Not the Rock Garden from Arkansas who recorded “Super Stuff” for the Revise label, or the Georgia group who cut “Starry Eyed Woman” for Prophet, or even the one from Michigan (formerly Frederic) who recorded for Capitol. This Rock Garden seems to be an unknown group, possibly only a studio creation.
Released in 1968, “Sweet Pajamas”, written by Jason Schulman, was nearly forgotten for years. I could call this psychedelia-by-numbers due to the anonymity of the group, elaborate production touches like the harpsichord break, and an instrumental middle section taking after the Dead or Mad River. Despite these criticisms, the disparate parts add up to a gem of a song with an endearing hook. The musicianship is professional: the drums crack on the stop-and-start tempo changes, the bass nicely doubles the vocal melody and the rhythm guitar loosens up in the second half of the song.
The B.T. Puppy label was owned by the vocal group the Tokens. Their hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was recently discussed on a garage forum as being possibly the most unbearable song of the ’60s. Regardless, by 1967 the Tokens used their harmonies and writing skills to craft some fine psychedelic pop for their LP It’s a Happening World, including “For All that I Am” that the Creation would cover for one of their final singles, and a brief vignette called “Perhaps, the Joy of Giving”.
On the B-side of the Rock Garden single, “Perhaps, the Joy of Giving” is extended to two minutes, laden with effects and voices.
The 45 was produced by Elliot Weiss & Bright Tunes Productions, engineered by Wally Sheffey.
Josh Pettibone sent in the photo of the Henchmen above in response to my post looking for info on some mystery Texas bands. It came from the collection of a DJ from Hobbs, New Mexico, just over the state line from Texas. I couldn’t find any information about the band until member Ben Boyett contacted me in January 2014.
Ben writes:
We were from Hobbs, New Mexico, and played gigs throughout eastern New Mexico and west Texas. The (original) Henchmen pictured are, left to right, Dennis Spillman, lead guitarist; Kirk Smith, bass (sitting on floor); Danny Spivey, drums; and, me, Ben Boyett, second guitar and vocals. We played in this configuration during the 1964-65 era, recording some pretty forgettable singles [unreleased], “Put That Phone Back On The Hook,” “Two Lives,” and “Animal Crackers.”
After a year, we reformed, with Robert Pampell on keyboard replacing Spillman. In that lineup, we recorded with the late Ray Ruff in Amarillo, TX. Ray Ruff’s studio in Amarillo was a tiny thing in an old shopping center. Just after the Henchmen recorded there, a fire pretty well gutted the place. In the last years of his life, Ray Ruff was a very successful country record promoter. He had a great memory, and even recalled several events about me when I ran into him almost twenty years after recording with him.
Somewhere, recordings exist, including the Ray Ruff session, but I’ll have to do some looking through many boxes of memorabilia.
I re-entered the music business about 20 years after the photo, and recorded a single with the late Norman Petty that was released. I think it sold about ten copies, and most of those to relatives. But, getting to work with the legendary Norman Petty was like getting to work with Mozart or da Vinci.
Danny Spivey is still playing on sessions and in church, after having toured with Up With People back in the late sixties. (He’s the only one of us who actually read music.) Dennis Spillman, the lead guitarist, writes oil and gas leases in Oklahoma. Kirk Smith, the bassist, came to an ignominious end during the seventies.
Q. Did the Henchmen make it as far as Dallas? I came across a band called the Henchmen in a list of bands at the 1967 Texas State Fair.
No, my version of the Henchmen did not make it to Dallas. We were strictly an area phenomenon.
Andy and the Manhattans (or is that Andy and the New Playboys?), 1967, personnel unknownRobert Anderson was a singer from Omaha, Nebraska who fronted most of his bands as Andy Anderson, beginning with Andy and the Live Wires with “You’ve Done It Again”, a light vocal over a Willie & the Hand Jive beat, b/w a Duane Eddy-type instrumental “Maggie” on the Applause label in 1960.
Next came Andy and the Playboys (no recordings as far as I know), and in 1964 Andy and the Manhattans, whose 45 on Cardon Records I’m featuring today.
“Double Mirror Wrap Around Shades” is a good bit of jivey r&b, an original by Anderson, like the flip. It charted at #40 on the August 28, 1964 chart of Chicago station WLS 890 AM.
“Tell Her Yourself” has vocals that sound very folk-influenced, though the backing is simple garage r&b.
Also that year they had two singles on Musicor, “Should’ve I” / Desperate” (I haven’t heard either song) and “Skinny Minnie” / “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide”. After the Manhattans he recorded as the Buggs on Soma, featuring Bobby Jones (later of Aorta) on drums, then retired from professional music to go into medicine.
In a sad and gruesome end to the tale, on May 21, 2009 Anderson shot his wife Karla then himself. A news report on KMTV (no longer on the station’s website) didn’t elaborate on the circumstances.
Sources include Rockin’ Country Style, Rockabilly Bash (link defunct) and chart info from ARSA (link made private).
Thank you to Michelle Monnette for sending in the photo at top.
Times-Herald, Oct. ’67 list of bands at the Action Spot
The above clipping was sent to me by Rollie Anderson of Dust, showing close to 60 bands that competed at the October, 1967 Texas State Fair in Dallas. Not all the bands were from Dallas or Fort Worth, though I suspect most of them were.
I think it’s worth listing all these groups to see how many we know anything about – I only know about a handful of these groups. To see photos of the Action Spot stage, see the article on the Mind’s Eye.
If anyone can help with info on any of these, please write to me at chas_kit@hotmail.com or leave a comment below.
Blue Green Blue Moon Brand “X” – There was a Brand X from El Paso that featured Ken Prichard of Danny & the Counts. However, Ken told me they didn’t play this event. The Caretakers The Coachmen – likely the group from Ft. Worth who recorded the instrumental “Splash Day” for Spotlight, though it could be the Coachmen from New Mexico who recorded “Grapes of Wrath” / “Summer Should Bring Happiness” for Sea-Ell. The Coachmen from Abilene had broken up by this time. The Colonists Dust – see Rollie’s article on this site. The Destinations Don and the Demons – according to a comment below, Don & the Demons came from McKinney, TX and recorded a version of “Walking the Dog” on the the Gibson label which I haven’t heard. Execution of Time Joey Farr and the Orbitors – As Tommy “Rockin’ Bones” points out in a comment below, this is probably a later band of Little Joey Farr who had releases on the Houston label Kangaroo and the Colorado label Band Box. 5th Amendment John Foster’s Group The Gentle Rebellion The Gents – from either Dallas/Ft. Worth or as far away as Abilene – 45 on E.V.E. label in 1966 Gingerbread Blues The Henchmen – definitely not this New Mexico band The Herd Hillsboro Group HMS Blues Hunters of Time Images The Jazz Informers The Kaces Kempy and the Guardians – Oak Cliff group named after vocalist Gary “Kempy” Rawlings, they recorded the legendary “Love For A Price” / “Never”. Larry Samford may have been another member The Kicks Killeen String Band The Kolumn – from Lancaster, TX – see comment below Lunatic Fringe Main Street Prophets The Merchants Mind’s Eye – not listed in the article but see photos of the band onstage at the Action Spot New World Night Creepers Noise Inc. The Off Beats – There was an Offbeats who cut “Drenda Ann” / “Chaos” (both by John Brodie) on the Cherokee label from Arlington, but I don’t know the year for that. Another possibility is Jimmy & the Offbeats who recorded for Bofuz. Less likely is James De Fore, a San Antonio artist who cut 45s as Jimmy Dee & the Off Beats in the late ’50s. Owsley The Pagans – from Carrollton, NW of Dallas, according to a cousin of three of the members The Playboys Five Prisoners of Love The Reasons Why – possibly the Temple group who recorded the excellent “Don’t Be That Way” for the Sound Track label. John Schwertner went into the Lavender Express. The Reflections Reining Daze Satin and the Soul Men The Sensations – see the article on this site. The Shade – see the article on this site. Sound in Motion – aka the Sounds in Motion – see Howard and Steve’s comments below. Don Sperry Quartet Starlight Group The Tyme Keepers The Unclaimed Freight The Untamed U.S. Bonds U.S. Britons – (U.S. Brittons) Dallas group featuring fifteen-year-old Mike Jones. They cut two original songs “Come On” and “I’ll Show You a Man” that exist on demo acetate as far as I can tell. Both songs were highlights of Green Crystal Ties vol. 3. The band played throughout Dallas, including at the Studio Club. The band included Larry McNeny, Larry Meletio (drums), Herman Drees (guitar), Joe Cree (bass) and Mike Jones (guitar). See below for more info. Walter Vaughn The Westminsters The Young Texans – likely from Grand Prairie, with Jim Koof (Kopf?), vocals; Dennis Stark, lead guitar; Don Booker, lead and rhythm guitar; Bobby Head, bass; Jerry Head, drums. See this clipping
Larry McNeny wrote to me about the U.S. Britons:
I had heard about that compilation but never heard the record. I started the band with Larry Meletio in Jr. High. Mike Jones was in a band with Joe Cree (Rowe’s little brother) and [both] eventually joined us. Mike was a fluent songwriter. He’d call me several times a week and play me a new song he’d just written for us. He also had a great 442!
Oddly enough I remember that State Fair gig. Also I noticed a pre-US Britons band of mine on a newspaper ad for a show for Jas. K Wilson (a clothing store) where we played with 5 of a Kind, The Galaxies & the Rogues. We were called the Roamers! I honestly don’t know where we came up with these names!
Larry McNeny
Thanks to Mike Markesich for the info on the Gents and for reminding me of the U.S. Britons.
I don’t own this 45 by the 4th Street Exit, but I like their song “Strange One” so much I have to cover it.
After the crashing opening chords, the organ carries the melody while the guitar switches to a dry sound repeating licks and bending notes like crazy. No faulting the rhythm section either, with the fluid bass runs and great drum breaks.
The song was written by M. Fichera and published by Janell Music, a subsidiary of Tiki Recording Service in San Jose, California, released in May of ’67. I believe the studio is still in existence, run by one of the original owners, Gradie O’Neal. I don’t know anything about the group and I haven’t even heard the flip yet, “A Love Like This”.
Rowena also released the Rock Shop’s great “State of Your Mind” / “Is That Your Halo”, produced by Norm Flint.
Before becoming the Tuesday Club, they were the Garfield Air Mattress. Flyer courtesy of Bruce Lambert
The Tuesday Club started as the Garfield Air Mattress, a band formed in 1966 by Bruce Lambert and Tony Tezak in Grand Junction, Colorado.
In an early flyer they are shown as a quartet with three members from Grand Junction: Terry Tezak (bass), Daryll Cooper (guitar and keyboards), Bruce Lambert (lead guitar); plus Salvador “Pete” Friese from Fort Collins on drums. Bill Wagner managed the Garfield Air Matress, who advertised as playing “rhythm and blues and what have you”.
Tony Decker of Salt Lake City, a freshman at Mesa College, joined on guitar and lead vocals.
The Garfield Air Mattress profiled in the Mesa College Criterion in May, 1967, courtesy of Bruce Lambert. From left: Daryll Cooper, Bruce Lambert, Pete Frease, Terry Tezak and Tony Decker
When the Mesa College paper, The Criterion profiled the Garfield Air Mattress on May 16, 1967, Mercury Records had just signed the group and Ray Ruff was their manager. All of the group were freshmen at Mesa College, except Bruce Lambert, a senior at Grand Junction High School. Tony Decker had already written “A Goddess in Many Ways”, which would be the A-side of their single for Philips (a Mercury subsidiary), and the group had already decided to change their name to The Tuesday Club.
The Tuesday Club relocated to Amarillo, Texas, recording at Checkmate Studios, with Marty Cooper and Ray Ruff producing. Ray Ruff was producing and managing a number of bands at the time, including Tracers, Them, the Orange Confederation and the Page Boys.
A-side of their single, with goddess misspelled!
Even though Tony Decker wrote both sides of the 45, each song is incredibly different from the other; they could almost be by separate bands. The top side is “A Goddess in Many Ways” a gentle paean to a seventeen year old beauty who commits suicide. For years it’s been overshadowed by the flip, the garage classic “Only Human”, but will probably be garnering more fans from the recent resurgence of interest in Fargo. It did reach #24 on Grand Junction AM station KEXO on August 26, 1967.
Notice in Billboard, August 19, 1967
I’m sure “Only Human” is familiar to every fan of ’60s punk, with it’s memorable opening bass slides and tambourine, the powerful guitar line and Tony Decker’s shouting delivery of the lines “… when you turn the heads of everybody in the crowd!” and “… but all this competition’s driving me insane!”
After the 45 was recorded, Terry Tezak and Bruce Lambert left the group and returned to Colorado. Dean Wilden joined: he had been in Maudz Only with Tony Decker at their Salt Lake City high school. The band changed their name to Fargo, and in 1968 relocated first to Grand Junction, where Cooper and Friese left the group, and then to Salt Lake, where Randle Potts joined on drums, later replaced by Bob Holman. By the time they became Fargo, neither song from the Tuesday Club single was part of their live sets.
Fargo traveled to Los Angeles to record a single, “Robins, Robins” / “Sunny Day Blue” for Capitol and an LP I See It Now for RCA, both produced by Marty Cooper.
Dean wrote to me about how he joined the group and their change to Fargo:
Garfield Air Mattress was a Grand Junction based band with Tony Decker. When they moved to Texas, two of the members quit and I joined. At that time we were called the Tuesday Club. Tony & I had previously played together in a band called Maudz Only.
I never recorded with Tony’s early Grand Junction band, so I really don’t know where the two tunes were recorded. I don’t remember ever even hearing those two Tuesday Club songs, and they weren’t anything we ever played live. The Tuesday Club/Fargo, Texas drummer was Pete Frease. I was on bass, Tony on guitar & Daryl Cooper on keyboard. Tony & I went to Grand Junction for a short time after Texas. Long enough to lose the other two and return to Salty.
In Amarillo, Ruff’s company, Checkmate Productions, included the bands Them, The Tracers, The Orange Confederation & Fargo. We played Texas, New Mexico, Kansas & Oklahoma. I would take a dozen or better of the Salt Lake bands over the best band I ever heard in Texas, during that period. We played venues alongside many of them & they all seemed to be listening in the past. You didn’t hear much of the British Invasion coming out their speakers. In fact, having played both Texas & Oklahoma, I’d say the three most requested songs were “Louie Louie”, “Wipe Out” & “Gloria”. It was as if they couldn’t comprehend beyond three chords. It was nice to leave there & get back to the ’60s.
