The Tommy Love and Lonnie & the Legends are the only picture sleeves I know of for Rev.
The label’s location is usually noted at 12044 Chandler Blvd, N. Hollywood, CA, but the Tommy Gardner 45 gives an address of 12055 Burbank Boulevard. No relation to the Rev label from Arizona in the late ’50s that had releases by Doug Hardin, Skip & Flip, etc.
I’ve put these in possible order of release – but it’s only a guess.
This discography is probably incomplete – any help with dates, info and scans would be appreciated!
Rev 45-D-100/45-D-101 – “Wish You Were Still Mine” (Don R. McGinnis, Loucan Music BMI) / “Devil in Me” (J. Bryant for Mosic Publ., BMI) both sides arranged by Don McGinnis
Rev A1001 – Tommy Love – “Love Bug Is Buggin’ Me” / “Your Heart Is Like a Swingin’ Gate” (W.V. Thrasher, arranged by Bruce Locke)
Rev A-1003 – Gil Shelton – “I Was Wrong from the Start” (Joe Fiorito, Laucan Music BMI) / “A Penny in the Wishing Well” (with picture sleeve)
Rev 45-1005 / 45-1006 – Lonnie & the Legends – “Penguin Walk” / “Crazy Penguin” (George Grah, Laucan Music BMI, with picture sleeve)
Lonnie & the Legends had at least three 45s on various labels, I cover that band in more depth here.
Rev 45-R-1102 – Tacey Robbins and the Vendells – “My L.A.” / “Ordinary Boy” (both by Billy Storm, “Sound Track Motion Picture ‘Psycho a GoGo'”, arranged by Don McGinnis, Produced by Al Adamson, Laucan Music, BMI
Rev 45-1-66 – The Frontiers Men and Joanie – “Roaring Angels Game” (Major W.V. Thrasher, Laucan Music” / “Anaheim U.S.A.” (Lee Brian, Val-Dare Music BMI)
Rev 45-D-166/45-D-266 – Group Therapy – “Seventh Heaven” (Tom Jones, Bill Doran) / “Cheated Again” (Bob Pecel) (both sides arranged by Bill Doran, March 1966)
Rev 45-D-104-66 / 105-66 – Jack Bedient & the Chessmen – “Glimmer Sunshine” / “Where Did She Go” (October 1966)
Rev 45-N-105 – Nocturnals – “Stag Line” (Don Freeze) / Eugene Hillard (vocalist) and the Nocturnals “I Want To Know”
Rev 45-R-107 – Jay Jay Cameron with King David & the Parables – “Short Dresses” (Jay Jay Cameron – Barry Hansen) / “Miss Missile”
Rev 45-G-112 – Doug McGinnis – “Moon Over Texas” / “Everything But Me”
Rev 45-115-67/116-67 – The Royal Teens – “Chicaney” (Chirico-Whittle, Laucan Pub, BMI) / “Tears in My Eyes” (Monarch #66743, May ’67, Royal Teens became The Paper Fortress)
Rev 45-117-67/118-67 – Nona Nikova – “Dreams Are Not Enough” (Sam Carrino) / “Let The Sun Shine” (Nona Nikova), both pub. by Laucan BMI, arr. by Sam Carrino
Rev 45-117-68/118-68 – Leo & Marv – “Mrs Heartbreaker ” / “House of Lonely Hearts”
Rev 45-119-68/120-68 – Real People – “Sea Of Reality” / “The Man” (both by Parks, Alan, 1968)
Rev 200-69 – Art Wight – “Pickin’ Fights for Christmas” (Art Wight, Laucan Music BMI) / “Three Cigarettes” Rev 200-69 – Cousin Frank – “Pickin’ Fights for Christmas” (Art Wight, Wight Barn ASCAP) / “Three Cigarettes” The above two seem to be identical releases except for the artist name and publishing info. Not sure why there were two releases under different names. Country music.
Rev-3028/9 King George and the Timps – “I’m Thru Losin’ You” (Howard Huntsberry, Launcan BMI) / “I Cried” (George Renfro) Also released on Midtown M-002, “I’m Through Losin’ You” (credit changed to E.B. Robertson) / “I Cried”. Rev issue seems to be rarer.
Rev-3528 King George and Mischief Lads – “Shing-a-Ling Baby part 1” / “Shing a Ling Baby part 2” (both by George Renfro) “part 2 is particularly insane” – Mr. Robinson
Rev 4003 – Los Chicanos – “Love Is Blue” / “La Bamba”
Rev 500 – Darvy Traylor (arr. LaBerta Ellis) – “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey” / “That’s All That Matters To Me” (1974)
Rev-5001 – L.A. County C.O.P.E. – “Sacramento Playhouse” (Cheep Music, ASCAP, 4:00) / “Stand Up You Children”
COPE = Commitee on Political Education? Seems to be some riff on Nixon – anyone have clips of this or a good scan of the b-side?
Rev 7001 – Al Hanner “Beyond the Reef” / “Who’s Sorry Now” (need confirmation of this one – label scans please)
Rev-8107 – Tommy Gardner & His Versatiles – “Why” / “That Kind of Love” (both by Tommy Gardner, Mayon Pub ASCAP) This label gives Rev Records address as 12055 Burbank Blvd.
Rev 1722 – The Seaweeds “You Swam Away With My Heart” (Vocal)/”You Swam Away With My Heart” (instrumental) Red label with Rev in plain typeface
Rev-1941 – Danny Ghaffouri “X-Rated Baby” / “The Lady” both sides by Danny Ghaffouri, prod. and arr. by Bruce Graham, green label with Rev logo
Rev 1951 – Tony De Bruno “Io Canto Cosi Perche Sono Italiano” / “Ah! Cie Bella La Barese”
Rev 1952 – Danny Curtis “Windbag” (D. Curtis & Tom Jenkins for Charted Course Music – Dag Music, BMI) b/w Greg Biela “Flyaway” (Tom Jenkins) Produced by Tom Jenkins for Breakaway Productions, Stereo, tan label with Rev logo. 6430 Sunset Blvd. address.
Rev 1960 – Dave Duncan And Hardtimes – “Sweet Country Lovin'” / “My Hearts In Country” (need confirmation of this one)
Rev 1957 – Adrenalin – “Dogtown” (Tim Palmatier) / “By Myself” – rock from 1979, members may have included Tim Palmatier, Kevan Hill and Greg Berryman.
