Like other groups on Dearborn Records or with Chetkay Music publishing, I can’t find much info on the Jammers. Jack Groendal and Gerry Snyder wrote both sides and were likely members of the group.
The keyboard and lead guitar blend to make a good hook for the peppy “You’re Gonna Love Me Too”. “I Didn’t Mean To Make You Cry” works well as a ballad.
The songs were released on Dearborn D-519, published by Chetkay Music BMI in July, 1965.
I wonder if Jack Groendal is any relation to Zocko Groendal who played with the Lansing, MI band the Woolies, famous for their version of “Who Do You Love” on Dunhill.
John Does is an appropriate name for this group because nothing was known about them until Ron Domilici sent in a scan of the promo sheet seen at top. The band does one of the very best versions of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”.
I don’t know where the John Does learned their version of the song, it was done by many artists in the early ’60s. The alternate title “One Kind Favor” was used by Peter, Paul and Mary on their live album in ’64, and this may have been their source.
On the flip is “I’ll Never Take You Back”, an original by Roy R. Fernandez. The instrumentation is the same, but it lacks the mood, production quality and intensity of “One Kind Favor”. Strangely this side has a much different RCA master number, T4KM 8798 comparted to T4KM 2383, though both seem to be from the second half of 1966.
The promo sheet lists the group name as The John Doe, and the members of the group as:
Roy Fernandez – guitar Bill White – bass John Farion – harmonica and organ Ken Everts – drums
Ernie Statton – manager Dave Fox – producer
It also lists the record label as Insight instead of INsite, and seems to suggest they recorded “Diddley Daddy”.
Publishing for both sides was through Davenbar Music BMI. Fernandez copyrighted this and one other original, “Leavin’ that Girl Behind” in July of 1966. Not a bad title for a song, but I can’t find a release with that title by any artist.
Released as Insite 45-1001, Insite Records a division of Metro Productions Inc. but I don’t know of any other releases on Insite. The label typography is cool, though the small “s” in Does may have caused more confusion than anything else.
This is an early credit for the engineer Milan Bogdan, who would soon engineer singles by the Rationals, the Scot Richard Case, SRC, the MC5, Funkadelic and many, many others. I’m not sure which studio the John Does.
Dave Fox produced the record. David Fox and Davenbar Music publishing coincide on one soul single from 1964, the Dynamics “And That’s a Natural Fact” / “I Wanna Know” on Big Top 516, both songs written by Joseph W. McArthur. and co-published with Noma Music.
Special thank you to Ron Domilici for sending in the promo flyer.
The Detroit Riots are an obscure group with one of my favorite singles on the Dearborn Records label. The A-side “Pebble Stone” has a commercial music track but buries the lead vocal. I prefer the flip, “A Fast Way to Die” for the contrast between the rhythm and lead guitar and a set of lyrics that fits the vocalist’s style.
Harry Wallace wrote both songs, copyrighted May, 1969 and published by ChetKay Music BMI.
Tome Webber arranged “Pebble Stone” and Elmer Wallace produced “A Fast Way to Die”.
According to a comment on a youtube video, the bass player was Paul Strothers. I don’t know the names of any other members.
Like the Chomps single I posted yesterday, Dearborn Records was a product of M.S.K Productions, and both singles share publishing by ChetKay. It’s also a Columbia custom press, ZTSC-142387/8.
The Chomps released one pop side, “Kiss My Lips (One More Time)” (Kaplan, Rabinowitz for Chetkay, BMI and Floss, BMI) b/w a nifty, tongue-in-cheek biker tribute, “Lookout World” (Wilkins, Kaplan for Chetkay, BMI) on Kool Kat KK-1002 in 1968.
I thought the Chomps were likely a studio concoction, but a commenter below describes them as an actual group, possibly from the Ann Arbor area.
