Category Archives: US

Categories: Dayton, Leisure Time, LTD, Ohio, Prism, Smash, Sure Play

The X-Cellents / Vacant Lot

October 12, 2009 Chris Bishop 32 Comments

Here’s a group that went through several name changes over a few years, but kept the same lineup throughout:

Roger Sayre (guitar and vocals)
Ray Bushbaum (keyboards and vocals)
Jerry “Moon” Ditmer (or Jerry Dittmer) (bass)
Jerry Thomas (drums and vocals – replaced by Bill “Fuzz” Weicht)

Prior to starting this band, Roger Sayre had been in 50’s rockabilly Chuck Sims’ group (Chuck also recorded as Charles Vanell). Ray Bushbaum had played with Sonny Flaharty’s Young Americans.

Based in Dayton, Ohio, they started as the Original Playboys in 1962 and cut a disc “I’ll Always Be On Your Side” / “Hey Little Willie in 1965 on Leisure Time records. “Hey Little Willie” has their sound down – grooving r&b with shouts, jokes and frat calls. “hold it – let’s do ‘Go Little Willie’, ‘DOTW'” (see comments below for explanation!). It was picked up for release on Smash Records with their name changed to the X-Cellents.

Another name change to the E-Cellents for their next 45 on Sure Play, the ballad “And I’m Cryin'” backed with one I haven’t heard yet, “The Slide”.

Reverting to the X-Cellents, they cut a cool double-sider 45 for Sure Play in 1966. “Hang It Up” treads similar ground to “Hey Little Willie” though a little less convincing, maybe ’cause it lacks that great bass drum beat. More insider jokes and calls here – “DFTW”, “77” – that I don’t know the meaning of.

“Little Wooden House” is a repetitive vamp lamenting settling down, just the same two chords over and over. “Little Wooden House” is a Roger Sayre composition, “Hang It Up” was written by Sayre-Bushbaum-Weicht-Dittmer.

Still the band progressed with the times, and contributed one of their best songs, Roger Sayre’s original Walk Slowly Away” to a sampler LP on Prism Records called “The Dayton Scene”. Acts were from the 1966 battle of the bands promoted by Dayton radio station WONE and the band is listed as the Xcellents. To my ears “Walk Slowly Away” bears a resemblance to the Beatles’ “I Need You” from the Help! soundtrack, though that may be a superficial comparison, as the lyrics and chorus are distinct.

They changed their name again for their last 45, as the Vacant Lot, or perhaps R. Sayre and the Vacant Lot, the LTD label gives both as artists. “This Little Feelin'” is one of their best numbers, soulful and rocking, as Ray’s keyboards again drive the sound behind Roger’s vocals. It was backed with their version of Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s “Don’t You Just Know It”, a song that had probably been in their repertoire for years with the same sound and arrangement. Production by Bill Leasure.

The band seems to have gone separate ways after this last 45. Sayre had another group with John Spitler at some point, but I don’t know if that was before or after the X-Cellents

Sources: List of 45 releases Soulful Kinda Music, and sleeve scan from It’s Great Shakes.

Thanks to Joe Kimball for sending in the photo from the WONE LP.

Categories: Chicago, Illinois, Mobie, Rockford

The Chy Guys and Mobie Records discography

October 11, 2009 Chris Bishop 20 Comments

Mobie Record Company letter — “If it’s on Mobie, you know it’s a wailer!”

Glenn Tracey sent in these cool promo sheets and transfers of a 45 by the Chy Guys.

The letter lists the members: Jerry Conley, 15, leader and singer; Stan Allen, 13, lead guitarist; Chuck Burgess, 13, rhythm guitarist; and Bob Lindgren, 12, drummer. I’ve read the band was from Rockford, IL, about an hour’s drive northwest of Chicago, though that wouldn’t go with their band name (Chy referring to Chicago).

