When I found this 45 by Bob London and the Bobbies, I thought it might be Robb London, who came out of San Antonio with his band, the Rogues. A quick listen tells me it’s someone else, plus the names on the credits are different, suggesting this singer’s real name is Robert Vinson.
He seems to be trying to fake a London connection, but “Times In My Life” / “Don’t Know Where To Start” are both light folk-rock songs and not English-sounding at all. Of the two, I prefer “Times In My Life”. Unfortunately my copy is badly scuffed, so I’m looking for a better one.
Both sides were written by R. Vinson for Ernstrat Music BMI, and arranged by G. Brown and Vinson, a Theo-Sax Production. The 45 was pressed at RCA’s plant in Indianapolis in 1966.
The only reference to a Bob London I can find is a DJ at K-CUB in Tucson. However, a more likely location is Detroit, where Ernie Stratton owned a publishing company called Ernstrat Enterprises, with the same account number (927) as this 45.
Stratton usually recorded soul music, but occasionally did other styles, even country. He released singles on a wide variety of labels. Tommy & the Starlighters “So Long Motor City” on Meadowlark and the Royal Playboys “Arabia” / “Bring It Back” on DoDe both have Ernstrat credits on at least one side.
Tucson, December, 1965 probably not the right Bob London
The Wanted released eight songs on six different singles, four on The Detroit Sound and two national releases on A&M.
The names of the band are well-known: they put them on the labels of their 45s. Other information is not easy to come by and I don’t find them mentioned in any detail in my usual sources.
Arnie DeClark – rhythm guitar Dave Fermstrum – organ Bill Montgomery – bass Tim Shea – lead Chip Steiner – drums
All their releases have excellent songs. “Here to Stay” is an amazingly mature ballad, with a great nasal lead vocal, written by Tim Shea and Chip Steiner. The flip “Teen World” is their most basic song, sounding much like “California Sun” with new lyrics, but it’s a fine party song of the mid-60s and probably their rarest release. It was written by C. Shermetaro.
The Detroit Sound Recording Co. was located at 12730 E. Warren. I’ve read that Chip Steiner’s father Irv Steiner owned the Detroit Sound label, which usually featured soul acts.
The label changed the graphics and re-released “Here to Stay”, backed with a good version of “In the Midnight Hour” that reached #1 on WKNR in Detroit & Dearborn in March of ’67, and #3 on CKLW in Windsor, Ontario. They appeared on Robin Seymour’s TV show Swingin’ Time, probably several times. I don’t know which song was originally featured in the clip below as the audio is dubbed in.
Billboard, April 29, 1967
A&M picked this up for national release in April, 1967 and bought a full page ad in Billboard for it with a neat watch graphic. As far as I can tell, the furthest it reached in the national charts was “bubbling under” at #128, with Michael & the Messengers’ version of the song on the U.S.A. label at #121. Too many competing versions kept these from breaking out nationally, although each has a distinct style.
They had one further release on A&M, a fine pop number with horns called “Big Town Girl” backed with “Don’t Worry Baby”. Despite being a Detroit Sound production I believe this single was only released on A&M.
Their next single was the tough “Lots More Where You Came From”, with the lyric “girl I’m picking up on your bad vibrations”! It was written and produced by Dugg Brown (aka Doug Brown of the Omens and producer of Bob Seger, Del Shannon, Southwind, etc), backed with a version of “Knock on Wood”. Their last on the Detroit Sound label was a good take on Bob Seger’s “East Side Story” backed “Sad Situation”, which is simply “Lots More Where You Came From” with a different title.
An email from a friend of the band was the inspiration for this post:
My name is Michael Surarez Thompson. In the 60’s I was a close friend of the Detroit garage band The Wanted. The guys all came from the Grosse Point area. Chip Steiner’s dad Irvin bought an old Detroit city bus and had it converted to a motor home if you will. The bus took us to gigs in and around Detroit and came with a chauffeur I believe his name was Walker.
I was a bit older then the boys and I left to serve in the Marine Corps. Through the years we lost contact. I have been searching for my former friends but they seem to have vanished from face of earth. I am from Port Huron, Michigan, retired Marriott executive chef living in Eugene, Oregon.
