The Velours cut this one single, “She’s My Girl” / “Woman For Me” on Rona R-010. Both sides sound like they were recorded with a studio audience. “She’s My Girl” is uptempo r&b that only lacks a guitar break. I’d like to know who was the vocal group doing the background vocals, which really help the sound. I’ve seen December 1964 as the release date. The group was based in either Dallas or Fort Worth, Texas.
St. Romain wrote the songs, with Rona Pub. Co. handling the publishing. I believe this is Mike St. Romain, who was related to Kirby St. Romain, possibly his brother?
I can tie Michael St. Romain to the Velours from Jerry Zenick’s Disc ‘n’ Data column on November 23, 1972 in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which profiled the band Saint Romain:
Romain’s Club Style Is Conducive to Success
Formerly known as Quest, the group [Saint Romain] recently completed a stint at Dallas’ Club Climax, where the name switch was announced.
The new handle is very apropos because the driving force of the quintet is Mike St. Romain. A dynamic singer, forceful guitarist and consummate impersonator, the Dallas native has been a professional for over a decade. After touring with the Dick Caravan of Stars at 14, Romain formed his own group, The Velours. Long stints in the Virgin Islands and on the West Coast greatly widened and polished his style. After the unit disbanded in 1968, Romain put together Quest.
Present band members are bassist Phil James … drummer Gary Talbert, who played with the Human Beings when they released “Nobody Can”; pianist George Christopher, and side [sic] guitarist Michael Marchman, who handles the arranging tasks.
An early version of Quest included Darrel Howard of the Chants, and John Broberg and Neal St. John of the Upper Class.
This is not the same Velours as the group who cut singles on Onyx and Cub, among other labels.
The Vibrasonics came from Meadville in northwest Pennsylvania, east of Cleveland and north of Pittsburgh. They recorded two good original songs, “Don’t Go” / “Send Her to Me”, on Marjon Records MJ-511, in July 1965.
Bud Pendolino wrote both songs. He registered copyright under Leonard James Pendolino in May and July 1966.
Pete Simonetta produced the single, I am not sure of his connection with the Vibrasonics.
Five years later, Buddy Pendolino’s name shows up on the writer’s credit for “Way Out West”, the A-side of a single by Fairchild (also known as Stonewall) on Marjon Records. The B-side was “I’d Like to Make You Mine”, written by B. Kurt, D. Miller, J. Crecraft and N. Dasovich.
Johnny and Martha Krizancic owned Marjon Records in Sharon PA, recording mainly polka and country music.
This is not the same band as the Vibra-Sonics from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that made one 45, “Thunder Storm” / “Drag Race” on the Ideal label in 1964. That band included George Tweedy on lead guitar, Bob Tweedy rhythm guitar, Bill Sabo on 2nd lead and rhythm guitar, Joe Colner bass, and Joey Michno (later known as Joey Covington) on drums. These Vibra-Sonics often played Conneaut Lake, very close to the Vibrasonics hometown of Meadville.
Fox and the Huntah’s “Funny Kinda Day” is an obscure single, a full production with piano and backup singers, and a 12-string guitar break with a couple minor flubs. It was an original song by Tom Fox and Mike Davis, who seem to have been members of the band. Other possible members include Joe Ardovino and Hal McDonald.
Ed Boutwell engineered the session. “Scotty” produced the B-side, a cover of “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”. Released as Malcolm Z. Dirge 45004 in November, 1966. The oddly-named Birmingham, Alabama label also put out three singles by the Distortions, and one by the Daze of the Week.
More info on Fox and the Huntah’s would be appreciated.
The S.O.S. Unlimited seem to have been a short-lived group. They made only one single but it’s a good one, “Come On, Come On” / “Girl, You Don’t Know” on Whittier W-510, released in December, 1967 according to Teen Beat Mayhem.
Eddie Torres produced, and published the songs through Tormid Music, which also published many of Thee Midniters’ originals. Eddie Torres owned the Whittier label, and also managed and produced Thee Midniters. Eddie passed away on October 17, 2019.
Almost all Whittier releases were by Thee Midnighters, the only exceptions being Thee Impalas, the S.O.S. Unlimited, and a single with Godfrey backed by Thee Midniters, making it interesting that this single is so obscure.