The band went to MBS Recording Studios in Chicago to record demos of their songs, and the tape led to their signing by James Manning, Jr. of the Mobie Record Company. The letter doesn’t clarify if the band did a new session for their Mobie 45, or if the songs cut at the demo were used. J.H. Manning, Jr. is also listed as producer, but he didn’t seem to notice the imprecise nature of the band’s stops and starts during “Say Mama”, not to mention their tuning.

The top side, “You’ll Never Believe Me” was written by J. Weiss, and while I don’t think it’s an original by the band I don’t know the source for it.

“Say Mama” was an oft covered song since the original cut by Gene Vincent in the ’50s., with versions by Mike Waggoner, the Dicers and others, sometimes under the title “Hey Mama”. It’s hard to know if the Chy Guys were covering the Vincent original, or perhaps the Pattens of Wheaton, IL, who released their version as “Say Ma, Ma” also in 1966.

The promo schedules the release of their 45 on September 30, 1966, on Mobie 3423. They apparently played shows in Illinois, Ohio and even as far as Huntington, West Virginia at that young age.

Though this is a white-label DJ promo, I’ve also seen both blue and black label stock copies of this 45. The other releases on the Mobie label that I’ve heard are two by Bloomington, Indiana Illinois’s Cobblestones: Mobie 3424 “I’ll Hide My Head in the Sand” (written by Jim Jacobs) / “It Happens Every Time” (both written by Jim Jacobs and produced by Wayne Dennis, originally released on Den-Lay) and Mobie 3425 “Flower People” (written by Pearson – Lehmann) / “Down With It” (written by Pearson – McElroy).

Here’s an extensive but still incomplete Mobie discography from Gary E. Myers with additions from Davie Gordon, Chris Gilbert and Margaret Still.

Any help with this would be appreciated:

Mobie – owned by James H. Manning, Jr. (5/?/34; Normal, IL – 11/8/91; Largo, FL)

3419 Ron Jones & C Notes – Goodbye Linda (R. Shemberger) / Why (1966)
3420
3421 Ronnie Jones – Silly Little Fool / Little Jezebel (1967)
3422
3423 Chy Guys – Say Mama / You’ll Never Believe Me (9/67)
3424 Cobblestones – It Happens Every Time / I’ll Hide My Head In The Sand (1967)
3425 Cobblestones – Flower People / Down With It (11/67)
3426
3427
3428
3429 Iron Gate – Get Ready / You Must Believe Me (1968)
3430 Ravelles – Psychedelic Movement / She’s Forever On My Mind (8/68)
3431
3432 Shirt Tale Relation – The Reason Why (Bobby Sharp) / You Don’t Know Like I Know
3433 Summit – How You Move My Soul / Oh, What Can I Do (1968)
3434
3435 Skip Wulf – Soul Lovin’ Baby / Summer Love (1968)
3436 Deanna & The Here & Now Singers – Isolation / Attic Of My Mind (both songs credited to D. Edwards)

3419, 3421: Ron Jones (2/15/43; Davenport, IA) was DJ on Chicago oldies 104.3, had 2 earlier releases on Aurora.

James Manning also wrote a children’s Christmas book.

Thanks to C. Gilbert for the scan of the Shirt Tale Relation 45.

Categories: Ashland, Graves, Graves Recording Service (Eugene), Oregon, Unknown

The Ethics “She’s a Deceiver” / “It’s O.K.” on Graves

October 2, 2009 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Another one on Graves, like the Sires I covered a couple weeks back. This group is more obscure, I don’t have any real info on them, other than that they were probably from southern Oregon: Ashland, Medford or Grants Pass possibly. Songwriting is listed to B. Watson and M. Kelsey. The publishing was listed under Arky Lewis.

Both original songs have fine arrangements, languid harmonies and excellent interaction between the two guitarists. “She’s a Deceiver” is slower and dreamier, while “It’s O.K.” is faster but still hypnotic with a raga-like guitar solo. The “It’s” of the title was left off the label and added back with a red stamp. The 45 would have benefited from clearer production.