45 releases:
The Detroit Sound 222 (plain red label) – Here to Stay (Shea – Steiner) / Teen World (C. Shermetaro) The Detroit Sound 222A/223A (red and blue label with instrument graphics) – Here to Stay / In the Midnight Hour (February, 1967) The Detroit Sound 230 – Lots More Where You Came From (Dugg Brown) / Knock On Wood The Detroit Sound 232 – East Side Story / Sad Situation A&M 844 – Here to Stay / Midnight Hour (March, 1967) A&M 856 – Big Town Girl (Dugg Brown) / Don’t Worry Baby (produced by Doug Brown) (May, 1967)
Source: WKNR chart info from ARSA. Thank you to Jim Heddle for the clean scan of the chart.
#1 on WKNR, March 13, 1967Billboard, April 8, 1967
The Pleasure Seekers – What A Way To Die (2011 Cradle Rocks Music) Review by Rebecca Jansen
Following an entertaining intro (by DJ The Lord, of Shangrlaradio.com), the Quatro sisters original composition “Gotta Get Away” comes on heavy with a wall of organ and guitar likes a snarly Detroit version of an Avalon ballroom mainstay! This is the first taste of seven previously unreleased ’60s recordings by Michigan’s Pleasure Seekers. It was long rumored the girls had laid down more in the studio than the three singles well known to serious rock & roll fanatics, but now the wait is over.
The first thing that becomes clear is how Arlene Quatro’s organ work is impeccable throughout, providing a solid foundation to the tracks she performed on. The second track “Never Thought You’d Leave Me” is of an earlier vintage however, when the Ball sisters, Nan and Mary Lou were in the group, and Arlene, the eldest Quatro had yet to join. Not yet out of their teens, Patti Quatro’s lead guitar and Suzi’s vocals are already solid on their 1966 debut on the Hideout record label, from the people who gave Detroit it’s Hideout club. Suzi’s bass is a real highlight here. On the title track from the same single you can hear how the Pleasure Seekers held their own on the same stages as The Rationals and Bob Seger & The Last Heard. In fact Suzi Q’s vocals are pretty much as strong they would be later at the height of her solo ’70s fame.
From the Mercury era the standout track here is “Light Of Love”, an upbeat rocker that equals the best sides by labelmates The New Colony Six. There is a cool chant aspect to the chorus here making me wonder why some glam group didn’t cover this in the ealry-mid ’70s, it would’ve outshone much of the repertoire from the period! Stax/Booker T style organ with soul harmonies tend to dominate the remaining cuts, but Patti’s guitar licks get elastic and really shine making possibly average material something more engaging. There is one great vocal performance, by drummer Darline Arnone apparently, on “Good Kind Of Hurt” also worth mentioning. The set closes with a slower experimental freak-out song called “Mr. Power” which comes over like Joe Meek, a great surprise and a cool note to end on definitely leaving me still wanting to hear more.
A pre-Hideout recording titled “White Line” for the Golden World label is missing or in that label’s archives. The CD also doesn’t include the song “Shame”, the b-side of one Mercury single. With the addition of Nancy Quatro The Pleasure Seekers evolved into the group Cradle, and there is an album’s worth of this material also available for the first time on CD.
John B. Ford – lead guitar, lead and background vocals Gary Francis – bass (“black” album) and rhythm guitar (“red album”) Tomm Ballew – bass (only on the “red” album) Jim Valice – drums and backing vocals
First LP, the “black” albumFrom the Grosse Pointe suburb east of Detroit, Michigan, the Index released two of the rarest LPs of the late ’60s on their own DC Records label, the “black” and “red” albums (so named because of their black and red labels as neither had a title).1967’s “black” album is a murky recording drowned in natural reverb, but that doesn’t blunt the impact of the playing: if anything it enhances it. While one reviewer I’ve read prefers the cover songs like “Eight Miles High”, “John Riley” and “You Keep Me Hanging On”, I like the original vocals “Fire Eyes” and “Rainy Starless Night” and the incredible instrumentals: “Feedback”, “Shock Wave”, “Israeli Blues” and “Turquoise Feline”. This record has recently been issued on vinyl on DC/Valor records, I’m not positive if that’s a legitimate reissue or not.
In 1968 they made a cleaner recording for their second LP, the “red” album. In 1997 it was issued on CD with some tracks from the first LP and some 1969 recordings, titled Index Anthology 1967-68.
As Index broke up due to members going to college, Jim Valice and John Ford formed Just Us, recording another rare LP from 1969 on the Valord label, The U.S.A. from the Air. That album, more tracks from their first and a 1969 live recording were released on CD on Index Anthology II.
