I can’t find much info on the Apaches, who had one single on Galena Records out of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1966. One side is a pleasant original song, “Please Understand” by Burgess, Tousley. My copy is too scratchy to include a sound file, sorry.
The flip is a cover of “Heart of Stone”, which sounds like it features a different lead singer.
The Apaches was an RCA custom pressing, TK4M-4746/7, from late 1966, released as Galena G-131.
There was one other garage 45 on Galena Records, the Executives, who did a good original, “Why Make Me Cry” by T. Carter, Brock, Hoffman, G. Carter, Teaff, b/w “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better When You Are Gone”, also released in 1964.
Though the label for “Please Understand” lists Galena Music BMI, I can’t find copyright registration with the Library of Congress, or for the Executives song.
I find a number of registrations with Galena Music from 1964 and 1965, including: “Just Another Night”, “Gonna Find Me Someone” and “Moon Girl” by Roy L. Ferguson and Leroy Duncan, “Tear Drops” and “This Same Old Heart” by Sam Barrett, “Lonely Hours” by Roy Ferguson, Lercy Duncan and Autry Rutledge, “My Castle by the Sea” by David Vowell and Autry Rutledge, and “Back Up, Back Out” by Roy Ferguson, Leroy Duncan and Connie Rutledge, but these all seem to be country or pop music.
The Standels, from left: Tom Bradley, Blaine Trumbold (in back), Boyd Bogle (front), Ronny (surname?), Eddy Cortner, and Ron Cortner
The Standels “Let’s Go” turns the Animals’ “I’m Crying” into edgy, forbidding territory:
Well me and my baby go to a show And we get there … (?) And me and my baby leave the show, And we go out on this dark road.
Well here comes someone down the road, They’re comin’ up behind us, not too slow. Oh go, I see a red light flashing. Well I guess we’d better get out of here fast.
Let’s go
According to Teen Beat Mayhem, the Standels came from Catoosa, Oklahoma, just east of Tulsa. I knew nothing about the band, nor any of the members names, but Max Waller alerted me that according to an interview with Ron Cortner, the band was originally called the Roustabouts. By the time of the 45 the group consisted of:
Boyd Bogle – lead vocals Tommy Bradley – lead guitar Ron Cortner – rhythm guitar Blaine Trumbold – bass guitar Eddy Cortner – drums
The band’s members changed frequently, so please check Blackwell & Lake’s research for the full story.
Pla-Me Records was located at 903 Louisiana in Muskogee, 40 miles to the southeast.
The original A-side “Love Comes Once In a Lifetime” is a fine, slow ballad.
The T4KM-9713/4 RCA custom pressing code indicates a release date from the first half of 1966. The labels credit Bobby McBride and Curtis Long with A&R, both had their own singles on Pla-Me Record. Curtis Long ran the publishing for Vilena Pub. Co. BMI, but neither of these songs were registered with BMI or the Library of Congress.
Pla-Me Records of Muskogee is not related to the Ohio label Pla Me, though both were releasing records at the same time. The Muskogee label had a 666P prefix to its RCA custom pressings, while the Ohio label’s account was 804B.
Jim O’Bryan sent in the photo at top and wrote to me:
Their lead singer, Boyd Bogle, was my cousin. He also played drums. Boyd passed away a few years ago and is buried in the National Cemetery in Muskogee. Here is a photo of the band, recently posted by Boyd’s twin sister. No info yet on the one who signed as “Ronny.” I haven’t heard either song on the record since the last time Boyd played it for me in probably 1968 or ’69.
Thank you to Jim and to Boyd Bogle’s sister for providing the photo of the Standels.
Of course, this band is not the Standells of “Dirty Water” fame.
Can’t find any info on the Infernos other than their location of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Their only 45 came out on the Pride label in April, 1967. The best side is a band original, “Road of Life”, a loose rocker with a dry 12-string guitar sound, great vocal shouts, harmonica, and even what sounds to be a Hammond organ.
The flip is “Your Love for Mine”, written by Chuck Douglas, a ballad with enough attitude to make it interesting. Both sides Oklahoma Pub. BMI. Jay Reed produced the single.
Pride Records started out at 4232 E. Young Pl. in Tulsa, Oklahoma then relocated to 2032 E. 49th St. No. in Tulsa. The label started in country but released some interesting garage and even psychedelic songs in 1966 and 1967.
