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.
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
from left: Terry DeMoor, Greg Mauchmar, Alan Birdsall, and Bob Moffitt
“Tears, Tears” is a great pop number, one of better Beatles-inspired songs of the mid-’60s. If you want to hear it dig out Highs in the Mid Sixties, Michigan volume 3! The flip is “Don’t You Know It’s Love?” for fans of moody ballads.
The band was from Kalamazoo, Michigan, 140 miles distant from Detroit where the single was recorded. Alan Birdsall wrote both sides of the single, published by Pavilion Music, BMI. It was released on the Topper label in March, 1966.
Someone who know the band wrote to me:
The band members were students at Kalamazoo Central High School:
Alan Birdsall, Junior, Rhythm Guitar Greg Mauchmar, Junior, Lead Guitar Terry De Moor, Senior, Bass Robert Moffitt, Junior, Drums
All Gibson guitars… I think it would be illegal to live in Kalamazoo and not play one! The record was made in Spring 1966 in Detroit. Earlier that year, they had won a “Battle of the Bands” contest in Kalamazoo, and appeared in the Kalamazoo Gazette. They recorded (I think) 4 songs that day, but only one record was made, so the best two songs were used. One of them was named “Don’t You Know It’s Love”, but that song did not appear on the record. The recorded B-side song was really called “Because I Love You” (makes sense, since that’s the lyric), but someone screwed up the label. Greg Mauchmar wrote that song, but for whatever reason, Birdsall was given credit (probably because it was Birdsall’s band, or it was another screw up).
Topper had about a half-dozen releases of soul artists such as Priscilla Page, Dottie & Millie, and Tobi Lark, all in demand on by collectors. The Decisions was the only garage or rock type single on the label that I know of. Like most of those singles, the producer on the Decisions is the legendary Dave Hamilton.
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.
Love’s Alchemy, clockwise from lower left: Damon Hyde, Rick Dannely, Nelson Bogart, Myron Grant, Ray Love and Rob Martens
Love’s Alchemy had this one release on Ultra-City out of Saginaw, Michigan in 1970. The band named themselves after the poem by John Donne – the label spelling “Love’s Alchmey” is a simple typo.
“I Never Said Forever” is a Doors-influenced song written by Ray Love and Damon Hyde. The lyrics include “Jesus” at least twice.
I’m not as much a fan of “Ophelia” written by Nelson Bogart, though the guitar solo has a fine, sludgy distortion to it. My copy is very scratchy. Both were published through Luzar Publications, BMI. Song writing credits list Ray Love, Damon Hyde, and Nelson Bogart.
I couldn’t find much specific on the band until Charlie, a friend of the band wrote to me:
I went to high school with a couple of the guys in the band. They went to the University of Michigan and ended up as fraternity brothers and formed the band in the late ’60s in Ann Arbor. The members were Nelson Bogart on guitar and occasional trumpet, Myron Grant doing lead vocals, Damon Hyde on keyboards, mostly Hammond B3, Rob Martens on bass and Ray Love on drums.
I was at the recording sessions in Saginaw for the record. When we met Choker Chapbell, he had to tell us that he was the guy on Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips Part 2” that shouts out “What key, what key?” about 3/4 of the way through the tune when Stevie starts ad-libbing and changes the key!
They are all still playing music, to the best of my knowledge.
Damon Hyde’s wife Pamela sent in the photos seen here and wrote:
Damon passed away in 1999 from a high fever after 9 days in the hospital. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1971 with a B.A. in Literature.
Damon was a honey-voiced singr who travelled extensively before settling down with his wife Pamela in 1978. He turned his musical talent into a lifelong career as a pop/rock singer and published songwriter. His band backed up Lou Rawls, The Drifters in Puerto Rico, Tiny Tim in Miami, Chief James Billie of the Seminole tribe of Florida and many others.
Damon’s unique ability to sing and play a wide spectrum of music made him a sought after musician for many of South Florida’s most popular bands. A double CD was released in his honor by his wife, Pamela called Unfinished Business.
Pamela added these notes from Myron:
The studio that did that recording was Tri City Recording, which I think was in Saginaw, although it might have been Midland. The marketing guy was “Bill McCune, Man from the Moon,” and one of the owners was a previous member of the Motown horn section.
Actually, all three of us [Damon, Nelson & Myron] played trumpet (I played coronet), depending on the tune and arrangement. Nelson and Damon played solos, I played as part of the horn section in tunes such as “Hold on I’m Comin'”. I don’t recall ever having all three horns on the same tune.
[The photos] were taken shortly after Rick joined the group. We later changed the name to Ramblecrow. There was another band in A2 at the same time who’s name came from literature, Leaves of Grass.
Walter “Choker” Campbell owned or worked with a number of labels in Saginaw including Tri-City, Moonville USA, Gospel Train and Ultra-City, with releases around 1970-’71. Almost all of these were soul sides, making this 45 by Love’s Alchmey a big exception. Choker was a tenor saxophonist who started recording in 1950 for the Lucky-7, Fortune and Atlantic labels, among others. He hired on at Motown in 1960 to form the live band for their revue shows and had a 1964 album on Motown with his band playing the label’s hits. He produced records by Carla Whitney and Albert Jones in Toronto, Canada during the 1970s, and passed away in 1993.
Background on Choker Campbell from the Soulful Detroit forum. Thank you to Pamela Hyde for the photos and quote from Myron Grant.
from left: Myron Grant, Damon Hyde, Rick Dannely, Nelson Bogart, Ray Love and Rob Martens
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.
