The band came from east of Astoria, Oregon, the small communities of Knappa and Svensen to be exact (the area had a large number of people of Swedish descent).
The members were:
Carl Salo Bill Tynkila Tom Kayser (Keyser?) – guitar Bill Maley Toivo Lahti – drums
The Zero End’s first 45 on Garland, “Blow your Mind” / “Fly Today” from late ’67 has a dark sound. Their next and last shows the influence of psychedelia, as “Lid to Go” has the lines “don’t you know he’s a flower child/ what a crime, being high.” The version of “Hey Joe” has a good fuzz solo. Dig the cool drum head in the photo above.
Both sides of the first 45 are by Tynkila/Salo. Songwriting on “Lid to Go” is by Bill Maley and Carl Salo. Dale Hansen produced both 45s. The Garland label was from Salem, OR, owned by Gary Neiland of Prince Charles & the Crusaders.
I didn’t much about the band until JP Coumans sent me the article from Hipfish, below. As the article states, the band started out as the Vanchees until Bill Tynkila suggested Zero End. They had a manager, Dale Hansen who booked them throughout the Northwest. At the club below the Portland youth center The Headless Horseman, they saw a band called Seattle Gazebo that was playing the new psychedelic free-form music. It was a revelation to the band, who returned to Knappa and remade their sound completely.
They played venues such as the Riviera Theater in Astoria and the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. The Hipfish article mentions a live recording from the Riviera, which I’d love to hear.
Hipfish – Arts & Culture Monthly, vol. 2, issue 19: Astoria & the North Coast, March 1999 – does anyone have the continuation or know the author?
I’d like to focus on the early career of Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters – four songs released across five singles during 1964-1966, before Huey signed to Curtom and recorded the songs issued on his great posthumous LP.
These four are the influential “Monkey Man” and a great cover of Junior Wells’ “Messin with the Kid”, along with a fantastic soul number, “Just Being Careful”. His version of “Beg Me” isn’t bad, but it’s probably the weakest number on these early 45s.
Baby Huey was born James Ramey in Richmond, Indiana and formed the Babysitters in Chicago in 1963 with guitarist Johnny Ross and organ player/trumpeter Melvin “Deacon” Jones. Melvin Jones is brother of jazz drummer Harold Jones. Reno Smith was the drummer at some point (though I’m not sure if he’s on these singles). “Monkey Man” and “Just Being Careful” were both written by John R. Ross.
Other members of the Babysitters included Plato Jones on percussion, Danny O’Neil on guitar, Rick Marcotte on trumpet, and Byron Watkins on tenor sax.
Baby Huey died in a South Side motel room on October 28, 1970, after a show in Madison, Wisconsin.
Early 45 releases
The history of Baby Huey’s early singles is somewhat confusing because of the repetition of songs. Below seems to be a complete list from this time period:
Shann 73924 – Just Being Careful / Messin’ With the Kid (1965) USA 801 – Just Being Careful / Messin’ With the Kid (April ’65) St. Lawrence 1002 – Monkey Man / Beg Me (1965, issued on both blue and white labels) St. Lawrence 1002 – Monkey Man / Messin’ With the Kid (1965, white label only) Satellite 2013 – Monkey Man / Messin’ With the Kid (1967)
Some or all of the Shann 45s have the label name marked over with “USA”. I don’t believe “Monkey Man”/”Beg Me” exists on Satellite.
The St. Lawrence white label of Monkey Man was bootlegged in 2011.
In 2005 an acetate came up on auction that was supposed to be an unreleased instrumental by Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters. I had a sound clip up here for over a year before Mark Namath identified it as “Zoobie” by the Noisemakers. The acetate was probably a DJ or collector’s cut misidentified as Baby Huey – there’s no connection whatever between the groups.
Thanks to Dean Milano for scan of the photo of Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters at the top of the page. Check out Dean’s new book The Chicago Music Scene: 1960s and 1970s.
Transfer of “Beg Me” thanks to a fan of the group.
Gigs and announcements in the press
According to Billboard, promoter Barry Fey’s first production was a Baby Huey show in Rockford, IL. Eventually Huey and the Babysitters were managed by Marv Stuart’s State and Madison Management (listed as Marv Heiman on wikipedia).
