Theze Few formed in Dallas and cut one single for the BlacKnight label in 1966, “Dynamite” / “I Want Your Love”. Dan Seals wrote both songs, though the labels mistakenly list his name as D. Feals, published by Tall Pine BMI.
Members of the band were:
Danny Seals – saxophone Larry Stevens – lead guitar John Colley – piano Mike Woolbright – bass Buddy Lay – drums
By the 1968 Irving Teen-A-Go-Go, the band had changed their name to the Southwest F.O.B.
Dan Seals, 61, was born in West Texas but moved to Dallas as a teenager. He graduated from Samuell High School in Pleasant Grove in 1966. He and classmate John Colley, who later changed the spelling of his last name to Coley, formed a group with three other Samuell students called the Playboys Five. That became Theze Few, which morphed into the legendary Dallas high school band Southwest F.O.B.
As the friendship blossomed, Seals’ brother Jim was emerging as a musical superstar. Jim Seals was part of the multi-platinum-selling duo Seals & Crofts. But Dan Seals and Coley would soon put their own stamp on music.
They formed England Dan & John Ford Coley and became the toast of 1976 when their single, “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight,” and album, Nights are Forever, became gold records, meaning each sold more than 500,000 copies.
Lonestar Stomp covered the Seals family, including brother Jimmy and father Wayland.
The Vandals are possibly from Georgia but I haven’t seen any definite info on the band.
“Your Love Will Die” is a speedy, chaotic and excellent punk song, with ringing guitar, busy drumming, and shouted vocals not quite in unison. One guitarist plays both rhythm and lead. “Mary” is a fine ballad, there’s a clip on youtube but it has a skip in it at the end of the guitar solo.
The only member’s name I have is Steve Randall, who wrote both sides for Boldlad Music, BMI but I can’t find a copyright notice for these songs.
Recently I picked up two singles on the Channel “1” label, by the Eyes of Reality and the Systems. The label intrigued me for the 7-B distribution listed at the bottom, as 7-B, or Seven B, was a great New Orleans funk label owned by Joe Banashak.
I quickly realized these were not New Orleans productions, but instead came out of the Mobile, Alabama studio of Sax Kari, who wrote, produced and/or sang on each of these.
The first single on Channel “1” was the Eyes of Reality doing a laid-back funky come-on, “What You Waitin’ On Girl”. The flip is the even more mellow ballad, “Goin’ Back”. I’m not sure who was playing in the Eyes of Reality, but Saxton Kari wrote and sang both sides.
Next comes what sounds like a real band, the Systems, doing an original by Doug Previto, “How High Is High”. I presume Doug was a member of the group. The flip is “Where Did I Go” a song by Carson and Tim Whitsett. Tim Whitsett led the Imperial Showband with Tommy Tate, who cut the definitive version of this song for Musicor.
Francine King cut the third Channel “1” single, “Two Fools” a spare funk vocal that has its fans.
I haven’t heard the next Systems single, the intriguingly-titled Sax Kari composition “The Story of My Hair” b/w another Doug Previto song, “Oh How I Wish”. The group’s name is listed as simply the System, singular, and the label has a new design. The label name was spelled Channel One for COR-711 and COR-712.
A faded label but has Sax Kari’s autographThe last single on the label is another one I haven’t heard, Simon Birk’s “Babbalulla”.
Channel “1” Records discography
COR-701 – Eyes of Reality – “Goin’ Back” / “What You Waitin’ On Girl” (PRP 10771/2) COR-702 – The Systems – “Where Did I Go” (Carson Whitsett, Tim Whitsett for Whitsett Bros Music/Catalogue Music BMI) / “How High Is High” (Douglas Dwight Previto, Kari Music BMI) “A Gulf Coast Production” COR-703 – Francine King – “The Grapevine Can’t Tell You” / “Two Fools” (PRP 11471/2) COR-704 – The System – “The Story Of My Hair” (Sax Kari) / “Oh How I Wish” (Douglas Dwight Previto)(PRP 13911/2, )
COR-711 – Francine King – “Dirty Man” (Bobby Miller) / “Yo Yo” COR-712 – Dirty Red Morgan Group – “Your Chicken Ain’t Funky Like Mine” / “Finger Lickin’, Funky Chicken”
COR-720412 – Simon Birk – “Babbalulla” (J. Simmons, Channel One Music) / “Love Never” (PRP-38351/2) COR-770518 – Benny Watson – “Sunday Afternoon In Memphis” / “Going Down for the Third Time” (both by Jerry Powell, released 1977)
Unless indicated otherwise, all songs written by Sax Kari and published by Tune-Kel and/or Kari Music BMI.
