Category Archives: US

Categories: New York, Ossining, Ren-Vell, Trutone, Westchester

Westchester Rivals: The Reptiles, the End, and the Aliens

February 16, 2009 Chris Bishop 18 Comments

The Reptiles, 1967, photo by Robin Leach

Ren-Vell Battle of the Bands vol. 1 Side A

The Reptiles have one cut on the Ren-Vell Battle of the Bands LP, “The Glass Toy”. It could have been a fine pop single with more polish, but the Ren-Vell studio wasn’t prepared to offer that kind of guidance or production quality.

Steve Worthy related the story of the Reptiles recording of Glass Toy to Bassman Bobb Brown:

Ron Macera was the drummer, Paul Slavin on bass, Mark Worthy on rhythm guitar and high harmony vocal on the chorus (a reversal of how we usually worked-me high harmony, him low). I played upper register rhythm guitar, because if I was doing the singing I couldn’t do any leads on guitar.
I wrote the song (probably my 3rd or 4th song ever written), full of teenage angst, and having to rhyme the works criticize, minimize and brutalize in the one bridge, shows my poetic and English major leanings. Subconsciously, I imitated my heroes the Beatles by doing something I heard said later about their songs – sad lyrics with happy music!
The only other recording session for the Reptiles was with a friend of my father named Bert Haber, who worked with Famous Music Publishing, and they were looking to get some young bands on one of their record company rosters. Bert gave us this song called “Come Take A Taste” to learn, and we so despised it, but really wanted to get in on the ground floor so we did it. I was so depressed learning it, that I wrote a song called “The Moustache Song” as a joke (“Please little girl with the moustache, blah blahh, Please don’t shave your little moustache, You’re only girl I kissed with one before”), which went on the 45 b-side. No one else had a song, so I had to sing that one as well.
Needless to say, their Broadway-type song was like a Spanky and Our Gang type tune, and our hearts weren’t in it, so it went nowhere further. The chorus sounded like “Sunday Will Never Be The Same”.
The Reptiles prided itself on always being true to the song and getting all the chords right! One of our pet peeves would be songs by bands who couldn’t get the bridge right- on “For Your Love” for example- the last two chords –they would do “A followed by Am” at the end of it, instead of C#m to B. Most bands were a little lazy that way. We used sharps and flats and major seventh chords because of our Beatle training. Me and my brother would listen to records over and over until every chord was perfect, especially with the Beatles stuff, which was our supreme role model. We even did Sgt. Pepper Stuff live like “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, “It’s Getting Better”, “A Day In The Life”, “Lovely Rita”.

Steve also wrote about the Reptiles’ rival bands, The End and The Aliens:

“The End” had Allen Spink and guitar and lead vocals, Jimmy Indusi on Guitar, Timmy Smith on console organ-sounded almost like a Hammond, Rick Selby on left-handed drums, and Pat Giordano on bass guitar. They were the second most ferocious competitors to the Reptiles after “The Aliens”. We made a comeback and beat them in a Battle of the Bands at St. Augustine’s High School finally, after a humiliating defeat at St. Ann’s when Spink stacked the deck with all of his friends. One reason the rivalry was so raw, even though personally I was great friends with the leader Allen Spink, was young testosterone when the nine of us were in a room together. We were like the Jets and the Sharks circling each other, I swear!
The Aliens were composed of Ray Marion on lead guitar and lead vocals (playing a Gibson cherry red ES335), Curt Meinel, bass (Hagstrom?), Glen Kane on drums, and a guy named Howie on Farfisa organ. They were very popular because they could be counted on to play all the standard rock ‘n’ roll songs like “Louie, Louie”, “Wipe Out”, “Bang Bang” (Joe Cuba, not Sonny and Cher), and were not adventurous at all, which is why the Reptiles and Aliens were sworn mortal enemies. Ray would do this swagger like he was so cool and shake his ass, which drove us crazy, because our impression of music at the time did not include ass shaking! Maybe he thought he was Elvis, who I both appreciate and love now, but at the time he was kind of old news to us in 1967.

Thanks to Bassman Bobb Brown for forwarding me the comments of Steve Worthy, along with the photo and the scans and transfers of the Aliens 45.

