownership ot Chauncey Romero, former manager. Romero, a native and lifelong resident of Redlands, managed the House of Note here for four years. For the past six months, he has served as manager of the House of Note music store in Riverside. He purchased the Redlands facility, which had been a branch of the Riverside store, from owner Ted Peckles of Riverside.
The House of Note in Redlands is a franchised dealer for such well known musical instruments and accessories as Fender guitars and amplifiers, Grctsch drums and guitars, Gibson guitars and amplifiers and Martin Guitars …
Romero noted that members of several local musical groups, including the Hustlers, Templars, Tornadoes and Never So Few, received musical training at the House of Note. He said there currently are more than 100 students enrolled. The teaching staff is composed of Norman Sanders, Greg Tomquist, John W. Sessums III, C. P. Woods, Warren Wheeler, Dean Pickard and Casey Cunningham.
The House of Note closed in 1968.
The Tornadoes included Norman (Roly) Sanders, Gerald Sanders, Leonard Delaney, Jesse Sanders, and George White, and would cut “Bustin’ Surfboards” among other singles on Aertaun and an album on Josie.
The Templars included Garry Brier, Glen Hellman, Dave Gruver, Ron Norcross and Mike McGrath, but I do not believe they recorded (they’re not the Templars who cut Chafungie” / “Get Out of My Life” on Paragon).
I don’t have any info on Never So Few.
The Countrymen recorded on Audio Adventures out of Piqua, Ohio, 20 miles north of Dayton in 1971. They were really a country act, but “Flare-Up!!” is a crude and bizarre song, and does sound like it was recorded in a garage.
On “Flare-Up!!”, Ron Lininger sang lead and played guitar, Harry Burd played bass and Bud Allen contributed the tambourine. Lyrics were by W.R. Lake, music by Harry Burd.
Are you ready girls?
Now there’s times I’m sorry,
You can bet your bippy,
That I ever decided to marry a long-haired hippie.Well I like to eat,
And hold down a job,
You’d rather eat and drink and live like a slob.I think we’re about to have a flare-up,
Let’s not have another flare-up.If you dress like a girl,
Maybe put up your hair,
I’m sure that we could avoid another flare-up.If you’d only wake up,
And do a little clean-up
We might avoid another flare-up.When I need a little loving,
Tender loving care,
All I ever see is your long, black, and greasy hair.I think we’re about to have a flare-up,
Let’s not have another flare-up.
The lyrics are basically sung twice, separated by a break where the drummer & tambourine keep the beat while Ron slides the pick down the strings.
For the country ballad “That’s Why I’m Dreaming of You”, Bud Allen sang lead, Harry Burd played steel guitar (and wrote the song), and Ron Lininger played bass.
Fred Snyder played drums on both sides.
This is a Rite Records custom pressing, 27699/27770 from Rite account number 5216.
Anyone have a photo of the group?
Viscount Records was based in Cranston, Rhode Island, releasing three singles in 1968.
I don’t know anything about the Night Walkers other than Bob Carey wrote the band’s original song, “In Our Time”, which is slow, moody and a little psychedelic.
The flip is a somewhat busy version of “Things We Said Today”. The Basement Walls site lists Warwick, just south of Cranston, as their base.
Released on Viscount VR4503, about 1968, this is a styrene record. The labels include a six-digit code 112681/2.
Prior to the Night Walkers, Viscount Records released Ken Lyon “Lonesome Trip” (Lyon – Bill McQuade) / “Rock Island Line” with his brother Don Lyon on harmonica. The picture sleeve has notes by the Rev. Donald Lavallee suggesting he was the owner of Viscount Records. Ken Blumberg took the photo and Leonard Hardisty designed the cover.