B. Velasquez and S. Herrera wrote both sides.
Benjamin “Spider” Velasquez had been in the Desires who had a great 45 as Ricky René & the Fabulous Desires “Dance with Me” / “Ouch” on ERA Records 3138, from 1964. Ben Velasquez and Ricky Sanchez wrote both songs. The Blendells and Mark & the Escorts would record versions of “Dance with Me”.
I asked Mark Guerrero, formerly of Mark & the Escorts about Ben “Spider” Velasquez. Mark kindly called Albert Martinez, rhythm guitarist with the Desires, who confirmed with Spider Velasquez’s son that Spider was a member of S.O.S. Unlimited. I do not know the full name of S. Herrera, or any other members of the band.
Perhaps that is Spider playing the catchy guitar riff that opens “Come On, Come On” and the piercing guitar break later on in the song. “Girl, You Don’t Know” is slower and has a touch of psychedelic style to it.
SOS Unlimited and Thee Midniters mentioned in the Citizen News, March 1, 1968The first mention of S.O.S. Unlimited I can find is an item in a Hollywood newspaper, the Citizen News on March 1, 1968.
Three young men … are in trouble with the law today over a house on Rexford Dr. they allegedly rented to hold public dances.
Police got wind of the “social” when a crowd between 1500 and 2000 gathered at the house at 714 N. Rexford Dr. where two pop bands “The Midnighters,” and “SOS Unlimited” played for dancing.
Two weeks later on Friday, March 15, S.O.S Unlimited played a Vietnam benefit dance at Carpenters Union Hall, 7500 Van Nuys Blvd., sharing the bill with the Casuals, the Elegants, the Excessions, the Young Ideas, the Lights, the Classics, the Jems, and Leather Syrup.
The Saturnians Girls Club of the San Fernando CYO sponsored the show. “The president of the club is Irene Gomez. Jim Montoya will direct the show.”
The last mention of the group I can find comes from a flyer from Mark Guerrero’s essential website. “The Magnificent S.O.S. Unlimited” appeared at an Easter dance at Kennedy Hall, 451 South Atlantic Blvd on April 14, 1968, with Evergreen Blues, the Righteous Rhythms, The Exciting Men from Sound, and the American Fuzz Society. The show was produced “in cooperation with the Pace Setter & Foxetts Club”.
The Men From S.O.U.N.D. were a later version of Mark and the Escorts, and in 1968 changed their name to 1984, with two singles for Kapp Records as Nineteen Eighty-Four.
More info on S.O.S. Unlimited or a photo of the group would be appreciated.
Handbag had one single of organ-based jazz-rock, “Kids on the Coast” / “Heartache” on Markus DM 3848 from 1972. I could not find any detailed info on the band on the net or my reference books, so I thought I’d post about this record here, even though it’s not ‘garage’ rock.
M. Larschied wrote “Kids on the Coast”, arranged by L. Byrne. I like the bluesy flip, “Heartache”, written by J. Krueger.
Mark McCaul owned the Markus label and McCaul Music publishing, based in or near Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Markus is best known now for releasing “Sorcerer” / “Four Sticks” by Junction, as well as singles by Bishop, Jaramago, Koke and Mike Tilden & Friends. Several of these labels list “Trademark DM Recording”.
Interestingly, the “tulip” symbol in the dead wax, and the 1/4″ indent by the center hole indicate the single was mastered and pressed by Wakefield Manufacturing in Phoenix, Arizona, as were other singles on the label, such as Bishop and Mike Tilden & Friends.
Any further info on Handbag or other groups from the Markus label would be appreciated.
The Jesters came primarily from Naples, Florida, about 110 miles west of Miami. Their discography comprises a handful of high quality singles, but there is very little info about the band on the ‘net.
The first notice I can find about the Jesters comes from the Miami Herald on March 25, 1965, for a “Hootenanny” at Naples Senior High School on April 1:
“… a six-piece band which has won popularity with local teenagers. Band members are Wally Frederickson [sic], Larry Cope, Johnny Gibbs, Riley Brack, Steve Miller, and Bill Morton.”
The lineup in early 1965 was:
Wally Fredrickson Jr. – lead vocal Larry Cope – lead guitar Johnny Gibbs – rhythm guitar Bill Morton – keyboards Steve Miller – bass Riley Brack – drums
At some point David Hopkins, from Fort Myers, replaced Larry Cope.
