Gossip made this one great two-sided 45 “No One’s Standing in Your Way” / “Whispering Wind” in October, 1968, released on Gossip Records ARA 102268.
The only name on the label is Monte Gagg, a senior at Scotsdale High School according to a April 5, 1969 Arizona Republic news item about a production of Our Town at the school.
The female vocalist is supposed to be Carolyn Thompson who had an album as Carrie Thompson on Rolling Bay Records in 1980, and three CDs as Carri Coltrane in the 1990s.
The band’s playing and vocals are very accomplished, heavy on “No One’s Standing in Your Way”, and with some psychedelic guitar on “Whispering Wind”. According to a youtube comment, the lead guitarist was Dennis Alexander, later engineer / owner of Pantheon Studios.
If anyone has more info on the group please contact me. I don’t believe they were mentioned in Edward Wincentsen’s Yes, Phoenix Had Music In The Sixties!
Eddie and the Upsets, with Eddie on left, and Jesus Escoto on right
Eddy and the Upsets had a number of singles beginning in 1966, sometimes as Eddie Dimas & the Upsets. Most of their singles are Mexican guitar instrumentals or ballads, but “I Got News” sounds very garage. Recorded at Audio Recorders in Phoenix, it was released on Dektr ARA-41668 in 1966 with the ballad “Cry Cry Cry” on the flip.
The band formed at Phoenix Union high school. Eddie Dimas played lead guitar and sang some lead vocals. His older brother was Benny Dimas of the Majestic Five.
Jesus Escoto is on bass in the black & white photo and wrote “So Long”.
I don’t know the names of other members of the ’60s version of the band.
Dave Rivero wrote “I Got News” and the ballad “Don’t You Ever”.
Eddie Dimas at the Id Club on South Central Ave in PhoenixFreddie Brown sings lead on “No Me Tengas Compacion”, the B-side to a single on Christy as Eddy Dimas and the K-Men. Freddie Brown had his own releases on Christy.
Arthur Castro co-arranged “El Mitote”, and Benny Dimas co-arranged “La Vieja Seca”. Ross Benavidez produced a 1970 single on the Lance label.
Johnny Collins produced the Dektr singles, while G.G. Hardin gets production credit for most of the Cristy singles. Christy collected a number of instrumentals for an album El Mosquito on Christy CR 5007.
Edward Dimas passed away on March 8, 2013, and his brother Bennie Dimas on April 12, 2018.
Thank you to Francisco Candia for suggesting this post and for providing info, photos, and scans of the singles.
The Riffs made this one cool single “Tell Her” / “I Been Thinkin'” on Lubee 304 in early 1965. The songs show pronounced Merseybeat influence, especially “Tell Her”.
J. Gocioch wrote both songs, and registered copyright in March, 1965. “I Been Thinkin'” lists only Gacioch on the label, but the registration includes Timothy Ryant, and also that Dandelion Music Co. published both songs along with Debra Music Corp.
I believe J. Gacioch is either Joe Gacioch or James Gacioch. Tim Ryant was likely a member of the band as well. He passed away in 2008.
The deadwax codes include SJW and Clingman, indicating a Wakefield Pressing, and also that Loy Clingman produced the single at his Viv Studio in Phoenix, like the Lost and Found’s “Don’t Move Girl” on Pins.
I can not find any news articles or other info on the band.
The 45 saw national release on Jamie 1296, but was not reviewed in the trades.
I have photos of a group called the Sect according to their drum head. I don’t know the names of any members, or where they were from other than possibly the Los Angeles area.
Two of the photos feature actress Deborah Walley. Someone suggested it was her husband John Ashley in the white suit in one shot, but Chas Gibson informs me this is Jimmy Hawkins, who had roles in TV shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, and The Donna Reed Show. Hawkins and Walley were in the Elvis movie Spinout, which would date these photos to about 1966.
Arizona is another possible location. There was a group called the Sect from Mesa, Arizona, just east of Phoenix & Tempe, that included J.R. Lara, Tom Smith, Buford “Corky” Allred, Brad Reed and Rusty Martin. That Sect recorded two songs at Audio Recorders that were not released until 2003, “Simply Sunday” / “Just Can’t Win”.