Lion Productions put out a comprehensive reissue of both albums and additional recordings on a 2 CD set in 2010. Lion should be reissuing both LPs on vinyl in 2015-2016.
If anyone has quality photos or scans of the second album covers or labels or either record, please get in touch.
Dan Nielsén conducted this interview with John Ford about the band:
Q. Can you give us some background information: where were you born and how did you start playing the guitar? Was there any time in your life when you thought, “Music is what I’m going to the for the rest of my life” or has it always been a hobby?
Back of first LPJohn Ford: I was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1949. I learned to play the guitar in 1960 from my uncle who was a skilled guitarist. He was a fan of folk music, and I learned playing the songs of the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, and The New Christy Minstrels.
Q. Was INDEX the first band that you was in? Also, how did you all meet? Was it through school, mutual friends or just by coincidence?
John Ford: I put together my first band in 1964. It was more of a Beatles type of group with vocals and guitars, but no real drummer or bass player. That band evolved into a group called TRB (“The Rubber Band”), which was more of a summer band that played up in Northern Michigan for the summers. The sounds was based heavily on Beatles, Stones, Animals, Yardbirds and the Who. The Index band was established when Gary Francis and I got together and asked one of Gary’s friends, a drummer named Jim Valice to join us. The music that influenced me most at that time was Buffalo Springfield, Yardbirds (with Jeff Beck and not Eric Clapton) and the Rolling Stones. The three of us were Index and started playing at gigs in the area in 1965. We later added the bass player, Tom Ballew, who was a great addition. On the black album I had played bass and lead guitar and sang lead vocals and backing vocals, Gary had played rhythm guitar and Jim played drums and sang backing vocals. Gary and I went to the same high school, and Jim was a friend of Gary’s. Tom was a friend of Jim’s. The four of us were on the Red Album, and after we disbanded (since we were all at different colleges), Jim and I recorded as Just Us and played all of the instruments and backing vocals ourselves.
Q. Could you tell something about the recording process, the album has a unique sound, which i think many bands have tried to re-create, but haven’t been able to, so what are the “secrets”?
1983 Voxx reissue of the first LPJohn Ford: The first album was recorded in my parents’ basement where we would rehearse. The sound was created due to the stark condition of the basement with tiled floors and concrete walls. We recorded on a Sony reel-to-reel recorder that belonged to my father, and we recorded at 3 ¾ speed. It was a unique sound, and on the first album we had it engineered by a specialist at GM Records in Detroit. We had only a small number of albums pressed (150-200), and we passed them to friends as we started, but later we sold them all through the Harmony House music store in Grosse Point Woods, Michigan.
Q. What gear (guitar, pedals, and amps) were you using back in the late ’60s? What gear were you using on the albums (I haven’t heard “The Red Album” and the Just Us album)? Moreover on the first album who’s on the cover? It looks like an old picture, not like anything you’ve staged, gives an kinda feeling, but it fits in just perfectly with the music.
John Ford: I played two electrics and an electrified Martin acoustic D-45 (built in 1945 with a terrific mellow sound). The electrics were a Gibson six-string red body 1965 ES-335, and my favorite was a 1966 Gibson black Les Paul that had humbucking pickups. I used a fuzz pedal for some of the effects and a wahwah pedal for others. The amps that we used were Fender, and the microphones were Shure. Gary used a black Gretsch guitar, and Tom Ballew played a Fender bass. Jim had a great set of black Ludwig drums. The picture for the black album cover was one that Jim found in an old magazine. The red album featured a drawing of us by Jim on the cover.
Q. Do think you have any particular moment on the album? Any song that you feel strong about? My personal favorites are “Shock Wave” and “Fire Eyes”, could you give some background on them? “Shock Wave” is an instrumental, but I think you express feeling through your playing in that song.
Unlicensed reissue of the second LP on the bootleg Sears label, 1991. Originals have a black cover with white lettering and drawing.John Ford: “Shock Wave” was our tribute to Jimmy Hendrix, and it featured particularly my Les Paul with the fuzz pedal. These pieces came out of jam sessions that really reflected original contributions from the three of us that fit together, but Jim and I were the creative directors of the music. “Fire Eyes” reflected personal issues that I had faced, and I wrote the song.
Q. How about the live INDEX? Did you perform much or was you just and studio band? I’ve know that one of the anthology albums has some live cuts on it, but i seems to be covers mostly. Did you ever play “Shock Wave”, “Feedback” etc, on stage or was it too difficult?