Thanks to Ed Nadorozny for the scan of the Gil Shelton 45, to Max Waller for info and the scans of the Royal Teens and to Mr. Robinson, beccabear, Laurent and the rest of G45 Central for their help. Thank you to Barry Wickham for the scan of the Lonnie & the Legends sleeve and Group Therapy 45.
Zebra, from left to right: Jerry Beasly, Noe Cruz, Bob Silvert, Timo Laine and Bruce Bordon
10″ acetate from Gold Star Studios with both songs from the 45One of the final releases on the Miramar label was Zebra’s “Helter-Skelter” released in 1969. The b-side was an original by Bruce Bordon and Timo Laine titled “Wasted” that in my opinion is the better side.
Zebra’s guitarist Timo Laine sent me the photos above and told me about the group.
Zebra members were:
Timo Laine: lead guitar Noe Cruz: bass Bruce Bordon: vocals Jerry Beasley: drums Bob Silvert: keyboards
Zebra was together for about 5 years. Everywhere we played there would be a line around the building to get in. We were loved by the dance crowd, and the club owners kept us busy.
Zebra opened for the Rolling Stones and the Byrds in the late ’60s in Fresno. We also played with B.B. King, Ballin’jack, Zephyr, Ike and Tina Turner and many other name acts, but I don’t remember them all. We were a full time club band, 5 nights a week.
Our main clubs were Pier 11 (Newport Beach), Finnegan’s Rainbow (Newport Beach), The Interlude (Santa Cruz), Odyssey Theatre (Phoenix, AZ), Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Ichabods (Fullerton), Saint George and the Dragon (Tustin), and the Forum in Fresno.
We met Tony Cary at the Forum, where he first saw the act. He kept coming in every night and buying us drinks. Finally he said he was a record producer, and wanted to produce Zebra. Tony had a lot of industry contacts, and radio station friends like the Drake-Chenault radio station owners.
He moved the band to the Marriott in Studio City, and started recording the act at Pat Boone’s Lion and the Lamb Studio. We were almost finished recording the album when we got a telegram that Tony had died. We were told he had overdosed. This was a huge loss for us.
The album was never mixed or mastered, except the single “Helter Skelter” and “Wasted”, that was done first. I don’t know whatever happened to the masters.
After his death, I was offered a recording contract to record an album I wrote called Space Rangers with Neil Merryweather. It was recorded in Capital Records studio, and released by Mercury Records out of Chicago. After Space Rangers, I signed to A&M Records and released Symphonic Slam.
I had a new release this year, and another in 2011. I’m currently working on a new production: Jimmy Haslip (Yellow Jackets, Alan Holdsworth, Robin Ford) will be on bass, Mark Stevens on drums, me on guitars and guitar synths. Talks are in the works that Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) may do the keys.
Q. Was your band the same Zebra who released “Christmas Morning Parts I & II” on Blue Thumb in Nov. 1969, written, produced and arranged by Sean Bonniwell of the Music Machine.
Timo Laine: No, we were before they came out.
Thanks to Timo for his help with this post. See the page on Just Us for info on Neil Merryweather’s first bands in Ontario.
Here’s a real oddity, two anonymous and unrelated cuts packaged on one 45. For Miramar label completionists only!
The A-side has the Miramar Soul Band doing a bossa-nova. sax-led instrumental version of “Mr. Tambourine Man”. Somehow I couldn’t get a very good transfer out of this side, but it could be ’cause the cartridge I use for transferring needs to be balanced, and my old Thorens is picking up all kinds of hum in my new house.
I did better on the flip, “Party a Go Go”, labeled as by Friends of the Miramar Soul Band. It’s not bad listening, a fair instrumental along the lines of “Off the Hook” overdubbed with fake party goers cackling and pretending to be hip. Publishing on this one is by Carjone, BMI, which appears on other Miramar releases produced by Tony Cary (real name Tony Luton).
Though given a release number of Miramar 127, “Party a Go Go” has master number 111-B, suggesting it was mastered much earlier, likely meant for release just prior to Tony Cary’s one-sided 45 of “She Belongs to Me”.
It turns out “Party a Go Go” also appears on Miramar 110 by Glenn & the Good Guys, with master number 111. Perhaps it’s not the same take, as I haven’t heard it yet. The writing credit on that label reads Burton, Jones, Osborn, so it’s likely James Burton was playing on this 45.
“Party a Go Go” also appears on Nick Hoffman’s 45 for Roman Records, this time titled “Christmas Party”, backing “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”.
I wonder if the version of Mr. Tambourine Man here is the same as the flip to Sonny Firmature’s single “Love Lost” (Miramar 128)?
If anyone has good transfers of some of the early Miramar releases by Jimmy Burton, the Memphis Men and Tony Cary, please contact me. Also please take a look at the list of Miramar releases I’ve posted and see if there are any gaps to be filled.
A reader sent in scans of the ticket and photos from a benefit dance at the El Monte Legion Stadium at 11151 Monte Vista, on July 30, 1964. The dance was hosted by Arlan Sanders, DJ with KRLA, and featured the Safaris, the Rivingtons, the Coasters, Jody Miller, The Blendells, Johnny Burnette, Ray Peterson, Bobby Sox & the Blue Jeans, The Olympics and Lucille Starr, among others.
My Mother Velma Pulbrook was once the President of a Pony/Colt Baseball League in So Cal (I might add the first woman in the country to be one). In 1964 she organized a fund raiser that played at the El Monte Legion Hall in El Monte, CA. Unfortunately she passed away about 5 years ago but as I was going through some of her pictures and stuff I ran across a ticket to the event.
There were some tremendous performers that showed up. She asked Little Richard to make it that night. He said he couldn’t but he had a couple of friends that would come by and those friends were Ike and Tina Turner. They aren’t billed because they were last minute add ons.
She always told me that a group called Jack and the Rippers played that night (although they are not listed on the attached ticket). I did find a photo though that I believe is them: it’s blurry and not fully in the picture but the bass drum appears to have the band’s name on it.
I sent the photo of a girl singing [to] Jody Miller; she was nice enough to reply that it was her. Jody Miller and Lucille Starr went on to become more famous with recordings shortly after this appearance. “The French Song” by Lucille Starr was released in early 1965 and Jody’s “Queen of the House” released in May of 1965. One of the fascinating things is that Johnny Burnette played that night and that was [possibly] his last event since he died in a boating accident on August 14, 1964.
