The Illusions, l-r: Tim Touchton, Jim Williams, Skip Hewett and Rob Gardner
Originally released on the A.C.P. label out of Jacksonville, the Illusions’ “I Know” is a great upbeat song with syncopated shouts of “hey!”, swirling organ and good harmonies. I also dig the insistent bass drum pattern.
Picked up for release by Columbia, it reached #3 on the charts of Orlando radio station WLOF in August of 1966. It was written by by the band: Rob Gardner on organ, Jim Williams guitar, Skip Hewett bass, and Tim Touchton on drums.
The flip is “Take My Heart”, a lighter vocal number by Roosevelt Gardner, a more formal name for Rob Gardner.
According to Jeff Lemlich’s Savage Lost, the band was from Palatka, about an hour’s drive south of Jacksonville, and had their own TV program on local channel 12. The photo was originally posted on the Limestone Lounge, a great forum on Florida music of all eras and styles.
The first Mor-Loks at the Yankee Clipper Hotel, from left: Mike Wall, Johnny Hartigan, Don Henry, Sammy Hall and Ron Armstrong
Ft. Lauderdale’s Mor-Loks had two distinct lineups, each of which recorded a 45.
The original group changed their name from the Impressions V to the Mor-Loks, and consisted of Sammy Hall vocals, Johnny Hartigan lead guitar, Don Henry rhythm guitar, Ron Armstrong bass and Mike Wall on drums.
Their 1965 release combines one delicate song, “There Goes Life”, with the upbeat “Elaine”. This was originally released on the Loks label. When Gary Stites became the band’s manager, he re-released the record on his own Living Legend label (not to be confused with the Living Legend run by Kim Fowley).
Sammy Hall left to join the Birdwatchers, and the rhythm section of Armstrong and Wall reformed the band with Bill “Nappy” Lynn on lead vocals, Billy Burke keyboards, and Craig Held on lead guitar. This lineup landed a contract with Decca in February 1966, only to have the draft break them up in September. Their only record is the raver “What My Baby Wants” (written by Bill Lynn and Craig Held) and the equally fine “Lookin’ For a New Day” (by Armstrong and Held), released in April of ’66.
The second version of the Mor-Loks, outside the MCA building in New York, 1966.
I recently asked bass player Ron Armstrong about the band and he sent me two photos:
The first one is of the original line up that included Mike Wall drums, Sammy Hall vocals, Johnny Hartigan lead guitar, Don Henry rhythm guitar and myself on bass. The picture was taken at the Yankee Clipper Hotel on Ft. Lauderdale Beach where we performed for a New York Yankees family function. Ft. Lauderdale was the spring training grounds for the Yankees and the Yankee Clipper was always their host hotel.
With regards to the breakup of the original group, it was a combo of things. One, I was facing extreme pressure from the draft board and 2, the Birdwatchers, Gary Stites and WQAM were actively courting Sammy.
As it turned out, I was granted a temporary deferral from the draft but only learned of it after I had informed the Mor-Loks that I would be leaving the group. With plenty of bookings to play and a good following of fans and an extension of time I sought to put together another group quickly. I added Craig Held on guitar first, followed by Bill Lynn and learned of Billy Burke through my dad who worked with Billy’s dad.
The second pic is of the revised line up of Mor-Loks with new additions Bill Lynn vocals, Craig Held lead guitar and Billy Burke keyboards. Mike and I were the only holdovers from the original group. The picture was taken right before we entered the MCA building in New York to sign our contact with Decca Records.
I am happy to report that I have located all living members of the Mor-Loks, both the original members and the revised line up. Billy Burke and Johnny Hartigan as you already know are deceased. After years of off and on searching this week I located vocalist Bill “Nappy” Lynn, in Georgia, Craig Held lead guitar in Florida, and the drummer from both lineups of Mor-Loks, Mike Wall, also in Florida.
Sources: Jeff Lemlich’s history of Florida bands Savage Lost, and my interview with Ron Armstrong.
Until now I haven’t featured bands who didn’t record, but Bob Bass sent me these cool photos of his band the Bomarcs, and an interesting history of the group:
The Bomarcs were from northwest Florida in the panhandle part of the state and all of us were stationed on a radar site there that tracked the Bomarc missiles across the gulf.
We got our start at he NCO club on the site playing a regular gig there and then we started playing all over the area at all kinds of events.
We hadn’t been together long when we were sent to the Air Force “Tops in Blue” competition at Tyndall AFB Florida. We didn’t win in the competition, but it was a great honor to represent our radar site.