Categories: Clarksburg, Raven (Clarksburg), West Virginia

The Esquires (on Raven)

October 2, 2009 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Here’s a strange 45 by one of the many groups calling themselves the Esquires. One side is a ballad and the other a decent garage number, but neither one should be considered essential listening.

I wonder how many lyricists had passed on rhyming “make life brighter” with “like a zippo lighter” before the Esquires wrote it into the top side ballad “What Made You Change Your Mind”.

Better is the flip, “Boo Hoo Hoo”, where the band has a good stop-and-start rhythm going.

Oddly, both sides have been altered to fill out their run time. It appears that the band turned in performances of about one and a half minutes on each of these songs. The engineer deftly repeats sections to extend each closer to the three minute mark. This is especially noticeable on “Boo Hoo Hoo”, where a drum fill introduces a section that is repeated four times in the song.

Dick Welch wrote both sides, and publishing is by Pat Chipps for Panhandle Music.

I knew nothing about the band until Dick Welch commented below, so I’ll repeat it here:

This Raven label was located in Clarksburg, West Virginia in the late 60′s. I wrote both sides of this record and played guitar. It was a four track studio. I also recorded a record there with a group called Them Prodigals.

Them Prodigals’ 45 is “Icing Too” / “Cake Time”, released in February 1968 at Raven 101.

This Raven label is distinct from the Danville, VA label that released the Individuals “I Want Love” / “I Really Do” and the Lost Souls “For You” / “Minds Expressway” 45s.

Anyone have a photo of the group, or know the names of the other members?

Categories: Connecticut, Mask, Stamford

The Madhatters

September 23, 2009 Chris Bishop 14 Comments

I know very little about this 45, other than these Madhatters were a group of high schoolers from Stamford, CT who traveled to New York City to record their only 45 in late February of 1966. They broke up soon after, with most members going to college that fall. I’ve also seen the band’s name given as two words, the Mad Hatters.

The Madhatters’ cool original “Just Won’t Leave” has credits to Sills, Young and Davidson. Copyright registration from April 28, 1966 shows words by John Sills, words and music by David Young and arrangement by John Davidson.

John Davidson was the Madhatters lead guitarist, Jim Cantor played bass, and they had a drummer named Eddie (surname?)

For the flip they do a better than average cover of Mike Hugg’s “Mister You’re a Better Man Than I”.

Released on Mask Records (a Jaysina Production, 143 W. 51st St., NY), with Lady Grace publishing. The only other productions I can attribute to Jaysina Enterprises are two 45s by Tommy Walters on Bardell and an Otis Rush session co-produced with Funtown and sold to Gamble.

A 10″ three-song acetate surfaced that contained the two songs from the single plus a version of “I’m a Man”, produced by Jaysina Enterprises, Inc. I haven’t heard the Madhatters’ version of “I’m a Man” yet.

There’s no connection to the Mad Hatters from Annapolis, Maryland (45s on Ascot and Fontana) or Minnesota (two 45s on Cardinal).

Categories: Hampton, Shoestring, Virginia

The Wild Cherries (Hampton, VA)

September 18, 2009 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

These Wild Cherries were a Hampton, VA band known for their ability to cover Beatles songs.

Members were:

Harold Souders (vocals, lead guitar, electric piano)
Carl Moore (vocals, guitar)
David Jenkins (bass)
Wayne Dale (drums)

Hal Souders and Carl Moore were cousins, and composed both songs on this 45. In December of ’65 the band went to Richmond Sound Stages to cut their only recording, “I Cried Once” / “Baby Baby”.

“I Cried Once” begins with jarring guitar chords, and continues at an urgent pace through verse and chorus and a beautiful and very brief reverbed guitar solo until the ringing chords at the finish. Hal Souders’ syncopated piano overdub is a nice touch.