The Jesters in the News-Press, August 15, 1965, from left: Wally Fredrickson, John Gibbs, Bill Morton, Steve Miller, Riley Brack and David Hopkins
The Fort Myers News-Press had a full page feature on the group on August 15, 1965, including photos of fans and parents:
Teens Flock to Night Spot to Enjoy Jesters
Jester A-Go-Go, News Press, July 10, 1965If attendance is any gauge, the newest establishment at Fort Myers Beach – Jester A-Go-Go is a smashing success. Every Wednesday and Saturday night an average of 250 enthusiastic teens flock to this teenage night spot at the old Driftwood Lounge to spend an evening dancing to the music of the Jesters, a six man combo from Naples.
A popular feature is the dance contest. The prize to the winner is a record album, recorded by The Jesters at the Qualicon Studios in Naples. One of the cuts on the record is an original Jesters’ composition, “I Ain’t Gonna Cry No More.”
According to Brack, the leader, the group has been playing together a little more than a year… Brack said, “One day I was talking to a man who worked for my father and he asked if I had ever played any instruments. When I told him I played the drums some, he said he was a professional bass player and suggested we get together.
… he said he could teach the guitar, so I got Steve, Bill and John and they started taking lessons. Up until then none of them had ever picked up a guitar. After three months of lessons and practice, we went out on our own and played our first dance a year ago last July 4.
… one day Dave Hopkins drove by and saw the “for rent” sign on the Driftwood.
“We decided we liked it, went in and cleaned it up and painted it. We opened about a month ago.”
…their parents… are kept busy… selling tickets, stamping the teens for identification and acting as chaperones… Parents at the door use their own judgment as to who will be allowed in and the smell of alcohol on the breath is one sure way of being denied entrance…[see full article]
Wally Fredrickson’s father, Walter Fredrickson Sr. owned Qualicon Studio.
The Jesters as a quintet, October 1965
On October 16, 1965, the Miami Herald announced the Jesters performance that night at the Masonic Hall in Naples. The accompanying photo showed the group as a quintet, without Bill Morton. A notice in the News-Press for the same show confirms that lineup and gives some more detail, with DJ Roby Yonge as emcee, and “Two of the combo’s latest recordings, ‘I Laugh At You,’ and ‘You Say You’ll Never Leave Me’ – their own composition – will be featured.”
Wally Fredrickson Jr. – lead vocal David Hopkins – lead guitar & vocals Johnny Gibbs – rhythm guitar Steve Miller – bass Riley Brack – drums
This group cut an awesome demo, “I’ll Laugh at You” / “You Can Have Her”.
The Jesters recorded a second version of “I’ll Laugh at You” for their first released single, backed with “Just Let Me Love You”. This version has “LIVE From THE CLUB A GO GO” and “Recorded By Qualicon” on the label.
Jeff Lemlich wrote to me: “Club A Go Go [aka Jester a Go Go] was an old 1930s speakeasy on Fort Myers Beach that the band ran for about four months. Other places they played included the Flaming Fountain in Naples and the local Moose Club.”
On October 22, 1965, the Fort Lauderdale News ran a display ad for the Pompano Skate Rink “Arena-A-Go-Go, Every Sat. Nite Dance to the Fabulous ‘Jesters'”.
News-Press, September 30, 1966
By the next notice I can find from September 30, 1966, nearly a year later, the lineup had changed considerably. Only Wally Frederickson and David Hopkins remained from the 1965 lineups:
Wally Fredrickson Jr. – lead vocals, tambourine David Hopkins – lead guitar, harmonica and vocals Bill Hinman – organ, guitar, mandolin and vocals Bruce Morford – bass and vocals James O’Neill – rhythm guitar Bobby O’Neill – drums
The News-Press announced negotiations between George Pittman, representing the Jesters and Qualicon Studios, and Sidewalk Productions, a division of Capitol Records. That contract would happen, with the Jesters sending two tapes to Capitol in October, 1966, for “Ride, My Son, Ride”, written by George Pittman, and “Leave Me Alone” by Wally Fredrickson. They also signed publishing contracts with Exbrook Publishing and Mirby Music Co.