The early band was: Bob Bass guitar and vocals, Doyle Johnston guitar, and Johnny Joos drums. I think Johnny was the only one with any professional experience and was affectionately called “JIve Ass Joos”.
We played together for around a year and then Doyle was transferred overseas. We thought that would be the end of the band, but along came Carl Bender to play lead guitar. The Air Force kept us supplied with musicians like Carl. After Carl joined us the band really took off and we began to play professionally all over that part of Florida. Our big start was a regular gig at the Orleans Lounge in Gainesville. By then we had a bass player: Bobby Lindsey, another lead guitar: Clarence Jones and a sometimes saxophone player: Lester Hall.
Gainesville was a good town for us because it is a college town. We played several frat house parties at the University of Florida and there was a steady supply of night clubs in the area.
From a poster for the annual Forestry Day celebration held in Cross City, FL You can see Lester Hall, our sometimes sax player in the background.
I graduated from Biloxi High school, so New Orleans was just down the road from me. I went there as often as possible and my interest in blues was born there. We also played at Panama City Beach a few times.
The early Bomarcs featured a lot of R&B, Jimmy Reed, Clarence Henry, Screaming J Hawkins etc. and a mixture of country and contemporary rock. We were only a trio at first so our sound didn’t have a lot of bottom on it. In the “Tops in Blue” contest we did “Green fields” and I believe “Tom Dooley”. Both popular songs in their time.
As I mentioned before, after Doyle Johnston left us, the band really progressed. It wasn’t Doyle’s fault because he was an accomplished musician back then and still is. When Carl Bender joined us on lead guitar along with Clarence Jones, lead and rhythm, I quit playing guitar and did the vocals. Bobby Lindsey really added the bottom we needed with his Bass playing. Bobby was a fisherman from Horseshoe Beach Fl and Clarence was a high school student from Old Town, Fl. Clarence went on after the Bomarcs to play lead for Fred Bible and the Continentals, a Jacksonville band that was very big in the area.
With this group of musicians our repertoire of songs really expanded. We did rock of the day including all the Beatles, R&B, Country and even songs like “Misty” for what we called Romantic and Droopy Drawers music. We were now a variety band.
About the time we were really making it, the Air Force stepped in again. I was sent to Newfoundland along with my then new Fender Super Re-verb amp and Strat guitar. I continued to play while there with a Newfoundland group that was very popular at the time. After my career in the AF was over, 13 years, I kind of dropped out of music and spent time raising a family. Playing music and being a family man is hard to do. Often one has to choose between the two. I was a friend of John Taylor,”Big John and the Untouchables”, and ran across him where I live now in Lakeland, Fl. John was at a crossroad at the time and was having to decide between family and music. I hope I helped him make the right choice.
Doyle Johnston and I recently renewed old acquaintances and get together from time to time. He was a US postal employee at Zephyrhills, Fl for many years and didn’t know we were only a few miles apart. I live in Lakeland and am now a freelance writer and still a frustrated musician.
Carl Bender visited me at one time years ago. He was playing lead for a band at the Holiday Inn in Plant City. I understand from Doyle that Johnny “Jive Ass” Joos owns a resturant in Cross City. The others I have not heard from but would be real interested in doing so.
From Daytona Beach, the 2/3rds recorded this one 45 at Quimby’s studio in nearby Ormond Beach, and released it on the April label in early 1967. At the time of this recording, the band included Gene McCormick on vocals and tenor sax and organ, Phil (PJ) Jones on drums, Ralph Citrullo bass and Allen Dresser lead guitar.
“2/3 Baby” is a moody complaint with a fine chorus, written by McCormick. It was backed with a bluesy ballad, “All Cried Out” written by Pete Carr. Members of the band eventually became the Third Condition, releasing two 45s on the Sundi label in 1970, one of which got some airplay, “Monday in May” about the Kent State tragedy. (The song was bounced off the airwaves by CSN&Y’s “Ohio”).
After Gene left the band to join Jam Factory in New York, the band moved to Tallahassee to attend FSU. Later members included several who had been in another Daytona group, the Hungri I’s: Neil Haney vocals, as well as Max Eason on drums from Tallahassee. The band was named Rock Garden for a brief time (Neil Haney, Allen Dresser, Ralph Citrullo, Max Easom and Chris Drake) then became Duck (Chris Drake, Allen Dresser, Rick Levy and Max Easom – later Benny Jones replaced Rick Levy and Don Langston replaced Max Easom).