As for those Texas bands, I’d say the Tracers were the best I heard. Richie was The Tracers drummer & one of the funniest people I ever knew.
Ray was our gig manager, and a good record producer, but Marty Cooper was our producer. Marty was based in L.A. and this was where Fargo recorded all it’s tracks. Tony & I had a unique vocal blend. Our – Fargo’s – earliest Capital recording was “Robins, Robins” / “Sunny Day Blue”.
Back in Utah, we decided to go three-piece. We needed a drummer and I suggested my old school mate & drummer from Maudz II, Randle Potts. He played on one album cut, “Lady Goodbye”. He froze up like playing in front of 100,000 people, so we hired 2 different studio players to finish off the recordings. We got rid of Potts and stole Bob [Holman] from a band called the Avanti’s, which was strange, seems how Potts drove an Avanti. So Bob was our live drummer and was with us to the end. We’re still in touch. Bob is a remarkable artist with a clever edge to his creations.
I played bass on all but two of the “I See It Now” cuts, and Tony did a great deal of the guitar work. Why bass & guitar credits were given otherwise on the back of the album is baffling. Kind of negated us as musicians. We were damned good & tight on stage. Dr. John played piano on the album but was given no credit, nor were the drummers. Tony was given composer credit for “The Sound Of It,” which is one of my songs. I had Tony sing the first verse because of how I’d layered the harmonies, thus the confusion. When I first saw the back of that album I thought I must be in a parallel universe. The references to religion, alone, blew me away. I was and am as far removed from that world as is possible.
The post-RCA Fargo recordings were mostly made on a Sony sound-on-sound recorder using those cheap little microphones. We were a 3 piece band back then: Tony on guitar, Bob Holman on drums, & me on bass. These later nine sound-on-sound recordings need to be tuned-up a bit before I’d feel comfortable with anyone hearing them.
I’m still writing up a storm & recording “one-man-band” tracks in my studio. I’ve recorded recently in Nashville, & am now working with a couple of different people to promote me as either a singer/songwriter, or songwriter.
Dean and Tony are working on reissuing Fargo’s Capitol single and RCA LP, possibly with bonus tracks from their later self-produced recordings.
Thank you to Dean for information on his time with the Tuesday Club and Fargo.
Special thanks to Bruce Lambert for the Garfield Air Mattress flyer and news clip and for additional information about the group.
“A Godess in Many Ways” enters KEXO’s survey at #24, August 26, 1967 (chart from ARSA)
The Trolls, left to right: Richard “Speedy” Gonzales, Phil Head, Monty “Denny” Baker in back, and Doug “Digger” Rymerson
Of the three (or more) ‘Trolls’ who recorded in the ’60s, my favorite is this group from Pueblo, Colorado. They had an interesting history I’d like to know more about, releasing two excellent 45s. Their first was “That’s the Way My Love Is” a great original with a tough sound typical of Ray Ruff’s productions of the time. The flip is a ballad, “Into My Arms”.
Their second record came out on Chan Romero’s Warrior label and features an energetic but tinny cover of the Stones’ “Stupid Girl”. Much better is the flip, Rich Gonzales’ original “I Don’t Recall”, a wild and very catchy song with repetitive tweeting organ notes, great fuzz guitar and bass, wonderful drumming and excellent vocals. Plus, it was released with a bizarre and goofy picture sleeve. For more info on the Warrior label see my entry here.
Members at the time of recording were:
Richard Gonzales – lead vocals, guitar Doug Rymerson – lead guitar Fred Brescher – Farfisa organ Monty Baker – bass, vocals Phil Head – drums
A now-defunct website on Colorado groups, mountainmusic.net had the fullest description of the group I could find:
A very “English” band from Pueblo they covered Stones and Kinks songs. They started with Gonzales, Head, Brescher and one/two additional players in 1964 and made what proved to be a worthless trip to Los Angeles in the winter of that year.
They retooled the band with the addition of Rymerson and Baker from the visiting Radiants from southern Minnesota. Unhappy with the Radiants the pair jumped ship and into the “New” Trolls. This lineup traveled to Amarillo, Texas to record for Ray Ruff and his new Ruff record label, already having regional (KOMA radio) success with the Blue Things.
The first single “That’s The Way My Love Is” / “Into My Arms” featured both sides penned by the organist, Fred Breschler and while anywhere from four to ten additional tracks may have been recorded. All masters where lost when Ruff’s facility in Amarillo burned in 1968. This includes an unreleased track with the interesting title: “Trash Talk”.
The next recording session was in Clovis, New Mexico with Norman Petty in late 1965 or early in 1966. The resulting single “Stupid Girl” / “I Don’t Recall” was packaged in a picture sleeve which omitted a member (Fred B.?) because he was in the hospital. It was released on the Warrior label (see this post for more info on that label).
One additional local recording session produced what Richard described as “all cymbals!” and resulting unhappiness with the master scuttled plans to release it as a disc.
The departure of Monty Baker in the fall of 1966 was the end of band, he left to join the Colorado Springs band, The New World Blues Dictionary [a major fixture on the area’s live scene]. Richard stopped performing and moved to Orange County in Southern California for a few years, only to join in his drummer brother Leroy in White Lightning in 1968. During 1967 I believe Doug Rymerson and Phil Head worked with bands called The Chosen Few and the Rubber Band. Fred Breschers’s post-Trolls work is unknown.
In addition to this description, there is more info from the liner notes of the Big Beat CD Now Hear This! Garage and Beat from the Norman Petty Vaults: after returning from L.A. the band was managed by Tony Spicola who brought them down to Clovis to record at Petty’s studio. Also, Fred Brescher does not appear on the sleeve photo due to having just been fired for excessive drug use. He was, however, impossible to replace and the band broke up in 1967.
Tom from The Denver Eye tells me of a rumor that one fan would record their shows on reel-to-reel tape. If true, I’d love to hear them.
John Grove wrote in with the following remembrance of the band and identified the members in the photos:
My name is John Grove, also from Pueblo. Have been through about 30 bands locally, started playing in 1964, now of the classic rock band “Dr. Fine”. For bio and pictures, go to bobyeazel.com.
There were three hot semi-pro [Pueblo] bands in the mid-sixties. The Teardrops who did great top 40, the Chandells who did great R&B, and the Trolls….They were the “guy’s” band, and they were bad-asses – super cool, very English! As you stated they did Beatles, “Run for Your Life” I remember. Lots of Stones, Kinks, they even did “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck.
They all had nicknames, Richard Gonzales was “Speedy”, Fred Brescher was “Brush”, Phil Head was “Flip”, Monty Baker was “Denny”, Doug Rymerson was “Digger”.
Phil had played earlier with a band called the Cobras which featured Donny and Richard Bussey. Donny was the one who gave me my first guitar lessons. I believe Speedy, Phil Head and Fred Brescher were in a band called The Pueblo Beatles. They joined forces with Digger and Denny and formed The Trolls. Denny was the brains and the organizer and business guy of the band.
left to right, Fred, Speedy, Digger, Phil, and DennyThey were in fact managed by the Southern Colorado legend Tony Spicola, originally from Trinidad, Colorado. Tony also managed Chan Romero who wrote “The Hippy Hippy Shake”. Tony was a close friend of Ray Ruff, thus the connection on Ruff Records. Tony was also a major concert promoter in Southern Colorado, and did acts such as the Young Rascals, Buffalo Springfield, Everly Brothers and many many more. His story is another whole book by itself. A true legend.
Denny and Digger used real English Vox AC 50 amps (“Super Beatle” style that were tube. Not the solid state Thomas organ American made stuff), Speedy used a “black face” Fender Super Reverb, Fred had a red Farfisa Combo Compact organ, Phil used Premier Drums. Guitars consisted of Digger using a Fender Jazzmaster, Denny used a Fender Jazz Bass, Speedy used a “dot neck” Gibson 335.
All of their equiptment was hauled around in a Corvair van painted a custom metal flake mustard yellow with “Troll Rock n’ Roll” painted on the side, on the front, it said “Here comes Troll”. In Pueblo, they were big time. Beatle boots, vests, blazes, in other words no matching uniforms.
Fred did leave, don’t remember or know why, and they continued as four-piece. The rest of the stuff about where the members went to after The Trolls is as far as I can remember is accurate. Digger did join another cool band called Century Fox which evolved into Justice. I stay in contact with Denny, he is back in his native Iowa and retired as a registered respiratory therapist which he had made his career since the early 70’s. Speedy is in Pueblo, and the last I heard was a barber, Phil is in Los Angeles, Fred passed in the late eighties or early nineties. He was a great guy, as was all of them. They were a tremendous influence on all of young musicians. Hope this helps.
John Grove
Doug Rymerson and Phil Head played with Baby Magic during ’67 and ’68., and Phil Head drummed with a group called the Frantics, that had relocated from Billings, Montana and Santa Fe.
I’ve read Fred Brescher passed away in February, 2003.
Thank you to Jeff Lemlich for supplying the scan of the Trolls PS.
First UK EP showing lineup January 1965. From left: Alan Henderson, Pat McAuley, Van Morrison, Billy Harrison and Jackie McAuley
Van Morrison (harmonica, saxophone, vocals) Alan Henderson (bass) Billy Harrison (lead guitar) Eric Wrixon (keyboards) Ronnie Millings (drums)
1963
The group is formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Henderson (b. 26 November 1944, Belfast, N. Ireland), Harrison (b. 14 October 1942, Belfast, N. Ireland) and Millings (or Mellings), who have previously played in a local three-piece outfit, The Gamblers. The trio adds keyboard player Eric Wrixon (b. 29 June 1947, Belfast, N. Ireland) and a short while later completes the original line up with singer Morrison (b. George Ivan, 31 August 1945, Belfast, N. Ireland) from local band The Monarchs. Wrixon names the band after a 1950s B horror film.
1964
April (10) According to an article in Belfast weekly, Cityweek, dated 22 September 1966, Them had played their first ever gig at the Maritime Hotel in College Square North as a trio of Harrison, Henderson and Millings as Van Morrison was playing at the Plaza and had give two weeks’ notice. The trio played in the break for The College Boys.
(17) One of the first R&B/beat group’s in the province, the Morrison fronted Them quickly build a reputation as a strong live act holding down a residency at the Maritime Hotel. The group’s repertoire includes a blistering 15-minute version of Bobby Bland’s “Turn On Your Love Light”, and a 20-minute improvisation of Morrison’s celebration of teenage lust, “Gloria”. (Although Morrison is credited for the song’s lyrics, Harrison and Henderson have contributed significantly on the musical side.)
(24) Them return for a show at the Maritime Hotel in Belfast.
May The band attracts the attention of manager Phil Solomon (currently working with Irish pop trio The Bachelors), who is greatly impressed by the band’s live performances (and Morrison in particular). Solomon encourages Decca’s Dick Rowe to see the band perform at the Maritime, and Rowe in turn arranges a session in London. (According to Cityweek‘s 22 September 1966 issue, the group had already recorded a three-track demo for local producer Peter Lloyd comprising “Stormy Monday”, “I Got My Mojo Working” and “Don’t Start Crying Now”.)
(1) Them play at the Martime Hotel, Belfast.
(8)The group appears at the Maritime Hotel, Belfast.
(15) Another show takes place at the Maritime Hotel, Belfast.
(22) The group returns for a show at the Maritime Hotel, Belfast.
(29) Them appear at the Martime Hotel, Belfast.
June Them relocate to London and a hotel in Portobello Road, where they hang out with their label mates The Poets.
French EP showing original drummer Ronnie Millings (with shades)
July(5) The group enters Decca’s West Hampstead, London studios to begin recording, but the three-hour session is a stressful affair and Rowe decides to employ session musicians Arthur Greenslade (organ) and Bobby Graham (drums) to “fill out” the sound. Them records Slim Harpo’s “Don’t Come Crying Now” and Van Morrison’s “Gloria”, “One Two Brown Eyes” and “Philosophy”, which are all released over the next year. The band also records covers of “Groovin’”, “Turn On your Love Light” and “You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover” which are shelved. After the recordings, Wrixon is forced to leave (in part because his father objects to a disproportionate royalty split between the management and the group and in part because he is still at school and has ‘A’ levels to complete). Pat McAuley (b. 17 March 1944, Coleraine, N.Ireland) takes over the keyboard position.
September(4) The group’s debut single, “Don’t Start Crying Now” backed by “One Two Brown Eyes” is released but fails to chart.
October The group returns to the studio to record an electrifying version of Big Joe Williams’s blues classic “Baby Please Don’t Go”. Session guitarist Jimmy Page adds rhythm guitar to the recording (and does not play lead as some sources suggest).
(15) Them are billed to perform at the Zeeta House, Putney, Surrey. However, there is another west London band with this name who soon become Themselves to avoid confusion with Van Morrison’s band so this may be that group.
November(6) “Baby Please Don’t Go” backed by Morrison’s “Gloria” is released. Millings leaves and Pat McAuley moves onto drums.
December The short-lived (yet well photographed) new line-up appears on the popular TV show Ready Steady Go!
1965
January Pat’s brother Jackie (aka John) (b. 14 December 1946, Coleraine, N. Ireland) is added on keyboards as the group begins work on its next single, a recording of their new producer, Bert Berns’s “Here Comes The Night”. Some sources maintain that organ player Phil Coulter and drummer Alan White are brought in to play the McAuley brothers’ parts, but this is disputed by the band members. (Berns, an American producer working in the UK is impressed with Morrison as a vocalist and will continue to work with the group over the next few months.)
Photo: Cityweek
February Aided by TV appearances, “Baby Please Don’t Go” hits UK #10, while “Gloria” quickly becomes an anthem for the emerging US garage band generation. Decca releases an EP featuring both sides of Them’s debut single, the recent hit and Morrison’s “Philosophy” recorded during the July sessions.
(10) Western Scene lists the band playing at Bristol Corn Exchange.
(13)The Kilmarnock Standard lists the band playing at the Community Centre, Auchinleck, Scotland with The Blue Chekkers.
(15) Western Scene lists the band playing at Bath Pavilion.
(18)According to the Worthing Herald, the band appears at the Pier Pavilion in Worthing, West Sussex.
(20)Them appear at the Club Noreik, Tottenham, north London.
(22)The Warrington Guardian lists the group at the YOR Club, Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire with The Clayton Squares.