I am still trying to determine who a few acts are, especially the black performer with the two guitar players (I am thinking it might be Bobby Sheen of the Bobby Sox and the Blue Jeans fame).
The dance was a flop if you can believe it even with all these performers. The attendance was only about 50-60 couples in total.
Steve Pulbrook
If anyone can help identify the performers in these photos please get in contact!
Unknown group (Bobby Sox & the Blue Jeans?)Jody Miller on stageDisk Jockey Arlen Sanders signing autograph, according to comment (see below) by Leo OlmosJack & the Rippers (?)
When Jim Lewallen sent me scans of a 45 by his group the Goldenaires on Angelus Records, I started looking into the label’s discography. I really didn’t know what I was getting into!
Angelus Records was the in-house label for Whitney Recording Studio in Glendale, California. Lorin Whitney owned and operated the studio and played organ or piano on many of Angelus albums. Les Roberts described the studio to me, “the main studio was almost 50’ x 50’. Great acoustics!”
The label was either named for, or connected to the Angelus Temple of the Foursquare Church, the Pentecostal sect founded by Aimee Semple McPherson. the studio and label were in Glendale, five miles north of the temple.
All kinds of artists used Whitney for recording, but Angelus Records tended towards Christian inspirational music, but not African-American gospel music. It was a big operation, putting out hundreds of LPs from the early ’60s into the ’70s. Most Angelus releases were custom pressings: the artists paid for the recording and pressing of their records. However, Lorin Whitney had at least one release of his own, so Angelus may have marketed some of these albums. The acts came from all over the west, from Montana and Colorado all the way to Alaska, with many from Seattle and the state of Washington.
Within the Angelus catalog there are a handful of interesting releases in genres other than Christian spiritual music, but even the few heavy rock exceptions such as Stone Garden and Faction have religious overtones. The only truly secular recordings may be the Goldenaires and the Xanadus singles.
Like the Word label, it had some of the best album covers ever.
7″ singles on Angelus:
There seem to be relatively few 45s on Angelus, but the single by the Stone Garden “Stop My Thinking” / “Oceans Inside Me” stands out.
There’s also a 45 I’ve never heard by a group called The Acid Test, supposedly recorded at Sound Recording in Spokane. Anyone have a transfer of that one? Craig (MojoCools) sent in the scans seen here and wrote:
I believe [one copy] was unearthed in the Spokane area, while I found mine in NW Montana and always thought they were from Spokane/Couer d’Alene area. No SRC info on the trail off as it is only etched with WR-4803-A/ WR-4803-B and the “(copyright pending)” statement on the label doesn’t shed much light.
These guys sound like high school kids and can’t manage to pull of a lead break on the A side, and only barely at the end of the flip. A-side “What Do I Love” is almost heavy as Stone Garden but very inept and instead of a break they just modulate. Flip “Make Her Mine” is actually the Rascals “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long” and has a simple crude break towards the end.
Craig also sent the scan of the Foundation sleeve (above) and wrote:
Picture sleeve is a slick glued to a 7″ inner. It sounds pretty much like the sleeve looks. Acoustic guitar and electric bass. “The Man” = folky original that borrows from “All Along the Watchtower” a bit but adds some female scat vocals / harmony vocals giving it a sunshine pop sound. Flip is more soft folk sunshine which is a weird/happy way to sing about dying on the cross! This is not typical acoustic Christian folk.
First names are listed (Jim, Lou Ann, Jeanette and Mike), and a quote from Corinthians (“I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it”) but no other info on who group was.
Angelus LPs:
Of the albums, the most famous by far is Jim Beach’s group Fraction, with their very desirable psych LP Moon Blood. Even this record, it should be said, has Christian theology behind it.
Other interesting releases that I haven’t heard yet are two jazz LPs by Ron Pittner recorded in France, another by Bill Maldonado, a country or folk rock album by an act known as Sierra, and the intriguing Joe Jim Paul’s Sings Song from Alaska with song titles like “The Midget Wildwood Little Girl” and “Pop the Magic Dragon”
I’ve included what I could find from the usual record selling sources, so please write if you have good scans or can help with the discography. This is obviously very incomplete – only about 100 records out of what could be as many as 1,000 Angelus releases.
Engineers on the albums include Doug Smith, Paul Elmore and Frank Kejmar.
Angelus Records discography:
45 rpm / 7″ records: Angelus 45-1012 – Jack Moore – Goodby, World, Goodby (Mosie Lister, with Frances Moore organ and Cathy Bragg piano) / How Great Thou Art (with the Calvary Temple Teen Chorale) Angelus WR-4342 – The Goldenaires – “What He Said” / “The Mad Hatter” Angelus WR-4346 – The Music of Dick Charles and the Boys (no song titles, small center hole so probably 33 1/3 rpm) Angelus WR-4442 – Xanadus – “Before the Dawn” (Boyd & Adams) / “Little Girl” (Wray) (reissued on Encore 4442) Angelus WR 4446-45 – Elsie & Gene Jaggers – Train Song / Hilo March Angelus WR-4749 – Rick and Dennis – “Redeemed” / “The Love Come a Tricklin’ Down” / “Where Will You Be When That First Trumpet Sounds” / “Let Me Fly” Angelus WR-4803 – Acid Test – “What Do I Love” / “Make Her Mine” Angelus WR-4819 – The Stone Garden – “Stop My Thinking” / “Oceans Inside Me” (Gary Speer) Angelus WR-4942 – Foundation – “The Man” / “Can You Live” (with picture sheet glued on plain sleeve) Angelus WR-5015 – Redwood Chapel Community Church – Sunday Night Sing! (33 1/3 7″ LP) Angelus WR-5047 – Tom Keene and the Contemporaries – “What a Song” / “May I Introduce You to a Friend” Angelus WR 5075 – Mr. Lucky and the Good Vibes – “Streak Around In Your Bones” (Tom Thorne) / “Barefoot in the Rain” Angelus WR-5095 – Blue James – “Fairytales, Fishermen, and Fools” / “Sweet And True” Angelus KO-794881 – Brian Michaels – “Twenty Nine Miles from Boston” / ?