John Ford: We played all of our music including our original works and the covers. We played at many high school dances and college parties and neighborhood parties throughout Detroit. We played in some of the same venues as Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels who had just released “Devil with the Blue Dress”. It was a dynamic time for music in Detroit as groups like SRC (Scot Richard Case), Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, the Underdogs, the Pleasure Seekers and Alice Cooper were all playing regularly in the area. The live sessions featured our album prominently so “Fire Eyes” and “Shockwave” were regularly performed along with “Rainy Starless Night” and “Israeli Blues” and other originals. One of the best gigs that we had was playing for the farewell party for the Detroit Piston Basketball player, Dave Debuscher who was leaving to go to the New York Knicks. We played for many of the pro athletes from the Pistons and the Detroit Lions. Mostly we were asked to play covers of Stones songs and Cream and the Who and the Beatles, but they liked our original music as well.
Q. Of the three albums; which one to you feel most is connected to you? How was the album taken? Was there many who likes it, etc. Also, how do you feel about the album selling on eBay for such big bucks now? Could you ever imagine that when you recorded it?
John Ford: We did it for the fun of it and to have a permanent record of our songs. The best album from a recording standpoint was the red album as we had the ability to use better vocal controls and we could double and triple track the guitars and voices for greater effect. Many of those songs were recorded in my parent’s den with vocal amplification and reverb, and with carpeting and drapes, the sound was cleaner and clearer. We never expected the albums to become so popular, but we have heard that they were somewhat influential for other artists that were getting started in the Detroit area after us.
Q. Was there any main reason that you guys called it quits?
John Ford: Our schedules and workloads became difficult to balance when we went to college. I was at Yale, Jim was at University of Detroit, and Tom was still in high school. We played for mixers at Yale and schools in the Detroit area, but it was hard to do other than in the summers when we were all back home again.
Q. What have you been doing are you layed the music carrer aside? Do you still have any contact with the others from the band? Do you still play?
John Ford: I still play and sing, but I am more focused on classical solo vocal work in the Norfolk, Virginia area as I have lived there since 1985 as a professor at Old Dominion University. Music is still very much a hobby with me, and I love to sing, but my guitar work has suffered a bit over the years. Jim and I were still in contact up until a few years ago, but he changed jobs, and I have not heard from him for some time. He was located in Beverly Hills, California, and he was working for a TV station there selling advertising time slots. He also was involved with a radio station, but I am not sure where he is these days.
Q. Some fun story or anecdote from the time in INDEX?
John Ford: The most ridiculous thing was me playing lead licks with gloves, which was a challenge! The album cover from the black album showed us wearing three piece suits and me playing with the gloves and wearing a ridiculous mustache, which was not what we normally looked like. I was heavily influenced by Steve Stills and Neil Young, and I wore boots and buckskin jackets often when we played. I loved the sound of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash and the intricate harmonies and tried to bring them in when I could into our music. In the beginning we wore Nehru jackets and head bands from the mid 1960s and played a lot of the Doors music. Ridiculous appearances, but right in style at the time.
For years I’ve seen white-label copies of the King’s Court record with only stamped titles and the words “Test Pressing”. Until recently I assumed they were bootlegs. I’ve since read they are originals, pressed at the same time as the standard green label copies. There even exist some copies with blank white labels.
I don’t have a green label 45 to compare, but I’ll list the deadwax info from my stamped copy: both sides of the dead wax have the Nashville Matrix stamp, and “95” etched into the vinyl. “Don’t Put Me On” has “WH 3613-A” etched into the dead wax, along with a separate etching of “WH 6̶3̶1̶3̶A̶” (partially crossed out). The flip has the Nashville Matrix stamp, the “95” and “WH-3613-B”. The 95 is code for the Archer Record Pressing in Detroit.
“Don’t Put Me On” has the band playing a steady groove behind a repetitive, buzzing guitar figure. The opening line is “Girl you better not cheat on me” and the lyrics alternate between warning the girl and pleading with her. “Don’t Put Me On” is an original by Holowicki, Suba and Grihorash and published through Jamaica Pub, BMI. The flip is a cover of “Midnight Hour” that’s better than most versions I’ve heard.
Members of the King’s Court were:
John Holowicki – lead vocals Aaron Dytiniak – lead guitar Craig Suba – rhythm guitar Brian Cramer – keyboards Mike Grihorash – bass Bill Barent – drums
Anyone have a photo of the band?
