Of the three (or more) ‘Trolls’ who recorded in the ’60s, my favorite is this group from Pueblo, Colorado. They had an interesting history I’d like to know more about, releasing two excellent 45s. Their first was “That’s the Way My Love Is” a great original with a tough sound typical of Ray Ruff’s productions of the time. The flip is a ballad, “Into My Arms”.

Their second record came out on Chan Romero’s Warrior label and features an energetic but tinny cover of the Stones’ “Stupid Girl”. Much better is the flip, Rich Gonzales’ original “I Don’t Recall”, a wild and very catchy song with repetitive tweeting organ notes, great fuzz guitar and bass, wonderful drumming and excellent vocals. Plus, it was released with a bizarre and goofy picture sleeve. For more info on the Warrior label see my entry here.

Members at the time of recording were:

Richard Gonzales – lead vocals, guitar
Doug Rymerson – lead guitar
Fred Brescher – Farfisa organ
Monty Baker – bass, vocals
Phil Head – drums

A now-defunct website on Colorado groups, mountainmusic.net had the fullest description of the group I could find:

A very “English” band from Pueblo they covered Stones and Kinks songs. They started with Gonzales, Head, Brescher and one/two additional players in 1964 and made what proved to be a worthless trip to Los Angeles in the winter of that year.

They retooled the band with the addition of Rymerson and Baker from the visiting Radiants from southern Minnesota. Unhappy with the Radiants the pair jumped ship and into the “New” Trolls. This lineup traveled to Amarillo, Texas to record for Ray Ruff and his new Ruff record label, already having regional (KOMA radio) success with the Blue Things.

The first single “That’s The Way My Love Is” / “Into My Arms” featured both sides penned by the organist, Fred Breschler and while anywhere from four to ten additional tracks may have been recorded. All masters where lost when Ruff’s facility in Amarillo burned in 1968. This includes an unreleased track with the interesting title: “Trash Talk”.

The next recording session was in Clovis, New Mexico with Norman Petty in late 1965 or early in 1966. The resulting single “Stupid Girl” / “I Don’t Recall” was packaged in a picture sleeve which omitted a member (Fred B.?) because he was in the hospital. It was released on the Warrior label (see this post for more info on that label).

One additional local recording session produced what Richard described as “all cymbals!” and resulting unhappiness with the master scuttled plans to release it as a disc.

The departure of Monty Baker in the fall of 1966 was the end of band, he left to join the Colorado Springs band, The New World Blues Dictionary [a major fixture on the area’s live scene]. Richard stopped performing and moved to Orange County in Southern California for a few years, only to join in his drummer brother Leroy in White Lightning in 1968. During 1967 I believe Doug Rymerson and Phil Head worked with bands called The Chosen Few and the Rubber Band. Fred Breschers’s post-Trolls work is unknown.

In addition to this description, there is more info from the liner notes of the Big Beat CD Now Hear This! Garage and Beat from the Norman Petty Vaults: after returning from L.A. the band was managed by Tony Spicola who brought them down to Clovis to record at Petty’s studio. Also, Fred Brescher does not appear on the sleeve photo due to having just been fired for excessive drug use. He was, however, impossible to replace and the band broke up in 1967.

Tom from The Denver Eye tells me of a rumor that one fan would record their shows on reel-to-reel tape. If true, I’d love to hear them.

John Grove wrote in with the following remembrance of the band and identified the members in the photos:

My name is John Grove, also from Pueblo. Have been through about 30 bands locally, started playing in 1964, now of the classic rock band “Dr. Fine”. For bio and pictures, go to bobyeazel.com.

There were three hot semi-pro [Pueblo] bands in the mid-sixties. The Teardrops who did great top 40, the Chandells who did great R&B, and the Trolls….They were the “guy’s” band, and they were bad-asses – super cool, very English! As you stated they did Beatles, “Run for Your Life” I remember. Lots of Stones, Kinks, they even did “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck.

They all had nicknames, Richard Gonzales was “Speedy”, Fred Brescher was “Brush”, Phil Head was “Flip”, Monty Baker was “Denny”, Doug Rymerson was “Digger”.

Phil had played earlier with a band called the Cobras which featured Donny and Richard Bussey. Donny was the one who gave me my first guitar lessons. I believe Speedy, Phil Head and Fred Brescher were in a band called The Pueblo Beatles. They joined forces with Digger and Denny and formed The Trolls. Denny was the brains and the organizer and business guy of the band.

They were in fact managed by the Southern Colorado legend Tony Spicola, originally from Trinidad, Colorado. Tony also managed Chan Romero who wrote “The Hippy Hippy Shake”. Tony was a close friend of Ray Ruff, thus the connection on Ruff Records. Tony was also a major concert promoter in Southern Colorado, and did acts such as the Young Rascals, Buffalo Springfield, Everly Brothers and many many more. His story is another whole book by itself. A true legend.

Denny and Digger used real English Vox AC 50 amps (“Super Beatle” style that were tube. Not the solid state Thomas organ American made stuff), Speedy used a “black face” Fender Super Reverb, Fred had a red Farfisa Combo Compact organ, Phil used Premier Drums. Guitars consisted of Digger using a Fender Jazzmaster, Denny used a Fender Jazz Bass, Speedy used a “dot neck” Gibson 335.

All of their equiptment was hauled around in a Corvair van painted a custom metal flake mustard yellow with “Troll Rock n’ Roll” painted on the side, on the front, it said “Here comes Troll”. In Pueblo, they were big time. Beatle boots, vests, blazes, in other words no matching uniforms.

Fred did leave, don’t remember or know why, and they continued as four-piece. The rest of the stuff about where the members went to after The Trolls is as far as I can remember is accurate. Digger did join another cool band called Century Fox which evolved into Justice. I stay in contact with Denny, he is back in his native Iowa and retired as a registered respiratory therapist which he had made his career since the early 70’s. Speedy is in Pueblo, and the last I heard was a barber, Phil is in Los Angeles, Fred passed in the late eighties or early nineties. He was a great guy, as was all of them. They were a tremendous influence on all of young musicians. Hope this helps.

John Grove

Doug Rymerson and Phil Head played with Baby Magic during ’67 and ’68., and Phil Head drummed with a group called the Frantics, that had relocated from Billings, Montana and Santa Fe.

I’ve read Fred Brescher passed away in February, 2003.

Thank you to Jeff Lemlich for supplying the scan of the Trolls PS.