(25)The band performs at Swindon’s Locarno Ballroom with The Knives and Forks.
(26)Them plays at Woolwich Polytechnic in southeast London.
(27)The band appears at Manchester University.
March “Here Comes The Night” hits UK #2 and is the group’s most successful release. The band begins work on its debut album, but sessions are once again plagued with problems. Some sources suggest that the group’s three producers Bert Berns, Dick Rowe and Tommy Scott supplement the band with session players, although this is disputed by band members.
(1)The Dorset Evening Echo lists Them at the Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, Dorset with The Soundsmen and The Silhouttes.
(2)The band plays at Wallington Public Hall in Wallington, Surrey.
(3)Them perform at Stourbridge Town Hall in Worcestershire.
(4)The group appears at Kidderminster Town Hall in Worcestershire.
(9) The Yorkshire Evening Post lists the group performing at the Three Coins in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
(13) The Stockport County Express says Them appear at the Manor Lounge in Stockport with The Mersey Squares.
(14) The Birmingham Evening Mail reports that the band plays at the Brum Kavern Club, Small Heath, West Midlands with The King Bees.
(16)The Southern Echo lists the band playing at the Empire Hall, Totton with Gary Young & The Deacons.
(19)The Ruislip & Northwood Gazette lists the group playing at Botwell House, Hayes, Middlesex.
(20)The Grantham Journal has Them playing at Drill Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire with The Delcounts.
(21)Them perform at the Pigalle in central London.
(22)The group plays at the Adelphi in West Bromwich, West Midlands with the Uglys.
(23)The Woking Herald lists the band at Walton Playhouse.
(24-28)Them takes part in a short tour of Scotland, according to Beat Instrumental.
(25)During the Scottish tour, the band appears at the Two Red Shoes in Elgin.
(29)Music Echo from Liverpool reports that Them appear at Silver Blades in Liverpool.
(30)Them play at the Floral Hall in Gorston-on-Sea, Norfolk.
April (1) The band returns to perform at the Manor Lounge, Stockport, Greater Manchester with The Mersey Squares.
Photo: Melody Maker, 3 April 1965
(4)Them appear at the Ritz in Birmingham.
Photo: Cityweek
(9)The group plays at Leamington Town Hall in Warwickshire. On the same day, Billy Harrison responded to the band’s critics in an article entitled “‘Them’ Hit Back” in the Belfast publication Cityweek.
(10)Them performs at Dudley Town Hall in the West Midlands.
(11) Them perform at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, west London with many others. Beat Instrumental also has the band appearing at the Co-Op in Gravesend, Kent earlier during the day. It is not clear whether this happens as the Sussex Evening Express also lists the band appearing at the Whitehall in East Grinstead, West Sussex with The Hounds.
(13)The Southern Echo lists the band at Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke, Hampshire with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Evil Eyes and The Trinity.
(14) The Birmingham Evening Mail reports that Them appear at the Mackadown, Kitts Green, West Midlands with The Tombstones.
Gloria reaches #1 on KRLA, April 14, 1965Early US mention for band in KRLA’s Beat, May 19, 1965
(17)Beat Instrumental reports the band performing at the Market Hall in Redhill, Surrey.
(18)Beat Instrumental lists Them at the Oasis, Manchester.
(22)The Western Gazette advertises the group appearing at the Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with The Bo-Peeps.
(23)Beat Instrumental reports that the band is performing another show in Gravesend, Kent but this is unlikely.
(24) Beat Instrumental lists Them playing in Kirkcaldy, Scotland but this is unlikely as the band headed back to Northern Ireland around this time. Unhappy with the band’s direction and his personal treatment, Jackie McAuley leaves after a show at St Columbana’s Parish Church in Ballyhome, Northern Ireland and is replaced by ex-Cheynes member Peter Bardens (b. 19 June 1944, Westminster, London, England; d. 22 January 2002).
Them’s first UK LP, The Angry Young Them, Peter Bardens in pink shirt next to VanFirst U.S. issue, featuring “Here Comes the Night”Second U.S. cover to capitalize on “Gloria”
May “Gloria” charts for a week at US #93, selling mostly in California where it hits Top 10 in some major cities.
(1) The Walthamstow Guardian reports that Them play at Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Walthamstow, north London.
(7) Belfast publication, Cityweek reports that Them have been recording a lot in the past few days with new organist Peter Bardens.
(9) Them perform at the Winter Gardens in Margate, Kent with Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, The Nashville Teens and The Fourmost.
(11) The band appears at Bristol Chinese R&B Club, Corn Exchange, Bristol, according to the Western Scene.
Photo: Surrey Mirror, 14 May 1965
(14) The Streatham News reports that Them appear Wimbledon Palais, southwest London.
Photo: Boyfriend magazine, 15 May 1965
(17) The Enfield Gazette & Observer reports that Them perform at the Potter’s Bar Ritz in north London with The Zephyrs, Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages and The Mark Four.
(20)The Worthing Herald lists the band playing at Worthing Assembly Hall.
(25) Them appear at the Assembly Hall, Wallington, near Croydon, south London.
(26) The band performs at Stourbridge Town Hall in Worcestershire.
(28) Them play at Winchester Town Hall in Hampshire.
(29) The band appears at the Rhodes Centre in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire.
(30) The band plays at Elm Park in Hornchurch, east London.
June(1)Them begin a UK tour at Tunbridge Wells Public Hall. (The tour will end on 21 June at the Beachcombers, Leigh and Bolton). During this period, Pat McAuley is briefly replaced by former drummer Ronnie Millings before rejoining the group.
(2) Western Scene lists the band playing at Bristol Corn Exchange.
(5)The Cornish Guardian notes the band will play at the Par Stadium in St Austell before later appearing at the Riveria Lido in the evening.
(7)The Gloucester Citizen reports the band appearing at the Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with The Saxons.
(11)The Morrison-penned “One More Time” fails to chart. Them’s debut album (The Angry Young) Them is released in the UK to coincide with the single but is another chart failure.
Thanks to Andy Neill for the photo
(17)Them perform at the Ritz Club, Skewen, south Wales with The Jay Birds and The Eyes of Blue.
(18) Belfast publication Cityweek reports that Jackie McAuley is back home and is helping to reform The Yaks. McAuley, however, soon moves to Dublin and learns to play guitar. He will rejoin his brother in a rival Them in late December 1965.
(19) Them play at Dudley Town Hall in the West Midlands.
(21) The band appears at the Beachcomber in Leigh.
(24) Them perform at Leeds University.
(25) The group appears at the Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Rodgers Lodgers.
(26) “Here Comes The Night” hits US #24. On the same day, the Lincolnshire Standard reports that Them play at the Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Lincolnshire with Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders and Rodgers Lodgers.
July Original Them member, Eric Wrixon completes his studies.
(3)The Lancashire Evening Post reports that Them appear at Public Hall, Preston, Lancashire with Bob Johnson & The Bobcats and The Wildcats.
Photo: Cityweek
(9)Harrison responds to rumours that Them are breaking up in an article in Cityweek. In the article, entitled “We are not breaking up”, he insists the group has no intention of splitting.
(15)Them perform at Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire. Around his time Billy Harrison is sacked and replaced by Scottish guitarist Joe Baldi (b. Joseph Baldi, 16 March 1943, La Spezia Italy), who has played with Bardens in Hamilton King’s Blues Messengers. Harrison will briefly return in mid-October.
Photo: Richard Gleave
(17) Them appear at Clacton Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Vaqueros and The Blue-Berries.
(18) The new line-up plays the Whitehall in East Grinstead, West Sussex backed by Johnny Fine & The Ramblers, according to the Sussex Evening Express.
(19) The Belfast Telegraph reports that Pat McAuley was sacked today. He is subsequently replaced by Englishman Terry Noon, who has previously worked with Gene Vincent.
(21)The Littlehampton Gazette lists the band at the Top Hat in Littlehampton, West Sussex, possibly marking Noon’s debut.
Photo: Cityweek
(23)Cityweek reports that Them now contains only Van Morrison and Alan Henderson in an article entitled “…And then there were two”. Peter Bardens, however, does remain with the band. The Belfast publication also notes that Pat McAuley resigned from the band rather than was sacked.
(26-27) Them’s new line up appears at the Queen’s Ballroom, Cleveleys, Lancashire with two supporting groups after playing in Scarborough on the 25th July.
(28) The Bolton Evening News says the band performs at the Beachcomber, Bolton, Greater Manchester.
(29) Beat Instrumental reports that Them are appearing at the Pavilion Ballroom on the Isle of Man.
August A second Berns song, “(It Won’t Hurt) Half As Much” is released but doesn’t chart. In the US the single’s b-side “I’m Gonna Dress In Black”, written by producer Tommy Scott under the pseudonym ‘Gillon’, is released instead but is not a success.
(3) Them play at the Mexican Hat, Worthing, West Sussex, according to the Worthing Gazette.
(4) The Camberley News reports that Them play at the Agincourt Ballroom in Camberley, Surrey.
(15) The Western Gazette advertises the group appearing at the Gaumont, Bournemouth, Dorset with The Byrds, Unit 4 Plus 2, Charles Dickens & The Artwoods, Johnny B Great & The Quotations, Sue Holloway and Jerry Stevens .
(23) The Cambridge News reports that Them play at the Dorothy Ballroom in Cambridge.
(28) The Lancashire Evening Post lists the band appearing in the Marquee in the grounds of Clitheroe Castle, Burnley, Lancashire with The Fortune Tellers.
(30) The Cambridge News advertises the group appearing at Bigmore Hall in Cambridge.
(31) The Eastern Evening News reports that Them appear at the Gala Ballroom in Norwich with Pentad.
September (1) Former members Billy Harrison and Pat McAuley (now on keyboards) announce their own version of Them in London on this day, which contains singer Nick Wymer (ex-Pink Faires), drummer Skip Alan (ex-Donovan) and bass player Mark Scott (ex-Adam Faith). The group is initially dubbed “Some of Them”.
(4) The Bolton Evening News reports that Van Morrison’s Them play at Bury Palais De Danse, Bury, Greater Manchester. Soon afterwards, Baldi returns to Scotland. Bardens also departs and forms The Shotgun Express. He later moves into session work, records two solo albums for Transatlantic Records and then forms 1970s progressive/rock outfit, Camel. Terry Noon also leaves but will return briefly in mid-October.
Back in Belfast, Morrison and Henderson have formed a new version of Them with lead guitarist Jim Armstrong (b. 24 July 1944, Belfast, N. Ireland) from The Melotones and keyboard/sax, flute player and vibes player Ray Elliott (b. 23 January 1944, Belfast, N. Ireland; d. June 1993, Toronto) from The Broadways. Apparently, original keyboard player Eric Wrixon fills in briefly but soon leaves to rejoin Portadown band, The People before Elliott joins. The new version of Them is completed with new drummer John Wilson (b. 6 November 1947, Belfast, N. Ireland) from The Misfits. The band rehearses at the Martime for two weeks before making its live debut in Lisburn on 24 September (see below). Belfast’s publication Cityweek had reported in its 23 September issue that Morrison rehearsed with Wilson’s band The Misfits as a potential new version of Them for three days before the new line up was agreed.
Photo: Cityweek
(24)Morrison’s new version of Them make their debut at the Top Hat club, Lisburn, Northern Ireland where they perform a 40-minute set. Shortly after a show at the Flamingo in Ballymena, Morrison’s band returns to London and resumes work on its second album. The group’s debut album is released in the US as Them and hits #54.
Photo: Cityweek
(30) Cityweek‘s 30 September issue features an article on the new formation entitled “The return of Them”.
October(11) Morrison’s Them play at the Thorngate, Gosport, Hants.
Photo: Melody Maker
(15)Van Morrison’s Them play at Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London.
Rare French EP showing short-lived line up from October 1965, from left: Billy Harrison, Alan Henderson, Van Morrison, Ray Elliott and Terry Noon
(16) Them are billed to play at Big Daddy’s in Halifax, West Yorkshire with The Blues Set. Around this time, Jim Armstrong is forced to pull out of the band at short notice. Billy Harrison is drafted in to play some UK dates before joining the group for French and (in December) Scandinavian dates (see later).
Photo: Cityweek
(19) Them (with Billy Harrison) appear at the Olympia in Paris, France with Bo Diddley. The gig is reported in Cityweek‘s 21 October issue. John Wilson, who is considered to be too young to travel, is replaced by former member Terry Noon. The group then travels to Scandinavia for more live dates (although this may be later in the year). Back in England later this month, Noon makes way for a returning John Wilson and joins The Yum Yum Band before moving into rock management, working initially with Honeybus.
(21) Belfast publication, Cityweek reports that John Wilson’s former band, reduced to a trio since he left, is moving to London.
(22)Streatham News reports that Them play at the Wimbledon Palais in southwest London. However, it is not clear whether this is the rival Them or Morrison’s group after returning from Paris.
(31) The Eastern Evening News reports that Them appear at the Royal Hotel in Lowestoft, Suffolk with The Easi-beats.
November Early in the month, Skip Alan leaves the Harrison/McAuley Them to replace Viv Prince in The Pretty Things, who soon takes up Skip Alan’s place for a few weeks. Harrison, who has briefly returned to the rival Them after Jim Armstrong resumes his place, departs when Skip Alan lands the job with The Pretty Things. Harrison does session work for producer Joe Meek.
(4)Pat McAuley’s rival Them registers the Them name. By now the group contains a new guitarist, known as Don, who has replaced Billy Harrison.
(25) The Western Gazette advertises the band (but not clear which version) appearing at Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with The Fortunes and Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages.
December(2) When Viv Prince leaves Pat McAuley’s rival Them, his place is taken by Ken McLeod.
(4) “Mystic Eyes” fares better in the States where it reaches #33. On the same day, Boyfriend magazine notes that Them appear at Leeds College.
Photo: Cityweek
(9) Cityweek reports that Billy Harrison has joined The Pretty Things and is currently touring with that band in Holland. He also plays with The Pretty Things on a Scandinavian tour in early December. At the turn of the year, he also covers for Jim Armstrong in Them for their first Scandinavian shows. Harrison quits the music business in mid-1966 after playing with The Pretty Things in the Isle of Wight during March and joins the GPO. Original Them keyboard player Eric Wrixon meanwhile had joined The Kings showband in late November before re-joining The People, according to Cityweek.
(10) The Gloucester Citizen reports that Them appear at Lydney Town Hall, Lydney, Gloucestershire, which might be a gig by the rival version of Them.