The Xanadus Angelus single WR-4442 reissued on the Encore label
Albums: Angelus WR-4105 – Kaufman Family Radio Missionaries (cover reads Angelus, labels have Whitney Records) Angelus WR-4193 – Bud Garmo – Songs Of Comfort Angelus WR-4216 – Ray Kaady – Amazing Grace Angelus WR-4227 – Moore Evangelistic Party (Marrles Moore, Frances Moore, Jack Moore & Merv Moore, piano by Loren Whitney) Angelus WR-4332 – Vincent and Virginia Gizzi ~ Missionaries To Japan Angelus WR-4342 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4346 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4362 – Don & Norma Tanner – The Tanner Team Angelus WR-4365 – Lex Ellesin – Yugoslav Songs and Dances Angelus WR-4368 – Bill Notehelfer – Forward to Christ, with Charles Magnuson & Lorin Whitney Angelus WR-4371 – Jimmie McDonald – Sings From His Heart to You Angelus WR-4379 – Bill White – Gentle Hands, with Sue Magnuson and Pattie Stiles, prod. by Wesley Tuttle Angelus WR-4381 – Malcolm Fry – Overshadowed Angelus WR-4393 – Woodlandaires – Spring Concert Angelus WR-4394 – Polly Prieto, Lorene Null, Elizabeth Null & Hilarion S. Raymundo – Melodies From The Mission Field (Philippine Islands) Angelus WR-4396 – Calvary Temple, Seattle, Bud Tutmarc dir. – My Heart Is Glad Angelus WR-4409 – Ronald Drye – Balm in Gilead Angelus WR-4419 – Dale Crowley – From My Heart to Your Heart Angelus WR-4422 – Marian Estep – The News in Revelation Angelus WR-4425 – Ron Schloss – Memorial Album Angelus WR-4437 – Wilbur and Norman Nelson – Sing Praises
Angelus WR-4441 – Lorene Booth Koltovich – Sacred Requests Angelus WR-4442 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4443 – Bud Garmo – Songs of Challenge
Angelus WR 4446 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4447 – Bud Garmo – I Never Walk Alone
Angelus WR-4458 – Roger Crymes – God Understands Angelus WR-4479 – Marriage, Divorce and Sex (Message by Dr. Joseph Murphy) Angelus WR-4497 – Marian Estep – Songs of Heaven Angelus WR-4503 – Cass Schreib My Wonderful Lord Angelus WR-4520 – First Baptist Church, Crescenta, Calif. – Organ-Music Dedication Angelus WR-4529 – Donna Reed – Fill My Cup Lord
Angelus WR 4538 – Northwest College Concert Choir – “How Big Is God” Also “It Took A Miracle” (need confirmation of this one) Angelus WR 4539 – Tom Keene and the Contemporaries – The New Sound In Motion
Angelus WR 4542 – Northwest District Youth Choir of the Assemblies of God, Seattle – I Have Christ Angelus WR-4551 – Nelson & Jester – Good News Favorites, with Helen Nelson and Mary Jester Angelus WR-4557 – Korean Blind Quartet – Songs of Another World Angelus WR-4557 – Fairview Heights (Inglewood Ca) Baptist Church Angelus WR-4559 – Gilbert Hynes – Heart Songs Of The Spirit (need confirmation of this one) Angelus WR-4569 – Berl Thomas – Hymns of Hope Angelus WR-4561 – Fairview Heights (Inglewood, CA) Baptist Church Choir – In His Glory (need confirmation of this one) Angelus WR-4572 – Harbor-Lites – Girls Trio Angelus WR-4573 – Witnesses Trio – Nearer My God Angelus WR-4591 – Don Calhoun – Sacred Songs Angelus WR-4592 – David F. Webber – Mark of the Beast Angelus WR-4597 – R. Norheim & Lutheran Gospel Hour Singers – Lamplighter Songs Angelus WR-4600 – Roy & Arlene Brewer – He Is Everything to Me Angelus WR-4602 – Marian Estep – Old Favorites of the Church Angelus WR-4616 – The Singing Servants, directed by Dean Schield Angelus WR-4619 – Harold Holt – It’s In My Heart Angelus WR-4638 – Judy Koenig – No Other Song Angelus WR-4654 – Dr. Joseph Murphy – The Secret Of I Am That I Am Angelus WR-4659 – Treble Heirs – No Other Song (Jane Fowler, Cherie Miller, Linda Morse) Angelus WR-4663 – Brandts – No Other Name Angelus WR-4677 – Wilbur and Norman Nelson – New Life in Christ Angelus WR-4684 – The Proclaimers Angelus WR-4701 – Elmer and Lee Bruno – Sonata Sagrada Angelus WR-4705 – Alma Louise Shurte – Songs from the Heart Angelus WR-4722 – The Singing Servants – Day By Day Angelus WR-4732 – Jane Nellis – Songs from the Heart Angelus WR-4742 – The Lacys – Hallelujah! Unique Gospel Songs & Spirituals Angelus WR-4749 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4771 – Bethany Park Presents ’68 Camp Meeting – Melodies of Praise Angelus WR-4778 – Marian Estep – Sing Unto the Lord Angelus WR-4779 – Linda Baker – Paul Speaks to You Angelus WR-4781 – Antanas Pavasaris – Dainu Ir Ariju Recitalis Angelus WR-4789 – Taiwan Men’s Choir – Free China Sings Angelus WR-4793 – The Hart Family – Paul, Connie & David Hart – Hart To Heart Angelus WR-4802 – The Faith Tones – Jesus Use Me Angelus WR-4803 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4811 – Marian Rieth – Moments of Meditation
Angelus WR-4817 – Wilbur and Norman Nelson – More Gospel Favorites Angelus WR-4818 – Bill Maldonado – … This Dream Angelus WR-4819 – see 45 / 7″ list above