I am not sure how Walter Fredrickson, Sr. met Mike Curb or some other representative of Sidewalk Productions, but a number of his productions from Qualicon would end up on Manhattan or Sidewalk.
Fort Myers News-Press, Nov 18, 1966
The News-Press ran a feature on the the Fabulous Jesters on November 18, 1966:
The Fabulous Jesters will play for a dance for teenagers Saturday night on the second floor of the former Belk’s Building at First and Hendry Streets …
The six band members … are from Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Naples … Their first record [sic] is scheduled for release around Jan. 1 by Tower Records …
Wally Frederickson Sr. will travel as sound engineer with the Jesters on all personal appearances. He is president of Qualicon Productions, Inc. He also is owner and director of Qualicon Studios which does custom recording.
Tapes by the Jesters will be prepared by Qualicon Studios in Naples and sent to California.
In January, 1967, “Don’t Try to Crawl Back” / “Leave Me Alone” came out on Sidewalk 910, originals by Pittman and Fredrickson.
On February 9, 1967, the New-Press ran an update to note the single had reached the top 40 on WMYR, Fort Myers, and WFUN, Miami:
Twenty-two songs have been recorded for Capitol and will be released at the company’s discretion. All of them were written by the Jesters.
The boys cut a film for the Rick Shaw Miami TV show recently and it was shown on the 7-8 a.m. time spot. It will be repeated from time to time.
In Miami the Jesters have played at the Tiger Den and Shindig and entertained over 3,000 of the “in” group at the world [The World nightclub].
In April of 1967, the Jesters released “Blue Feeling” (which had been done as “Blue, Blue Feeling” by Dr. T. & the Undertakers) b/w “Unchain My Heart” on Qualicon QU-5003.
June 1967 saw the release of their second Sidewalk single, “Hands of Time” / “If You Love Her, Tell Her So” on Sidewalk 916. Writing credits list Wally Fredrickson, Sr. (I suppose it should be Jr.) and George Pittman. The labels read arranged by Wally Fredrickson, Sr., produced by Qualicon.
The Sidewalk LP Freakout U.S.A. also contains “Don’t Try to Crawl Back”.
Bruce Morford later joined the Painted Faces, another band that frequently recorded at Qualicon.
Walter Fredrickson Sr died in December, 1976 at the age of 52.
John Gibbs passed away on November 15, 2010.
There was also a group called the Jesters from Palmetto High that was playing shows in the area in 1965 and 1966, with a lineup of Richard White (lead guitar), Bob Ammarell (rhythm guitar), Pete Mooy (bass) and Mike Linet (drums).
And of course there was Mark Markham & His Jesters, with an entirely different set of musicians.
Qualicon Studios:
Qualicon seems to have been formed in January, 1963, according to a notice of incorporation on the News-Press:
Qualicon Corp. of Naples was authorized to deal in electronic devices. Incorporators are William B. Vogt, Walter I. Frederickson and Patricia Ann Dozzie, all of Naples.
Though frequently spelled Frederickson in news reports, I believe the correct spelling of his name is Fredrickson.
Qualicon QU 5001 – Bob Bellows – “Goodbye Blue Eyes” (Reg Fulton, Ted Paulson) / “Tout Doux, Tout Doux” (Reg Fulton, Louie Rey) Qualicon QU 5002 – The Painted Faces – “I Want You” / “Things We See” Qualicon QU-5003 – The Jesters – “Blue Feeling” / “Unchain My Heart”
Although the Qualicon label only released three singles, Walter Fredrickson Sr produced five singles for the Manhattan label (also affiliated with Mike Curb) by the the Painted Faces and the Mysteries.
———
Some of the info in this article came from Jeff Lemlich’s interview of David Hopkins many years ago. Thank you to Jeff for the news clipping from November 18, 1966.
Thank you to Anthony G. for forwarding a photo from Riley Brack, to Paul Sullivan for another photo, and also to Matthew Baker for his help.
When I heard the Loose Ends “Hey, Sweet Baby” / “I Love You, Baby”, I thought this might be a rural southern single. I was surprised to find a suburban Connecticut address on the labels.
“Hey, Sweet Baby” by Robins and Douglas has a fuzz blues riff that hardly varies the entire song. There are breaks, not for guitar solos, but screams and hoots. Great drumming too. The hand claps towards the end of the song show the group was loose indeed.