Categories: Bossier City, Louisiana, Shreveport

The Tremolos

February 15, 2009 Chris Bishop 67 Comments

Drummer Tom Durr tells the story of the Tremolos, a band that never released a record but whose name is probably familiar to club goers in the Shreveport area in the mid 1960s.

My name is Tom Durr. In 1964 Bob Fell, Mike Tinsley and I formed the first garage band in Bossier City and possibly Shreveport too. The band was called The Tremolos with Bob and Mike on guitar and me on drums. We played pep rallies and dances at Bossier High School, the Teen Club and Elks Club, dances at Barksdale AFB, the Shriner’s and VA hospitals and later when I was at La. Tech, we played fraternity and sorority parties. We started out doing only instrumentals, mostly The Ventures, then later started doing vocal covers of hit songs.
When Bob Fell left to play the N.Y. World’s Fair for the summer we got Sonny Williams to replace him. When Bob came back he formed The Group with Noel Odom. Bob asked me to play drums for The Group, but I decided to stay with The Tremolos. This is one of my regrets in life. As a result, he got Fred Engelke on drums.
When Sonny left The Tremolos he joined The Group on bass. The Tremolos went through a lot of personnel changes including Rocky Chalmiers, Pat Huddleston, Richard White and Don MacMurray with only Mike and I remaining constant. Rocky was several years younger than us, it prevented us from playing places where alcohol was sold. He was very talented and I heard he went on to study classical guitar. The Tremolos did record once in a small studio in Bossier City, but no records were ever made. We were also on a TV talent show in Monroe, LA.
My sophomore year of college, the band broke up. I quit school, joined the musician’s union and started playing with a trio at The Stork’s Club on the Bossier strip. Then I got drafted and had to join the Navy. Meanwhile, The Group went on to do everything I had wanted to do.

Categories: Dansville, Hornell, Lee, New York, Upstate New York

P.B. & the Staunchmen

February 8, 2009 Chris Bishop 60 Comments

Early photo of the Staunchmen with Silvertone Bobkat guitars, from left: Paul Nagle, Don Cox, George Harvey (drums), Paul Beecher (with tambourine), Barry McLean, and Doug Smith (sax)

P.B. & the Staunchmen cut this rare 45 on Lee, the same label as the Ascendors “I Won’t Be Home” in 1966. The label was located out of Hornell, New York, 40 miles south of Rochester but the band was from Dansville, another 20 miles south/southeast.

P.B. is Paul Beecher, credited along with the Staunchmen for writing both sides of the 45. Members were:

Paul Beecher – lead vocals
Doug Smith – sax
Paul Nagle – lead guitar
Barry McLean – rhythm guitar
Eric Young – organ
Don Cox – rhythm and bass guitar
George Harvey – drums

“Mean Willy” is a driving track with some wild guitar breaks and screams between repetitive lyrics and droning saxophone.

All the girls they can’t sympathize,
They know that he goes around telling ’em lies,
When he looks into their big brown eyes.

The flip, “Lost Generation”, sounds like it has roots in “Eve of Destruction” (though it actually came out earlier – see Don Cox’s comment below). The lyrics are defeatist and downright depressing, if I am reading them right:

This poor war is here to say,
There’s nothing you can do to keep it away,
My brother’s dead, there’s no denying,
This lost generation has me cryin’.
‘Cause it’s lost, this generation, it’s gone away,
It’s lost no matter what you say.
The kids are turnin’, their cards are burnin’,
Trying to escape this war,
The game they’ve lost and now they’ve found,
It doesn’t matter anymore.
Left to right: Barry McLean, Paul Nagle, Paul Beecher, Eric Young, Don Cox, and George Harvey. Not pictured: Doug Smith. Photo courtesy of George Harvey.

Thanks to Don Cox for the lyric correction. Band photos courtesy of George Harvey, and Don Cox (top photo).

If anyone has more photos of the group, please contact me.

P.B.and the Staunchmen photo — from left: Paul Beecher, Paul Nagle, George Harvey, Barry McLean, Don Cox, and Doug Smith. Eric Young absent.