Pride discography (probably incomplete, I’d appreciate any assistance)
45s (in chronological order):
Billy Parker – “It Takes a Lot of Money” / “Sing Me a Sad Song” (1965, red label, produced by David Ingles, SK4M-0871, 660P-0871)
Bobby McBride – “Roll On Blues” / Curtis Long – “Koosey Coo” (1965, blue label, produced by Billy Parker and Jean Corby, SK4M-3615/6, 660P-3615)
Bobby McBride – “Chantilly Lace #2” (vocal by Don Ramey) / “Cryin’ Heart” (vocal by Bobby McBride) (1965, Pride Inc. logo, SK4M-5811/12, 660P-5811)
Benny Ketchum – “That Ain’t No Stuff” / “Sad Sad World” (1966, Pride Inc. logo, produced by Billy Parker and Carl Rivers for Blue Crest Music BMI, T4KM-2322/3, 660P-2322)
The Rompers – “Slippin’ And Sliding” (vocal By Charlie And Don) / “Don’t You Ever Get Tired” (vocal by Bob Winningham) (1966, Pride Inc. logo, T4KM-2483/4, 660P-2483)
Tommy Florence – “My Baby’s Gone” / “Love Me Tender” (1966, Pride Inc. logo, T4KM-5240, 660P-5239)
The Cinders – “Hey Pretty Girl” (vocal by Dennis Parrott) / “Wind Up” (Tommy Hudson) (1966, Pride Inc. logo, T4KM-5200/1, 660P-5200)
The Cinders “Trouble Making Guy” (Dennis Parrott for Billy Parker Music) / “Hard Hard Life” (1966, Pride Inc. logo, TK4M-7459, 660P-7459) (The Cinders were Dennis Parrott, Wayne Reed, Tommy Hudson, Frank Schaeffer and Keats Tyler.)
The Infernos – “Road of Life” / “Your Love for Mine” (Chuck Douglas) (April 1967, simpler blue logo, U4KM-4623, 673P-4623)
Jerry Boggs – “Freedom” / “I’ve Never Wanted Anyone But You” (1967, 673P-4995)
Jerry Boggs – “Love Came Back” / “My Eyes Could Only See” (1967, U4KM-8141, 673P-8131)
Group Love Corp. – “Love Corporation” (Phil Henry) / “Should I” (1967, U4KM-8450, 673P-8450)
LP: Billy Parker – If I Make It Through The Night, Pride 1001 PLP (1965, 660P-0874)
Most Pride releases from late ’65 and 1966 have a Pride Inc. logo on a light blue background. Pride used their account number 660P as a prefix for their early releases (changing with the Infernos to prefix 673P), then picked up the four digits from the RCA custom pressing #. Following this system can give an mistaken chronology of releases as it leaves off the year indicator on the RCA pressing code. More accurate is to follow the RCA custom press code (such as SK4M-3615 or T4KM-5200).
Lonnie Lee and the Big Beats, circa late 1960, from left: Dale Roark (bass), Lonnie Lee Edens (guitar), Jerry Woods (drums), and Archie Barnes (guitar). “I had just turned 17 when this picture was taken. I believe Archie was 14! It was taken at the Starlite club in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.” – Dale Roark
Dale Roark of the Escapades sent these songs and recollections of his start in music in the town of Bartlesville, forty miles north of Tulsa:
These recordings chronicle three musicians from Bartlesville, Oklahoma from 1961 until 1966.
The area around Tulsa in the late 50’s and early 60’s was a hotbed of musicians. David Gates (later ‘Bread’), Johnny Cale (later J.J. Cale), Tommy Crook (local guitar legend that stayed put), Leon Russell plus traveling Arkansas bands such a Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks (later ‘The Band’), Charlie Daniels and the Jaguars (yes, that Charlie Daniels), and the McClellan brothers (The Five Emcees) out of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, all put their mark on the local music community. The Paradise Club in particular was a venue where musicians would casually approach the bandstand with “hey man, can I sit in?”. It was always fun but occasionally Tommy Crook, Roy Clark, or some of the other professionals would just blow you away. Any musician could request and it was understood that you would let them. It was competitive but also an inspiration.
Dale Roark (bass), Archie Barnes (guitar), and Denny “Zoot” Freeman (drums) formed a group called The Ravens in late 1959 and played local YMCA and high-school gigs for about a year. I was a high school junior. Archie and Denny were both in the 8th grade. A year later we joined up with Lonnie Lee Edens and formed Lonnie Lee and the Big Beats. We played the local night-clubs and did pretty well for a bunch of high schoolers.
Dale Smith’s pick-up band – Bartlesville, OK, April, 1961. L-R: Doug Cade, Dale Roark, unidentified, Archie Barnes (with his brand-new Rickenbacker), and Doug Lorenz. Photo courtesy of Doug Lorenz.
During my senior year Dale Smith, my high school choir director, approached the group about backing him up on an original song he had written. As you will see, he had a beautiful Perry Como-type voice. He rented time a Tulsa TV station studio and me, Archie, and Denny plus Richie Dickerson (9th grade – piano) backed him up. When you listen to Archie’s solos, keep in mind that he was in the 9th grade! Let’s Fall In Love (Mr. Smith’s original) and Canadian Sunset Twist were the result.
I went off to Oklahoma State University and wasn’t active in music my freshman year but right before the end of the winter semester I was approached by Kent Washburn to join the “Shadow Lake 8” for the summer gig in Noel, Missouri. The band had been a staple at OSU for years with graduating members being replaced by new, younger talent. They also needed a guitarist so I introduced him to Archie and his mother agreed to let the young sixteen year old join the band. The drummer quit the first week there and Denny was contacted and drove out the next day.