Angelus AR-4823 – Temple-Tones – For His Glory Angelus WR-4827 – Marian Estep with Lorene Kealy, Paul Kealy & Lorin Whitney – Songs of the Holy Land Angelus WR-4833 – Ben Lippen School, Ralph Parker, Director – Music Angelus WR-4842 – Jim Bergthold – Personal Peace Angelus WR-4847 – Rodger Hall – Where Do I Go From Here Angelus WR-4849 – Roy & Arlene Brewer – This Is the Life Angelus WR-4853 – King’s Choralons & Northwest College Ladies’s Ensemble, Kirkland WA – God Is Alive Angelus WR-4858 – Ray Kaady – Volume 2, Tell It Again Angelus WR-4867 – Cymanfa Ganu & Welsh Church, Los Angeles – I Will Sing Hosanna Angelus WR-4869 – Donald Rick with Dick Bolks and Lorin Whitney – In Sacred Concert Angelus WR-4870 – Marian Rieth – Hallowed Moments Angelus WR-4877 – Rise Up O Church – Sanctuary Choir, First Church Of The Nazarene, Whittier CA Angelus WR-4885 – Marian Estep – Songs You Love Angelus WR-4891 – Barbara Lowman, Soprano with Morris Mosby – I Asked the Lord Angelus WR-4893 – Doris Beaulieu – Doris Sings Out in Sacred Concert, acc. by Coral Baerg Angelus WR-4894 – Malcolm Fry – Grace So Amazing Angelus WR-4898 – Harbor Masters – The Harbor Masters Sing Angelus WR-4916 – United Community Church Glendale – 10th Anniversary 1961 to 1971 Angelus WR-4926 – Bibleaires Trio – I Shall Be At Home Angelus WR-4933 – Ada Mouw Groen – Lord Is My Light Angelus WR-4936 – Mizpah Singers (Barruel Bros) – The Living Rock Angelus WR-4937 – Church of the Open Door – His People Angelus WR-4942 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-4944 – artist? – What Color is Love (blank cover? I need a scan or confirmation of this one) Angelus WR-4951 – Tom and Rachel Thorne – “Golden Kona” / “Magic in the Air” (R.T. Thompson Music Co., ASCAP – need confirmation of this one) Angelus WR-4954 – Wilbur Nelson – Sings “These Are a Few of My Favorite Songs” Angelus WR-4957 – Lutheran Gospel Hour – Anchored in Jesus / Anniversary Album Angelus WR-4964 – Arnie Hartman – In Concert Angelus WR-4982 – Kathryn Kuhlman presents Jimmie McDonald Angelus WR-4990 – Neal Higgins – Fill My Cup, Lord Angelus WR-4984 – The Sound Impressions – Presents … a Reason for Being (Otis Skillings, orch; Al Reis, photography; Chuck Hernandez, art design; Frank Kejmar, engineer; Jerry Lindsay, director) Angelus WR-4989 – John and Linnie Olson – Radio Favorites Angelus WR-4994 – Paul and Louise Greisen – I’m His to Command Angelus WR-4996 – New Life – Giver Of Joy
Angelus WR-5003 – The King’s Envoys – For Him Angelus WR-5005 – Fraction – Moon Blood Angelus WR-5009 – Dick Zeller – He Loves Us More Angelus WR-5015 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-5024 – Vere Raley with John Lundberg Singers – Baritone Soloist Angelus WR-5031 – Marian Estep – God Is Our Refuge Angelus WR-5032 – Chuck Kisner & Rose Parenti – Don’t Let a Day Go By Angelus WR-5041 – The Brotherhood III and The New Life – A Reason to Sing Angelus WR-5042 – Tact Singers (Teen Action for Christ Today) – Jesus Is (dir. Roger Clay, First Church of the Nazarene, Denver, Colorado) Angelus WR-5047 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-5051 – Sierra Angelus WR-5057 – F.X. McDonald, Jr. – Peace My Friends Angelus WR-5059 – Robert Bowman – Songs of Enduring Faith Angelus WR-5060 – Westmont College Choir Angelus WR-5067 – Ken Hyde – If God Angelus WR-5068 – Modesto Christian School Choir And The Children Of Modesto Christian School – Good News! (need confirmation of this one) Angelus WR-5069 – Master Design – Get All Excited with Master Design Angelus WR-5074 – Mark Greer – Searching Angelus WR-5082 – Pastor R. Norheim & Lutheran Gospel Singers – Gospel in Song Angelus WR-5083 – Joyce Okert – Something Worth Living For Angelus WR-5086 – The Jesters – Messages In Music Angelus WR-5087 – Tom & Shelly (1974) Angelus WR-5088 – Mark Greer – Resolutions Angelus WR-5091 – Bill White – Reaching Out Angelus WR-5095 – see 45 / 7″ list above Angelus WR-5099 – The Dick Anthony Family – More Out of Life Angelus WR-5102 – The Inspirationals and Lawrence Foley – Sacred Songs from the Crystal Fountain Angelus WR-5108 – Jamie Burghardt – Jamie Sings For God And Country Angelus WR-5111 – Chuck Kisner – In His Name Angelus WR-5113 – George Sanchez – Songs of the Shepherd Angelus WR-5115 – Barruel Brothers – Born to Be King Angelus WR-5117 – Tim & Roger – At the Twin Pianos Angelus WR-5120 – F.X. McDonald – F.X. & the Boys Angelus WR-5121 – Ken Finley – God Is Much Fairer Angelus WR-5123 – Westmont College Choir Angelus WR-5126 – John Steele – Closing Night Angelus WR-5127 – Linnie J. Olson – Linnie (Rufus Harvey Jr. conducting) Angelus WR-5128 – Clara Shannon – Singing Missionary Angelus WR-5130 – Daybreak with Dick Anthony & the Orchestra Angelus WR-5142 – Ron Pittner – Out from the Edge: Recorded in Concert, Paris, France, with Kent Carter (cello), Mototeru Takagi (saxophone), Takashi Kako (electric piano), recorded March 1974 Angelus WR-5143 (?) – Covenant Gospelaires present It’s A True Story Angelus WR-5152 – Jim Bergthold First Tenor With The Haven Of Rest Quartet – The King Is Coming Angelus WR-5154 – The Ascensions – Playing Around with Jazz Angelus WR-5156 – Neal Higgins – To God Be The Glory Angelus WR-5158 – Pierce Family – A Song About Life Angelus WR-5165 – F.X. McDonald, Jr. Soloist – Jesus Thou Art Coming w. Laurindo Almeida and Louise de Tullio Angelus WR-5169 – Larry Vannucci – Anything Goes Angelus WR-5174 – Freedom Ringers II (handbell music recorded during 1978 European tour) Angelus WR-5183 – Joe Jim Paul – Sing “Song From Alaska” (with Son Gary Paul and John Angaiak) Angelus WR-8081 – Jaggers Family – Across the Sea Angelus WR-1943 – Ron Pittner – The Indigo Mirror and the Ivory Dot, Recorded in Concert, Orly, France, Angelus WRLW-1981 – Lorin Whitney – Gospel Organ Favorites vol. 1
? – Christmas Time with Linnie ? – Riverside Professional Jazz Workshop
Master Design cover from Observatory. Thanks to Max Waller for the titles to the Blue James 45, to Dan Peterson for the Xanadus scans and to Jack for the Jack Moore 45 scans, to Gee K. for scans of 4877, and to John for the Elsie & Gene Jaggers info.