The flip “I Love You, Baby” by Robins is a fine ballad with an extended reverb guitar solo.
Released on Meadow Brook Records MB-0069, the labels have an address of 27 Carousel Drive, Nichols, CT (now would be Trumball, CT), northeast of Bridgeport. The labels spell it Carrousel.
Produced by MBR Productions, and published by Loose Ends Music BMI. This is a Rite pressing from October, 1969.
The Loose Ends seem to be a dead end, as I can’t find any leads past the info on the label.
My name is Gary Jedlicka, I was the drummer in the band The NYTE:
Sandy Pantaleo – lead vocals Bill Stevenson – lead guitar and vocals Ben Ninnman – Hammond B3 with a Leslie and a piano bass, vocals. Gary Jedlicka – drums and vocals
Second-to-last poster for the Other Place, with the Franklin Freight Train, The Genesis and The Nyte
The NYTE organized in Greenville, North Carolina, sometime in 1967 as we were all students at East Carolina College (at that time, University now). I was, and still am, from New Jersey, Bill was from New Jersey, Sandy was from Long Island, and Benny was from Virginia. Strange how a bunch of Yankees got together and started a rock-n-roll band in North Carolina.
We played The Other Place in Nags Head, NC, on August 23-25, 1968. We may have been one of the last 2 or 3 bands to rock that place before it closed. I still have that awesome poster in perfect condition hanging on my wall near my original set of 1965 Grey Oyster Pearl Ludwig drums.
We established ourselves as a pretty good rock band and eventually got picked-up by Bowie Martin of Bomar Productions. He booked us at a lot of cool places relatively close to Greenville and we had a lot of great gigs. The Other Place was certainly one of them. We stayed in NC throughout the summers, playing gigs instead of heading up North after the last semester. The NYTE eventually broke up early 1969 because members moved onto other adventures in our lives.
The Lemon Sandwich released the very cool “Give Me Love” on La Salle Records L-371, backed with “I Must Be Dreaming”. Eddie Hileman wrote both songs.
Tommy Burke used the Lemon Sandwich’s exact recording of “Give Me Love” for his 45 on Lauren L-2513 backed with “I Don’t Want to Be Your Keeper”, with writing credit for both songs to Tommy Burke.
Eddie T. Burke then released the Lemon Sandwich’s “I Must Be Dreaming” on E.T.B. Records ETB-113. I’m not sure if this was the same recording as the Lemon Sandwich or not, but with LA SALLE CE 15/16 cut into the dead wax, I believe it probably is. The flip is the Taboos “So Sad” but with Eddie Burke doing new vocals. For this release Eddie Hileman is given writing credit for both songs, even though the Taboos was by Brennan and Palazzo.
Phil Fallo contacted me about the Lemon Sandwich:
I was lead guitarist in the Lemon Sandwich back in 1968-69. When I joined, they were a quartet, Ed Hileman was the sole guitarist. I was brought in to play lead guitar and we became a 5 piece. The bassist was Tom Davis, the drummer was Mike Kritsky and the organist was named Al. We were all from New Jersey.
I believe that single predates me – maybe early 1968. We were very successful in Greenwood Lake, NY where we were house band at “Mother’s”, the largest club on the lake for an extended period. We played other places on the lake like the Long Pond, Big Daddy’s and TA’s East. We broke up in 1969.
At the time the drinking age was 18 in NY and 21 in NJ and all these clubs were located just over the Jersey line on the NY side of the lake. Flocks of teens from NJ would come up to the lake to be able to drink. When the drinking age changed, most of those clubs burned down killing the scene.
That was probably the most successful band I was in. After that played in a number of bands that worked the northern New Jersey circuit or in Greenwich Village. Syren, Apollon, Buck Scrub, St. Jack. Also played in a band led by Tom Feher, who had been in the Left Banke, and another led by Paul Klein who prior to my time had a band called the Wind in the Willows. My last band broke up in 1978-79.
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
The Velours cut this one single, “She’s My Girl” / “Woman For Me” on Rona R-010. Both sides sound like they were recorded with a studio audience. “She’s My Girl” is uptempo r&b that only lacks a guitar break. I’d like to know who was the vocal group doing the background vocals, which really help the sound. I’ve seen December 1964 as the release date. The group was based in either Dallas or Fort Worth, Texas.