(17) The Southend Standard lists Them appearing at the Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with The Orioles.
Photo: Evening Sentinel. Wymer’s final gig with the rival Them
(19) Wymer leaves the rival Them after a gig in Stoke-on-Trent (this is Mr Smith’s in Hanley with The Beatroots). Soon afterwards, he is replaced by Pat’s brother Jackie McAuley on keyboards/vocals, who has been living in Dublin. Pat moves on to drums and Ken McLeod takes over guitar from Don who leaves in mid-January. On the same day, Van Morrison’s Them play at the nearby Majestic Ballroom in Shropshire. Around this time, the group plays in Liverpool and after the show Armstrong collapses with a suspected perforated appendix. He spends Christmas in the emergency ward at Liverpool’s Southern Hospital, according to Cityweek‘s 6 January 1966 issue.
Photo: Cityweek
(23) Cityweek notes that John Wilson left Them last weekend but no replacement has been announced. The article entitled “Them rush-release second album for States” also profiles the forthcoming Them Again LP. Wilson rejoins The Misfits (until April 1967) and then works with Belfast groups, Derek & The Sounds and Cheese. In the late 1960s, he joins guitarist Rory Gallagher in Taste before forming Stud in the early 1970s.
Photo: Cityweek, 6 January 1966
(29) Cityweek‘s 6 January 1966 issue reports that Alan Henderson and Ray Elliott have flown to Stockholm to join the other Them members (Van Morrison and Billy Harrison) for two shows at the weekend of 31-December-2 January. The group is still without a permanent replacement for John Wilson. However, David Harvey (b. David Tufrey 29 July 1943, Bude, Cornwall, England) takes his place on the drums in January after the group use a succession of temporary fill ins.
(31) Boyfriend magazine reports that Them play at the Fender Club in Kenton, northwest London but it’s not clear which version this is. However, it is most likely the Pat McAuley version considering Morrison’s version play in Stockholm this weekend.
1966
January Them’s second album Them Again fails to chart in the UK. It contains two of Morrison’s best songs: “Hey Girl” and “My Lonely Sad Eyes”, as well as an edited version of Bobby Bland’s “Turn On Your Love Light”. Original Them member Eric Wrixon leaves The People, who have relocated to Blackpool, and joins another expatriate Belfast band, The Wheels in February, who record two singles for Columbia.
Photo: Cityweek, 6 January 1966
(1) Jackie McAuley makes his debut with the rival Them in Peckham, southeast London. On the same day, Cityweek reports that Them make their first trip to Scandinavia this weekend, even though Armstrong hasn’t fully recovered from his hernia operation in late December. Billy Harrison takes Armstrong’s place.
(3) Van Morrison’s Them appear at the Shoreline club in Bognor Regis, West Sussex with new drummer David Harvey.
(4) Morrison’s Them play at the Assembly Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks.
(6)Cityweek reports that Them will return to Paris’ Olympia next week and are also resident in the Club Locomotive for three days.
(10) Them appear at the Labour Hall, Bletchley, Bucks.
(11) Morrison’s latest line up play at the Hut, Westcott, Surrey.
(22) The Coulsdon & Purley Advertiser reports that Them play at the Club Nevada, West Croydon, south London.
(27) Them appear at the Whitehall, East Grinstead, West Sussex. On the same day, Cityweek reports on the legal row over who is Them. Van Morrison’s version are currently on tour in Wales.
(30) The North Herts Herald reports that Them perform at Newbury Plaza Ballroom in Berkshire with The Just Men.
February(4) The McAuley brothers’ Them record three tracks at a demo session: a cover of Graham Bond’s “I Want You”, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” and Jackie McAuley’s “Movin’ Free”.
(11) The Luton News reports that Them appear at Parkside Ampthill, Bedfordshire with The Sneakers but it is not clear which version this is.
(15)The Coulsdon & Purley Advertiser reports that Van Morrison’s Them appear at Club Nevada, West Croydon, south London.
(16)Melody Maker lists the band playing at the Last Chance on Oxford Street, central London.
(18)The rival Them perform at the KB Hall, Copenhagen, Denmark with The Pretty Things.
(19)Van Morrison’s version appears at Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire with The Cryin Shames.
Photo: Melody Maker
(21) According to Melody Maker, The Van Morrison version of Them play at the Club Continental in Eastbourne.
(22)Chris Groom’s book Rockin’ and around Croydon lists Van Morrison’s Them at the Gun Tavern in Croydon, south London.
March Morrison’s version of Them’s cover of producer Tommy Scott’s “Call My Name” fails to chart.
(5) The Malvern Gazette reports that Them perform at the Malvern Winter Gardens in Worcestershire with Lighting Blues but it is not clear which version this is.
Photo: Melody Maker
(7) The McAuley brothers’ Them appear at the Club Continental, Eastbourne.
Photo: Eastbourne Herald Chronicle
(9) The rival Them lose their court case and change name to “Some of Them”.
Photo: Melody Maker
(11) Van Morrison’s version play at Tiles on Oxford Street, central London with Steve Darbyshire and The Yum Yum Band.
Photo: Melody Maker
(28) Van’s version returns to Tiles for another show with The Quiet Five in support.
April Morrison’s Them’s final session produces a cover of Paul Simon’s “Richard Cory” and Morrison’s “Mighty Like A Rose”. “Gloria” is re-issued and climbs to US #71.
(2) The Nelson Leader reports that Them (possibly with Dave Harvey on drums) appear at the Imperial, Nelson, Lancashire with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Sounds Incorporated.
(9) Van Morrison’s version of Them appear at Torquay Town Hall in Devon with The Hunters and The Javelins, according to the Herald Express.
(16) The Shadows Of Knight’s version of “Gloria” hits US #10. On the same day, the Grantham Journal has Them playing at Drill Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire with The Beathovens and The Nemkons.
From KRLA’s Beat, April 30, 1966. From left to right: Ray Elliott, John Wilson, Jim Armstrong, Van Morrison and Alan Henderson
KRLA’s Beat, April 23, 1966
May Paul Simon’s “Richard Cory” is the group’s last official single but is not a success. Morrison is particularly annoyed by its release, preferring his own song “Mighty Like A Rose” as a prospective single. In the US, Tommy Scott’s “I Can Only Give You Everything” is released as a final single and is quickly adopted by US garage bands like The MC5 as a punk anthem. Them Again reaches US #138.
(2)The Coulsdon & Purley Advertiser reports that Them perform at the Star Hotel in Croydon, south London.
(7) The Luton News reports that Them appear at Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts with The Fuzz Bugs but it is not clear which version this is.
(14) Them perform at Decca Entertainment Centre, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.
(21) The Malvern Gazette reports that Them perform at the Malvern Winter Gardens in Worcestershire with Group 66 but it is not clear which version this is. In late May, PACE magazine reports that Van Morrison’s version play at Crayford Town Hall in southeast London. Soon afterwards, Morrison’s version flies out to New York to begin its debut US tour, with the first show in Arizona.
(27) Some of Them record two tracks with Kim Fowley – “Gloria’s Dream” and “Secret Police”. On the same day, Van Morrison’s Them appear at the Rollarena, San Leandro, California.
(30) Some of Them perform in Blackpool, Lancashire. On the same day, Van Morrison’s Them begins a residency at the Whisky-A-Go Go, West Hollywood, California.
May(31) – June (17)Morrison’s Them performs at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood, California, where they are sometimes supported by The Doors.
June (3) The rival version of Them performs at the Cricketers Inn, Westcliff, Southend, Essex with the Orioles, according to the Southend Standard.
(13 & 15)Some of Them record further tracks in London.
(18) On the last night at the Whisky, The Doors’ vocalist Jim Morrison joins Van Morrison’s group on stage for a 20-minute improvisation of “Gloria”.
(19)The band discovers that the club has been willing to pay the group $10,000 per week. However, due to their management deal with Phil Solomon (whereby they have agreed to play for $2,000 a week minus a 35% management fee and a guarantee), Them have received considerably less than they think they should. This causes a lot of bitterness between the group and Solomon, and as a result Them inform promoter Bill Graham that they will only play at their forthcoming Fillmore concert if they are paid in advance.
Photo: Cherwell
(21) Some of Them (billed as Them) appear at Balliol College, Oxford University alongside The Kinks, The Fortunes, The Alan Price Set, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, The Caribbean All-Steer Band and Bunny Thompson.
(23) Morrison’s Them appear at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium with The New Tweedy Brothers. After their performance, Morrison meets his future wife Janet Planet who accompanies the band on the rest of the tour. (She will be the inspiration for Morrison’s Astral Weeks.)
KRLA’s Beat, June 25, 1966
(26) Morrison’s group is supported by The Association at the Oakland Auditorium, Oakland, California.
(27-29)Some of Them move to Denmark where they perform as Them. The group performs three shows in Copenhagen and finish their final recordings. Over the next five months, the band gigs in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In the last week of July, the band is briefly joined by former Them member Peter Bardens on keyboards, allowing Jackie McAuley to come up front as lead singer.
July(1-2) Morrison’s Them perform at the “Beat On The Beach”, Santa Monica, California with The New Generation.
(8-9)Them appear at the Waikiki Shell, Kapiolani Park, Honolulu, Hawaii.
(23) The band performs at the Strand Theater, Modesto, California.
(28) Morrison’s group is supported by The Doors and The Count Five at the Starlight Ballroom, Oxnard and (in the evening) the Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, California.
(29-30) Morrison’s Them is supported by The Sons Of Champlin at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco.
August (9) The McAuley brothers’ Them play at the Complain-LA-Tour jazz festival in Belgium.
(19-21) Morrison’s group performs at the Losers North, San Jose, California.
(23-28) A further set of dates take place at the Losers North.
The Wheels with Eric Wrixon, September 1966
September (1) Belfast publication Cityweek reports that The Wheels are back in the city. The band will split soon after, however. In 1967, Eric Wrixon will move to West Germany with The Never Never Band and plays regularly at Hamburg’s Star club, supporting soul acts like Sam & Dave.
KRLA’s Beat, September 24, 1966
(2-3) Them performs at the Longshoreman’s Hall, San Francisco.
(8) Cityweek reports that Van Morrison, Alan Henderson and Jim Armstrong arrived home from America last week so it’s not clear whether the September US dates took place despite being advertised.
Photo: Cityweek
(9) They are billed to appear in Fresno, California. However, Morrison and Henderson may have already returned to London to sort out business matters with Solomon. Morrison continues to work on some new songs that will later comprise his masterpiece Astral Weeks.
The Belfast Gypsies, released as ThemRare French EP with Belfast Gypsies listed
(17) The McAuley brothers’ group, now dubbed The Belfast Gypsies score a minor US hit when “Gloria’s Dream” hits #124.
(22) Morrison and Henderson are profiled in Cityweek‘s 22 September issue in an article entitled ‘Van and Co. back to “square one”‘.
Photo: Cityweek
(29) Cityweek reports that Ray Elliott flew in to Belfast last week.
October(2) The Weston Mercury reports that Them appear at the Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset. This would have been the McAuley brothers’ version. In Belfast, Morrison soon returns to occasional live work in a new outfit dubbed, Van Morrison and “Them Again”, which features former Castaways and Unit guitarist Eric Bell alongside former Alleykatz members Joe Hanratty (drums) and Mike Brown (bass). Alan Henderson doubles up on second bass.
Photo: Cityweek. Eric Bell (top right)
(13) Cityweek reports that Jim Armstrong has left Them to play with The Federals. Ray Elliott will also briefly join this outfit, according to the paper, a short while later.
Photo: Cityweek
(28) The Belfast Telegraph reports that Van Morrison and Them play (their debut show) at the Square One Discotheque in Belfast with The Blue Angels.
Photo: Cityweek
November(4) Cityweek‘s 3 November issue reports that Them appear at Carrickfergus Town Hall today with The Carpetbaggers and The Fugitives.
Photo: Cityweek
(5) The McAuley brothers’ Them play their final date in Stockholm.
(10) The Belfast Telegraph reports that Van Morrison & Them perform at Sammy Houston’s Jazz Club. When Eric Bell leaves immediately after the Queen’s University rag ball gig, the band implodes. Van Morrison concentrates on a solo career. Bell meanwhile moves to Glasgow and plays with The Bluebeats for two years.
Cityweek profile October 1965
December Armstrong, Elliott, Harvey and Henderson decide to carry on with Them’s name, now that Morrison has abandoned the name and is pursuing a solo career. The group recruits a new vocalist Ken McDowell (b. 21 December 1944, Belfast, N. Ireland), previously a member of Belfast group The Mad Lads, who have recorded a number of singles for Decca Records, as well as a lone release “I Went Out With My Baby” as Moses K. & The Prophets. The new version of Them writes to Carol Deck, Californian editor of Flip magazine (who had given the band some encouraging reviews during its US tour) asking for help, and she in turn introduces them to Texan producer Ray Ruff, who has his own indie label, Ruff Records. The new version of Them moves out to Amarillo, Texas in June 1967.
1967
January Major Minor Records releases “Gloria”, backed by another Morrison song, the acoustic “Friday’s Child” as a UK single. The McAuley brothers’ Them implodes and Jackie McAuley returns to Dublin and forms Cult with singer/songwriter and guitarist Paul Brady.
March A second Major Minor single “The Story Of Them” is released. Morrison signs a solo contract with Bert Berns and travels to New York to record for his Bang label. This will result in an immediate US hit “Brown Eyed Girl”, which makes #10. After Berns’ death in December 1967, Morrison will sign with Warner Brothers and record the classic Astral Weeks, which proves to be the beginning of an illustrious career.
Photo: Cityweek
(4) The Belfast Telegraph reports that Van Morrison is one of the opening acts for The Stormsville Shakers at Queen’s University’s student union in Belfast together with The Interns.
June (30) The US-based Them appear at the Purple Onion Teen Club, Wichita Falls, Texas.
Them in Checkmate Studios, Amarillo, 1967, from left: Ray Elliott, Alan Henderson, Dave Harvey, Ken McDowell and Jim Armstrong. Photo from the collection of Tom McCarty
July (12) According to the Childress Index, Them appears at Fair Park Auditorium, Childress, Texas. The next day they also play a gig in Farmington, New Mexico. The newspaper says they will tour for five months and play 20 times in Texas.