Story of how Cameo acquired “96 Tears”, Billboard, October 1, 1966 note “Bago Records” (sic)
Any help with the discography or info on Pa-Go-Go in general would be appreciated!
Lillian Gonzales and her husband Joe “Pato” Gonzales owned the El Pato grocery store in Saginaw, Michigan, and also ran the Gonzales & Gonzales artist management company. Joe, whose name I’ve seen in print as Jose Gonzales or Victor Gonzales, owned half of Bego Records with Paulino Bernal, which had been releasing conjunto records in McAllen, Texas since the early ’60s.
Joe started the Pa-Go-Go record with brothers Rudy “Tee” Gonzales and Manuel Gonzales (apparently no relation to Joe – see comment from Cisco below), basing the label out of San Antonio where Rudy Gonzales had his group, Rudy & the Reno Bops. Pa-Go-Go’s focus would be less specialized than Bego’s, with rock, soul and r&b releases.
Lillie Gonzales brought ? & the Mysterians to Art Schiell’s Recording Studio in Bay City, Michigan in April, 1966 to record a version of “Midnight Hour” and their original song, “96 Tears”, with Rudy Gonzales producing. The first pressing was 750 copies, but there were additional pressings as the single broke out on stations in Saginaw, Flint, Windsor and Detroit.
According to Billboard, Neil Bogart, a twenty-three year old sales manager at Cameo-Parkway flew to McAllen, Texas to purchase the master of “96 Tears” from Bego, winning out over a verbal agreement with Roulette’s Morris Levy.
Although Pa-Go-Go’s address of 408 Hazel St. San Antonio, Texas was on the labels of every release, about half the acts were from Michigan. A Billboard item from October, 1967 even mentions the label being headquartered in Saginaw. Pa-Go-Go only existed for about a year and a half, but released some fine music in that time, with the last single I can find mention of, Count & the Colony’s “Say What You Think” being sold to SSS International.
Pa-Go-Go Discography:
101 – Danny & the Tejanos – “Mi otra movida” (Polka) / “Con esta copa” (Ranchera) 102 – Question Mark & the Mysterians – “96 Tears” / “Midnight Hour” (April, 1966) 103 – Sir David & His Knights – “Shotgun” / “All My Love” (David Camarillo, published by Ed Arguello Pub.) 104 – Fernando Y Juan – “Se te llego tu dia” / “Vuela vuela Palomita” 105 – Chavez & the Chevelles – “Buscando Una Estrella” / “El Trenesito (The Train)” (D.A.R.) 106 – Danny & The Tejanos – “Confecion” / “Mundo raro” 107 – Little Henry & His Band – “No soy tu arroz con pollo” (Isidrio Lopez) / “Amor sin medida” (Jose A. Jimenez) 108 – Sonny Ace- “Ya volvio la Palomia” (Lonnie Guerrero) / “Sandra” (Martin Linan) 109 – ? 110 – Al Pinckney & the Exclusives – “Coasting” / “La-Hai” 111 – Chavez & the Chevelles – “Pido” / “Angelitos Negros” 112 – Danny & the Tejanos – “Listen, Sweet Thing” / “What’s the Word” (Danny Martinez) 113 – Conjunto Los Galantes de Manuel Gutierrez – “Contestaction a ‘Me Voy Lejos'” / “Ellas” 114 – ? 115 – Freddie Fender & His All Stars – “Cool Mary Lou” / “You Are My Sunshine” 116 – ? 117 – ? 118 – Staffs – “Another Love” / “I Just Can’t Go to Sleep” 119 – ? 120 – ? 121 – Count and the Colony – “Can’t You See” (Dick Brown, Butch Burden) / “That’s the Way” (Larry Wheatley, Butch Burden) 201 – Count and the Colony – “Say What You Think” / “Symptoms of Love” (October, 1967)
Billboard, July 1, 1967#101 shows only “Go-Go” on the label.
At this point I’m not sure if the missing numbers were actually issued, as I haven’t found any evidence of them, nor has Davie Gordon (see his comment below) or Mike Markesich.
? & the Mysterians, Sir David and His Knights, and Count and the Colony were all Michigan acts. Danny & the Tejanos, the Staffs and Al Pinckney & the Exclusives were from Texas (see comment from Robert Villarreal below).
Sources: background on Bego from Wikipedia, most complete account of the early days of ? & the Mysterians I could find was at MichiganRockandRollLegends.com, with further background from the ChicagoReader.com, Fredric Dannen’s Hit Men, and info on Danny & the Tejanos and Sir David & His Knights from I’m Shakin’.
Thank you to Martin Hancock for info on the Little Henry 45 and to Antonio of La Plebe for his contributions to the discography. Thanks also to Francisco Candia, Shane, Alfonso, and Josh (jollyrarestuff) for their help with the discography.
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.
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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.
When I found this 45 by Bob London and the Bobbies, I thought it might be 
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.
Lillian Gonzales and her husband Joe “Pato” Gonzales owned the El Pato grocery store in Saginaw, Michigan, and also ran the Gonzales & Gonzales artist management company. Joe, whose name I’ve seen in print as Jose Gonzales or Victor Gonzales, owned half of Bego Records with Paulino Bernal, which had been releasing conjunto records in McAllen, Texas since the early ’60s.
According to Billboard, Neil Bogart, a twenty-three year old sales manager at Cameo-Parkway flew to McAllen, Texas to purchase the master of “96 Tears” from Bego, winning out over a verbal agreement with Roulette’s Morris Levy.
“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.