Categories: Manassas, Virginia

The Halfways & The Turning Image

February 4, 2009 Chris Bishop 1 Comment

The Halfways with Michael Hadder on drums and Sharon Stacy dancing

Linda Hixson on keys, Gene Thompson on guitar & vocals

Michael Hadder, drums and our then sax player Ric --- on maracas — Michael Hadder, drums and our then sax player Ric — on maracas

Michael Hadder was drummer for both the Halfways and that band’s later incarnation as the Turning Image. Together the two bands history spans nearly ten years from 1967-1976 in Manassas, Virginia. Michael sent in this history of the bands and the photos. I’d love to hear what their music sounded like, but so far no tapes have turned up.

Our beginnings were pretty humble. First day of High School in 1967, I became reacquainted with Larry Hixson who I knew from the 5th grade. He had moved out of the Manassas area for a while and had asked me to bring my drums over to his house that Friday night to jam. It was there I met Gene Thompson who was from Leesburg, Va. The next thing I knew , Larry’s step Dad and some other older gentlemen joined us and we began playing a lot of old Hank Williams songs. I thought that night was just a one shot deal, but they kept inviting me back.
I was told that on Halloween night , we would play our first gig at a Virginia radio station and then later at a night club. As it turned out, we played in front of this little old AM station on the back of a flat bed truck. It was so cold it cracked the finish on Gene’s Gibson S-G guitar. When we got to the so-called night club, it turned out to be a beer joint which was probably against the law since the 3 of us were way under 18 years old. I think I took home around $8.00 that night but it was good experience and was technically our first paying gig.
That was pretty much the end of our “Country Music” phase, as the 3 of us broke away and just started playing rock on the weekends. For the next year and a half, we would pile up our then meager equipment into Gene’s 57’ Chevy and spend our weekends playing for friends & family and all the girls that Gene and Larry had stashed away all over Virginia and it was probably the most fun time of our young lives. We bought a small PA system and actually got pretty good for just the 3 of us.
Ric on sax with Dennis Bailey on bass in background
It might have ended there but then by a twist of fate, Tommy Griffith who was a well known singer in the Northern Virginia area agreed to join forces with us, and we went on to get a manager and in the summer of 1969, placed second in a Battle of the Bands, played some dances and make a local TV appearance. By this time we had added Dennis Bailey on bass, (Larry’s cousin) and Linda Hixson (Larry’s sister) and Sharon Stacy as dancers and singers. In addition, Gene was quite the electronics whiz and hooked a switch to the bass drum pedal to make colored lights go on and off in time with the music and the whole experience became quite a show. At the end of that summer Tommy informed us he was leaving and by this time we had had a taste of success, so our manager (Mr. Kay) hooked us up with Allan Johnson as our new lead singer.
After Allan joined, we went thru some personnel changes as Clay Johnson became our keyboard player, and Dennis (who also played trombone) suggested we add other horn players as well and it became quite a large group. We worked a lot. You name it: dances, high schools, talent contests, military bases, beauty contests, teen clubs, weddings, car dealerships, private parties, homecomings, proms, Lions clubs, Rotary clubs, Knights of Columbus dances, county fairs, community centers, etc. all over Virginia, Maryland & DC.
Thru another twist of fate, Allan informed us he was getting married and moving to North Carolina and Tommy Griffith rejoined as lead singer & keyboard player. By this time we were making pretty good money and had a van with our name on it and 2 roadies and continued working almost every weekend. We continued to upgrade our equipment and band uniforms which by now were tuxedos.
By spring of 1976, we played our last gig at Fauquier High School. Circumstances were such that we pursued different interests in life, and thru the rest of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000 & beyond, we kept in touch in various ways.
One of our gigs at the Manassas National Guard Armory was hosted by local Washington D.C. DJ legend Jack Alix(known as J.A the D.J.) The same Jack Alix who emceed the first appearances of The Beatles in Washington at the old D.C. Coliseum & D.C. (now known as RFK) Stadium. (Click here to see article)

Personnel:

Gene Thompson : lead guitar, occasional drums & vocals
Larry Hixson : guitar & vocals
Michael Hadder : drums, occasional guitar & vocals
Tommy Griffith : lead vocals , keyboards & occasional bass
Allan Johnson : lead vocals & guitar, percussion
Linda Hixson : vocals, keyboards, percussion & dancer
Sharon Stacy : vocals, percussion & dancer
Mark Krebs : trumpet
Dennis Bailey : bass, trombone, occaisonal guitar & vocals
Clay Johnson : keyboards & vocals
Bob Newell : trumpet
Tom Tierney : sax, flute & clarinet , guitar, percussion & vocals
Billy Bowden : trumpet & percussion
Larry Goodman : roadie & drum tech
Tommy Dever : roadie & van driver

Gene resides in Maryland, Dennis, Tommy, & Larry and myself, still reside in Virginia (although Larry & wife Kay are teaching in Indonesia till mid-2009), Linda is in Kansas City, Sharon is in Florida, Allan & Bob in North Carolina, Clay is in New York and had lived in Japan. Various members still stay in contact over 40 years later. Dennis went on to tour the U.S. with various acts which included another T.V. appearance while doing a date in Nashville and is now a full-time music teacher. Tommy and Allan also continue to make music and I still play drums on occasion.

In November, 2008, Tommy, Gene, Dennis and myself reunited to jam for the first time in 32 years. We vowed to make this an annual event & bring back other members & people we were around at the time as well.

These were special years that produced golden moments. What began as a way to meet girls on the weekends turned into a second full-time job for all of us and became extremely lucrative. For someone like me who never had a music lesson in my life to have the experience of playing drums for so long a time with such a talented group of players & musicians was incredible. When the venues we played at were packed & we fed off of the energy of the crowd, it was absolute magic I will never forget. Normally bands & band members come & go & break up, but I have been so blessed & fortunate to still stay in contact with Gene, Dennis, Larry, Tommy, Allan, Linda, Sharon & Larry Goodman after all these many years.

More information was available from Michael Hadder’s interview on 60sgaragebands.com, but that is now gone from the web.

L to R: Gene Thompson, Tommy Griffith & Michael Hadder

L to R, bottom row: Dennis Bailey & Billy Bowden, top row: Tommy Griffith, Michael Hadder, Tom Tierney & Gene Thompson

Categories: Colorado, Colorado Springs

The Flameouts

February 2, 2009 Chris Bishop 5 Comments

The Flameouts Fun Girl PS

JP Coumans of the Netherlands sent me the scans and transfers of this 45, writing: “These guys from the United States Airforce Academy cut this great garage rocker ‘Fun Girl’ with ‘girl messin’ with other guys’ and so we get ‘put the girl down’ lyrics single in 1966! Other side is more moody. On the back you can see they were ALL coming from different states! I wonder if they made more records!? Pressing done by Columbia Records!”

The band included Tom Mravak of Ossining, NY; Jerry Becker of Palmerton, PA; Dan Eikleberry of Lincoln, NE; Bill Berry of Port Aransas, TX; and Garry Meuller of Bensenville, IL. Their bass players included Mason Botts, Bill Todd of Shelby NC, and Dan Lavrich. They were students at the U.S. Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Guitarist Dan Eikleberry wrote these comments about the group:

The group was The Flameouts, a 1966 rock n roll band from the USAF Academy. Three of the band members were in the Class of ’66, one was in ’67 and two in ’68. We flew to Hollywood in a very classy VIP T-29 the Academy kept hidden at Pete Field, and made the record at Columbia Studios in Hollywood.
I played lead guitar on “I Won’t Cry”, and wrote the background vocals and harmony, also wrote the intro, the lead guitar break in the middle and figured out how we’d end this thing. I don’t recall we had an ending until we arrived in the studio and looked at each other ‘how do we end this thing? We don’t want a fade-out!’.
This side took all day in the studio. As was the common technique of the day, we did the instrumental work first, (over and over again), then put the instruments down, listened to the track (they had only 8 tracks in those days)on headphones, and did the vocals last.
Old Fender tube amps caused some buzzing problems, and they had the drummer concealed in sound-walls in the back of the room. Recording was interesting in those days. Terry Melcher (Doris Day’s son) did the mixing and producing for us.
“Fun Girl” we laid down in just the last 20 minutes or so in the studio — much easier song. Lead singer Tom Mravak wrote the song, we recorded it something less than 3 or 4 takes. Gerry Becker wrote all the harmony and background vocals on this one. He and Tom lead the band and were our lead singers for all songs. Bill Berry wrote the musical lead and guitar break in the middle and played lead guitar on “Fun Girl”, I just played rhythm guitar.
Listen for “no flies on that, Bubba!” after the lead guitar break. Gerry Becker telling Bill Berry his guitar lead was terrific! It came from a joke we heard that day — you had to be there.
“I Won’t Cry” was supposed to be the “A” (hit) side. I guess it was just too complicated, and in a minor key. The other side was much more popular. “Fun Girl” was basic simple 3-chord R n R.
The record came out June week, 1966, and sold out immediately in Colorado. The Academy then changed their mind and decided not to press any more records, lest the public complain tax payers $$ were being wasted. Cadets should be marching and studying and learning to be officers, not playing Rock ‘n’ Roll.
I wasn’t involved in the ‘business end’ of it all. I was a bit surprised when the record came out that it did NOT have “Columbia” label on it, but that “Flameouts” label instead.
Bill Todd was not really a Flameout — he was a quick replacement for the Hollywood trip in April 1966, because the usual bass player, Mason Botts, was on ‘academic probation’ and could not leave the Academy. The bass player in the photo is Dan Lavrich, who was a freshman (‘doolie’) and couldn’t get off base for much of anything, but did play bass for us now and then and was available for the photo shoot.
Mravak was killed in Feb 1971, when his F-4 Phantom crashed just short of the runway at Udorn Air Base, Thailand. Gary Mueller, drummer, was also flying F-4 aircraft at the base at the time, and I arrived in September 1971 at Udorn, to fly the RF-4C, photo recon version of the F-4 until 1973. Bill Berry last known to live in Ft. Worth, haven’t seen him since 1966 when he graduated from ‘the zoo’. Gerry Becker was last known to be flying ‘aggressor’ aircraft in air combat tactics at Hollomon Air Force Base, New Mexico, but that was 30 years ago. No idea where he is now. I just retired as a Boeing 747-400 Captain from United Airlines. Starting up a new airline in Las Vegas www.familyairlines.com.
I still play guitar now and then, but not often enough! I still have the Fender Jazzmaster I used on both these recordings (the guitar in the photo was borrowed that day because the Jazzmstr was back at Fullerton, CA Fender factory for a repaint job into candy apple red). It sounds better today than it did 46 years ago when I bought it!
Q. Were you in bands before or after the Flameouts?
Dan Eikleberry: Many. You’ll find my name a few times in the Nebraska rock bands web sites of the early 60’s, and on the Mark Dalton page (he played bass on the song 2525 by Zager & Evans many years later). I was in a band called the Chandels of Lincoln NE that became the Coachmen after I left to go to the USAF Academy.
I played in several other bands during the Academy years, as I got a job as a studio musician at Columbia Records in Hollywood, and they would send me out to fill-in as a guitar player for several notable performers of the day. Some of my recordings later became hits, but I never got any royalties from them! The music was recorded at Columbia,then the tracks were sold elsewhere or they added voices in house, we didn’t care — we were gone!
Q. Was the band part of the music scene in Colorado Springs, or just playing on base?
Dan Eikleberry: We were quite busy. We played for various Cadet parties, and public shows and night clubs around Colorado, and traveled to various places in the US to perform, mostly at USAF bases. We flew to Wash DC and recorded in a studio in the basement of the Pentagon that not many know is there. Those were for radio ads for the military. Promotional stuff. And we recorded in Colorado Springs a nice long tape of many of our songs — I had that tape until about 20 years ago when it finally disapeared in a move.
Q. Were you involved in music at Udorn?
Dan Eikleberry: They had mostly Phillipino bands come to play there.. occasionally I would hop up on the stage and whip out a tune with a borrowed guitar if they let me. That’s about all! We were too busy flying in the war!

Check out Dan’s videos featuring the songs and photos of the Flameouts on YouTube.