The band at that point consisted of:
Kent Washburn – Tenor Sax and Band Leader Amos Ming – Alto and Baritone Sax plus flute Terry Mead – Trumpet and Valve Trombone Bing Vasser – Trumpet Bill Schooler – Piano Archie Barnes – Guitar Denny Freeman – Drums Dale Roark – Electric bass
During the winter of 1963, Kent’s younger brother, Gary, replaced the piano player with his brand new Hammond B-3 organ and the dynamics of the group started to change. A demo tape was made at the Tulsa University ballroom. Single mike, no mixing, direct to tape and later cut as a demo. It is 45 years old and has a lot of pops and scratches so I only included a couple of snippets to help contrast with later recordings.The last 30 seconds of “Splankie” show Denny’s mastery of big band jazz. The last two minutes of “From the Heart” (a Ray Charles number from his “Genius Plus Soul = Jazz” album) show off Archie and Denny’s 10th grade musician skills. Denny was a huge jazz fan and his talents are present in his kicks and comping abilities. Archie shows a sophistication that few rock and roll musicians could conceive at such a young age. It also allows comparison between Gary’s “All Skate” tone to the later recordings as he finally mastered the tone controls of his B-3. He was also in high-school at the time.
Both songs by M. Kent Washburn. Rite Pressing #12877/12878 which dates it to 1964.
That next summer we played at Rockaway Beach, Missouri. It is a resort town of about a hundred people just a few miles from Branson. It predated the Branson we know now and was the “in” place for college kids from Kansas City, Springfield, Memphis, Saint Louis etc. to go. The club was huge by that day’s standard and probably held a couple of thousand people. The group tightened up quite a bit but I quit the following fall for personal reasons. I was replaced by Bill Hieronymus and the following summer they toured the Florida night club circuit as “The Jades”.
I believe it is the only released record the Shadow Lake 8 / Jades ever cut. These two sides were made after I left the band. “South Parkway” was a major street in Tulsa at the time so that’s what they called the first cut. I am pretty sure that was Amos speaking “g’wan to South Parkway” at the start and Archie counting then Kent speaking on “Power”.
Kent gave me a copy and I took it into Stax records and played it for Steve Cropper the very week I moved to Memphis but Steve wasn’t interested in either the record or the group because of their own in-house musicians. I lost my copy somewhere between Memphis and a half dozen other places over the past 45 years.
I don’t hear any trumpets so I guess it is:
Kent – Tenor Sax Amos – up front and center on Baritone Sax Gary – Organ and Piano Archie – Guitar Bill – Bass Zoot (Denny) – Drums
Maybe one of the guys can acknowledge or correct me. Archie’s solos are typical of Tulsa area guitarists at that time . . . speed, speed, speed . . . It wasn’t the most melodic but the dancers loved it!
The band pretty much stayed together for several more years. I had moved to Memphis and was the leader of a group called The Escapades. We were under contract with Sun records and Kent contacted me during the summer of 1966 about cutting a record at Sun. The following four Jades tunes were the result:
Rainbow Riot – A Bill Doggett tune the band used as their theme song High Heel Sneakers – Kent and Archie doing the vocals I Got a Woman – Gary Washburn rockin’ on his B-3 including the bass pedals Come and Take Me Baby – An original with Archie Barnes vocal and local Memphis back up singers
Bing Vasser had left the band prior to this but the rest of the musicians were together. I substituted on bass for Bill who couldn’t make the session. The group stayed together a little while longer but then went their separate ways. To the best of my recollection, with some help from Bing Vasser:
Amos Ming– became an accountant in Nashville with Brenda Lee as one of his clientsKent Washburn – moved to the West Coast and became a Christian Record Producer
Gary Washburn – became a music professor at the University of Hawaii
Bing Vasser – obtained a Masters degree in music from Tulsa University and taught music in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He then returned to Tulsa University to graduate with a Masters degree in mathematics and music computation. His computer music programs were used to produce synthesized music in one of the early computer music conferences held in Tulsa featuring Aaron Copeland.
Dale Roark – formed The Escapades in Memphis, was drafted into the Army, then earned a degree in Computer Science and had a 30 year high-tech career. He now lives in Eagle Mountain, Utah within 1 mile of his 4 children and 6 grandchildren.
Terry Mead – joined Brenda Lee’s back-up band then moved to Nashville for a successful music career. He played on the live TV show “Nashville Now” for several years until ill health caused his retirement. Terry died May 13, 2007.
Archie Barnes – joined Brenda Lee’s back-up band then moved to Toronto
Denny (Zoot) Freeman – joined Brenda Lee’s back-up band then moved to California. He passed away in 2000.
Bill Hieronymus – went back to school and earned a degree in geophysics from the University of Houston. He became a consultant with several major oil companies and was well respected for his analytical expertise. He was also cited by Downbeat Magazine as one of the premier jazz bass players in America. He died on Thanksgiving day, 2008.
Dale Roark, April 2009 (Original Text) Bing Vasser, (Update and corrections)
Dale and Ken Washburn have created their own website for the Shadow Lake 8 at ShadowLake8.com with more information and photographs.
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