The tender “Baby, Baby” on the flip begins with nicely articulated notes cutting to a drum and bass break before the verse begins. The singer confesses “all the lies I told to you, not a one was true.”

To me this is one of the most successful of all teen 45s of the ’60s, sincere original songs flawlessly performed and superbly recorded. The upbeat “I Cried Once” balances the sedate “Baby, Baby”. The instruments and harmonies create an atmosphere akin to the Dovers great recordings.

The band released the songs on the Richmond based Shoestring label, which also had 45s by the Fugitives and Panics. Publishing was by Bargem Music.

The record had some play on WGH 1310 AM in Newport News, though it didn’t make any charts that I know of. The band broke up by the time Hal Souders started college in the fall of ’66.

Categories: Bobby, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hills

The Apollos on Bobby Records

September 18, 2009 Chris Bishop 12 Comments

The Apollos Pittsburgh Photo — The Apollos, c. 1965, from left: lead singer Paul Speck, Lanny Orner, Eddie Zebert, George McCormick, lead guitar Al Naugle.

The Apollos came from Pleasant Hills, a suburb south of Pittsburgh. The top side of their only 45 is “I Know Your Mind” a doo-wop influenced ballad. The flip is an instrumental, “Room 4”, marred by the guitarist being out of tune.

Top side was written by Speck-Snyder, flip by Snyder-Naogle. Produced by Jim Hudson for Bobby Records and Dominator Music.

Phil Haines sent in the photos of the band seen here and added these comments:

The Apollos graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, Jefferson Hills, PA in 1964, except Eddie Zebert, 1963.
The Apollos had four singers: lead singer Paul Speck, Lanny Orner, Eddie Zebert and George McCormick. The singers didn’t play any instruments.
Instrumentalists in the original group: lead guitar Al Naugle, rhythm guitar Dave Ferguson, and drums Dave Bruggeman. This was the makeup of the group 1964 – 1966.
George asked me, at home in Pleasant Hills, to borrow my bass amp for the record. They piled into a car and went into town (Pittsburgh) for the recording. When George brought the amp back, he said something about it didn’t work with the studio equipment, so they plugged directly into the board. My guess is that the rhythm guitarist Dave Ferguson (?), who played low notes on a 6-string, sounded better in the board than through a bass amp, if indeed this was the personnel on the record.
There was a line “I Know Your Mind” in the Bobby Marchan song, “There Is Something On Your Mind.” Don’t know if they borrowed it consciously from the record or not. I always took the record as being ahead of its time, the first of introspective songs to come later in the sixties. They were a great band. The first to come out of “the drugstore,” local hangout “Sun Drug.”
They also put on a heck of a show. They acted out “Big Boy Pete,” by the Olympics. They also performed Eugene Fox’s “Sinner’s Dream.” They may have also, in this earlier period, acted “Along Came Jones,” by the Coasters. When I played bass for them in 1967, we sang the song, but no acting. They had a huge following in Pittsburgh.

Categories: Bridge Society, Enola, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

The Shan-Dells

September 16, 2009 Chris Bishop 29 Comments

Shan-Dells photo: Kenny Branoff, Dave Troutman, Dave "Gino" Giorgini, Bob Bolash, Chuck Jones, Jeff Bowen and Harry Brewbaker — Later photo of the Shan-Dells, after they added horns
At top is Kenny Branoff (lead guitar), below him Dave Troutman (keyboard, trumpet) and Dave “Gino” Giorgini (drums)
In front, left to right: Bob Bolash (rhythm guitar), Chuck Jones (vocals), Jeff Bowen (sax) and Harry Brewbaker (bass)

Updated July 2011

The Shan-Dells came from Enola, PA, across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg and Middletown. They had two 45s on the Bridge Society label. The band covers a lot of ground between these releases, from psychedelia to pop to upbeat blue-eyed soul.

Their first 45 has the slow trippy psychedelia of “Chimes”, with droning organ and repetitive sharp guitar lines inspired by “Eight Miles High”. The solo break is excellent raga-rock!