T.A.C.T. (Teen Action for Christ Today!) Singers – Jesus Is!
Miramar Records of Hollywood, famous for its releases by the Road Runners and the Dovers.
Tony Cary produced all the Dovers 45s as well as the Road Runners, Jimmy Burton, Nick Hoffman and Fellowship records. He went on to produce the Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband LP on UNI, released 1968 and Charles Lamont’s solo LP from 1969, A Legend In His Own Time. Mike Markesich tells me Tony’s real name was Tony Luton, whose family was involved in radio or TV in Santa Barbara.
Tony Cary had two singles on Miramar. The first, “Dream World” / “One of These Days” was from August, 1965 (Monarch delta # 55804). Both songs are by Jones-Osborn and published by Alborn Music. The label reads “Produced by Miramar Prod.”
As far as Tony’s vocal talents go, I think he eventually took his own song’s advice to “stop living in a dream world”! Still, one can’t help but admire the impressive series of singles he produced on this label. His second is a countrified version of “She Belongs to Me” that was only released as a one-sided white label promo.
Alborn is the other producer name on many of these 45s. Alborn seems to be a mix of Alton Leo Jones (Al Jones) and Joe Osborn. They wrote a number of songs together, the most notable of which may be “Johnny Come Lately” for Billie Jean Horton. Joe Osborn also wrote with Dorsey Burnette and Dale Hawkins.
Other Miramar records have “a C/A production” on the label. The publishing info is usually on of these three: Alborn Music BMI, Carjone Music BMI, Fabyan Music ASCAP. Labels read “Miramar Records of Hollywood” up through the Dovers’ “The Third Eye”.
Jimmy Burton is of course James Burton, and Jimmy’s Blues” is an excellent piece of fuzzy riffing. It’s possible that’s him playing the lead guitar on Tony Cary’s “One of These Days”.
The Spellbinders version of “Casting My Spell” features a rough lead vocal with clipped lead guitar lines. I haven’t heard “To Take a Heart” yet. That 45 was produced by Joe Osborn, and this is not the same Spellbinders who recorded for Columbia (“Chain Reaction”).
Incomplete discography (any help would be appreciated!)
45s:
Note that releases 101 and 103 come from the end of Miramar’s run, in 1967 or later.
Miramar 107 – Tony Cary – “Dream World” / “One of These Days” (August 1965) Miramar 108 – Jimmy Burton – “Jimmy’s Blues” (J. Burton, M. Jones, J. Osborn) / “Love Lost” (James Burton) (a Cary-Alborn Production) Miramar 109 – Memphis Men – “Act Naturally” / “Oh What A Night” (Jones-Osborn) (Produced by AFC Enterprises Inc.) Miramar 110 – Glenn and the Good Guys – “Party a Go Go” (Burton, Jones, Osborn) / “Only In My Heart” (J. Seals, G. Adams)
Miramar 112 – Tony Cary – “She Belongs To Me” (one-sided promo)
Miramar 115 – The Spellbinders – “Casting My Spell” / “To Take a Heart” (produced by Joe Osborn)
The Road Runners’ first single
The following have the guitar label design:
Miramar 116 – Road Runners – “I’ll Make It Up To You” / “Take Me” (released in Aug. ’65, also released on Reprise 0418, Sept. ’65) Miramar 117 – ? Miramar 118 – Dovers – “She’s Gone” / “What Am I Going To Do?” (Sept. 1965) Miramar 119 – Nick Hoffman – “King of The Moon” / “Blind and Leaving Blues” (Nov. 1965) Miramar 120 – ? Miramar 121 – Dovers – “I Could Be Happy” / “People Ask Me Why” (Nov, 1965, also released on Reprise 0439) Miramar 122 – ? Miramar 123 – Dovers – “The Third Eye” / “Your Love” (April 1966)
Another great song by Timmy Granada
Miramar 124 – Dovers – “She’s Not Just Anybody” / “About Me” (May 1966) (plain label without guitar logo) I’ve seen an acetate demo of this 45 from Western Recorders, 6000 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood 28
The following have the winged angel type logo:
Miramar 125 – Fellowship – “Just Like A Woman” / “Palace of the King” (Sept. 1966), also released in stock copy with older guitar logo Miramar 126 – ? Miramar 127 – Miramar Soul Band – “Mr. Tambourine Man” / Friends of the Miramar Soul Band – “Party a Go Go” (this side has master #111-B) Miramar 128 – Sonny Firmature – “Love Lost” / “Mr. Tambourine Man” (could this be the same version of Mr. Tambourine Man as above by the Miramar Soul Band?) Miramar 129 – ? Miramar 130 – Zebra – “Helter-Skelter” / “Wasted” (produced by Fabyan Enterprises, 1969 or later)
Miramar 101 – Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband – “Horn Song” / “Love So Strong (Guitar Song)” (Charles Lamont, A&R by Tony Cary & Fritz Ashauer) 1967 Max Waller writes, “This is the same pairing that would appear on their 1st 45 for UNI (in December 1967) so, despite the number, came after the other Miramar 45s.”
Miramar 103 – Charles Lamont – “Poems of Carole Ann” / “Maybe Baby” (soul, also a later release)
LPs:
Miramar 1002 – Sonny Firmature – Love Lost (blue winged logo)
Sonny Firmature was a tenor saxophonist from Omaha, NE, who played with Harry James.
Nick Hoffman had another 45 produced by Tony Cary, “Santa Claus Is Back in Town” / “Christmas Party” on Roman Records 101, issued on half-green half-red vinyl. There also seems to be a connection to a 45 on Shindigogo Records 777 by Ron Roman and the Livin’ End with a song written by Steve Hoffman (any relation to Nick Hoffman?) “Won’t Have a Merry Little Xmas” b/w “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”. The address on this one is 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. I don’t know of any other releases on Shindigogo. I’d like to know more about Ron Roman, he had a 1963 release on Daani “Tell Me” (Kenny Williams) / “Love of My Life” (Dave Aerni and Frank Zappa).
“Party a Go Go” by Glenn & the Good Guys shows up again (or a part B, I’m not sure yet) on the Friends of the Miramar Soul Band on Miramar 127. More on that release including sound clips can be found on this page of my site.
I still need good scans and transfers of the 45s by the Memphis Men, Tony Cary’s “She Belongs to Me”, Nick Hoffman’s “Blind and Leaving Blues” and Glenn & the Good Guys “Only In My Heart”. I also need scans of the Sonny Firmature and Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband 45s. If you can help with any of these, please contact me.