Categories: Century Custom, Richmond, Virginia

The Chantells

January 23, 2009 Chris Bishop 12 Comments

Chantells Century Custom 45 Break-Down The Chantells came from Richmond, Virginia, where they attended Manchester High School. I love records like this but I didn’t know a thing about these guys until some comments came in below.

Their first single was the instrumental, “I Thought You Would” backed with a cool vocal original, “Who Meant The World To Me”, released in January 1965 on Century Custom 20135.

Their second single came later that year on Century Custom 20445. “I’m Leavin’ Here Today” was the slow top-side, written by Tommy Woodcock. More to my taste is the flip, “Break-Down”, a cool bluesy rocker with sax, organ and a fine guitar solo. The singer’s got the right voice for this kind of song, and the drummer really stands out. This side was written by Deets, Tom Woodcock and Long.

Rex Hawley managed the Century Custom Recording Service franchise in Richmond.

Categories: D-Rea, Rice Lake, Spooner, Wisconsin

Jim Curran with the Lonely Ones

January 19, 2009 Chris Bishop 8 Comments

Here’s a contribution from JP Coumans, who writes:

Here’s an over-the-top-as-garage-music-should-be record: Jim Curran with the Lonely Ones – “Aren’t You Happy” – on the super obscure D-Rea records!
Probably dating from ’65 – ’66 and besides the incredible crude production it’s got great kinda “girl put me down” or is it “put the girl down” lyrics! And they definitely listened very well to “Twist and Shout”… since they took it over and changed it into their own song … with an incredible cool loud break!!!!!
This Jim Curran probably was a rich man’s son who invited the Lonely Ones to release a record together with him. While looking at Jim he’s probably some university dude who really wanted to make a record.
The B-side is something completely different … instead of “Let there be drums” it’s “Drums Send Me” … with only Jim Curran credits. Is this drum instro music? Definitely Jim hasn’t drummed before because that’s how it sounds … completely off rhythm and it sounds more like a space filler!

I’ll repeat Edward Scalzo’s comment about this release, as it gives the most information about it:

This record was recorded in 1966 in the basment of Jim Curran’s home is Rice Lake, Wisconsin. It is correct that he was a rich man’s son that wanted to make a record and asked the band to take part.
The Lonely Ones were a very popular band from Spooner, WI that played gigs all around northern Wisconsin 1965-66 and a little bit in ’67. Originally known as The Epitaphs the band loved doing Rolling Stones and the like. This song is not typical of the band. I played bass with the band ’65-66. The guys had a bit of a bad boy image, but not me. I am the young gentlemen wearing glasses upper right.
I do not have a copy but would like to have one. The flip side is Jim trying to learn to drum, it was just filler.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Sara, Tide, Wisconsin

The Darnells

January 18, 2009 Gary E. Myers 15 Comments

These Darnells (unrelated to the ones on Gordy) began in Milwaukee as Denny & the Darnells circa 1959, with various musicians (including future Legends drummer Jim Sessody) passing through the band. The line-up that went into the Cuca studios to record the first single consisted of lead guitarist Denny King, tenor saxophonist Tom Fabre, singer Gary Lane, Bruce Wells on piano, Norm Sherian on rhythm guitar, and Jerry Sworske on drums. The A-side is their remake of Gene Vincent’s “Little Sheila”, while the instrumental flip is a Latin standard, featuring the jazz oriented sax-man Fabre.

Mike Blattner eventually replaced Sworske on drums, and singer Kim Marie was a member when they played off-night gigs at the Spa on 5th & Wisconsin in September 1962. Our Florida band, the Nightbeats, was touring through Milwaukee’s ACA agency, and they had booked us into the Spa for two weeks. We were looking for a different guitar man and King was looking for steady work, so he joined our band, putting a temporary end to the Darnells. However, five months later King and I left the Nightbeats to reform the Darnells as a trio, with bassist Tom Hahn. Hahn had already been out to Southern California with the Bonnevilles and he wanted to make another trip in order to obtain a Mexican divorce from his estranged wife. A SoCal trip sounded great to Denny and me, so in May 1963 we headed west and landed a gig for the summer at the Firehouse, a beer bar on 17th Street in Costa Mesa.