KRLA’s Beat, May 6, 1967The McAuley brother’s group
August Nearly year after the band’s final performance, the McAuley brothers’ group The Belfast Gypsies have a belated album release on the Swedish label Sonet as Them Belfast Gypsies. Having relocated to Amarillo, Texas, Henderson’s Them release their debut single without Morrison, a cover of Tom Lane’s “Dirty Old Man (At The Age Of Sixteen)” / “Square Room” on Sully Records before a nation-wide distribution deal is struck with Tower Records.
(10) The Evening Sentinel reports that Eric Wrixon’s latest group, The Never Never Band appear at the Golden Torch in Tunstall, Staffordshire.
Above and below, first record by the Amarillo, Texas based Them
September Starting off in Amarillo, Henderson’s group kicks off a major tour. The gruelling 61-date tour takes the musicians across the US Midwest and then to Los Angeles, where Them begin work on its first album without Morrison. Santa Rosa, California-based newspaper, the Press Democrat notes in its 1 January 1968 issue that the LP is recorded in studios in Texas, Oklahoma and Hollywood, California.
November Henderson’s Them release a second 45, the band composition “Walking In The Queens Garden” b/w “I Happen to Love You” on Ruff Records.
December Tower issues two singles, one includes newly recorded versions of “Dirty Old Man (At The Age Of Sixteen)” and “Square Room” and the second reissues the Ruff 45.
(8-10) The band appears at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood, California with Love and Blue Cheer. Santa Rosa paper the Press Democrat, says they play at the Vets Building in Santa Rosa, California over the Christmas weekend.
Poster from Amarillo, 1967, from left: Jim Armstrong, Dave Harvey, Ken McDowell, Ray Elliott and Alan Henderson. Poster from the collection of Tom McCarty
1968
January A new album, Now And Them is released featuring Them’s reply to the Doors’ “The End”, the extended raga piece “Square Room”.
February Tower reissues the Ruff 45 of “Walking In The Queens Gardens” but its success is limited to the West Coast.
March (24) The Hamilton Spectator’s 22 March issue, page 30, notes Them are playing in Toronto and will appear at Carl’s in Hamilton, Ontario on this date with David Clayton-Thomas and Combine. The group’s incessant touring prompts Elliott to quit the band while Them are in New York. He returns to Belfast briefly before working with an Irish showband in Leeds alongside guitarist Eric Bell from “Them Again”. Bell soon returns to Belfast to replace guitarist Gary Moore in The Shades of Blue before working with the Dublin-based The Dream showband.
April “But It’s Alright”, an out-take from the album is released as a single but doesn’t sell.
(11) According to the Odessa American newspaper, Them plays at Ector County Coliseum, Odessa, Texas.
May(24-25) Henderson’s Them appear alongside The Incredible String Band at the Kaleidoscope, Hollywood, California.
July The title track from their forthcoming album Time Out For Time In is released but is not a success.
August(14-15) The band plays with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention at the Electric Theatre, Chicago. Them also performs at the Baton Rouge Festival on a bill that features Freddie King.
November Them’s second album Time Out Time In For Them is released. It has been recorded at Los Angeles’ Gold Star studios in the wake of Elliott’s departure and features session drummer John Guerin on a number of tracks. A single “Waltz Of The Flies” is extracted but fails to chart.
1969
March Them’s final single, a cover of the traditional Corinna is released but fails to chart. Unhappy with Ruff’s management and production, Armstrong and McDowell leave and return to Belfast where they put together Sk’Boo with Ricky McCutcheon and Colm Connolly. Henderson, meanwhile, remains with Ruff in L.A. and continues with the Them name; using guitarist Jim Parker and drummer John Stark from Amarillo band, The Kitchen Cinq, he produces two further albums: Them (1969) and In Reality (1970) for the Chicago label Happy Tiger. David Harvey also stays behind in California but will leave the music business.
June After working briskly throughout Ireland and the British mainland, Armstrong and McDowell shelve Sk’Boo (after a farewell gig in Wolverhampton) and return to the US later that year. Based in Chicago, the duo recruit an American rhythm section comprising bassist Curt Bachman (ex-The Buckinghams) and drummer Reno Smith formerly of Baby Huey and The Babysitters in a new group called Truth, which becomes house band at Beavers. The Chicago Tribune‘s 2 November 1969 issue runs a spread on the newly formed group. The band tours extensively around the Chicago area for the next 18 months, and also contributes several songs to the soundtrack for Pat Mulcahy’s film Cum Laude Fraud (later released as College For Fun And Profit), before being offered a recording deal with Epic Records. Ex-Them member Ray Elliott rejoins the band during its lifespan but subsequently leaves after contributing to some recordings and returns to England.
July(26) Them and Truth* both appear at the Eugene Pop Festival, Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene alongside Alice Cooper, The Doors and others.
* Neal Skok and I have been trying to find out for some time now what “Them” this was — there is a slim chance it was the Tower Records ensemble. But the “Truth” that is listed for this gig is most definitely not the Chicago-based Truth comprised of the ex-Them gents (whose CD Neal and I put out on his “Epilogue” label in ’94). This “Truth” was a NW teen rock band – and of course there were several Christian bands that used that name in the ’60s and later. – John Berg
October Having returned from Germany and joined The Trixons showband, original Them member Eric Wrixon joins guitarist Eric Bell from the short-lived “Them Again” in the original Thin Lizzy. He leaves in early 1970 and returns to Germany to play with Junior Walker, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy among others.
1970
January (21) Truth play at the New Cellar, Chicago alongside The Mauds.
March Having moved to Beirut in Lebanon with The League of Gentlemen the previous year, former Them member Jackie McAuley returns to England and forms Trader Horne with Judy Dyble, who has previously worked with the original Fairport Convention. The duo release the album, Morning Way, which features contributions from former Them member Ray Elliott. When Trader Horne split later in the year, McAuley forms the short-lived One with Rosko Gee and Adam Marsh before starting on a solo album.
Japanese sleeve with Alan Henderson’s Them
1971
February Truth return to Belfast for a working holiday before sessions in London begin later that month. Unfortunately, Epic Records undergoes a change in management and following a communication problem, Truth’s band members fall apart before they have a chance to enter the studio. Elliott subsequently moves to Canada (where he dies in June 1993 in Toronto), while Bachman and Smith return to the US. Armstrong and McDowell move back to Belfast where Armstrong joins the Civil Service and McDowell becomes a member of The College Boys. (Truth’s private recordings and studio sessions from Chicago are later released by Epilogue Records as The Truth Of Them And Other Tales in 1995.)
March Jackie McAuley releases his eponymous debut solo album on the small Dawn label, before later working with bands Wand and Mackeral Sky. He also spends four years working with Lonnie Donegan. Jackie’s brother Pat (who turns down an offer to play with Marc Bolan), sadly dies in a drowning accident in Donegal on 11 August 1984.
1972
August Compilation album Them Featuring Van Morrison hits US #154.
1973
After working with cabaret singer Roly Stewart, Jim Armstrong has rejoined Ken McDowell in The College Boys in the early 1970s. The pair then join Reunion before working with another former Them member John Wilson in Bronco. The pair also form the band Spike, which works at the Pound club in Belfast. Wilson subsequently becomes Northern Ireland’s top session drummer.
Deram double LP repackages their first two U.S. LPs minus two tracks each.
1974 Backtrackin’ released only in the U.S., featured obscure b-sides and songs not previously available in the U.S.: “Richard Cory”, “I Put a Spell on You”, “Just a Little Bit”, “I Gave My Love a Diamond”, “Half as Much”, “Baby Please Don’t Go”, “Hey Girl”, “Don’t Start Crying Now”, “All for Myself” and “Mighty Like a Rose”. All the tracks except the last, however, were in simulated stereo.
1978
Armstrong leaves Spike and forms his own band Light, who record an eponymous album on the small Mint label in Ireland only.
1979
Billy Harrison reforms Them with original keyboard player Eric Wrixon. Initially, Harrison intended to complete the group with John Wilson, who’d played drums on Them Again album, together with bass player Jackie Flavelle and singer Mel Austin but Wilson and Flavelle drop out prompting him to bring in drummer Billy Bell. He also brings back Henderson, who has spent several years working on his Connecticut farm. Them move to Germany where they hold down a residency in Hamburg. While there the group records the album Shut Your Mouth for Teldec/Decca before Jim Armstrong and Brian Scott from Light replace Harrison and Wrixon. However, after a brief tour of Germany the group splinters. Armstrong reunites with Ken McDowell in a new version of Sk’Boo, who release one single “It’s A Hard Road” for the small Cuecomber label.
From left: Joe Baldi, Terry Noon, Peter Bardens, Van Morrison and Alan Henderson from summer of 1965
1980
Harrison emerges with the solo album Billy Who? on the German Vagabond label. He then abandons a music career and become a marine electrician. Jackie McAuley spends most of the 1980s and 1990s working with Poor Mouth, who release a number of albums, including Gael Force. In 1982, he co-writes “Dear John”, which is a hit for Status Quo.
1989
Original member Eric Wrixon forms The Belfast Blues Band with another former Them member, John Wilson.
1994
Jackie McAuley emerges with a new solo album, Headspin. Guitarist Jim Armstrong meanwhile has formed The Belfast Blues Band with original Them member Eric Wrixon. His former band mate, Ken McDowell has continued to work with Sk’Boo and then plays with Hens Teeth before forming The Kenny McDowell/Ronnie Greer Band in the early 2000s.
1998
Jackie McAuley releases another solo release, Shadowboxing.
2000
Jackie McAuley puts out another solo release, Bad Day At Black Rock. McAuley subsequently joins The Harbour Band, who release the album Live In The Spirit Tour in 2003.
2003
The Ken McDowell/Ronnie Greer Band release the album, Live At The Island. Jim Armstrong leaves The Belfast Blues Band and reforms The Jim Armstrong Band.
Sources:
Clayson, Alan. Call Up The Groups – The Golden Age Of British Beat,
Blandford Press, 1985, pages 168-170.
Doggett, Peter. “Them”, Record Collector # 149, January 1992, pages 112-116
Du Noyer, Paul. “Heart & Soul Of Van Morrison”, Mojo Magazine, November 1993, page 84.
Gray, Michael. Mother – The Frank Zappa Story, Plexus, 1993.
Grushkin, Paul D. Art Of Rock – Posters From Presley To Punk, Artabras, Cross River Press Ltd, 1987.
Harper, Colin. Sleeve notes to CD Belfast Beat, 1998.
Harper, Colin and Hodgett, Trevor. Irish Folk, Trad & Blues – A Secret History, Cherry Red Books, 2004.
Hodgett, Trevor. “Them After Van Morrison”, Record Collector #89, pages 52-57.
Hogg, Brian. “Van Morrison & Them”, Strange Things Are Happening, Vol 1, #4, Sep/Oct 1988, Bam-Caruso Books, pages 6-14 and 20.
Housden, David Peter. The Castle, Love #9, December 1995, page 28 and 57.
Housden, David Peter. The Castle, Love #10, 1996, pages 6-7.
Rees, Dafydd and Crampton, Luke. Guinness Book Of Rock Stars, 2nd Edition, Guinness Publishing, 1991, page 528.
Rogan, Johnny. CSN&Y – The Visual Documentary, Omnibus Press, 1996, page 10.
Shaw, Greg. The Doors On The Road, Omnibus Press, 1997, pages 14 and 172.
Turner, Steve. Van Morrison – Too Late To Stop Now, Bloomsbury, 1993, pages 49 and 60.
Unterberger, Richie. “Belfast Gypsies” article in Ugly Things issue 23.
Whitburn, Joel. Bubbling Under Hot 100 1959-1985, Billboard Researchers Inc, 1985.
Sleeve notes to the Deram Anthology The Story Of Them – Featuring Van Morrison, 1997.
Sleeve notes to Epilogue CD, The Truth Of Them And Other Tales, 1995.
Rollie Anderson with Dust at the Broadway Skateland, January 1969 “Gretsch Chet Atkins, Nehru jacket, striped pants, Beatle boots and cossack hat. All I was lacking was talent.”
The Early Years of a Rock and Roll Dreamer
My name is Rollie Anderson. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Oak Cliff, to be exact. For the first thirteen years of my life I was a typical youngster who occupied himself with riding his bike alongside his pseudo-hoodlum neighborhood pals, cursing the fact that he was woefully inept at playing baseball and contemplating the shrouded mystery of pretty girls. I was also wholly addicted to music. All kinds. I used to sneak into my older sister’s bedroom when she was away and listen to her 45s of Elvis, Fats Domino, Fabian, Chuck Berry, Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka; and I would listen religiously to Russ “The Weird Beard” Knight on KLIF on my cigarette pack-sized transistor radio way past my bedtime but that was the extent of my participation in music. I had no innate talent to play an instrument. I was not a gifted prodigy. I was an avid listener, nothing more.
However, once I witnessed the phenomenon that was The Beatles when they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 I became an “altered” boy. Up till then I had harbored dreams of becoming popular and making a name for myself as a star athlete or at least as an admired member of the prestigious school cheerleading squad. In the case of the former I was too much of a runt and nowhere near being dedicated enough to bulk up by working out. As for the latter I was just not equipped with the necessary charisma or stunning good looks to qualify. Nonetheless, my inner desire to be envied or, at least, accepted continued on unabated.
As mentioned earlier, I’d always enjoyed playing records on the phonograph and would sometimes imitate guitar players by strapping on a tennis racket or acting as if I was conducting an orchestra by standing on a chair in the middle of the living room with Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” blaring through the family’s cheap stereo. My mother’s well-intentioned attempt to lure me into becoming a pianist at the young age of eight years old was a failure simply because my overwhelming preference at that stage of development was to be outside playing with my buddies, not practicing scales. However, she was persistent and the lessons she paid good money for lasted about a year before she finally realized that she might as well have flushed her cash down the toilet. In retrospect she did me a huge favor because it gave me a fundamental understanding of music that I would not have gotten otherwise. (Thanks, Mom)
But, like I said, everything changed after the Fab Four shook their mop-tops and sang “She Loves You” on television. Rock & Roll had me hooked like a marlin and wasn’t about to let go. There, in gorgeous black and white, was my salvation. The answer to my prayers. My ticket to fulfillment. The purpose for my being born. It became crystal clear to me that I was conceived in order to be a famous bass guitarist just like Paul McCartney.