I notice as of September 2012 the Spellbinders has been bootlegged in a nearly identical reproduction.
Thank you to Jason Sweitzer for help with the discography and Tony Cary info. Thanks to Todd, Dudley, Mike Markesich and Max Waller for additions to the discography. Thanks to John Hagelston and Mikael for transfers of the Tony Cary and Jimmy Burton 45s, respectively.
The What’s New have always fascinated record collectors: mistakenly listed as a Florida band, they released two EPs in France but nothing in the U.S.
Spike Priggen found some great videos of the What’s New performing on French TV and suggested we collaborate on a post, which I put up at Bedazzled last month.
Their story starts with the Yachtsmen, a folk group founded by students at Long Beach City College in 1959. The Yachtsmen became regulars at Disneyland in Anaheim, releasing an LP on Disney’s Buena Vista label (BV-3310), High and Dry with The Yachtsmen in 1961.
On the LP the group were Carl Berg (vocals, guitar), Ray Jordan (vocals, banjo, string bass), Jay Huling (aka Jay Hulingpart, vocals, guitar, bongos), and Bill Reed (vocals, bass). Other members included Kevin Shipman and Mickey Elley.
The Yachtsmen continued performing at Disneyland for the next several years, appearing on another LP, Jack Linkeletter Presents a Folk Festival.
Bud Hedrick and Colin Scot at Coke Corner, photo courtesy Bud Hedrick.
Meanwhile Scot Thistlewaite (stage name Colin Scot) had been playing banjo and guitar with a ragtime duo called Bud and Scotty at Coke Corner in Disneyland, with Bud Hedrick on piano.
Scot was born in the UK, moved to Canada in the late ’50s where he went to Sir Adam Beck Collegiate High School in London, Ontario, then moved to California where he attended Cal State University at Long Beach.
In October, 1965, French chanteuse Line Renaud and her husband Louis “Loulou” Gasté saw the Yatchsmen at Disneyland and brought the group over to Paris in January, 1966.
Kevin Shipman wrote to me about how Scot joined the group:
Scotty was a friend of our folk group The Yachtsmen when we were all at Disneyland. As you have noted in your piece, he and Bud Hedrick played ragtime at Coke Corner.
Some time in December 1965, Line Renaud, the star of the Casino de Paris in Las Vegas, toured Disneyland and saw us performing. Shortly after that we received a call from her representative saying that she wanted us to come to Paris to be second billing in her new show at the original Casino de Paris. We talked about it and decided it would be a great opportunity to live in an amazing place and to re-charge our creative batteries.
One of our guys was finishing up his master’s degree and had just been engaged to be married and he declined to make the trip. We immediately went to Scotty to see if he might be interested. He jumped a foot off the ground and yelled “YES”. Scot had just been called up by the draft board and there was no way he could have been a soldier. He was barely an American having arrived from Canada only a few years earlier and he was a committed pacifist. This would be his way out of that and into a new and exciting chapter.
Scotty was the perfect addition to our group. He spoke French with near fluency – something we were not aware of when we approached him – and he brought a lot of energy and heart to what was to become a folk-rock band. We wanted to break out of the folk music constraints and do original music with power and finesse. All the members were strong musicians with great harmony sensibilities and we could all sing solo. I like to think that we were predecessors of bands like Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Eagles.
The band changed their name to the What’s New though they still look very collegiate performing “Des mots d’amor” with Line Renaud on French TV. [Unfortunately all the excellent videos of the band on French TV have been taken down from Youtube since I first posted this article.]
The What’s New: from left: Jay Huling, Colin Scot, Kevin Shipman and Carl Berg
They recorded their first EP in July, ’66 at Gasté’s own studio in Paris, scoring a French hit with a single version of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain”. Their first EP also has their version of Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind” and two songs by Randy Sparks of the New Christy Minstrels, “Huckleberry Finn” and “Driving Wheels”.
Kevin Shipman told me:
We had a hit in France (number one or two depending on who you talk to) with “Early Morning Rain” but we did not have the management we needed. Line Renaud’s husband Lou Lou Gaste liked to think that he was performing those tasks and fended off other true management people who approached him.
One of our best moments was one of our last. We played the premiere music venue in Paris – the Olympia – opening for Michel Polnareff and the Beach Boys [October 25, 1966]. Everyone one who saw the show said that we blew the Beach Boys off the stage. They had great hits but they were weak in live performance.
Their second EP
Their second EP showcases four original songs by Colin Scot, putting a sharp folk-rock sound behind Scot’s plaintive lead vocal and the group’s harmonies. It includes the now-famous “Up So High” (“Got no use for LSD, every time you look at me I’m up so high”) and the excellent “Get Away” which moves from dreamy verse to tough chorus.
The What’s New disbanded in early 1967.
Kevin Shipman explains:
I had decided that I needed to go back and finish my college studies. I was one year away from graduation and I felt that goal slipping away after a year and a half in Paris. Another member was having marital troubles and his wife insisted on returning to the US and her church group. So, we reluctantly parted ways as friends having come very close to the prize but not at the right time.
Scot could not go back to the US having eluded the military and chose to go to England where the music scene was far more vibrant than in France.
Colin Scot became part owner of a nightclub called Kahuna’s Cave in Cala Mayor, Palma de Majorca, and toured the folk circuit in the UK in the late ’60s. In the 1970s he released LPs on United Artists and Warner Bros, with a final single “Mandolin Man” / “Boris” on RCA in 1977. He died in Amsterdam in 1999.
Kevin Shipman:
My wife and I remained close to Scotty over the years and visited him twice in Amsterdam. He came twice to our home at Lake Tahoe and we found all our visits to be both rich in friendship and yet agonizing witnessing his descent in ever-deeper and more virulent alcoholism. I never saw him pass out which was amazing considering how much he drank.
Our last visit from him was in winter of 1999 and he would die a few months later. During that last visit he was not drinking for the first time in his adult life but he was having liver failure. He resumed drinking when he returned home.
Scotty was a beacon and a natural Pied Piper. Everyone loved him and he seemed to love everyone. I can tell you from reading his poetry that he came to view life in a fundamentally dark way. He trusted everyone and was taken advantage of by many. He had no concept of money management and it vaporized in his possession.
Ultimately, his life was very difficult with bright chapters – Disneyland and Paris in particular – and many dark ones. In reflection, it could not have gone any other way. This was Scotty and there was no other life option for him. Music and entertaining was his passion and alcohol was a demon none of us could exorcise from him. Interventions were planned but failed.