Thank you to Peter for pointing out a few unknown to me, and to Gordon Dodson of the Barons from Ozark for the scan of the Francine King single.
The Great Society, August, 1967 from left: Steve Sturgil, Tom Wise, Bill Bayer, Tilo Schiffer and Charlie Jung
The Great Society were students at the University of Cincinnati, except Steve Sturgil who attended the University of Kentucky. The band’s lineup was:
Tilo Schiffer – lead singer Tom Wise – lead guitar Bill Bayer – piano and organ Steve Sturgil – bass Charlie Jung – drums
First mention I can find of them is from March 1967 at Granny’s and then at the Four Seasons’ Pirates Cove in July.
Great Society Pirates Cove at the Four Seasons, Cincinnati, July, 1967
A letter to the Enquirer from fan Penny Phelps in June, 1967 mentions them playing at the Psychedelic Lollipop, Granny’s, Lakeridge Hall, Seven Hills Veterans Hall and the Round Table.
They released one single, first on the Dana Lynn label in June, 1967, then on Counterpart C-2613 in August. “She’s Got It On Her Mind” has a hypnotic keyboard sound, a great drum backing with accented beats, and a captivating vocal melody.
The flip “Second Day” is another tuneful winner, heavy on the echo like the A-side.
Lead singer Tilo Shiffer wrote both songs, published by Counterpart – Falls City Music, BMI.
A second letter from Penny in December notes that Bill Bayer and Tilo Schiffer both went into the Navy by the end of 1967, but that the three remaining members would try to continue.
In 1968 the Great Society played shows at the Coney Island water park and at LeSourdsville Lake with the Rapscallion Sircle.
The Dana Lynn label lists Ray Allen as engineer and reads “A Tom Dooley Production”, while the Counterpart lists Allen as producer.
Dana Lynn only released three singles that I know of, notably the Lemonpipers “Quiet Please” (70610), the Great Society (70611) and Tom Dooley “Talkin’ Bout Love” / “Stay By the Phone” (010).
Counterpart was also local to Cincinnati, but had greater distribution than Dana Lynn.
The Collection from Fort Mitchell, KentuckyThe Collection came from Dixie Heights High School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. A profile by Tom Lutes in the Cincinnati Enquirer from November, 1965 lists the members as Don Brewer, David Conover, Chris Comer and Tom Ramsey.
“Their manager Jeff Goode says they play any kind of music, from rock ‘n’ roll to classical, including Mozart’s First Concerto.”
The Blackwatch (misidentified as the Wanted), at “One Step Beyond, July, 1967Shows at One Step Beyond in July, 1967: Blackwatch, For Sale, Wolf Pack, and the Wanted
Cincinnati group the Blackwatch cut some demos but never released any records. Their name appears half a dozen times in the Enquirer’s pages in the summer of ’67, but unfortunately there was no feature on the band.
Johnny Schott – lead vocals Doug Hawley – guitar Rich McCauley – keyboards John Gilsinger – bass Jay Sheridan – drums
In June of ’67 the Blackwatch played at the Deer Park movie theater on shows with WSAI DJs Bob White and Tom Kennington. In the first week of July, 1967, they played for three evenings at a newly opened teen club, One Step Beyond.
The following week, One Step Beyond featured the Heywoods, Ivan & the Sabres and Salvation & His Army.
From a feature in the Enquirer on July 15, 1967:
They’re springing up like mushrooms – new teen clubs that is! The newest one in this area is “One Step Beyond” at 8532 Beechmont Ave. in Mt. Washington.
“The club features three separate rooms, The Twilight Zone (just for chatting), Our Generation Room (for dancing) and This Place (for eating). Refreshments are being served in This Place here by Pat Hess. Waiting in line are Mary Jo Rickard, Debbie Arnold, Rick Anthony and Bob Barney.
“One Step Beyond” is a joint effort of the young people of Anderson township and an adult group called CONCERN …. Shown playing is the band “Wanted.” The club is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 8 p.m. until midnight and dress is informal.
Letter from Jean Hess correcting the photo caption from the previous week
A week later, Jean Hess “Teen Board Member” for One Step Beyond wrote a letter to correct the caption, saying, “The great band that was pictured is the ‘Blackwatch,’ not ‘Wanted.’ The Blackwatch played four nights at the club and have gained a reputation of being one of the grooviest groups in Cincy!”
The third week of July the club featured the New Lime, then the Lemon Pipers!
