Don and the Holidays came from Orlando, Florida, cutting a single on Kam Records and backing other artists on the label. “Grasshopper Pizza” is fratty r&b with lyrics almost impossible to decipher, something about a “Beatle drive” and “grasshopper pizza is really alive”.
I like the flip, “It Won’t Be Long” with its gloomy sound and spare guitar breaks instead of sax. Both songs are originals credited to Don Adams. Kam Record Co. released it in July, 1966.
Bill Clifford posted the video of “Grasshopper Pizza”, above (under his actual name Bill Schwentner), with the names of the other Holidays members and some info:
Don Adams (vocal), Mark Farrel (Farfisa organ), Bill Stancliff (guitar), Bill Clifford (bass). [“Grasshopper Pizza”] was the only song of 13 recorded that day that was released on Kam Records.
From the business card included with the video, the band seemed to go by the simple name, The Holidays, and also there was another member named Denny.
It appears from the RCA custom pressing codes that Kam Records issued the Don & the Holidays single at the same time as Kam 102 (Buddy Killen’s “I Oughta Be Home With Nell” / “Mister Blue”) and Kam 103, which featured Holidays’ keyboardist Mark Ferrell on his originals, “Go Go Girl” / “I’ll Never Forget You”.
Both songs from the Don & the Holidays single were rerecorded for Kam 111 with the artist name changed to Big Don Adams. These versions are supposed to be slicker than the original release.
Guitarist Bill Stancliff cut his own composition “Redline” with his Holidays band mates Mark Ferrell and Bill Clifford, along with Billy J. Killen, on November 1, 1965 at Wurtle Film Studios, Orlando. Unfortunately this fine instrumental went unreleased.
Some of the photos in the video above have the name Mark IV behind the band. From the credits, this seems to have been a different lineup featuring Bill Clifford and Bill Stancliff of the Holidays with John Oyler on tenor sax, C.E. Stubblefield on Wurlitzer piano, Roy Halpin on bass, and Clark Wormer on drums.
Update: Don Edward Adams Sr. passed away on November 20, 2017 at the age of 84. He was born in Kingsport, Tennessee.
Kam Record Co. discography
– possibly incomplete, any help with this would be appreciated
Kam 101 – Billy J. Killen – “Truly Love You” / “Walkin’ Talkin’ (In My Sleep For You)” (both by Angel, Killen, Martin) S4KM-8406/7
Kam 102 – Billy J. Killen - “I Oughta Be Home With Nell” (Otto P. Martin) / “Mister Blue” (Martin-Killen-Angel) T4KM-9776/7
Kam 103 – Mark Ferrell – “Go Go Girl” (Mark Ferrell) / “I’ll Never Forget You” (Mark Ferrell, Jerry Adams) T4KM-9778/9
Kam 104 – Don & the Holidays – “It Won’t Be Long” / “Grasshopper Pizza” (both by Don Adams) T4KM-9780/1
Kam 105 – Curt Fields – “Man, Woman And Love” / “Five Lonely Rooms” (both by Angel, Killen, Martin)
Kam 106 – Johnny Selph – “My Gal’s Outta Her Tree Again” (Don Gore) / “Working On Your Future” (John Harris Selph)
Kam 111 – Big Don Adams – “It Won’t Be Long” / “Grasshopper Pizza” (different versions of Kam 104)
Many of these songs are copyrighted to Villard J. Killen, Otto Martin and Robert Paul Angel, whose name appears in producer role as Bob Angel in later singles on the Bion label of Orlando, including ones by Mark Ferrell and Johnny Selph. All Kam Records songs published by Ankilmar, BMI.