(Text corrected according to Allen Dresser’s comment below).
The Tasmanians, clockwise from left: Gypsy (Mike) Carns, Woody Pollard, Craig Davis, Greg Brunt and Robbin ThompsonThe Tasmanians first 45 “Baby”
The Tasmanians ruled West Palm Beach, Florida in 1966-67. The group’s members came out of Melbourne High, Cocoa High, Satellite High, Merritt Island High and Brevard Junior College. Released on the local Conda label, “Baby” is a garage classic. Despite being a rare 45, it’s found its way onto many garage comps over the years. The flip side is a great pop song, “Love, Love, Love”.
Members were:
Mike (Gypsy) Carns – lead guitar and vocals Robbin Thompson – lead vocals and acoustic guitar Craig Davis – keyboards Woody Pollard – bass and vocals Greg Brunt – drums
Robbin Thompson’s site also mentions Steve Bland and Ronnie Cable as later members.
Thompson and Carns wrote three of the four songs released, with Woody Pollard’s help on “I Can’t Explain This Feeling”. Robbin’s name is spelled ‘Robin Thompson’ on the Conda labels and Mike Carns last name is spelled ‘Carnes’ on both.
Robbin Thompson and Mike (Gypsy) CarnsGypsy and Craig, dig the Canadian Rogues’ drum kit in the background.
Gypsy Carns wrote to me:
Robbin Thompson had a band called The Fab Gents – I joined that band and from there we formed the Tasmanians. He knew a couple of guys and I knew a couple of guys and we jammed with different people then we settled on this line up.
I’ll have to get with Robbin on how we met Bud Blount, but he was THE MAN without question and ruled the band with an iron hand. He was law enforcement in West Palm Beach Florida and an ex-Green Beret – so he had control of the band. We grew to be very popular in Florida and the south – had out the records and were by all accounts an energetic – rock till you drop – sort of with reckless abandon – type of band. You can hear it on BABY…the first single.
Robbin related this info to Jeff Lemlich:
“Baby” was written by me and Mike Carnes, now known as Gypsy Carns. “Baby” and “Love, Love, Love” were produced by a guy named Bud Blount, who was our manager at the time and also a cop in Boca Raton. I think a guy named Dave Hieronymus [drummer of the R-Dells/American Beetles/Razor’s Edge, later producer, engineer, and studio owner] had something to do with it from the production side also. He was a writer from Nashville who wrote the “b” side of a second 45.
I think all four songs were recorded at the same time at Criteria Studios in Miami. the band was “discovered” by the manager and father of a member of the band “Count Five” the one-hit wonders of the song “Psychotic Reaction”. They introduced Bud to us. Bud was a part-time concert promoter.
Robbin wrote to me recently:
We were introduced to our manager, Bud Blunt by the manager and father of the singer of the Count Five (“Psychotic Reaction”). The interesting part of that story is that when we played with the Count Five we were a whole different band called the Fab Gents. The band broke up for various reasons. We re-formed, called Bud and didn’t tell him we were really not the band that was seen by the manager of Count 5 except for me and Mike Carns. Bud’s younger brother, Glen Blount was also in the mix of all of this.
The Tasmanians broke up after Craig Davis, the keyboard player got busted for smoking pot. He was set up by one of his high school teachers. She convinced him she wanted to try it and he went over to her house with a couple of joints. When he lit one up cops came from out of the woodwork and arrested him. He got off due to entrapment but we were all smokin’ by then and having a cop for a manager was a bit awkward so we parted ways. By that time Bud was a detective for the Boca Raton Police Dept. We kept up with him for a bit but he found another group to work with, the name escapes me but they were a straight laced kind of a pop band.
The Fab Gents and Tasmanians were regulars at the Melbourne Teen town which was at the Civic Center there. Between the two bands we opened for bands such as the Beau Brummels (they practiced in our living room before the gig), the Mind Benders, the Lemon Pipers, the Bitter End (a band with Allman Bros drummer Butch Trucks). We also opened (in other places) for the Turtles, Blue Cheer, Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, Mamie Van Doren, Wayne Cochran and a group called The Seven of Us which later became NRBQ.
“Baby” and “Love,Love Love” were recorded in one session. “Can’t Explain this Feeling” and “If I Don’t” were recorded in different sessions at Criteria Studios in Miami by then novice engineer Ron Albert. At that time there was only one hit record on the wall there, James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please”, as I recall.