Two people have identified the guitarist in the white hat as Kenny Vaughn of the Superlatives, Marty Stuart’s band. Perhaps someone can confirm or refute this possibility.
If it is Kenny, it is possible these photos were taken in Denver, Colorado, where he was based in the ’60s.
I like their look that mixes western and rock styles. Any info on the Sect would be appreciated.
This isn’t the first time Deborah Walley crops up in Garage Hangover. She and John Ashley appeared at an opening of Sergeant Deadhead with the Jerks in Birmingham, Alabama.
Thank you to Chas Gibson for help with identifying Jimmy Hawkins.
Two people have identified this guitarist as Kenny Vaughn of the Superlatives, Marty Stuart’s band.
Is this actress Deborah Walley ?
Jimmy Hawkins in white suit at left, and actress Deborah Walley in front of him.
Sleepy Hollow released their only single on ECI (Entertainment Consultants Inc.), probably in 1969. “Feelin’ Glad” / “Missed You So” are originals by Alan Quinlan. Both sides are good rock performances with commercial pop touches.
The single is a Wakefield pressing, SJW-11238. Alan Quinlan registered these songs with the Library of Congress in February, 1969, using his full name, William Alan Quinlan.
Sleepy Hollow included at least one member of the Pheonix group Thackeray Rocke, bassist Al Quinlan.
Thackeray Rocke included:
Frank Lacey – lead vocals Mike Kessler – lead guitar (spelled Keslar on copyright registration) Sheldon Skinkle (aka Bunker Huddle/Jr. Ellis) – guitar Al Quinlan – bass and vocals Paul Buys – drums and vocals Vince Welnick – keyboards
Quinlan co-wrote “Bawling” with lead guitarist Michael Keslar, recorded by Thackeray Rocke on Castalia Productions ARA 10671, and “Can’t You See” with Paul Buys, released on Castalia Prod., ARA 268. Both of those were cut at Audio Recorders in Phoenix and produced by Michael Wood, and Renda Music, Inc shows up in the publishing.
I suppose Thackeray Rocke split and some of the members continued as Sleepy Hollow.
Alan Quinlan has a number of other registered copyrights. From May of 1969, there are “It’s Wonderful to Love Her”, “Miss Merriwether”, and “Puzzles”, then “Good John” registered in November. In October, 1970 he registered an album’s worth of songs, including “Bottle of Wine”, “Gilted Quean” (sic – also registered as “Jilted Queen (Have You Seen My Love?)”, “Merry-Go-Round” and “Seasons”, among other titles. As far as I can tell, none of these songs saw release; perhaps demos still exist.
The Lost and Found originated in San Clemente, California as the Nuts & Bolts. Relocating to Phoenix Arizona, they became the Lost and Found and cut this single on the one-off Pins label. They were about 16 or 17 years old at the time of the session.
The band members were:
Jim Jeffers – lead guitar Mike Ingram – rhythm guitar and vocals Al Manfredi – bass and vocals Mike Ryer – drums and vocals
Mike Ingram wrote the fast-paced “Don’t Move Girl”, while Al Mandredi wrote the introspective “To Catch the Sun”, both songs published by Debra, BMI.
The Library of Congress shows the songs registered on November 14, 1966, listing their full names, with their mothers’ names as publishers: John Michael Ingram and Ruby P. Ingram; and Albert T. Manfredi and Wanda Manfredi.
The single is a Wakefield Pressing with the code SJW-8937. It was recorded at Loy Clingman’s Viv Studio.
The group had a tragic streak, as Mike Ingram died soon after the group returned to California in early 1967. After a year’s hiatus, Al Manfredi reformed the group with drummer Mike Ryer, only to have tragedy strike again, as Ryer died of cancer. Certainly this was a talented group that deserved a better fate.
Al Manfredi gave music lessons while continuing to write and record demos of songs. In 1973 he brought a band into a studio to cut some of his original songs, and had a small number of copies pressed by Band ‘n Vocal Mobile Recording Service. Al passed away in 1995, but Now-Again Records has issued his album and other recordings as Blue Gold.
The Majestic Five have this one obscure single on Santa Records out of Phoenix, Arizona in 1965.