Copyright records show the names on the labels as Steve Rabinowitz and Eddy Marvin Kaplan, a songwriting team who sometimes used the aliases Steve Robins and Eddy Kay. Eddy Kaplan produced and arranged the Chomps single, and produced other area singles, like the Trademarks “If I Was Gone”. I’m not sure who Wilkins refers to.
Kool Kat is otherwise a soul label, run by M.S.K. Productions, Detroit, Michigan. The Chomps was a Columbia custom pressing, ZTSC 127041/2
Kool Kat 1001 – Joe Matthews – “(You Better) Check Yourself)” (C. McMurray, W. Hampton) / “Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do” Kool Kat 1003 – Hindal Butts – “Giggin” (Butts, Hicks, Block, instrumental, ZTSC 107007) / “Happiness (Is So Far Away)” Kool Kat 1004 – Virgil Murray’s Tomorrow’s Yesterday – “I Still Care” (Huff, Murray, McGuire) / “Summer Dreamin'” (also released on Airtown A-015)
MSK stands for Martin, Schneider and Kajeski, who owned M-S records, Detroit. Chester J Kajeski owned the music publisher Chetkay, that published the Silky Hargraves tracks (DBA CHETKAY Music Pub, 15401 Tirman, DEARBORN, MI) Kool Kat records were a division of MSK productions, Detroit. Martin & Schneider also owned Marquee records, distributed by MSK productions. Marquee & Dearborn were run out of the same building in Dearborn.
Marquee put out the Free’s “Decision For Lost Soul Blue”. Dearborn is a cool label that had some in-demand soul singles, as well as rock stuff by Tino & the Revlons, the Undecided, H.T. & the Green Flames, the Jammers, Me & Dem Guys, and the Detroit Riots.
The Beech Resorts give us two sides of teen anguish, pining for a girlfriend left behind in the maudlin “Springtime” while wondering why he’s in a relationship in the crude rocker “Distortion Don’t Know”. Why is “Distortion” part of the title? I don’t know.
According to Teen Beat Mayhem, the Beech Resorts came from Jackson, Michigan, a town 36 miles west of Ann Arbor and 66 miles east of Kalamazoo.
I can’t find any publishing info, but D. Williams wrote “Distortion Don’t Know” while “Springtime” is credited to T. Resor (anagram of Resort – a band composition)?
1609 Miles Ave, Kalamazoo was the home of Key Records. Key Records had at least 15 releases during the ’60s, mainly religious or country in nature, but with one other rock single, the Counts “All Night” / “Sittin Here Wonderin'” released in 1965 with a picture sleeve.
This is a Rite pressing from March 1967, 18829/30. Like other Key releases it lists “Raebet’s Productions” on the label.
The Midnight Shift, shortly before they became the Thomas Blood Band. Clockwise from top: Ken Victor, Bob Colone, Ed Jeffries and George Whitfield (aka George Werenka)
Midnight Shift came from Redford Township, Michigan, at the northwest tip of Detroit. Above is the Midnight Shift right before becoming the Thomas Blood Band. The original bass player was Ken Mose (not in photo), the photo shows his replacement, Ken Victor.
Members were:
George Werenka (stage name George Whitfield) – vocals Ed Pianasac (stage name Ed Jeffries) – guitar and vocals Ken Mose, replaced by Ken Victor – bass and vocals Bob Colone – drums and vocals
Their first release was “She’s Gone Far Away” b/w “Never Gonna Stop Lovin’ You”, both written by Ed Jeffreys and recorded sometime in late 1966.
The A-side is a gentle kind of love song while the flip has a harder sound with droning guitar and Bob Colane pounding the drums.
The band refined their sound for the next single in ’67, creating two beautiful melancholy compositions using acoustic guitar for rhythm.
“Every Day Without You”, written by Jeffries and Fazzio, is the more upbeat of the two, with excellent harmonies and hooks.
“Just Another Day”, written by Jeffries and Colone, is gentler and sadder, featuring a beautiful San Francisco-influenced electric solo.