The only members still living in the original band are me and Mike (Gypsy) Carns. Craig Davis died several years ago.
Years went by and I searched Bud out. Gypsy Carns, Bud and I reconnected and have been keeping in touch for many years now.
The Tasmanians 2nd 45, “I Can’t Explain This Feeling”
For their second and last 45, the Tasmanians adopted a much more English feel – “I Can’t Explain This Feeling” is as good as some of the top UK freakbeat of the time. It’s b-side “If I Don’t” is competent if unspectacular Beatles-influenced pop. It’s released on the Power label, or Flower Power if you take the picture into account.
Gypsy Carns:
The manager agreed to cut this track [“If I Don’t”] – written by producer Dave Hieryonmous – ‘to get a better deal on the studio.’ The band hated this song and looked at it like a ‘sell out’. The track turned out great in retrospect but the band never played this song live.
Once the band splintered Robbin got some other guys together as the Taz but that was short lived and did not have the charisma the original band had. It was an awesome experience. Robbin and I are very close to this day.
After the Tasmanians broke up, Robbin Thompson joined the Blues People, Transcontinental Mercy Flight, Steel Mill and others.
Robbin Thompson wrote “Woody (Callis Woodson Pollard III) died of drug overdose in the early 70’s or earlier.” Gypsy Carnes tells me that Greg Brunt has also passed away.
Special thanks to Gypsy Carns for the photos of the band. News clipping and some info from the Limestone Lounge.
“Greg was the dynamic drummer for the band. Loved to wear leather and suede – a great drummer and friend. He has passed on.” – GypsyWoody and Robbin“Craig was the keyboardist for the band. As you can tell he would rock the house. He very rarely played the keys standing still. He would rock the organ back n forth or take it off the stand and parade around the stage like he’s doing here.” – Gypsy CarnsCraig and Woody hanging in the dressing room – Melbourne Civic Center.Gypsy on guitar with Greg behind him. “The Tasmanians held their record release party on the beach in West Palm. It was a wild affair!”Greg Brundt with Gypsy in front. Dig the two-tone jeans!Gypsy CarnsGypsy and RobbinRobbin and Woody jamming, Gypsy to the left. Rocking in Fort Lauderdale, Florida“On the ground was a big part of the band’s show. Whether Gypsy was hanging off the stage blowing harmonica or Robbin working the crowd. In this photo Woody and Gyp were both getting feedback from the back line.” – GypsyBill Vermillion, the Weird Beard with a later six member lineup – can anyone give a who’s who in this one?
Things are shaping inside my head, I can’t explain this feeling My mind is warping, my nerves are damp, it keeps me on the ceiling I see a blur and I hear a shot, I can’t explain this feeling I think my mind is gone to pot, it keeps me on the ceiling People start to stop and stare, they can’t explain me sitting there In a corner dark and damp, staring at a broken lamp The crowd gets bigger the days go by, they’re wondering when I’m gonna die, someone grabs me and pulls me down… I feel an object but it isn’t there, I can’t explain this feeling They say I’m wrong but it isn’t there, it keeps me on the ceiling People start to stop and stare, they can’t explain me sitting there In a corner dark and damp, staring at a broken lamp The crowd gets bigger the days go by, they’re wondering when I’m gonna die, someone grabs me and pulls me down…
The Tasmanians “I Can’t Explain this Feeling” by Carns, Pollard and Thompson
Mark Markham and His Jesters came from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and only released one single, “I Don’t Need You” / “Marlboro Country”.
Both songs were originals by Markham. The 45 was first released in September, 1966 on the local Power label, then picked up by RCA Victor.
An announcement of his RCA contract in the Fort Lauderdale News on September 30, 1966, listed the the Jesters lineup at the time:
Bob Ungerer – rhythm guitar Burns Weick – organ Mike Sherlock – bass Bill Fariello – drums
Other notices gives different spelling for a couple names: Bob Weick or Burns Wieck, and Billy Farnello
The Power single lists the group as Mark Markham and The Jesters, but there were a couple other Jesters playing the area at the time, which may have been why they were sometimes billed as Mark Markham and His Jesters.
I’ve found a couple photos of Mark Markham alone, but none that feature the Jesters.
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
Originally released on the A.C.P. label out of Jacksonville, the Illusions’ “I Know” is a great upbeat song with syncopated shouts of “hey!”, swirling organ and good harmonies. I also dig the insistent bass drum pattern.