I can’t find any mention of the Blackwatch after the summer of ’67. One Step Beyond lasted into 1968, including a show in February with Ivan & the Sabres, the Quaker Rebellion and Red Brale. Then it also disappeared, at least from the news.
Ivan & the Sabres, the Quaker Rebellion, and Red Brale at One Step Beyond, Feb. 24, 1968
The Wanted & Co. released one single in 1968, a dark, fuzzed take on “Smokestack Lightning” titled “Why”.
M. Gertin and B. Marksberry wrote the song, but there’s no publishing info on the labels and no one seems to have info on the band.
Shows at One Step Beyond in July, 1967: Blackwatch, For Sale, Wolf Pack, and the WantedThe A-side is an average cover of the Gants’ “My Baby Don’t Care”. The band recorded the single at King and pressed the records at Queen City Album.
This is likely the same group called the Wanted who played some shows in Cincinnati in 1967, including at the teen club One Step Beyond on Beechmont Ave. in Mt. Washington.
The Enquirer ran a feature on the club with a photo that was captioned the Wanted, but a letter pointed out the band was actually the Blackwatch.
Since the great Detroit area ban called The Wanted was having a modest national hit with “In the Midnight Hour” on A&M, the band likely added “& Co.” on the labels to distinguish them.
Thanks to Scott Lucas for inquiring about the Wanted & Co. to get this post going.
Atwell Records of Lafayette, Tennessee released a number of interesting rock record in the late 1960s. Lafayette is about 60 miles northeast of Nashville, and a similar distance southeast of Bowling Green, Kentucky. I haven’t heard all of these, but my favorite so far is the Children single: two very well-crafted original songs featuring strong vocals with lead guitar bubbling in the background.
The A-side was “I Long to See Her” (by Mike Gibson), backed with “Lost Soul Seeker in the Rain” (by Mike Gibson and L.S. Goodman). It came out as Atwell 45-109 in the second half of 1968
Loryn Atwell produced the single, with both sides published by Lonesome Ern & Atwell Publishers, BMI. Publishing credits give full names, Michael Freeman Gibson and Louis Samuel Goodman.
One source stated the band was from Georgia, but this is incorrect. One member and a friend of the band commented below, stating the band was from Munfordville, Kentucky and members were Mike Gibson on vocals and guitar, Sam Goodman on lead guitar, Mike Rife on drums and vocals and Clint Nichols on bass. Joe Terry Crenshaw joined a later version of the band before it finally broke up.
Atwell had a couple fine rural country releases by the Pedigo Brothers & the Tennessee Rhythm Boys and some later teen releases:
Atwell 100 – “She’s Gone” (Earl Pedigo, Hillard Cliburn) / “You Never Looked Sweeter” Atwell 101 – “A Love Affair Gone Wrong” / “It’s Hard To Smile” (with picture sleeve) Atwell 102 – Randy & The Rockets – “Once Upon A Time” (Randy Dillahey) / “Rattlesnakin’ Daddy” 8/1965 “kids” Atwell 109 – The Children – “I Long to See Her” / “Lost Soul Seeker in the Rain” Atwell 111 – New Musical Express – “Child Of The Midnight Sun” (Gary Agers, Tommy Ramsey) / “Wrong Side Of Love” (Jerry Ford) 1969 Atwell 115 – Midnite Strobe – “Beyond Reason” / “The Future” Atwell 45053 – Sweet Revenge – “Love Machine” / “Sweet Revenge” (released with picture sleeve of the band around one member in a coffin, mid 1970s) Atwell 45057 – Bad LT – “Rock & Roll”/ “God Taketh”
Atwell also released EPs by the Tennessee Harmoneers, spiritual LPs by the Singing Youth, the Singing Gospeltones, and the Tomes Four (actually a quintet), a bluegrass album by Ron Knuth, among other religious and country 45s and LPs.
Atwell Studios is credited on some releases on the Re-Echo Records label of Livingston, TN, including The Madhatters “Unchain My Heart” / “That Kind Of Girl”, as well as on releases on the Breeze Records label, also from Livingston.
Thanks to Max Waller for a couple additions to the Atwell 45 discography.
Jerry Rivera and the Generations released this single on the Kim Records label, probably in the early 1970s.
“Baby Be Mine” was supposed to be the A-side, it starts with a recitation and moves into an easy-listening ballad.
I’m more taken with the flip, “Lovin’ Man” which starts quietly and gets a good psychedelic groove going, but refrains from cutting loose. In nearly four and a half minutes, we get several repetitions of the chorus, a long undistorted guitar solo and some overdubbed trumpet, and I did like how the lyric “let me ease your mind” sounds like “let me eat your mind”!