On the referral of the Nightbeats’ bass player, we connected with the Tide label in L.A. and recorded eight sides – two instrumentals and a pair of vocals by each of us. “Spooner”, the first instrumental, is an up-tempo, surfy, 12-bar blues guitar rocker. The flip is another 12-bar blues, this time a slightly jazzy mid-tempo swing. Denny King’s “She’s My Girlfriend” is teenish, while the flip has the flavor of Troy Shondell’s “This Time”. My own release is teen pop with added strings and voices. To my knowledge, Hahn’s vocals were the only cuts not released from those sessions.

We returned to Milwaukee that fall and, in January 1964, Hahn and I left to join the Cashmeres, bringing a final end to the Darnells. The Cashmeres metamorphosized into the Mojo Men (who later evolved into the Portraits with releases on Sidewalk). Hahn left the Mojo Men and did some work in Memphis with Ace Cannon (“Tuff,” 1962) before leaving the music business and settling in Michigan. After doing some club work with country singer Johnny Carver, Denny King returned to California and teamed up with the Canadian Beadles (sic), whom we had previously met in Ishpeming, Michigan. That combination recorded one single for Tide as the Mojo Men, but they had no connection with the Milwaukee Mojo Men. (It seems that Tide Records, having had their only national chart appearance with Larry Bright’s “Mojo Workout” in 1960, tried to capitalize on the “Mojo” name in every possible way).

After his solo recording for Specialty in 1972, King moved to the Sacramento area and formed a booking agency. He later imported medical supplies from Korea and had other business involvements before he died in 2000; Mike Blattner died in 2004. Gary Lane had gone on to work with the Mad Lads and the Saints Five, and later owned a club in Milwaukee. Besides the Darnells, Jerry Sworske had drummed with several other Milwaukee bands, including the Noblemen and Junior & the Classics. He later became a police officer. Tom Fabre moved to Los Angeles and continued in music until his death in 2007. Kim Marie has organized frequent oldies shows in Milwaukee since 2000. This writer has lived in the greater L.A. area since 1965, played full-time until 1982, and part-time since then.

Darnells releases:

Sara 1055: Little Sheila/Besame Mucho, 11/61
Tide 1090: Spooner/Sleepy, 9/63

Tide 1091: She’s My Girlfriend/Long Lonely Night (Denny King), /63
Edit 2005: Poor Little Baby/If (You’d Only Be Mine) (Gary Myers), 11/63
Tide 2000: Surfin’ Fat Man/Paula (Mojo Men), 2/64
Tide 2001: Mojo Workout/I Got A Woman (Tommy Hahn & the Mojo Men), 5/64
Specialty 726: Bessie Mae/Go Down Moses (Denny King), /72
Specialty LP 5003: Evil Wind Is Blowing (Denny King), /72

Gary E. Myers is author of two histories of Wisconsin music of the 50’s & 60’s, “Do You Hear That Beat” and “On That Wisconsin Beat”, as well as two instructional books, “Understanding and Using Chords and Chord Progressions” and “Understanding and Using Scales and Modes”. Check Gary’s website for more information.

Darnells in Appleton: Tom Hahn, Gary Myers, Denny King

Darnells 1963: Tom Hahn, Gary Myers, Denny King

Categories: Dellwood, Hackensack, Hampton Bays, New Jersey, Saddle Brook, Suffolk County

The Yorkshire Puddin on Dellwood Records

January 11, 2009 Chris Bishop 8 Comments

Yorkshire Puddin Photo Dellwood — The Yorkshire Puddin, from left: R. Ponce de Leon, Danny Jolin, Bob Heinich, and Bob Cotherin

The Yorkshire Puddin cut two 45s on Dellwood Records in ’67 and ’68. Their first 45 is the fine “Good Night Day” backed with “Ain’t Gonna Love Ya No More”. They updated their sound for the second release, “Keep Me In Mind”.

“Keep Me in Mind”, like both sides of their first 45 were written by Cotharin – De Leon and produced by Woody Gardella. “Black Jacket Woman”, the flip of “Keep Me in Mind”, is the same moody pop number also done by the Zone V and the Tropics (the original?). I hear a female voice on the harmonies on this song only.