Bill Barent, drummer for the band wrote:
Craig Suba one of the guitar players was installing drapes at our house and heard me playing the drums down the basement. When I came up he asked me if I would be interested in playing in a band. That’s how it all started. The recording studio was in a basement in Dearborn it was a great experience. Grew up in Dearborn Heights, Michigan that’s where all the members of the group lived.
After the Kings Court I played in 10 piece Soul Band called Dan Riley and the Soul Review. I played in the U. S. Army, we put a group together and won 1st Army Entertainment Contest. Later on after I was married I just did weddings and some club work.
The Wheels 4 Records label had a tag, “The Dearborn Sound”, but since that city is just west of Detroit the Kings Court and other bands on the label could have come from anywhere in the area. The records I’ve seen list Bryan Dombrowski as engineer, and I’ve also read he owned the label, though I see Jim Walters is credited as producer on several Wheels 4 sides.
Some of the better Wheels 4 releases include:
3609 – House of Commons “Til Tomorrow” (Tony Franciosi) / “Love Is a Funny Thing” 3611 – Innsmen “I Don’t Know” (Vince Goldsmith) / “Things Are Different Now” 3619 – Hearsemen “I Get That Feeling” / “Christianne” (both by Chris Brent)
There was a three CD set of Wheels 4 recordings, including many unreleased sides, issued in 1994.
At the Chatter Box in Allen Park, from left: Tom Lojewski, Rick Rawson, Danny Balas (on drums), Mike Mac and Tom Madigan
The Lower Deck first got together in 1965 or 66, I really can’t remember. We played the same places the Satellites did, school Homecomings, college frat parties, teen clubs, you name it. The Lower Deck’s bass and drummer went to the same school as the Satellites; Mike Mac and I went to St. Frances Cabrini in Allen Park, Tom Lojewski went to UD High. There was something about Allen Park in those days, seemed like everyone was in a band and most of them were really good.
Here’s a breakdown of personnel:
Mike Mac: keyboards and lead vocals Tom Lojewski: rhythm guitar and vocals Rick Rawson: bass Danny Balas: drums and vocals Tom Madigan: lead guitar and vocals
We did a show at a place in Indiana called “The Swinging Gate” which touted itself as the first teenage country club in the US. Both the Lower Deck and Satellites played and we also were televised live the next day on a local TV show.
Both bands were managed by Ann Marston. It mentions in her biography in “Shooting Star” that the Satellites were her bad boys and the Lower Deck were her good boys. We did as she asked and the Satellites did as they saw fit. We did some recording but I believe Ann Marston had the tapes and when she died they were either given away or pitched. I was in the Air Force by then and really have no idea where they would be.
The Satellites were together for a very long time. I remember them being an opening act for the MC5 at Weaver’s Music at the corner of Allen Rd and Southfield, now Marshall’s Music. They were a great band in every respect, singing, playing, showmanship, they were a blast to go and see. So were we. We did costume changes every set, going from shark skinned suits to hippie garb to herringbone walking suits.
I remember we did a party for one of the guys we went to high school with, he had a pool and we played on the roof of his house. We all had Vox Super Beatles and dragging them up was tough. The guy’s dad nailed in 2x4s so the equipment wouldn’t slide off. I wish I could remember his name, oh well.
Equipment: Rhythm player had a Mosrite and Vox Royal Guardsman. I had a Fender Jazzmaster and Vox Super Beatle. Bass player had a Gibson bass and Vox Super Beatle. Though the picture doesn’t show it the lead singer had a Vox Continental organ played thru a Bogan per-amp and Leslie. Drummer had a Ludwig set.
PA was a Vox Superbeatle head and two Vox Grenadier columns with 4 12’s each.
I’ve included a pic of the band from 1967 I believe, this was taken at The Chatter Box which was a teen nightclub in Allen Park. It’s now an ACO. That is Tom Lojewski with the Mosrite, I’m in the upper right corner, playing a 1964 Jazzmaster. Bought it for $100 from Dave Fero.
In ’69 I got my draft notice and joined the Air Force, didn’t want to go to Nam, spent 5 1/2 years in London instead.
Danny Balas was the best drummer I ever played with, not sure what he is doing now.
Tom Lojewski still dabbles in music, last I heard he was in California writing software.
Mike Mac is in either Denver or Portland, he’s a marine biologist, he still plays.
Rick Rawson still lives in Allen Park, not sure what he’s doing.