Both songs are originals published by Help Me Music BMI, and recorded at Triple “A” Studios, on Walnut Street in South Amboy, New Jersey with Marty Ruszala as the engineer.
The release on Kim Records 20605 included the cool picture sleeve with notes on the back (“LOVIN’ MAN also projects a meaning but of a different nature”). The runout on this single is etched ARP-2097/8, I’m not sure the plant, but it would not be American Record Pressing Co. in Owosso, Michigan.
Max Waller informs me of another single by Jerry Rivera, “Fortunata” / “This World” on Kim ULT 70011 from about 1970, which indicates “written by Gerald D. Rivera” on the label. Neither of us has heard this single.
This is not the same Kim Records who released an excellent Night Crawlers sounding single by Ron Starr (aka Ron & the Starfires) with the Chuck Conlon penned “Crawl Into My Shoulder” in 1967.
Fabulous Shantels, from left: Mike Dektas, Terry Williams, Mike Mays and Jay Cee Ectcon, November 12, 1966
The Fabulous Shantels came out of the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky music scene.
I can find notices of the Shantels playing live as early as September 5, 1964 at the Mabley & Carew fashion show with Bob Keith and Jim Martin of WCPO. In late November 1964 they appeared at screenings of Roustabout and other films at the Oakley drive-in on Madison Rd.
By November, 1965, they were playing at WSAI-sponsored dances, usually at the Withamsville-Tobasco Community Park Hall, with groups like with Gary & the Hornets, the Topics and the 2 of Clubs. On February 26, 1966, WSAI broadcast live a ‘Swing Thing’ from Shillito’s featuring DJ Dusty Rhodes and the Shantels.
The Shantels fan club letter, September 24, 1966
A September 1966 letter to the Enquirer mentions a fan club for the Shantels headed by Darleen Nieporte of Cincinnati and Camille Canfield of South Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. It also gives the band’s names and instruments:
Mike Dektas – organ Mike Mays – lead guitar Jay Cee Ecton – bass Terry Williams – drums
On November 12, 1966, the Enquirer profiled the band in its “Teen-Ager” section (see photo at top).
In late December 1966 the Enquirer published a letter from Sandye Utley and Peg Rouse that they were running their own fan club for the band and that the group had recorded “Remain Unknown”.
Dusty Rhodes letter to “Teen-Ager”, January 21, 1967
In January, 1967, Dusty Rhodes wrote a letter from Detroit, Michigan where he was working at CKLW:
I have had several letters about the Fabulous Shantels band, a group who I worked very closely with while I was in Cincinnati. The fellows were here in Detroit just after Thanksgiving to visit, play a dance and have a recording session.
The band recorded four numbers at the Sound, Incorporated Studios in New Haven, Michigan. We were all satisfied with the session and the “rough” tapes. However, the rush of the holidays and the opening of additional studios by the company has delayed the “mastering” of the Shantels recordings.
This is the story for all the Shantel fans and I hope we have a hit.
Keep up the good work with “Teen-Age,” Ruth. I wish the teens of Detroit had something like it.
Despite the difficulties in mastering, the record did come out, probably in early 1967, on Sound Inc. SI-160.
“Remain Unknown Girl” was a group original (Dektas, Mays, Ecron, Williams on the credits), published by Sidrian Music BMI. The song features a long biting lead guitar solo and a sneering lead vocal as well as a melody that sounds something like “Louie Go Home” (tip of the hat to Peter Aaron for reminding me).
The lyrics were a bit obscure but Mike Dektas provided corrections:
You want little girl that we go on datin’, ’cause complications are so very frustratin’, If you need to be here right by my side, You gotta stay close to be in my right
Remain unknown girl, alright
If you want to be content both day and night, When decisions are made be right by my side Well you’re goin’ to have to play a very special game, To be satisfied to be known only by your name,
Remain unknown girl – alright – work it out
Take it down low,
Knock em dead,
Alright day and night,
You’re outtasight,
Knock em dead, knock em dead,
Unknown, unknown.
The flip is a cover of “For Your Love” (the Ed Townsend ballad, not the Yardbirds).
It’s a rare disc, one that has eluded many collectors, so I don’t think it received any distribution to speak of, whether in Detroit or the Cincinnati area.
The band’s name was wrongly rendered as the Chantels when the song appeared on the compilation Michigan Mayhem vol. 2.