Dellwood was based in first Hackensack then nearby Saddle Brook, New Jersey.

Rhythm guitarist and vocalist Frank DePauw left a detailed comment about the band below, that I’ll repeat here:

Bob Cotharin, left hand Hofner bass player, and head singer and spokesman of the group.
Reynold Ponce De Leon, keyboards, (harpsichord), rhythm guitar, and harmonies.
Robert Heinick, lead guitar, and vocalist.
Gail Koennemann did some backup singing, and wed Bob Cotharin in ’69 or ’70. No longer together.
Daniel Jollen, drummer, drafted into the Army in the summer of ’68
Frank DePauw, second guitar, harmonies, backup keyboards, and in spare time, light show producer.
The group was the “house band” for the “Castaway” in Hampton Bay, Long Island, N.Y. in the summer of “68, when the drummer was drafted. A mad search went out, but no one could fill Dan’s job, and the group, after trying to get the “sound” back, broke up.

The photo of the group gives Danny Jollen’s name as Danny Jolin, I’m not sure which is correct. Also it’s hard to read the hand writing, but is it Bob Heinick or Bob Heinich? The photo also has what may be a manager’s name, George Appleyard, as well as a second address for Dellwood at 10 Banta Place in Hackensack.

Can anyone fill in more history on how they came to record for Dellwood and play at the Castaway?

Thanks once again to JP Coumans for the scan of “Keep Me in Mind” and transfer of “Black Jacket Woman”.

Special thank you to Harvey Kornbluth for sending the photo of the group.

Yorkshire Puddin Photo Dellwood Back — Back of 8 x 12 glossy photo of the band with Dellwood Music info

Categories: Houston, Paradise, Texas

The Interns “Sally Met Molly” on Paradise

January 6, 2009 Chris Bishop 18 Comments

The Interns playing a dance at Spring Branch High School

Updated December 2009

The Interns have two 45s on the Paradise label, both have A-sides of straight up rock n’ roll. “Sally Met Molly” is a cool medley of Long Tall Sally and Good Golly Miss Molly. The flip is a a good version of Don Covay’s “Have Mercy”. What’s that someone shouts during the fadeout at the end of the song? Anyway, it’s like they were doing a song the Beatles covered on one side, and one the Stones cut on the other.

Their second 45 has “Don’t Make Me No Mind”, which sounds much like “Out of Sight”, backed with an original by Jack Durrett and Graham Hill, “Life With You”. With its harmonies and lighter sound “Life With You” is much different than their other material.

I knew nothing about the group until bassist and vocalist Graham Hill wrote in with info about the group (see comment below):

Lead singer- Jack Durrett, lead guitar- Reid Farrell, drummer- Rusty Dobson and I were the group’s main players. Ernie Graham from Kinkaid H.S. and Albert Dashiels from Lee H.S. played guitar and Tony Pryor and Johnny “The Rabbit” Bundrich [John Bundrick] from North Shore H.S. played organ at various times. We attended Memorial High School and graduated in 1967.
We primarily played private high school parties and after football game dances but we were the opening act for the Animals, Hermann’s Hermits, Neal Diamond, The Byrds, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and other groups at concerts at the old Houston Colliseum. We also played the Houston Club scene. The other bands of our time were the Coastliners, Neal Ford and the Fanatics, Thursday’s Children, and Fever Tree. Roy Head and BJ Thomas were a few years older than us. Billy Gibbons was a little younger and he would hang out at our practices-Reid still stays in touch with him.
The recording you have was on a 4 track machine at Gold Star Studios. We double tracked the lead vocals on Have Mercy and added the hand clapping and back up singing on Sally Met Molly. We did hit the KILT radio top 10 list and were on the Larry Kane TV show several times.
Johnny has been playing with “The Who” since the mid-70s. Reid toured with Archie Bell and the Drells after graduating from high school. Jackie, Reid, Rusty and I still play once or twice a year in Houston.

Thanks to Graham Hill for info and photos of the band and for sending me their second 45 to transfer and scan.

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