Billboard and Jet magazines kept tabs on some of Baby Huey’s doings during the late ’60s. I’m sure Chicago newspapers from the time have more listings.
at the Jaguar with the Shadows of Knight! March 16, 19681966 various months – Thumbs Up, Chicago February 25 – Harmony Hall, Chicago October – at Trude Hellers, also an announcement that Capitol Booking has signed the group
1967 January- at Ungano’s club in New York November 10-21 – at the Cheetah in Chicago December 31 – at the Cheetah in Chicago with the Exception
1968 March 16 – at the Jaguar with the Shadows of Knight April 5 – The Deep End, Park Ridge, Illinois May 31 – The Deep End June 28 – The Deep End July 9 – Hullabaloo Club, Genoa Road, Belvidere, Illinois July 10 – The Deep End July 12 – The New Place with Christopher Robin & Friends July 19 – The Green Gorilla July 20 – The Cellar, with the Byzantine Empire July 26 – The Deep End August 7 – The New Place with Fire and Ice August 9 – The Cellar with the One Eyed Jacks August 17 – The Deep End August 27 – at the Jaguar with Boston Tea Party November 23 – at Mother Duck with the Box Tops November 27 – The Deep End
1969 March 1 – The Wild Goose, Rt 120 & Lewis Ave, Waukegan, Illinois March 22 – The Wild Goose April – at Barnaby’s Balcony in Chicago and at the Cheetah in Chicago beginning April 21 May – Billboard reports the group scheduled to record their first LP for Curtom in New York. May 6 – Appearance on the Soul! TV show, with Dee Dee Warwick, Lord Superior, Shirley Chisholm and Jacob Lawrence – anyone have a clip of this? May 22 – The Chances ‘R’, Champaign, Illinois May 21 – appearance on the Merv Griffin Show, in New York June (2nd week) – Merv Griffin Show broadcast on various dates depending on city August 14 – Jet announces that Baby Huey was “ailing a bit” in Chicago.
1970 April 24 – Sound Storm Festival, Poynette, Wisconsin (There are a number of excellent photos at (Wisconsin Historical Society – search for Baby Huey or Sound Storm under photos and images.) August 1 – Lou’s Quarry, Appleton, WI October 31 – Drake University Homecoming Dance, Val-Air Ballroom (scheduled but cancelled due to Jim Ramey’s passing on the 28th, replaced by Just Us and the Batch)
Billboard also mentions that after Huey’s death, the Babysitters changed their name to Boink for at least one live show. However Robert Baker, in a comment below states “The Babysitters never changed their name to Boink. This was another concurrent group that had at least two ex-Babysitters in the group.” Live dates from publications including The Daily Herald (Chicago), the Des Moines Register, the Belvidere Daily Republican.
Jet, November 12, 1970Billboard, December 5, 1970Jet, October 7, 1971Billboard, October 29, 1966Billboard, November 26, 1966Jet, January 19, 1967This news item was picked up nationally in August, 1967. I can’t find further details.Billboard, September 30, 1967Billboard, November 18, 1967Billboard, December 23, 1967at Mother Duck with the Box Tops November 23, 1968Jet, March 6, 1969Baby Huey & the Babysitters appear on the Soul! TV show, with Dee Dee Warwick, Lord Superior, Shirley Chisholm and Jacob Lawrence, March 6, 1969 – anyone have a clip of this?Billboard, April 1, 1969Billboard, April 12, 1969Billboard, April 26, 1969Billboard, May 17, 1969 – does the tape of this broadcast still exist?!Broadcast of the Merv Griffin Show on June 11, 1969Lou’s Quarry, Appleton, Wisconsin, August 1, 1970Jet, August 14, 1969At Lou’s Quarry, Appleton, Wisconsin, August 1, 1970Baby Huey profiled in the The Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minnesota), March 20, 1969
In honor of the Chocolate Watchband playing the Underground Garage festival in NY this weekend, I’m featuring the original version of their most famous tune, “Let’s Talk about Girls”.
The Grodes and Tongues of Truth were two names for the same band – originally from Tucson, Arizona, but often recording in L.A. They were renamed Tongues of Truth without their knowledge by their manager and promoter, Dan Gates, dj at local KTKT in Tucson. Gates didn’t bother to tell the band about the rechristening until he announced the new single, “Let’s Talk About Girls”, over the airwaves. They stuck with it while the 45 had it’s time on the charts (#37 locally), then returned to being the Grodes. “Cry a Little Longer” is an earlier 45 on the Tri-M label, and one of their best.
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
I’d like to focus on the early career of Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters – four songs released across five singles during 1964-1966, before Huey signed to Curtom and recorded the songs issued on his great posthumous LP.
Other members of the Babysitters included Plato Jones on percussion, Danny O’Neil on guitar, Rick Marcotte on trumpet, and Byron Watkins on tenor sax.
Some or all of the Shann 45s have the label name marked over with “USA”. I don’t believe “Monkey Man”/”Beg Me” exists on Satellite.
In 2005 an acetate came up on auction that was supposed to be an unreleased instrumental by Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters. I had a sound clip up here for over a year before Mark Namath identified it as “Zoobie” by the Noisemakers. The acetate was probably a DJ or collector’s cut misidentified as Baby Huey – there’s no connection whatever between the groups.