What my parents’ immediate reaction to this epiphany was I can’t recall. If anything, I’m sure they thought it was nothing more than another fad that they would live through in much the same way they lived through my sister’s Elvis infatuation. I would most likely become enthralled and obsessed for a while, then return to the path they had carefully laid out for me that would lead to college and a career, most likely in some respected field like architecture or engineering.
They had no way of knowing that my next sixteen years would be spent in relentless pursuit of my dreams of musical fame and fortune not unlike what I observed happening to the four talented lads from Liverpool.
The fact that I couldn’t put together two notes of music on a guitar that made any sense didn’t present a problem in my mind. I was able to pick out a few chords on the upright piano thanks to the aforementioned lessons but nothing that actually sounded like a song. Nonetheless, I soon found out that other teenage boys like the friends I hung out with at Kiestwood Baptist Church had also been instantly afflicted with the same “Mersey Beat” fever that I had contracted. We realized that we had the necessary four members for a combo and, in quick order, assigned each other the various positions we were going to occupy.
This level of naiveté can only be likened to the time when, in the 5th grade, my school pal Ernie and I decided that we’d wow the crowd by building a weather balloon for a science fair project. Easy. I told him all we had to do was construct a sturdy box out of spare plywood, put a battery inside it, attach it to a balloon and let it fly. The same logic was being employed concerning the start-up of my rock and roll outfit.
Gene Fowler was going to be Ringo Starr. Randy Davis would be our George Harrison. Phil Webster would take the spot held by John Lennon and I was to portray Paul, of course. That being settled, we now had to get our hands on the necessary hardware to perform with. All of us agreed to pester our parents without mercy until we had acquired the musical instruments we needed to fulfill our individual obligations to the group.
I’m not sure what reaction the other three got from their respective parental units to their expensive requests but, in my case, I got a very frosty reception from my mother in particular. Perhaps that is stating it too mildly. Martha Anderson had no intention of supplying her only son with the demonic key that unlocked the gates to Hell. If I was going to procure a bass guitar any time in the current millennium it appeared that my own blood, sweat and tears would have to be put into use to raise the money. Having no income beyond a weekly pittance of an allowance presented a genuine problem, so I proposed a deal they couldn’t refuse. My parents reluctantly agreed to finance a bass and an amplifier if I could miraculously manage to stay on the B honor roll throughout my 9th grade school year. Not being the most astute or brilliant student in town, this was a huge undertaking on my part and my folks reasoned that the upside vastly outweighed the negative aspects of the bargain. Plus, they probably thought I had a better chance at discovering the whereabouts of the lost Ark of the Covenant than bringing home decent grades. But, for me, now there was at least a road, however rocky it may have been, to get to the promise land.
Up to that point in my short life I had never wanted anything as much as I yearned for that guitar. I was serious. I was focused. I figured that if the power of positive thinking could any have any effect on improving my odds then I was on board. I began utilizing that subliminal force by including the phrase “I want a bass” in the daily journal I started making notes in as of January 1965. It appeared in every entry. Every day. Without fail. (I have proof.)
Meanwhile, our imaginary combo had yet to come up with the most important ingredient for success. We had to have a cool name. Our moniker was probably more vital than having instruments or talent. “Rollie and the Roundmen,” “The Roundabouts,” “The Rondells,” “The Landells,” “The Shastas,” “The Shastells,” “The Shondells” and “The Hubbubs” were the impressive front-runners early on. So as not to further worry our deeply concerned parents, we even drew up an agreement between us wherein we solemnly swore on the holy word of God that there would be no profanity, no drinking, no smoking or getting into trouble with the law in our band. We promised zero tolerance for any kind of shenanigans. We wanted to assure our elders that the decent Christian upbringing they had been so diligent in providing for us was not going to be carelessly discarded when we became huge stars cruising around in limousines (a fate we had no doubt whatsoever was destined to happen).
Soon Randy and Phil had inexpensive but functional acoustic guitars, courtesy of their nicer and more accommodating parents. Gene and I were running into a lot more resistance on that front and our inner simmering resentment rose accordingly. I started trying to wear my hair combed down over my forehead but my Dad wouldn’t have anything to do with that radical style and made me comb it to the side like normal young men did. But it was like trying to dam up a river. I didn’t want to be clean-cut anymore. My course was charted to sail into rebellious and unconventional waters and nothing my parents said or did could change that fact. It was the beginning of a long and tenuous war of wills.
After almost giving myself an ulcer for nine drama-filled months I proudly presented my final report card to Ollie and Martha, the one confirming that I had fulfilled my end of the bargain by maintaining a B grade average for my entire high school freshman year. Their amazed silence was deafening. My folks were stunned in their shock because it was definitely a good news/bad news outcome and, considering my underachieving nature, one that they really didn’t think possible this side of heaven.
Following a hasty huddle held in private, they solemnly informed me that, due to unforeseen financial difficulties, they wouldn’t be immediately able to buy the bass guitar and amp as promised. However, they could scrape together enough loose change to afford a nice Silvertone electric guitar from Sears & Roebuck.
At first I was highly indignant and outraged. But once I calmed myself down I had to admit that a standard electric guitar and amplifier was better than nothing and I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Mom and Dad said that if I continued to be dissatisfied with the six-string perhaps they could swing a deal to get me a bass guitar come Christmas. I accepted their offer.
On June 21, 1965 I got my first electric guitar, a double pickup black and white Silvertone solid body model that cost $54.95 plus tax. A few days later my Dad took me downtown to The Melody Shop and bought me a low-powered Kent amplifier. Words cannot describe the feeling of accomplishment and excitement that washed over me. I was now equipped to take on the rock and roll universe. All I had to do was learn how to play the dern thing.
I had seen various bands at school dances and sock hops like Seab Meador’s The Gentlemen and Jimmie Vaughan’s The Pendulums, but in that Summer of ‘65 I finally saw my first professional group. The Night Caps of “Wine, Wine, Wine” fame played a concert inside the Lancaster-Kiest shopping center and all of my wide-eyed comrades and would-be band members took in the show. I knew from the first song that I wouldn’t be satisfied until it was me performing up there on the stage.
It soon became apparent that Phil and Randy weren’t nearly as anxious as Gene and I were to get the ball rolling on the combo-that-conquered-the-world thing. Gene’s cousin, Glenn Fowler, already owned an electric guitar and was eager to acquire a bass ASAP. But we weren’t ready to give up on the original foursome just yet. We were nothing if not loyal to the cause.
I had started hanging out a lot more with another school and church-mate, Gene Banks, who also had a guitar and amp. Not only was his equipment vastly superior to mine (a red Gibson guitar and a Fender amp), Banks could really play! He taught me more than any professional guitar teacher could have in half the time and for a price that couldn’t be beat. Free. (All the guys I knew who paid for formal lessons were being taught useless old folk songs and campfire sing-along ditties so I never had the desire to go that route. I was only interested in learning the rock and roll tunes I heard on the radio.) I picked up loads of clues and pointers by watching Gene play and by observing guitarists like Ray Davies and Keith Richards on TV shows like “Shindig” and “Hullabaloo.” The Mel Bay chord book I purchased at Watkins’ music store became my bible and I learned how to make bar chords by studying the picture of David Crosby on the back of the first Byrds album.
Before you could say Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tish, Gene Banks was a member of our fledgling band, replacing Randy Davis (who had incredibly managed to lose interest in being an adored rock star). Banks’ father had been crippled for some time and he invited his son’s new combo to perform for his Wheelchair Bowler’s Association Convention at the Bronco Bowl. Keep in mind, this was before Gene Fowler even had a set of drums to flail away on. Yet a job was a job and we weren’t about to let the opportunity pass us by just because we weren’t ready for it. I figured the Lord would provide.
When the day of the much-anticipated gig finally arrived on September 19th Fowler still didn’t have his drums yet (so much for a heavenly hand) so Gene Banks and I enlisted the untested services of our friend and classmate Mike Stephens to play his dinky snare and high-hat set behind us. We only performed three songs in the small meeting room but the young girls who crowded their way into the doors and made a noisy fuss over us gave us boatloads of confidence. (In my mind, the whole thing was working as advertised: Play music, meet girls.) We were so ecstatic with the response that we half expected a lucrative record deal to be coming our way any day. It also marked the only time in my life where I was the lead (and only) vocalist.
But you can’t keep a good man down. Gene Banks was so talented on guitar that he was constantly being recruited by several other more promising Oak Cliff bands and couldn’t fully commit to just being in our little makeshift group. Out of sheer earnestness and compassion he continued to show up from time to time and practice with us but we knew he was too much in demand to wait for us to catch up to his level of proficiency. We were astute enough to realize that we shouldn’t count on him being around in the long run.
Our church buddy and fellow dreamer Phil Webster got wise and fell to the wayside, too, and by March of 1966 our struggling combo consisted of Gene and Glenn Fowler and myself. Gene had finally gotten his sparkling red trap set of drums and was taking lessons at McCord’s Music shop by then. He was a quick learner and it didn’t take long for us to see that he had a real flair for laying down a hard, steady beat without losing the tempo. In later years I would discover that many drummers were flashier than Gene but none were any better at keeping time and driving the band forward. And, in the final analysis, that’s more important than anything else. A band is only as good as its drummer.
The 3rd Generation practicing in my living room, April 23, 1966 – me and the Fowler cousins, Glenn and Gene. Notice that despite barely being able to play guitar myself, I’m busy telling them what to do. Bossy, huh?
We were still searching for a name, considering catchy jewels like “This Little Bunch,” “The Funatics” and “The V.I.P’s.” Each one would have its day in the sun until what we considered to be a better one popped into our heads. We entered and lost the talent show at Glenn’s high school in DeSoto but that setback just made us more determined to do better next time. (It wasn’t our fault that the stuck-up judges were tone deaf and unfairly-biased idiots!) It was at this juncture that we decided “The Third Generation” would be the set-firmly-in-stone name of our band. It didn’t mean anything, it just sounded good to us.
That Spring of ‘66 I got my first real job as a walking trash scooper at the amusement park Six Flags Over Texas, laboring for the steep wage of $1.15 per hour. It was humbling, tiring and hot work but the income allowed me to save up and purchase a Fender Deluxe amplifier, a definite improvement over the puny little Kent that couldn’t be heard in the next room of a cheap motel. At first it was exciting to be employed at an amusement park but the thrill was short-lived and eventually I got weary of dealing with management’s constant nit-picky criticisms and demands for me to work double shifts. I got fired late in July for goofing off on the job (my crime was sitting down for a brief rest on a 100-degree day) but I think my Mom and Dad were much more upset about it than I was. The whole experience left me convinced that working for someone else sucked raw eggs.
The band’s scarce bookings consisted mainly of playing for private living room and garage parties, Jaycee fairs and community-center dances. We were fortunate if we gigged twice a month and luckier still to make $5 per man when we did. We struggled along with me trading singing chores with Glenn until Gene met a guy named Jim Dawson (who said he could sing) and invited him to come to a practice. It was obvious from the first note that he could sing circles around Glenn and me so, on August 5th, Jim joined the group. We were back to a quartet.
My first “real” band, The Com’n Generation, in my living room after playing for my sister’s party on August 13, 1966. Gene Fowler, Glenn Fowler, Jim Dawson, Gene Banks and me in front
The Com’n Generation, August 13, 1966. From left: Gene & Glenn Fowler, Jim Dawson, Rollie and Gene BanksJim had a smooth but powerful voice that was versatile enough to effortlessly handle the three-chord blues and pop songs that we were able to play. He also possessed an adventurous spirit for discovering different kinds of music that fit right in with our somewhat eclectic tastes and preferences. Right off the bat he suggested we make a slight alteration and go under the name of “The Com’n Generation” and I think we flip-flopped on that issue a few times after that. Banks still sat in with the band from time to time but we couldn’t depend on him because he had commitments with another combo that wasn’t a non-profit organization. Yet he offered encouragement, was a fine mentor and we greatly appreciated his patience with us.
A real milestone was reached in October ‘66 when Glenn finally got his bass guitar. Up until then he had been using a standard electric guitar and just playing the “big strings.” Within weeks Glenn had mastered the bass and he soon became amazingly good on the instrument. He was a natural.
The whole confounded naming-the-band thing reared its ugly head once more as dissatisfaction set in and strange moniker suggestions started flying around like a swarm of flies on roadkill. “The Rare Breed,” “The East Side,” “The Assortment,” “The Living IN,” and the ever-controversial “EVOL” (Love spelled backwards) were just a few of the memorable gems considered. Finally one night Gene was perusing his family’s limited library of books while he and I were talking on the phone and he came across one tome entitled “Excuse my Dust.” “Hey, how about Dust?” he mumbled. It was pure genius. In that moment a garage band was finally named at long last. We were “Dust” and we were “everywhere.”
ROTC Ball at the South Oak Cliff HS gym, from left: Rollie, Jim, Rick Cramer, Gene, GlennA permanent replacement for Banks arrived when Jim introduced the group to his friend, Rick Cramer. We had recently competed in an amateur Battle of the Bands contest on the back of a flat-bed truck trailer in the parking lot of Gipson’s department store on Ledbetter and got beaten badly by Kempy and the Guardians. We knew we needed to produce a bigger, better sound pronto if we wanted to compete with guys like that and that meant adding personnel. Rick began working with us as the second guitarist but he was trained on keyboards and planned to buy an electric organ in the very near future. Our first gig with Cramer was performed standing in the freezing cold out in front of the Wynnewood Theater on December 2nd, playing for the chilled customers as they hurriedly purchased their tickets and ran inside the movie house to view “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.”
1967 started off promisingly enough on a personal finance level with my gaining employment at a One Hour Martinizing dry cleaners on Davis Street. My brief stint at Six Flags had taught me that working for a living was a terrible way to spend my time but, on the other hand, having a steady income was a source of power and freedom from having to grovel for favors from my stingy parents.Another grand event and a huge step forward for the group was the occurrence of Rick getting himself an electric organ. And if that wasn’t enough, the real surprise came when we heard Cramer play it. He was not an inexperienced keyboard man at all. He had a very fluid style much like that of his hero Ray Manzarek of The Doors in that he knew how to tastefully fill a lead break and when to lay down a full carpet of sound behind the guitars and drums. And he kept on getting better and better as the months rolled on.
The long practices in living rooms and garages were starting to pay off. We now had an ever-growing roster of songs we could perform with some degree of proficiency and our equipment quality had risen to semi-professional standards. Now it was a matter of finding higher quality gigs to play.