They recorded both singles at M-S-I Recording Company in Livonia (next door to Redford). The band’s manager Bud Fazzio produced both singles.
I don’t know of other groups that used M-S-I Recording, I suspect it was the band’s own rehearsal or studio space.
Midnight Shift changed into the Thomas Blood Band, who played at the nearby Grande Ballroom and continues with different lineups to the present day.
Bob Lelli of the Thomas Blood Band sent in the photo at top and wrote to me:
Bob Colone, Ed Jeffries and Ken Victor started Thomas Blood Band playing at the Grande with the Turtles, T-Rex, Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart and more. Bob Colone came out front from drums, they got another drummer and he was lead vocalist until his drowning in 1973. At the time in negotiation for a recording contract with London Records and more. Thomas Blood still plays today. We are doing the 50th Grande Ballroom Anniversary Concert with the Yardbirds and more on Oct 8th, 2016.
Thank you to Kim for the photos below (can anyone help ID the members on these?)
http://www.motorcitymusicarchives.com/thomasblood.html Some photos of the members of Thomas Blood Band can be seen at Motor City Music Archives.
The Midnight Shift early photo with fifth member. Please help with IDs on this photo.The Midnight Shift on Swingin’ Time, with unidentified female, George Whitfield to her left. Please help with IDs on this photo.The Midnight Shift – or had they become Thomas Blood by this time? Please help with IDs on this photo.
I wrote about Alva Starr, who had two interesting garage releases on Golden Records of La., based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This single by the Organized Confusion is the other garage single on that label. It features two good original songs by Bill Richards, “Tell Me Why” b/w “Makes Me Sad”. Production credited to Ebb Tide and Randy Darnell, published by Darn-L. Copyrights for these two songs plus one called “Bad Girl” were registered with the Library of Congress in May 1968.
One of Ebb-Tide ‘s ads in Billboard looking for songs and master tapes.
Interestingly, the band was from the Detroit, Michigan area. Ebb-Tide (Ebb Harrison or Ebb Harris) of Golden Records ran classified ads in Billboard in 1967 and 1968 looking for songs and finished songs. Randy Darnell of “The Darnell Sound” may have seen these ads and responded, or A&R man Bob Balog may have brought the band to Golden.
A promotional photo from the old G45 Central forum shows the band in a tree, and the songs for the single list “Hang On, He’s Not Coming” instead of “Tell Me Why”. Contact info is given both for the label, Golden Records and the production company, Darnell Sound Production, which has an address of 13079 Northline, Southgate, MI, south of downtown Detroit. Darnell and Balog also placed the Liquid-Candy “Hold On-I’m Coming” on Golden.
The Organized Confusion, from left: Joe Grabowski, Mark Bruce (friend of band filling in for Matt Sclafani), Dave Thibert, Bill Richards and Al Consiglio
Update, February 2017:
Joe Grabowski and Al Consiglio sent in the photo of the group standing in front of trees and gave me more info about the band:
Dave Thibert – lead vocals Bill Richards – lead guitar Joe Grabowski- rhythm guitar Matt Sclafani – bass guitar Al Consiglio – drums
In the mid 60’s two Wyandotte friends and neighbors, Al Consiglio and Joe Grabowski joined Al’s cousin Matt Sclafani, living in Southgate, who knew Bill Richards and Dave Thibert. The five put together a play list, rehearsed the tunes and played local venues. Bill wrote the two recorded songs and pursued the necessary contacts to find the recording studio of Randy Darnell at 13079 Northline Road in Southgate, MI and produce the record. The building now is a beauty salon.
The band stayed together for a short time after making the record as the members focused their attention on finishing school, girls, cars and careers (in no particular order). To my knowledge no one was in a band prior to or went on to join other bands after the Organized Confusion.