Scot’s writing was always a reflection of his life circumstances. The music he wrote during the What’s New period was mostly upbeat. He intensely disliked the dreariness of London and addressed that directly in one of his solo songs. His writing became darker as his circumstances deteriorated and that diminished the appeal of his music for many. I repeatedly encouraged him to lighten up and inject some humor or irony, as he used to do, into his writing rather than hitting us on the nose with what he didn’t like. He preferred the direct approach. Regardless, he was a great talent and a wonderful, sensitive person.
In the end, he should be remembered as a loving, caring, zany bundle of gifts and excesses. His was the life of the clown. Happy on the outside and often tortured within. The day his father Cy called to inform me of his passing I cried. I knew Cy would call with that message before too long so I was prepared for it. But it pained me greatly and it still does. He was one of a kind and he is missed.
My friend Derek Taylor sent me this batch of photos of a band that he found last year in San Francisco. Written on the back of the two larger photos is “Vandals – Jan 1966” in neat handwriting, plus the band’s name is shown behind the bassist in one shot.
A photo of the bass guitarist similar to the one below was reproduced in a newsletter or yearbook for the St. Ignatius High School (now St. Ignatius College Prepatory) at 37th Ave and Quintara in the Outer Sunset district of San Francisco.
On the back of this clipping is a list of names sporting and events that took place during the four years of that class of ’66 or ’67 with some names (though not of the band) – Vince Spohn, Jim Nevin, Rich Wilpitz, and Den Carter.
Mike Dugo pointed out this was the same group that recorded for Joe Brattesani’s Golden Gate Records – “I Really Want to Want You” b/w “A Reason” and “It’s Like Now Baby” b/w “Wet & Wild” & “Mustang Georgie”
Cosmo Violante – vocals Joe Tarantino – guitar and vocals Nick Paolini – bass and vocals Ned Bawden – keyboards Curt Mellegni – drums
Nick Paolini passed away in 1970.
Bassist Nick PaoliniClipping featuring Nick Paolini from similar photo to the one above
I tried to assemble a discography of Wickwire Records out of Long Beach, California. I quickly came up short until Bob pointed out that Cedwicke and Best were related labels.
Does anyone have scans of the Steve and the Emperors “The Breeze & I” on Best?
Best 101 The Pyramids – Pyramid’s Stomp / Paul (1962) Best 102 The Pyramids – Penetration (Steve Leonard) / Here Comes Marsha (prod. John Hodge, Nov. 1963) Best 103 Steve & The Emperors – The Breeze And I (Lecuona-Stillman) / Great Balls of Fire (1963)
Best 13001 The Pyramids – Pyramid’s Stomp (Alfred Mercier) / Paul (Feb. 1964, re-release of Best 101 with London distribution) Best 13002 The Pyramids – Penetration / Here Comes Marsha (Feb. 1964, re-release of Best 102 with London distribution) Wickwire 13003 The Emperors – A Fool For You I’ve Been / Searchin’ Around the World (both written by Bill Hughes for Dorothy Music, ASCAP) Cedwicke 13004 Wee Willie & The Pals – We’re Gonna Dance (Powell-Greek) / Teardrop Strawberry Soda Cedwicke 13005 The Pyramids – Midnight Run (Usher-Berns-Christian) / Custom Caravan (April 1964) Cedwicke 13006 The Pyramids – Pressure (Hodge-Wilson) / Contact (Steve Leonard) (June 1964) Wickwire 13007 The Emperors – Blue Day / Laughin’ Linda (written by Cameron-Watts, arranged by William F. Williams) (with picture sleeve) Wickwire 13008 Dave Myers and His Surftones – Gear! / Let the Good Times Roll (arranged by Rodney Barken, pub. by Number One Music, BMI) Wickwire 13009 The Montclairs – It’s Gonna Work Out Fine / If You Need Me Wickwire 13010 The Lady Birds – To Know Him Is to Love Him / A Girl without a Boy
John Hodge & Larry Wilson produced most of these.
The Pyramids also had an LP The Pyramids Play The Original Penetration! on Best (LPM-1001, reissued with London distribution as BR-16501, BRS-36501).
The Cedwicke 45s also had distribution by London Records.
See the Emperors page for more info on their records.
I’ve seen two pressings of Wickwire 13008 by Dave Myers and His Surftones – most have Gary Usher as songwriter of “Gear!” but some have Hodge-Wilson listed as songwriter for that song.
Wickwire may have had a publishing connection to the Mod label which had a release by the Menn, “Things To Come” / “What Ever Happened To” (Mod 1013, pub. by Wickwire Music BMI). The Menn had a previous 45 on the Two + Two label, as did the Emperors (see the Whigs for a little more info).
Thanks to Bob and Max Myndblown for their help with this discography and to Wangdangdula.com for info on the Pyramids releases.
Gary Myers sent in this great poster of his band the Mojo Men playing the Retail Clerks Auditorium in a “Retail a Go Go” with the Things, the Stymees and the Little Rascals on October 1, 1965. A news clipping from Gary dated September 29 lists the Only Ones instead of the Little Rascals, and names the Things as winners of a recent Battle of the Bands.
These Mojo Men were not the San Francisco band that hit with “Dance With Me” and “She’s My Baby” on Autumn Records.
Gary and his group had some lineup changes, signed with Mike Curb in 1967 and became the Portraits. I don’t believe any of the other bands mentioned recorded – has anyone ever heard of these groups?
The Retail Clerks Auditorium in Buena Park, Los Angeles had been a famous venue for surf bands in the early ’60s. By 1965 this had changed, and beat groups such as the Heathens did shows there.
If anyone has more info or clippings about the Retail Clerks Auditorium, it would be appreciated!
Thanks again to Gary E. Myers for his help. For more on Gary’s career see his website www.music-gem.com.
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
“Glimmer Sunshine” by Jack Bedient & the Chessmen.
When Jim Lewallen sent me scans of a 45 by his group 
The Spellbinders version of “Casting My Spell” features a rough lead vocal with clipped lead guitar lines. I haven’t heard “To Take a Heart” yet. That 45 was produced by Joe Osborn, and this is not the same Spellbinders who recorded for Columbia (“Chain Reaction”).
The What’s New have always fascinated record collectors: mistakenly listed as a Florida band, they released two EPs in France but nothing in the U.S.