I’m still playing, currently in a band called The Calcutta Rugs. We’re a 6 piece group, keyboards, horns, two guitarists, bass and drums. We play 6-7 times a year, working on a CD and Facebook site.
The Rainy Days, l-r, back row: Paul Isaacson, Jim Nosakowski, Al Hafeli, Gary Rozycki; front: John Einowski, Tom BrzezinaMogen David and The Grapes of Wrath at the DrumBeat
The Rainy Days are known for a great version of “I Can Only Give You Everything”. They regularly won battle of the bands contests over Bob Seger and the Last Heard, and appeared many times on the Robin Seymour TV show, Swingin’ Time. The members were:
Tom Brzezina – vocals Gary Rozycki – lead guitar Alan Hafeli – rhythm guitar Paul Isaacson – organ John Einowski – bass Jim Nosakowski – drums
In early 1967 the Rainy Days released two 45s on the Panik label. Their first 45 was supposed to include a version of the Fugs’ “Dirty Old Man”, which I would love to hear. Though acetates were made, that song’s uncommercial lyrics may have doomed a commercial release, and the song hasn’t surfaced in the years since it was recorded.
Mogen David and The Grapes of Wrath at the DrumBeat“Go On and Cry”, an original song written with their manager is excellent, with a soulful sound at times very reminiscent of the Stones’ “Heart of Stone”, plus the vocals are full of attitude. The Panik label put “Go On and Cry” on the b-side of each of their 45s, once with “Turn On Your Lovelight” and again with “I Can Only Give You Everything”. I’ve seen “Turn On Your Lovelight” issued on red vinyl, with a plain Panik label.
When their third release “Without A Soul” was shelved the band slowly faded away. Tom Brzezina joined Target with Dennis Wezalis, who had written “Without a Soul”, while the other members stayed active in music for some time. As yet, “Dirty Old Man”, “Without a Soul” and their appearances on the Robin Seymour show seem to be lost, but until they are found we have their Panik releases to listen to.
Jim Nosakowski, Gary Rozycki, Alan Hafeli wrote this description of the band:
In the wake of the British Invasion, interest in forming bands to play live music was rampant in Detroit as well as across the country. In 1965, two groups of enthusiastic, budding musicians, The Brimstones and The 69ers combined to form Mogen David and the Grapes of Wrath which soon became The Rainy Days. This hard-driving six man group was noticed by PANIK Records and in the fall of 1967 they released ” I Can Only Give You Everything” backed by the original song, “Go On and Cry”.
The single charted in Detroit and resulted in several appearances on CKLW’s (Windsor, Ontario) popular show “Swingin Time” with Robin Seymour. The Rainy Days appeared with James Brown, The Contours, Bobby Hebb, and others. Recordings of “Turn on Your Lovelight” and an original, “Without a Soul”, failed to chart and the band broke up shortly after a three year run of good fun and great music. Alan and Jim continue to play together after 40 years in various blues and oldies bands.
The Rainy Days, l-r, back: Al Hafeli, Jim Nosakowski, mid row: Gary Rozycki, John Einowski, Paul Isaacson front: Tom Brzezina
I asked Jim Nosakowski some questions about the band, and he responded with Alan Hefeli:
The 69’ers were experimenting with a keyboard player, John Issacson, who could not really play. His brother, Paul Issacson, was a friend of Alan and Gary from the Brimstones and was a very good keyboardist. Through these brothers, the two bands became aware of each other and ultimately Tom (lead singer), and Jim (drums) from the 69er’s, Alan (rhythm), Gary (lead guitar), and Paul (keyboards) formed Mogan David and the Grapes of Wrath. John (bass) was a friend of Tom’s. Dan Bayer (Brimstone’s drummer) joined some of the remaining 69er’s to form Mother’s Little Helpers, a good British-type rock band.
We had been trying to find someone to record us. We wanted to record “Gloria” by Them sensing a sure hit, but the Shadows of Night beat us to it. One agent was interested in Tom but not the rest of the band. A soul recording studio called Big Mack Records, as we recall, was interested in us as their first white group but nothing came of that.
One day our bass player, John, was hitchhiking with his guitar and was picked up by Tony Printz of PANIK Records (he was driving a very cool pale blue Continental convertible). He came to a few practices and decided to sign us. Soon after the decision was made to record “I Can Only Give You Everything”.
We recorded ICOGYE backed by an original credited to our manager, Tony Printz, though we all worked on it. The recording studio was United Sound, a Motown studio near Wayne State University. Our producer was Danny Dallas and as I recall, PANIK was paying $60 an hour for studio time.