The A-side, “Jerk Like Me” is a cover of Rudy Gonzalez & the Reno Bops “Do the Jerk Like Me”. The drummer lays down a rock-solid beat up front in the recording, while the rest of the group sounds somewhat distant. The singer does a good job but the record has a sparse sound.
The Majestic Five in Albuquerque, September 1965
The flip is a ballad, “Queen of Fools” written by Saenz and Escobedo who were members of the Majestic Five. Santa Records was located at 506 W. Cocopah in Phoenix, I haven’t seen any other releases on this label.
According to a comment below by Joseph Saenz, members included:
Albert Escobedo – guitar Benny Dimas – rhythm guitar Joe Saenz – keyboards Arturo Borquez – bass Albert Rodriguez – drums Jerry Cruz – vocalist
In June of ’65 I find several ads for their week-long engagements as the Majestics 5 at the Can Can on 3rd St. and E. Roosevelt in Phoenix and then in September at the Grand Canyon Bar and Lounge at 119 4th NW at Copper in Albuquerque, but no mentions of the group after that. Joseph Saenz explains in a comment below that the group relocated to Los Angeles for a number of years.
Majestic Four, March 28, 1968
Tedd Thomey’s In Person column from the Long Beach Independent / Press-Telegram on June 27, 1968 profiled the Majestic 4 during their time in California:
… the best-liked band ever to appear at the Purple Bunny, 11311 Imperial Highway, Norwalk …
The Majestic 4 are lead guitarist Albert Cardoza, 25, born near Albuquerque, N.M.; bass guitarist Arthur Borquez, 23, of Nogalez, Ariz.; drummer Albert Rodriguez, 23, of Tamalpais, Mexico, and organist Joe Saenz, of Globe, Ariz.
By the time they were teen-agers, the two Alberts, Arthur and Joe were all living in Phoenix …
In 1965, a “battle of the bands” was held at the Phoenix fairgrounds featuring Sonny and Cher. Thirty-five bands, amateurs and pros, competed for prizes, including an electronic organ. The Majestic 5 decided to enter, hoping to win the organ for one of their singers, Joe, who lacked an instrument. During the contest, they played their theme song, “Hello, Everybody,” which they wrote …
When the judges announced that they had won, the boys were so astounded and overjoyed that they could hardly speak. They had their choice of the organ or a recording contract with VeeJay Records. They chose the organ. It was a good decision, because the recording company decided to sign them anyway. Through no fault of the band’s, the recording deal later fell through, largely because of legal complications.
The Majestic Four and Mary-Lee Whitney opening for Brook Benton, Cannonball Adderly, Carmen McRae, Richard Pryor, and Sam Fletcher, Shrine Auditorium, March 19, 1967… Then the group decided to come to California. They dropped one musician … and changed their name to the Majestic 4.
Joe, their spokesman, walked up to Stan Rossi, owner of the Purple Bunny, handed him the band’s business card and asked politely: “Sir, we’d like to play for you tonight while your regular band is on its rest break.” Rossi agreed. The Majestic 4 made such a hit with the crowd that Rossi hired them on the spot. They started work three weeks later and stayed eight months. Last April, after playing at clubs in Nevada and elsewhere in California, they returned for another smash engagement at the Bunny.
Majestic Four and Mary Lee Whitney, Long Beach Independent, June 27, 1968
… Their star singer, Mary Lee Whitney, is another natural …
Born in Portland, Ore., she sang for seven years with a Baptist Church choir … She was the seventh of the nine children in her family. An older brother, Jimmy, a singer who had his own band, inspired her to become a professional.
Ad for the Majestic 4, Mary Lee Whitney, and the Shirell’s (Shirelles?) at the Purple Bunny, June 1968She became so good that a church friend, Henry Moore, asked her to join his professional group, the Harlequins. She came to California with them in 1966 and sang with them at the Purple Bunny and elsewhere.
Mary Lee Whitney released one 45 in 1966 on Loma 2044, “Don’t Come a’Knockin'” (produced and arranged by Bobby Paris with Doug Best, supervised by Russ Regan) / “This Could Have Been Mine” (produced by Larry Shayne).