In February we played for the Valentine’s Dance at Browne Jr. High and for the ROTC Military Ball at South Oak Cliff. Both were great boosts to our confidence. The constant need (and insatiable desire) for more power and volume possessed all of us and, with the paychecks rolling in from putting in my hours at the dry cleaners, I traded up once again to get a Fender Bassman amplifier at Arnold & Morgan Music in far away Garland. In those days it wasn’t unusual for two or three of us to spend an entire day at that famous music store, looking at and sampling all the guitars and new gadgets and talking shop with the other musicians who were doing the very same thing.Our first experience in a professional recording studio took place on April 26, 1967 when we responded to a newspaper ad and traveled west to Ft. Worth to audition for Delta Studios. The deal was that the owners got to hear lots of bands, looking for that diamond in the rough that would make them rich, and the groups got a free demo tape of the two songs they recorded. We had no idea what we would record when we arrived but we came away with passable demos of “Signed D.C.” with Jim Dawson singing and “Doctor Robert”.
“Signed D.C.” was such a starkly honest song by Arthur Lee that I’m not sure we even performed it live. We just thought that first Love LP was amazing.
Dust in the summer of ’67 – a very rare group photo of the original lineup, from left: Glenn, Rollie, Gene, Rick and JimNeedless to say, we failed to get an offer to cut an album from the fat cats at Delta but we had our tape, by golly. A week later we broke into our piggy banks and paid to have the songs pressed on a handful of 45 rpm records. Say what you will but we had ourselves a bonafide single that we could play on any phono and that was nothing to scoff at! Neither tune sounded very good but it was the beginning of a personal love affair with the studio that would stay with me for decades to come. The very idea of working on a song until it sounded right seemed like an excellent way to create unique art.
A Presbyterian Church located near South Oak Cliff would become a very important factor in the maturing process of Dust. It was one of many churches throughout the DFW Metroplex that started sponsoring weekend dances so underage kids in the area would have a safe place to hang out and socialize with their peers. For bands like ours it was literally a God-sent blessing. Theirs was called The Flare because on Friday and Saturday nights the church activity organizers would post a blazing red flare out by the street to mark the “happening.”
Every group that performed in that converted meeting hall tried to out-dazzle their competition and we were not immune to the lure of one-upsmanship. We would construct homemade strobe lights by cutting a circle in a round wheel that spun on a fan motor in front of a floodlight. We would mount black lights around the stage and draw designs on our army surplus jackets and pants with florescent paint so we would glow. We would harvest huge sunflowers that grew in the wild behind the church and place them strategically among the equipment and drums. It was truly a psychedelic experience to go hear Dust.
By the summer of ‘67 all our parents had grown quite weary of hosting boisterous band practices so we began to rehearse at Mr. Fowler’s warehouse on Industrial where he stored and showcased his commercial washers and dryers. It was great for us because we could now make as much racket as we wanted without inviting complaints.
About that time I upgraded my axe by financing a bright orange Gretsch Chet Atkins model (after securing a loan co-signed grudgingly by my still-reluctant folks) that I had been eyeing for weeks. The slick salesman at Arnold & Morgan, Dan Haubrick, told me that it used to belong to the singer for Kit and the Outlaws. That group had scored a regional hit with their cover of “In the Midnight Hour” so I hoped that it possessed some special mojo that might bring me some luck in the music business. That made my Silvertone guitar expendable and I followed in the footsteps of one of my idols, Pete Townsend of The Who, when I bashed it to pieces one night on stage at The Flare for the radical theatrical effect and overall shock value it would surely arouse in the audience. During the scripted-in-my-imagination process that led up to this wanton destructive act I unwisely placed my left ear directly against the speaker cloth of my amplifier during a feedback frenzy and caused ear damage that I live with to this day. My hearing on that side has never been the same. I also regret purposely tearing up that innocent musical instrument. I would love to have it back.
Speaking of The Who, I attended a concert that July that featured them and The Blues Magoos opening for Herman’s Hermits at Dallas Memorial Auditorium. The Blues Magoos were certainly cool enough with their psychedelic outfits that glowed in the dark and made them look like skeletons but life as I knew it changed forever when Pete, Roger, Keith and John took over the arena. I was familiar with their music to an extent but I had never experienced anything like the explosive set they performed that night before my bedazzled, awestruck eyes. They were so amazing, so relentless, so confident in themselves that many in the stunned audience left during Peter Noone & Company’s lightweight show that followed, including my date and myself. No act in the world could have followed The Who. Not on that evening, at least.
A problem with Glenn was that sometimes when he would meet someone who played guitar he would invite that person to join the band in order to impress them. Unfortunately, he would do this without consulting anyone in the group, especially me. Before Jim and Rick came along there was a guy named Chuck Pangburn that showed up for a while before drifting away. Then in August of ‘67 a lead guitarist named Mike Stroud appeared at our practices for a week. At some point we set Glenn straight by informing him that I was, indeed, the only lead guitarist that Dust needed and he curbed his habit of inducting new members on the spot immediately.
All of the members of the band were obsessed with two things in particular. Rock & Roll and girls. Every chance I got I’d escort a young lady to The Studio Club in Preston Center to dance to and hear the best of the local Dallas combo scene. I heard bands like Kenny and the Kasuals (a band I would later be a 12 year member of two decades down the road), The Novas, The Sensations, The Jackals, The Blues Bag and The Orphans just to name a few.
Speaking of the opposite sex, most of us were content to just have a steady girlfriend but Gene took it a big step further when he married a girl named Cindy in September and moved into an apartment of their own in North Oak Cliff. We were surprised and more than a little worried because of their young age but we adjusted to her constant presence after a while. She was no Yoko Ono.
An opportunity to gain wider exposure came along for the group in October when we got to perform twice at “The Action Spot” at the State Fair of Texas. We even got our name listed in the newspaper along with about 200 other combos but it still felt special to see our name in print.
Dallas Times Herald, Oct. ’67 list of bands at the Action Spot at the State Fair: Shows the amount of competition all garage bands of that day had to deal with. And these are just the lucky ones who got to perform!
Dust at the DeSoto Community Center, December 14, 1967 from left: Gene, Jim, Rollie and GlennBy the end of 1967 Dust was finally starting to earn a reputation for being a dependable dance band that could competently play the hits of the day without causing embarrassing or offensive incidents. Rock music was exploding into totally new areas with songs from Sgt. Pepper, The Doors, Fresh Cream and Are You Experienced?reverberating all around us. It was all we could do to try to keep up with the changing social climates but we were having the time of our lives doing it.
With the new year came further upgrades in the band’s equipment. Glenn, Rick and I all bought big black Kustom rolled-and-pleated amplifiers in February, making us look better and a whole lot louder. Gigs were still hard to come by but at least we had a much more impressive stage presence when we did perform.
That same month I went to see Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine and Clouds perform in concert at the State Fair Music Hall and came away a very humbled guitarist. It was a show I’ll never forget. Local boys The Chessmen opened.
From left: Jim, Rick, Gene and RollieIn March ‘68 we all realized why Gene and Cindy had gotten married in such a rush when Sarah Hope Fowler was born. It was hard to think of our drummer and running buddy as actually being a Daddy.
Meanwhile, Candy’s Flare had become so popular that it was forced to move into a cavernous National Guard Armory near Red Bird Airport to accommodate the large crowds of kids that had discovered it. They now had two bands booked each Friday and Saturday night to trade one-hour sets from opposite ends of the echo-prone building. Glen Oaks Presbyterian Church off of Polk Street also started holding teen dances and that provided yet another outlet for Dust to gig at.
At some point in that March some kind of problem arose between the band and Jim Dawson. Unfortunately, a lack of detailed notes and my declining memory have erased any recollections about what brought about Jim’s sudden departure from Dust. Obviously something was amiss and causing the majority of the group to doubt his commitment to the cause. I don’t recall any kind of blow up or confrontation. For whatever reason, the band jettisoned a very talented and charismatic singer/frontman and I lost touch with a good friend. (Decades later I would happily reconnect with Jim and he informed me that he found out about his dismissal when he called my house and my mother told him I was at practice, which was news to him. He drove to where we rehearsed and watched from his car as we auditioned a new singer. He said he just drove away in disgust and never looked back. That was a cowardly, callous way for us to treat Jim and for my part in that I’m forever sorry. He deserved better.)
Frank Lee, a classmate of mine at Kimball High and a vocalist/guitarist that had been performing with various Oak Cliff combos was brought into the band as a replacement on April 3rd. He was nothing like Jim. Frank had a growling, husky singing voice and a very energetic, sometimes frantic stage persona that took some getting used to. But his easy-going and friendly mannerisms made the transition a smooth one.
Dust in the Fowler warehouse where we rehearsed circa summer of ’68. Frank Lee, Gene, Rick, Rollie and GlennOne of the first positive things that occurred after Frank joined the band was Dust landing a successful audition at the legendary and popular LouAnn’s nightclub located at Lover’s Lane and Greenville. In 1968 it was still the only building of note near that corner and was considered to be on the outskirts of town. It later went up in flames and had to be rebuilt on a much smaller scale. But at that time it was nothing less than holy Mecca for young rock bands trying to make a name for themselves in Dallas. Dust performed there on April 20th and the following Monday I was besieged by classmates that couldn’t believe they saw skinny little Rollie playing in the band at LouAnn’s last Saturday night. I had purposely maintained a very low profile in school in order to keep my hair as long as I could and very few of my classmates even knew I was a musician. They just thought I was a scrawny nerd. Needless to say, the cat was out of the bag after that weekend and suddenly I had rebel status at Kimball.
It was around this time that Rick discovered a stage image that he liked. He somehow acquired a WWI-era leather pilot’s helmet and a pair of large amber goggles that he wore at every gig thereafter. He also began to come out from behind the organ during our extended rendition of “Break on Through” by The Doors and deliver a long, abrasive soliloquy to the audience that no one could understand. We once played at a Catholic school dance and he did a stellar job of scaring the nuns with his maniacal shouting. To my knowledge not one of us ever questioned him about why he chose to do this and he never volunteered an explanation. We just let him do it.
A milkman who was an acquaintance of Frank’s named Terry Willis heard us, liked us and offered to be our manager/booking agent. His route took him to various schools in the area and he promised us work through his contacts. I think he envisioned himself as a young Brian Epstein but Dust had a few miles to go before we would even be good enough to shine John Lennon’s shoes. However, thanks to the gigs Terry procured for us I was able to quit my demeaning job at the dry cleaners before summer began.
Our first real road trip came in May when Terry booked us for a dance in Childress, Texas. An Explorer troop had offered to let us stay at their meeting house overnight but when we saw the less-than-hospitable condition it was in (it reminded us of the Our Gang clubhouse) we opted to make the long drive back to Dallas that night. My lasting impression of that trip is of us stopping at a diner on the outskirts of Wichita Falls around dawn. None of us had slept a wink and we were worn out. I had never liked coffee before but on that morning it tasted amazing to me. At that moment I finally understood why God had placed it on this earth for us humans to imbibe and I was a confirmed java drinker from that day on.
Dust at Shamrock Roller Rink, Lancaster circa late 1968 – Gene, Rollie and Rick On the scholastic front, after I maintained a B average in my freshman year and got my guitar as the reward, my grades dropped steadily into the C and sometimes D range for the rest of my high school years. With that in mind, when I was asked to stand at the Senior Luncheon held at Riverlake Country Club to be recognized for graduating with honors no one was as surprised as me. I wasn’t particularly proud of the distinction as I felt it diminished my image as the smug, egregious rock and roll musician that I fancied myself to be. I’m still not sure they crunched those numbers correctly but it made my Mom and Dad proud, at least.
Due to the fact that the selective service was drafting every able-bodied eighteen-year-old male who could count to five for duty in scenic Vietnam at the time, I started attending classes at nearby Dallas Baptist College less than a week after graduation. This allowed me to claim II-S status as being student-deferred and, therefore, ineligible for the terrifying draft. My career plans didn’t have the Armed Services in them at all. Guitars beat guns every time.
No band of merit in Oak Cliff was without their very own funeral hearse and this is the one Frank Lee bought for Dust to cruise Kiest Park and haul the equipment around in. Had a nifty 4-track inside, too.The summer of ‘68 was one of liberation for most of the band members. Now that we had escaped the drudgery of high school we thought of ourselves as adults, ready to explore and conquer the world. Concerts were still relatively cheap so I was able to see touring bands like Cream, The Doors, Vanilla Fudge and Canned Heat for about $6 a ticket. Our gigs were numerous now with repeated appearances at Candy’s Flare in Oak Cliff and the new one in Decatur, various private parties and several performances at the Shamrock Roller Rink in Lancaster.
Many groups like The Chessmen and Kempy and the Guardians had second-hand Cadillac hearses to transport their equipment around in. In late August Frank purchased a black ‘58 hearse so we could be as cool. In old English lettering we stenciled our “DUST… is everywhere” logo on the back door. Once we installed a four-track cassette player in it we were ready to join the parade every Sunday afternoon at Kiest Park with Cream’s Disraeli Gears and the Beatles’ White Album blaring for the duly impressed masses and would-be groupies.
By the fall Terry had us booked solid on most weekends and we were sailing right along. Rick had started taking classes at Baylor University in Waco so rehearsals were much more infrequent. But he would drive back home every weekend so it never interfered with our gig scheduling.
In November Dust successfully auditioned for a new talent agency called “Studio VII” that was located in a recording studio complex just west of downtown Dallas. Being pretty much full of ourselves at this juncture, we felt that Terry Willis had taken us about as far as he could and it was time to try and get better representation. It fell upon Frank and me to inform Terry that we no longer needed his services. Terry had done wonders for us and it was not an easy task to fire him.
One of the perks of being under the wing of Studio VII was the fact that they offered free studio time to their bands. To me, that was akin to getting a lifetime pass to Disneyland. It did involve signing a contract with the agency so in December we all had to get our fathers to meet at Frank’s house to sign on the dotted line for us since we were all under 21. It seemed like a really big deal. We felt we were now definitely on our way to riches and fame.
Recorded at Studio VII in late 1968 with Frank Lee on vocals, “Vicious Delusion” is a hybrid of two different tunes that I had written but the lyrics were penned by Ron, the staff engineer at Studio VII.
Ron took a liking to me and would often invite me to come sit in the control room while he produced a demo session for one of the other groups. On one memorable occasion the band in the studio was Felicity, a fine combo from East Texas that featured a talented singing drummer named Don Henley. Don went on to be in a little group called the Eagles. I remember being very impressed by their professionalism and their workman-like approach to recording. They knew what they were doing. Dust didn’t.