When we heard the master we were really disappointed. The lead guitar was out of tune but Tony said it sounded ok. After much pleading by the band, he agreed to go back and redo the cut. The second effort was much better.
Shortly after we recorded, Tony got a call from someone at United Sound saying that the MC5 had also recorded a version of ICOGYE at the same studio two weeks after we did. This motivated PANIK to release our record as quickly as possible.
Thanks to Jim, Gary and Alan for sending in the photos and history of the band, and to Don Rozycki for putting me in touch with his brother. One source for this story was Koen Goossens interview with Tom Brzezina and Jim Nosakowski on his site devoted to the song I Can Only Give You Everything. The link for that is http://icogye.0catch.com/icogyeinterview1.htm – but be warned of ugly pop-up ads that can crash your browser!
The Rainy Days, l-r, back row: Al Hafeli, John Einowski, Tom Brzezina, Jim Nosakowski; front: Paul Isaacson, Gary RozyckiThe Rainy Days, l-r: John Einowski, Gary Rozycki, Al Hafeli, Jim Nosakowski, Paul Isaacson, Tom Brzezina
The Blue Feeling, formerly known as the Satellites
Dennis Girard of the Ruins sent in these great photos of the Blue Feeling, a band who had been widely known in the Detroit area as the Satellites.
Dennis writes:
These pics show the Satellites in 1968 when they changed their name to the “Blue Feeling”. Note that Ann Marston was representing them.
They were possibly the best group in the Downriver area. At any of their gigs, the front row of the audience was made up of local musicians.
You can see all of their Vox equipment. Several Beatle amps and the infamous Vox T-60 are visible. They even used two Vox Beatle amps for their PA. In fact I bought a Beatle chrome amp stand from them.
The Satellites did the sound track for Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons (“Wait a Minute”).
Dave Fero……lead guitar Frank Schiavulli….drums (deceased 01-23-97) Ken Sipos……guitar Carl Sweets….bass Frank Vargo….lead vocals
I had kept in touch with Frank Schiavulli up until his death. Dave Fero is still playing and lives in Ann Arbor.
The Blue Feeling, formerly known as the Satellites. Notice the Ann Marston Presents and Espial Light Company posters on wall
The Satellites were freshmen at Allen Park High School. They signed with Ann Marston in October, 1965, partly because she liked their wholesome appearance. Ann Marston was a former archery champion, TV personality and Miss Michigan of 1960, who started managing bands after promoting live concerts with WKNR’s Frank Sweeney.
Ann booked them into venues including the Chatterbox teen club in Allen Park, the Southgate Teen Center, the Harbor Theater in Lincoln Park and the Grosse Ile Naval Base, getting them regular work. Around this time Ann produced a demo of the band at Pioneer Studios, “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” and “You Really Got a Hold on Me”.
Dave Fero and Frank Schiavulli had been part of the group backing Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons on their huge local hit, “Wait a Minute”, an unusual blend of doo wop with a contemporary rock sound. Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons were six vocalists who also met at Allen Park High. Rick Wiesend (Tim Tam) was lead vocalist, along with Danny Wiesend, Don Grundman, Nick Butsicaris, John Ogen and Earl Rennie. If you haven’t heard “Wait a Minute”, search it out on the internet and you’ll hear why it was such a sensation.
‘Wait a Minute” was released in February of 1966 on Palmer Records 5002, selling 30,000 copies in the first month of release. Frank was interviewed on the air by WKNR DJ Scott Regan about playing drums on “Wait a Minute.” Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons would release three more 45s on Palmer. Rick Wiesend passed away five years ago today (on October 22, 2003).
I’m not sure who is playing on the flip side, the fine surf instrumental “Opelia”, songwriting credited to Morton Patlow. Is this the Satellites?
Tim Tam & the Turn Ons next single was the very doo-wop sounding “Cheryl Ann” b/w a vocal with garage backing, “Seal It With A Kiss” (Palmer 5003)
On June 13, 1966, the Satellites went to United Sound Studios to record another demo of two songs, “I Believe” and “Midnight Hour”. These were mixed by Les Cooley who would soon engineer Bob Seger’s “Persecution Smith”.
The band won WXYZ-TV’s Talent Town competition, hosted by Rita Bell. The stereo console they won went into Frank Vargo’s basement where the band practiced.