The Turkey Combo (formerly the Topics and the Shantels) with the Dingos, Sunday November 26, 1967The Blackberry Time Tables (formerly the Turkey Combo) with Salvation and the Army, the Offsets, at Montgomery Hall on Sunday, February 11, 1968
The band continued to play Withamsville dances in early ’67, then drop out of sight for a time. On November 26, 1967, the Shantells and the Topics seem to have combined to become a new group called the Turkey Combo! The name stuck for more shows in December ’67 with the Outcasts and in January 1968 with the Jerms. The Turkey Combo changed to the Blackberry Time Tables for a Montgomery Hall show in February ’68 but by this time the Turkey Combo may not have had any of the Shantels in it.
The Shantels, 1966, from left: Terry Williams, Mike Mays, Mike Dektas and JC Ecton. Photo courtesy of Mike Dektas.
Update: The Fabulous Shantels were inducted into the Northern Kentucky Music Hall of Fame on June 9, 2016, and played a live set at the induction.
Mike Dektas answered some of my questions about the group:
The band was originally created by Terry Williams, our drummer, and Mike Mays our lead guitarist. Terry, Mike, and JC Ecton are all from northern Kentucky – they were looking for a keyboard player and singer, and they found me. At that time, I played a Farfisa organ. Later I switched to Hammond B-3.
We played all over the NKy and Cincinnati area. We were heavily promoted on the radio. Back in those days, they had dances, called “hops”. We played many of those. Typically the hops were from 8-11 pm, or afternoon sessions.
For these, we played at the Shillito’s (#1 department store in Cincinnati) “Swing Thing”. This was great fun – it was broadcast live on 700 WLW radio. We played on elevated decorative stages, live TV Hullaballoo stages.
Other places we played that were promoted included: VFW Hall (NKY, always sold out – 600-800 kids), Glenway Swim Club in Covington, KY (summer), Castle Farms (with headliners like Lou Cristie, Gary US Bonds – we backed these guys up. We also played at Knights of Columbus hall in Cincinnati, and yes, the Withamsville Tobasco Hall that you mentioned in your article – this is on the east side of Cincinnati. We also opened at Music Hall for Roy Orbison.
The Fabulous Shantels, ticket for the Middletown Armory Teen DanceWe also produced shows at that time with Shantel Productions. One event that I remember that was great fun was a giant “Battle of the Bands” at Hotel Alms in Cincinnati. We had 30 bands in that event – it started early and went into the night. Special guest appearance by the Fabulous Shantels.
We also played at the University of Kentucky, big crowd, played in Rupp Arena.
On the club scene, we played on Univ. of Cincinnati campus, regularly at a club called “The Pickle Barrel”. Other clubs included Rio Rita (NKY), clubs at Miami University (OH), and regularly at a club called “The Lagoon” in NKy.
Our band was known for fast music you can dance to, and all hits. So it was easy to get the crowd going. We really did play one summer 8 times a week – every night and twice on Sunday.
JC the bass player, who has passed on now, used to stand up on his amp and move back and forth – we followed a lot of the moves of Paul Revere and the Raiders. In fact, we were offered to tour with them moving around city to city opening for them, but it didn’t work out – we were young and in school and couldn’t travel that much.
The photo in the Enquirer standing around a tree was taken in Devou Park in NKy by a publicist for our booking agent, AJaye Entertainment. AJaye was headed up by Stan Hertzman and Ray Lemkuhl – Stan is still playing guitar out in clubs and coffee shops, I see him sometimes.
That’s me singing on “Remain Unknown Girl”. The other two songs the Shantels recorded were “Georgia on My Mind” and “Poison Ivy”, we never had those two pressed into a record. We recorded in Detroit – Dusty helped set up the session – we travelled there for the session, and we played a live concert in Chatham, Canada, which is across from Detroit. We also played live with Jan and Dean.
That Turkey Combo was a gag idea from DJ Steve Kirk from Dayton OH. Steve was always a jokester – he knew that us and the Topics were great friends, so he made that up and put our names on it – all just fun. We played a number of hops for Steve and he helped promote the band. But the main promoting came from Dusty Rhodes when he was Cincinnati’s #1 DJ on WSAI, a top 40 station.
Mike Mays, Terry and myself have practiced, trying to put together a new act of the Shantels. Terry put together a live venue called “Geezerfest” ha! The amazing thing is we will see a lot of the same people we’ve seen in the late sixties. What fun!
I’ll post more info about the upcoming Shantels show in the future.
Thank you to Barry Wickham for the scan of the Fabulous Shantels 45 labels. Special thanks to Mike Dektas for the scans of the promotional photo and ticket.
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
