Category Archives: Harrisburg

The Legends first single “Why” / “Baby Get Your Head Screwed On”

Legends Up 45 Baby Get Your Head Screwed On“Why” / “Baby Get Your Head Screwed On” was the first single by the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania group the Legends, who are best known for their devastating 1969 psych single “High Towers” / “Fever Games”.

This lineup of the Legends was:

Larry Swartzwelder – lead guitar
Dan Hartman – keyboards
Derek Parsons – bass
Ralph Schwartz – drums

Earlier members of the band included Dave Hartman guitar and vocals and Denny Woolridge bass; later members included Gene Brenner guitar, Joe Caloiero bass and vocals, Dave Cope on bass, and Larry Sadler on drums.

The Legends story is told elsewhere in some detail, but there is little about this release on the internet.

The A-side is an original by Dan Hartman, “Why”, featuring a soulful vocal over a backing dominated by the organ.

The Legends probably found “Baby Get Your Head Screwed On” from the version by the Double Feature, a British duo from Birmingham, Bill Hall and Brian Lake. Double Feature had two singles on Deram, both of which saw release in the US. It’s also possible the Legends heard the song on its composer Cat Stevens’ first album, Matthew and Son which also had a US release in 1967.

Legends Up 45 WhyJohn Ulrich produced the single, and published “Why” through John Ulrich Music. Gene Eichelberger engineered the single, released on Up Records 2202-7-13. The single is styrene, with X-5291/2 etched in the deadwax.

Dan Hartman designed a picture sleeve with a crude b&w drawing very similar to the sleeve for the Blues Magoos “Pipe Dream”. It was not used for the single until many years later, when Billy S. reproduced the drawing with a discography on the back to sell a small amount of copies of the original single. Thank you to Thomas Grosh for sending in the scan.

Legends UP later PS Baby Get Your Head Screwed On
PS made years after the original release.

Up Records was part of Bridge Society Records which had some other fine releases including:

The Shan-Dells ‎”Chimes” / “Little Girl” and their soul classic ” I’ve Got To Love Her” / “Idle Excursion”
The Evil “I” – “Love Conquers All” / “Can’t Live Without You”
The Legends second single, “Keep On Running” / “Cheating”

Info on band lineups from the Arf! Arf! compilation High Towers [1965-1973].

The Shan-Dells

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.

Shan-Dells Bridge Society 45 ChimesTheir 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.

Shan-Dells Bridge Society 45 Little GirlWe 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.

Shan-Dells Bridge Society 45 I've Got to Love HerDave 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