As Mary Lee Whitney Evans, she sang backing vocals to three Stevie Wonder songs on Songs in the Key of Life and Hotter than July.
Thank you to Francisco Candia for sending me the clippings of the Majestic Four’s time in California.
The Young Men at Audio Recorders, from left: Frank Lacey, Tony Boynton, Rich Adams, Pete Axtell, and John Herwehe
Updated February 2011
The Young Men were from Phoenix, Arizona. Members included:
Frank Lacey – lead vocals Richard Adams – lead guitar Pete Axtell – rhythm guitar John Herwehe – bass Dave Killingsworth – bass Tony Boynton – drums
They were originally called the Metronomes and most were students at West Phoenix High School, playing the prom there in 1966. The Metronomes were Frank Lacey, guitar and vocals; Larry Edmonds, guitar; George Matthews, drums; and John Hesterman on bass, piano and vocals. A friend of the band remembered Frank Lacey being one of the first students at their high school to be sent home for having long hair.
The Young Men’s first 45, released on United World #6947 in January ’67 has a minor pop song “Too Many Times” on the A-side, written by ‘Howie’ and produced by Forest Higginbotham. It charted on KRUX 1360 AM, reaching #16 on March 16.
Much cooler is the catchy, upbeat “Go!”. The song writing credits list Axtell and Lacey, but as Mop Top Mike pointed out to me, it’s really a very close version of the Dave Clark Five’s “I’m Thinking”, the b-side of a ’65 single “Reelin’ and Rockin'”. The Dave Clark Five original has a great shout of “Oh!” before the first verse. The Young Men change this to a reverb-laden “Go!” and dub it in before each verse. They also speed up the tempo, drop the organ part and substitute an excellent dry guitar solo for the bridge in the DC5 version.
The label lists the time for “Go!” as 2:33, but when played the song clocks at 1:33. I’ve seen a second version of the label that lists the time correctly.
The Young Men had a second 45 United World #0001 in April of ’67, a very competent rendition of the Hollies’ “Baby That’s All” backed with “Love’s Time”, a good original by Axtell, Lacey and Froste.
As Dan Nowicki points out in his comment below, Frank Lacey and Dave Killingsworth later were in Thackeray Rocke, and that both records were recorded at Audio Recorders of Arizona.
Thanks also to Mop Top Mike for the dates of the 45s, to Richard Adams & John Hesterman for the photo at top and info on the Metronomes, to John L. for info on the group, and to Brian Kirschenbaum for the scans of “Baby That’s All” and “Love’s Time”.
The furious opening chords and drum rolls, the casual vocal delivery. Sharp guitar and Yardbirds style rave up – “Lovin’ Just My Style” is one of the signature songs from the garage era.
The Caravelles established themselves as a live act in Phoenix and somehow got the attention of Hadley Murrell, a DJ at the AM soul station KCAC. Murrell produced many of Phoenix’s soul acts in the mid-60’s, including Eddie and Ernie (45s “Time Waits for No One”, “I’m Goin’ for Myself”, etc), the New Bloods, and the Soul Setters, whose 45 “Out of Sight” was also released on Onacrest.
When the Caravelles recorded their single in 1966, the lineup included John Fitzgerald on vocals and harmonica, Mike Lipman lead guitar, Jerry Breci rhythm guitar, Danny Reed keyboards and Doug Steiner on drums.
“Lovin’ Just My Style” is an original by Fitzgerald, Lipman and Breci. For the flip, they covered a song by the New Bloods, “Self-Service”, with the memorable lines: “I don’t have no one to love me, I don’t have no one to kiss me … so I’ll have to serve myself … Self-service!”
Rick Anderson may have been bassist at the time of the record; he later joined the Superfine Dandelion. The band’s first keyboardist was Brooks Keenan, and Neal Smith was their last drummer, before he joined Alice Cooper.
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
Gossip made this one great two-sided 45 “No One’s Standing in Your Way” / “Whispering Wind” in October, 1968, released on Gossip Records ARA 102268.
The Young Men had a second 45 United World #0001 in April of ’67, a very competent rendition of the Hollies’ “Baby That’s All” backed with “Love’s Time”, a good original by Axtell, Lacey and Froste.