We ended 1968 with a New Year’s Eve gig at the brand new “Candy’s Flare – Pleasant Grove” in the National Guard Armory located there. It had been an eventful year for all of us and we felt that we had taken enormous steps toward becoming the rock stars we had always envisioned ourselves as being destined to be.
Dust with hair a flyin’ at Broadway Skateland, Mesquite, January 4, 1969 – Frank, Gene and Rick We’re playing Hendrix’s “Manic Depression” because Rick would come out front and play cymbal on it. Not sure why.
Broadway Skateland, January 4, 1969, Glenn and Frank 1969 started right where the previous year had left off with Dust continuing to play gigs at the area roller rinks and Candy’s Flare. We had managed to add Club Menagerie in Commerce, the Broadway Skateland and the Twilight Skating Palace to our list of venues. I traded in my orange Gretsch for a used Fender Telecaster. I think the real reason was that it just looked better on stage and was easier to play. I was still a terrible lead guitarist that should have spent a lot more time practicing his instrument. The studio and live tapes that exist from those days prove it.
In February we started having all-night recording sessions with Ron (his last name escapes me) in an attempt to compose and cut that million-dollar hit single. I contributed several amateurish songs with titles like “Eating Petunias,” “Brown-haired Woman,” and “When you were down I loved you more.” We also bravely attempted a few of Ron’s songs like “All Strung Out” and “Vicious Delusion.” We never recorded anything resembling great rock and roll but the experience of being in a professional studio again was invaluable. I found that I absolutely loved the process of recording. For me there was no place I’d rather have been than inside a studio and I spent every spare hour I had there soaking up all the protocol I could.
Dust at Candy’s Flare, 1969 from left: Glenn, Rollie, Gene and RickOne of the drawbacks of having an old hearse for an equipment truck was the fact that it was constantly in need of repair. One incident could have ended my rock and roll future (and earthly existence in general) permanently. At some point the band started holding our practices at a warehouse in southeast Dallas that was owned by Gene’s father. One afternoon Frank and I were tooling along on our way to rehearsal, driving east on Ledbetter approaching the intersection with Lancaster Avenue. When Frank went to apply the brakes he realized that nothing was happening to slow the heavy hearse as we sped toward the red light. Fortunately there was an unoccupied lane ahead. Frank quickly changed lanes and we barreled right through the intersection at about fifty miles per hour, barely missing a Lincoln Continental that was coming north on Lancaster. When we rolled to a stop about a quarter of a mile later the irate driver of the car (that had to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision) pulled up behind, got out and yelled at us for several minutes. Both Frank and I stayed in the hearse as we both noticed that the furious and rather large African-American man had a pistol tucked into the waist of his pants. Evidently Frank’s explanation of brake failure satisfied the steaming mad driver and we managed to escape without being shot. Had we hit anything at all as we flew through the busy intersection we probably would have been killed on the spot or maimed for life. As I recall we still drove the hearse to practice. Slowly.
Early in March the band experienced our first drug bust. Well, sorta. We played a dance at the DeSoto Community Center and throughout the night we noticed that we were being closely watched by several uniformed police officers. After the gig Rick was changing clothes in the tiny restroom when detectives literally burst in the door and confiscated a bottle of what they were sure was some kind of illicit contraband that Rick had on him. They actually drove him over to the station and made him wait while they rousted the town pharmacist out of bed to come and identify the pills in question. They were sure that a musician wearing a leather skullcap and goggles had to be tripping on some kind of weird hallucinogenic substance and was, therefore, a menace to the citizenry. When the expert declared that the capsules held nothing more psychedelic than ordinary cold medicine Rick was released and told to never come back to the metropolis of DeSoto. No formal apology was forthcoming, either.
Rollie Anderson with Dust at Candy’s Flare, early 1969I met many musicians at Dallas Baptist College who were doing the same thing I was in that they were taking full advantage of the student deferment loophole to avoid military conscription. One of them was Alfred Brown from Plano. I would end up in two different bands with him in the 70s and he and I started a friendship that spring that would last for decades to come. By meeting him and others like Bob Lincoln of “The Poppy Box” I started to expand my circle of musician friends to include those from other parts of North Texas. Both Alfred and Bob graciously showed me new guitar techniques that made me a much better player. They most likely took pity on me due to my lack of talent on the instrument.
Frank and I saw Jimi Hendrix perform at Dallas Memorial Auditorium that April (with Chicago Transit Authority as the opening act) and he was fantastic once again. Little did we know that he would be dead about a year and a half later.
Late in May the hearse was broken into and most of the equipment inside it stolen. It had been parked in front of Frank’s apartment and the thieves took the P.A. system and the amplifier for my speakers. It was a devastating financial blow but I somehow scraped up enough to buy another Kustom amplifier and tall column from a friend. I now had a humongous setup of five 15” speakers and a brassy horn in two cabinets. I could barely stand to be in front of it at times because of the volume.
In June of ‘69 I found myself on a break from school for the first time in a long while. I took a job with the city park department as a playground activity leader and swim teacher at Pecan Grove near Kiest and Westmoreland. It was my first 8 to 5 Monday-Friday job and it left even less time for band practice and other activities. The group was still playing the same old gigs and the momentum we had carried into the new year with Studio VII had tapered off considerably when our recordings failed to impress anyone at the agency. They had moved on to other, more promising bands.
Broadway Skateland, January 4, 1969, from left: Glenn, Rick, Gene and Frank Rick would step out from behind his organ once every show to give his ‘Lizard King’ soliloquy
On June 29th Rick Cramer announced that he was quitting Dust and getting married in August. That pretty much brought the band to a screeching halt. There was no actual day to designate when it happened. Dust just ended with a whimper rather than a bang.
For the rest of the summer Glenn and I tried to find other musicians who wanted to start up a new combo with us but several noisy jam sessions produced nothing promising. Gene was trying to provide for his wife and young daughter and Frank had started working full time, as well. The loss of his P.A. system in May was something that he couldn’t replace easily and we couldn’t rely on him to be able to carry on.
On my 20th birthday in early September I got a call from Richard Theisen of the Pleasant Grove-based “Love Street Journal” band inviting me to audition for their group. I became their guitarist on September 14th and the next six years of my life were spent with various versions of the band that became “Daniel.”
Unfortunately I eventually fell out of contact with most of those musicians I spent my teen years with. I’d visit Gene and Cindy from time to time in the early 70s but before long I lost track of them, as well. When I met up with Gene again in the late 90s he sadly informed me that Glenn had passed away about a year earlier. It made me reminisce all the good times I spent with the Fowler cousins as we would fantasize about how famous and wealthy we were going to be as rock stars. Glenn especially was a true friend to me throughout those years and I regret that I never got to see him again after that summer of ‘69.
Love Street Journal at the Flare, Pleasant Grove from left: Billy King, Tommy Jones, Robert “Noah” Hazlewood and Rollie AndersonWhen I look back on those youthful, formative years I treasure the wonderful moments that will stay with me forever. As we made our way through our teenage years we doggedly pursued our rock & roll dreams while other boys who picked up instruments following the British Invasion of the mid 60s put them aside after a few months of lessons or finding out that steel guitar strings really hurt the fingertips. For us it was a way to release our energy and passion and to express ourselves in ways that others could relate to. We were all doing the best we could during the topsy-turvy events of that revolutionary decade, looking for our own individual path that would lead us into adulthood. Rock & Roll was our pressure valve and our muse. We constantly turned one another on to new music and different ways of thinking. We helped each other to expand our horizons of what was possible. And the fraternity that was the band became the glue that held us together. The band was what we could depend on to be there when the rest of the world let us down or presented us with problems that seemed insurmountable.
It was, indeed, a golden age and I’m so thankful that Gene, Glenn, Jim, Rick and Frank were there to go through it with me. We made some beautiful music and joyful noises together and they helped to make my teen years very special to me.
Rollie Anderson, May 2010
Performances
1965
September 19 – Wheelchair Bowler’s Association meeting, Bronco Bowl October 17 – Wheelchair Bowler’s Association meeting, Bronco Bowl October 24 – Church social, Gail Watkin’s house December 31 – New Year’s Eve Party, Glen Fowler’s house
1966
March 1 – Audition for DeSoto High School talent show March 4 – DeSoto talent show, DeSoto Elementary April 9 – Hobby Shop, DeSoto May 20 – Private Party, DeSoto June 3 – Private Party, DeSoto June 25 – Private Party, DeSoto July 8 – JayCee dance, DeSoto July 15 – Lion’s Club Carnival, DeSoto August 13 – My sister Marlene’s Park Party, Anderson house November 4 – South Oak Cliff High School Spanish Club, Cedar Canyon Club November 5 – Battle of the Bands, Gipson’s Department Store, Oak Cliff December 2 – Wynnewood Movie Theatre lobby
1967
January 14 – JayCee Dance, DeSoto February 10 – T. W. Browne Jr. High School dance February 18 – South Oak Cliff High School ROTC Military Ball March 4 – Private Party, Kiest Park, Oak Cliff March 25 – Audition, Presbyterian Church, Oak Cliff April 14 – Private Party, Riverlake Country Club, Oak Cliff April 26 – Audition and session at Delta Studios, Fort Worth April 29 – Audition for “The Flare” club May 13 – Junior High School party, Weiss Park gym, Oak Cliff May 20 – The Flare May 27 – South Oak Cliff High School Senior Pizza Party June 1 – Audition for “LouAnn’s” club June 24 – The Flare July 2 – Audition for “The Pirate’s Nook” club August 5 – The Flare August 9 – Audition for booking agency September 23 – The Flare October 7 – “The Action Spot” at State Fair of Texas October 8 – Audition for the “Club Texas” October 15 – “The Action Spot” at State Fair of Texas October 21 – The Flare October 28 – The Flare November 26 – Audition at the “Three Thieves” club December 15 – Community Center Dance, DeSoto December 29 – JayCee Dance, DeSoto
1968
January 12 & 26, February 9 – Glen Oaks Methodist Church, Oak Cliff February 10 – Oak Cliff YMCA February 17 – Candy’s Flare March 15 – Glen Oaks Methodist Church March 30 – Candy’s Flare (Last performance with Jim Dawson) April 20 – LouAnn’s April 27 – The Lyon’s Den April 28 – Irving CYO Dance May 4 – Decatur, Texas Roller Rink May 11 – North Texas State University fraternity party, Lewisville May 18 – Bonehead Explorer’s Post, Childress May 24 – Atwell Junior High School dance June 1 – Candy’s Flare June 2 – Irving CYO Dance June 14 & 15 – Shamrock Roller Rink, Lancaster June 21 – Audition at “Phantasmagoria” Club June 29 – Jolly Time Skating Rink, Fort Worth July 27 – Candy’s Flare, Decatur July 28 – Candy’s Flare August 2 & 3 – Shamrock Roller Rink, Lancaster August 16 – Candy’s Flare, Decatur August 17 – Private Party, Fort Worth August 18 – Irving CYO Party September 7 – Candy’s Flare September 14 – Candy’s Flare, Nacogdoches September 20 & 21 – Shamrock Roller Rink September 29 – Bishop Dunne High School dance October 5 – Irving YMCA dance October 11 & 12 – Shamrock Roller Rink October 13 – St. Elizabeth CYO dance October 26 – Private Party, Knights of Columbus, Grand Prairie November 1, 2, 22, 23 – Shamrock Roller Rink November 24 – Audition at Studio VII agency December 7 – Candy’s Flare December 14 – Broadway Roller Rink, Mesquite December 27 – Texas A&M Hometown Club, Forest Hollow December 31 – Candy’s Flare, Pleasant Grove
1969
January 4 – Broadway Roller Rink January 11 & 12 – Club Menagerie, Commerce January 17 – Twilight Roller Rink, Pleasant Grove January 18 – Candy’s Flare January 24 – Club Menagerie, Commerce January 25 – Broadway Roller Rink February 7 – American Legion “Teen-a-go-go” in Mesquite February 8 – Club Menagerie February 14 – Apartment Private Party February 15 – NTSU fraternity party, Arlington February 21 & 22 – Twilight Roller Rink March 7 – Community Center dance, DeSoto March 14 – Shamrock Roller Rink March 15 – East Texas State University fraternity party, Honeygrove March 22 – Broadway Roller Rink March 30 – Club Menagerie April 12 – Broadway Roller Rink April 19 – Candy’s Flare April 25 – Irving “Teen Scene” at armory May 2 – Shamrock Roller Rink May 3 – ETSU sorority party, Wylie’s Dude Ranch, Lewisville May 9 – Commerce High School Dance May 17 – Broadway Roller Rink May 28 – Adamson High School senior pizza party May 30 – Irving “Teen Scene” May 31 – Rocket Roller Rink, Cockrell Hill June 3 – ETSU summer school dance June 14 – Broadway Roller Rink June 28 – Candy’s Flare (final performance of DUST)
The Beatles, 1964, from left: Bill Suddith, Lonnie McLane, Russ Jordan, Wayne DeWitt and Donnie Turner
The Beagles “All I Need Is You” is a crude garage number very reminiscent at times of “Can’t Buy Me Love”. There are a couple good shouts and a decent guitar break. It’s backed by the goofy “Him and Her”, a song about the two dogs at the White House getting in LBJ’s way.
The band was from Lynchburg, Virginia, with song writing by John William Suddith and Wayne DeWitt, published with Gary Simpson who owned the Beagles name (thanks to Mop Top Mike for the info).
The band members were:
Bill Suddith – lead guitar and vocals Lonnie McLane – guitar and lead vocals Russ Jordan – bass and vocals Wayne DeWitt – sax and vocals Donald Turner – drums
Released on the Empire label in the spring of 1964, this 45 was pressed at the Southern Plastics plant in Nashville, using Nashville Matrix to master and plate.
No relation to the Beagles cartoon which had some great tracks like “I Feel Like Humpty Dumpty”.
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
Not the Rock Garden from Arkansas who recorded “Super Stuff” for the Revise label, or the Georgia group who cut “Starry Eyed Woman” for Prophet, or even the one from Michigan (formerly Frederic) who recorded for Capitol. This Rock Garden seems to be an unknown group, possibly only a studio creation.
Next came Andy and the Playboys (no recordings as far as I know), and in 1964 Andy and the Manhattans, whose 45 on Cardon Records I’m featuring today.