The B-side is the much lighter and less essential pop dittty, “Little Girl”. Both sides were written by Ken Branoff and Charles Jones and published by John Ulrich Music. My copy is signed by bass player Gary McElrath, if I’m reading that correctly.

Their second 45 has a northern soul classic, “I’ve Got to Love Her”. With full horn charts and falsetto vocal it’s a much different sound from their first, and the record trades for more money as well. I haven’t heard the flip, “Idle Excursion”. Chuck Jones, David Troutman and David Giorgini wrote “I’ve Got to Love Her”.

I couldn’t find much info on the group until rhythm guitarist Bob Bolash contacted me. Below is info from the comment that he left below along with some more info he sent to me by email:

I was one of the original Shan-Dells, we started out as the Wonders with Chuck Jones lead singer, Jim Wyman on drums, Gary Wyman on bass, Kenny Branoff on lead gutiar, myself on rhythm guitar. Jim was a little older and when he left the band David (Gino) Giorgini joined as the drummer. We then changed our name to the Shan-Dells. Dave Toutman was added about a year later.
Our first paying gig was at the Midway firehall in Enola with DJ Ben Barber. We got paid $28.00 that night. Our record “Chimes” went to #14 in the Harrisburg area, at the time WFEC rated the songs by how many you sold at Caplain’s in Harrisburg. We did the Kirby Scott show at WBAL TV in Maryland. We played everywhere, there were so many places to play back in the day.
Kenny stayed in the house a lot a was very dedicated to his guitar. I think he just wrote some music and Chuck added some words.
We recorded them at Virtue Studios in Philadelphia. Actually “Chimes” and “Little Girl” should have been on two separate 45s with a dummy song on the B side like we did with “I’ve Got to Love Her”. But we were just learning and I still wonder how swift our promoter was, we ran out of records.
We added some horns a little later and mixed some soul with our rock, that’s why “I’ve Got to Love Her” sounds that way.
Chuck then got drafted Dave left and Gary moved away and Gino’s older brother Rob joined us, he played organ and sang. He played with Frank Fabian’s Fabulous Fugitives, a very good band. We changed throughout the years, from the Shan-Dells to the Collection (we have an unreleased song that we went a different direction with, it has alot of harmony, “Feelin’ a Dream”).
Then it was Mystic Revelation, and then Dry Mud. Kenny, little Gino and myself were all in those bands. Later when Chuck came back we started a band with Neil Harvey, Dave Bennet and Dave Troutman called Green Apple Quick Step. Later I joined Dick Styles in a group called the 7th Sun, That was fun, we remodeled a school bus and had some fun in that. My last stop was mid 70’s with a band we started called the Bizzare Brothers Band. Bob Souders guitar, Buzz Deuscth drums, Darwin Oakes organ, then Jim Krall replaced him, Harry Brewbaker on bass and me on guitar and crazy Tom Gamble singing. Seriously this was the most talented band I ever played in, but we did toooo much partying.
Bob Bolash

In July, 2011 Jeff Bowen sent me the photo at top and wrote about his time with the band:

I was the sax player and eventually bass player with the Shan-Dells in Harrisburg Pa. from just after the release of “I’ve Got to Love Her” in ’68 or ‘69 till the band dissolved in early 1971. I wasn’t the sax player on the records though, that was Scott Zahn (not sure I spelled his last name right) who I ended up playing with during the summer and fall of 1971 after the band (Shan-Dells, Mystic Revelation, Dry Mud) broke up.
Dave Troutman and I went to Redland High school together and were in the high school’s band. “I’ve Got to Love Her” had a sax and trumpet in the background so they needed to find a sax player to do the live shows. That’s when Dave asked me to join the band since Scott Zahn was already playing with another band at that time. I’m so sorry to hear that Dave passed away. After the band broke up, I hadn’t really heard anything about him until I stumbled onto Garage Hangover a few days ago and read the comments from his son.
Both records were recorded before I got into the band, so I can’t take any credit for them. I did do a recording around that same time but I’m not sure it was with the Shan-Dells or not. I do know it never made it from tape to 45 and I don’t know what happened to the tapes.
I still have both the 45’s and the promo photo of the band that was taken just before we went on the Kirby Scott show in Baltimore. I remember we went to Eddy’s Mod shop in downtown Harrisburg and bought the matching paisley tuxedos for that show.
Soon after I joined, Chuck Jones got drafted and left, followed by Harry Brewbaker getting drafted too. That’s when I bought Harry’s bass and amp and took over as bass player for the band till we broke up and went our separate ways.
I got drafted in November 1971, which pretty much ended my musical career. I jammed on bass with a few people after I got out of the army but never actually got into another real band. By that time DJs had taken over all the places that used to have live bands.
Who knows what would have happened if Chuck and Harry hadn’t had to leave the band to serve in the army. I’m glad they both served and came back OK. I don’t remember for sure if they went to Viet Nam or not but I don’t think they did. When I got drafted in Nov. 1971, I ended up serving a year in Korea instead of Viet Nam.
Jeff Bowen

Categories: Centralia, Illinois, KB Records

The Livin’ End

September 16, 2009 Chris Bishop 6 Comments

Centralia, Illinois, about 70 miles east of St. Louis was the base for KB Records. The label usually released country and show-band records. I’m not sure if the Livin’ End was also from that town, but the back of the sleeve has a blurb written by Larry Watts at AM station WILY, also in Centralia, and lists the band members as:

Dave Timmerman (organ)
Mark Warnecke (lead guitar)
Marv Markus (rhythm guitar)
Joe Vander Pluym (bass)
Les Loux (drums)

The A-side has a slow, sludgy cover of the Animals “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. Luckily the flip is a great original song, “But I’ll Live”.

The sound is sparse at first with drums in the background and a chugging bass line, while the organ carries the melody. I don’t hear any rhythm guitar on the track, but the lead guitar is fantastic, breaking in after verses with bluesy licks in a wailing, sustained sound. “But I’ll Live” is credited on the label to Dave Timmermann (sic), but the sleeve notes also say Joe Vander Pluym had a hand in it.

I have a copy of the record which is scarce enough, but the picture sleeve seems to be almost non-existent. Release date came after May, 1968.

The Livin'End KB Records PS back — back of the sleeve

Categories: Dallas, Mark, Texas

Kenny and the Kasuals – It’s All Right!

September 12, 2009 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Kenny and the Kasuals – a great band from Dallas with a long and complicated history I won’t try to tell here. Instead I’m featuring one of their lesser-known releases, but well worth a listen. This is their third 45 on Mark Lee’s ‘Mark’ label, “It’s All Right”, from 1966. It features what I believe is the original group:

Kenny Daniel (vocals and guitar)
Jerry Smith (lead guitar)
Tommy Nichols (harmonica)
Paul Roach (keyboards)
Lee Lightfoot (bass)
David Blackley (drums)

Richard Parker corrects this lineup in his comment below, which I’ll repeat here:

The first recording group (there were earlier members not featured on any recordings) was Kenny Daniel, Tommy Nichols (lead guitar) Paul Roach, David Blachley (with an “h” not a “k”) and Lee Lightfoot. The later recordings feature Jerry Smith on guitar, after Tommy Nichols went into the navy. I don’t think that Jerry is on this recording.

The top side is a hopped-up nugget of r&b, revving the Kinks song up a couple notches. With the early use of a fuzztone and Kenny’s accented vocals, you could say they Stones-ify the song. Backing it is the Zombies tune “You Make Me Feel Good”.

Like their first two records, this one wouldn’t make much headway on local charts, but their next two 45s, “Raindrops to Teardrops” and “Journey to Tyme” would change that.

The site for '60s garage bands since 2004