Venues:
Knights of Columbus – downtown Wyandotte, MI Knights of Columbus – Southgate, MI Southgate Anderson High School – Southgate, MI Davidson Jr High School – Southgate, MI ALSAC Benefit with many other local bands including Little Carl Carlton – River Rouge, MI Lawrence Technological University (Lawrence Institute of Technologies) – Southfield, MI Southgate Shopping Center (in front of Montgomery Ward) – Southgate, MI Aquinas High School – Southgate, MI
Joe Rodie sent the excellent scans seen here of rare singles by an unknown Detroit area band, Sean and the Sheas, who released two 45s in 1966. Joe is looking for information on the group, but unfortunately I couldn’t provide any yet.
Sean and the Sheas first release is the upbeat soul-influenced “Come to the Party” backed with an adaption of the nursery rhyme, “Hi Diddle”.
This was Yorkshire Y-001-A/Y-001-X, with “Come to the Party” written by John Rankin and “Hi Diddle” credited to B. Cozad – J. Rankin. The writers must have been aware a new arrangement of a traditional song could be copyrighted. The label reads recorded in Detroit, Mich., but I don’t know which studio. The producer was John Rankin, and executive producer Henry Cozad.
second release of “Hi Diddle”For the second single, “Hi Diddle” repeated this time as Yorkshire Y-004-X while “Spiders” which I haven’t heard is listed as Yorkshire Y-004-XX. Terry Mohr wrote “Spiders” and he also appears as arranger on this 45, produced by Bill Cozad and John Rankin and this time oddly “Recorded in America”.
All songs published by Bico Music BMI, 1966.
The 45s have Nashville Matrix stamps and “95” etched into them. The “95” means they were pressed by Norman Archer at Archer Record Pressing, at 7401 E. Davidson in Detroit, as that was his account number at Matrix of Nashville. Archer handled many smaller Detroit labels, so despite the resemblance to the font used for Wheel’s 4 Records, Yorkshire was probably an unrelated label. There were several Yorkshire Records labels around the country at the time, but I can’t find any other release by this Detroit company.
With all the names on these singles I would think there would be some information on the group out there, but I can’t find any yet.
Thank you to Joe Rodie for the scans and motivating me to write about this group.
The only info I could find on Goodly Rubenson was an article from September 6, 1968 that mentioned they would be playing the second dance at the Hillsdale Teen Club on 77 N. Broad St. in Hillsdale, Michigan the next day. I suppose they were local to the south-central area of Michigan around Hillsdale.
This 45 comes from the same month as that show, released on a Rite Press, Stonehenge 22889/22900. It is a low-fidelity recording, but has a lot of appeal, especially the top side, “Inside Outside”. That song and the flip “Crystal Love” were both written by Gaulin, no publishing info listed. Ray Lantz produced the 45.
When this 45 by the Kaleidoscope Machine came up for auction this summer, I threw a bid out for about a third of its reputed value. To my surprise, and subsequent financial distress, I won it. The band had only 200 copies pressed in October, 1967, distributing them to local radio stations. Those copies are mostly lost and this is considered a very rare single now.
According to Buckeye Beat, Dennis Anthony was a student at Toledo University and wrote original songs. He formed a band with his wife’s younger brother and a couple other high school students from the small town of Petersburg, MI, about 30 miles from Toledo. The Kaleidoscope Machine did some shows in Petersburg and Toledo. The band stayed together only a short time, but it was enough to record two of Dennis Anthony’s songs at a radio studio.
The band rocks behind Dennis on “Why”, while “We Can’t Wait” is more subdued. The lyrics to both songs are simple and impassioned, but the performances have a confidence that elevates them above many other singles in this vein. The rarity of this 45 has kept these songs from being compiled and few people have heard either.
Anthony wrote both songs for Barthmare Music, BMI, though I can’t find any trace of them in BMI’s online database. The label is DAB Records, which I assume was short for Dennis Anthony B——? Master #s are 20577/8.
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
Like other groups on Dearborn Records or with Chetkay Music publishing, I can’t find much info on the Jammers. Jack Groendal and Gerry Snyder wrote both sides and were likely members of the group.