The band clashed with Ann when they gave up their straight image, but nevertheless she continued to manage them into 1968. I’ve never heard any of their demos, I don’t know if they still exist or not.
The Blue Feeling“Ann Marston presents The Blue Feeling and the Espial Light Company”
Sources include: Shooting Star: The Amazing Life of Ann Marston by Alana Paluszewski, and the Tim Tam & the Turn Ons entry on myfirstband.com.
Special thanks to Dennis Girard for the scans of the photos and for sending me a copy of Shooting Star.
Ann Marston’s busy and unusual life is chronicled in Shooting Star. Those interested in her interactions with bands will find about seven pages on her time managing the very young MC5, a few pages on the Satellites, and mentions of other bands she worked with, like the Lower Deck, the Renegades, Julia, and Tom & the Fugitives. There are also photos of Ann with the Beatles and the Dave Clark Five.
Shooting Star lists Frank Vargo as the drummer on “Wait a Minute” and as the member of the Satellites interviewed on-air by Scott Regan, but this may be a mistake. Dan Wiesend, who was at the session, recounts Frank Schiavulli as the drummer.
The Only Ones have one good harmony pop 45 on the Panik label, “You’re the Reason” and “Find a Way”. Larry Calder wrote both songs, registered with the Library of Congress in September, 1966 along with another original “The Only One” that seems to have been unreleased.
The band was from East Detroit, Michigan (now known as Eastpointe). I didn’t know anything about the group until family and friends posted comments below.
Members included:
Larry Calder – guitar and lead vocals Jim Bohr Gary Daniels Mitch Aiken – drums
I knew little about the Trademarks until drummer Jerry Warren’s son Zack commented below.
Members were:
Alan Nathanson – lead guitar and vocals Neil Faigenbaum – bass guitar and vocals Dave Levitt – organ, replaced by Eric Jerry Warren – drums
According to Teen Beat Mayhem, the band was from Oak Park, Michigan.
“If I Was Gone” is superb performance, featuring a catchy guitar riff, good harmonies, fine drum and bass playing and a sharp solo. It was written by Alan Nathanson and Neil Feigenbaum, arranged and produced by Ed Nelson, and released on the great Palmer label out of Detroit in 1967.
The flip, “I Need You (By My Side)”, light pop with strings and horns, is labeled the “Action Side”, which couldn’t be further from the truth. If Palmer promoted “If I Was Gone”, the Trademarks would have had a better chance of a hit.
Producer Ed Kaplan’s name shows up on a number of Detroit rock and soul records, including the Chomps “Lookout World” on Kool Kat.
Other bands on Palmer include the Grifs, the Canadian Rogues, and the Moriticians.
The band played on Robin Seymour’s Swinging Time show, so there’s an outside chance video footage still exists. The Trademarks broke up in 1968, and Zack says his father Jerry passed away in 2012.
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.
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When I found this 45 by Bob London and the Bobbies, I thought it might be Robb London, who came out of San Antonio with his band, the Rogues. A quick listen tells me it’s someone else, plus the names on the credits are different, suggesting this singer’s real name is Robert Vinson.
The only reference to a Bob London I can find is a DJ at K-CUB in Tucson. However, a more likely location is Detroit, where Ernie Stratton owned a publishing company called Ernstrat Enterprises, with the same account number (927) as this 45.
The Wanted released eight songs on six different singles, four on The Detroit Sound and two national releases on A&M.
“Don’t Put Me On” has the band playing a steady groove behind a repetitive, buzzing guitar figure. The opening line is “Girl you better not cheat on me” and the lyrics alternate between warning the girl and pleading with her. “Don’t Put Me On” is an original by Holowicki, Suba and Grihorash and published through Jamaica Pub, BMI. The flip is a cover of “Midnight Hour” that’s better than most versions I’ve heard.
The Wheels 4 Records label had a tag, “The Dearborn Sound”, but since that city is just west of Detroit the Kings Court and other bands on the label could have come from anywhere in the area. The records I’ve seen list Bryan Dombrowski as engineer, and I’ve also read he owned the label, though I see Jim Walters is credited as producer on several Wheels 4 sides.
The Only Ones have one good harmony pop 45 on the Panik label, “You’re the Reason” and “Find a Way”. Larry Calder wrote both songs, registered with the Library of Congress in September, 1966 along with another original “The Only One” that seems to have been unreleased.
I knew little about the Trademarks until drummer Jerry Warren’s son Zack commented below.