The Triumphs “Better Come Get Her” is a stomping rocker, with lines like “she wants to cheat, and I’ll give her the chance”! The flip is the bizarre blues novelty “Morticia Baker”; the single was released on Pacemaker Records PM-238 in early 1966.
The Triumphs came from Rosenberg, TX, just southwest of Houston. Billed as the Triumphs of Rosenberg, I can find notices of their live shows as early as March, 1961, and they started recording in 1962, with singles on various labels such as Dante and Bragg.
For “Better Come Get Her”, the Triumphs consisted of:
Don Drachenberg – usually saxophone but lead vocals Tim Griffith – guitar Tom Griffith – bass Fred Carney – organ Teddy Mensik – drums Denver “Denny” Zatyka – backing vocals Gary Koeppen – backing vocals
Mark Charron was a prolific song writer who composed both sides of this single, as well as other songs for the Triumphs, like “Candy Baby” (the flip of their Pacemaker hit “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”), and “Keep It Up” on Joed Records, which is now sought after by soul DJs.
The Triumphs had been backing B.J. Thomas, but I’ve read the band wouldn’t tour after “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” hit, so Thomas dropped the group. His solo career was already underway, “Tomorrow Never Comes” / “Your Tears Leave Me Cold” on Pacemaker PM-239, credits B.J. Thomas alone.
Huey Meaux owned Pacemaker Records. A Crazy Cajun album Gotta Keep My Kool includes some unreleased music I haven’t heard yet.
Other members of the Triumphs included Doug Griffith on keyboards, John Perry on bass, and Ron Petersen.
The Triumphs would continue, but not releasing more music until 1969 and 1970, when they made two singles on Master Record Co., based out of Jones Sound Recording Studio at 1523 Blair in Houston. Wand picked up one of these, “Houston Won’t Call Me” for national release. I haven’t heard their first Master single, with the intriguing titles “Hang My Mind Out to Dry” / “The World Is Dying”.
Source: Alec Palao’s notes to Don’t Be Bad! (60s Punk Recorded in Texas) which digs deeply into Crazy Cajun’s tape vaults.
early photo of Homer, clockwise from top: Chet Himes, Pat Cosgrove, Galen Niles, Gary Crapster and Frank Coy
Homer was a group from San Antonio that would last from June of 1968 until about 1973. In Houston they would record three singles and an LP for URA Production (Universal Recording Artists).
The first press on the group that I can find comes from August 8, 1968 the Crystal City Sentinel ran a profile of the group by Margaret Anderson in her column, The Teen Scene:
… “Homer” has a really unique sound and the guys said that they plan to bring blues into Texas and prove that rock and roll isn’t “rinky-dinky”, but is something we can musically appreciate. The group seems to be striving for individuality among the many groups of today, rather than being just another band. All of the members of the group have been together for only two months and are all from different original groups.
The leader of the group is Galen Niles. He toured with the “Outcasts” … all through the East Coast, sings lead, and teaches music. The drummer is Pat Cosgroove [sic – actually it was Gary Crapster, Pat played guitar I believe], who won 1st place in International Drum Solo Contests. He has played in many major citys of the United States…
Other members are Frank Coy, Chet Hines, and Gary Crapster, who is also a music teacher. Kids in Crystal City look forward to having them back again for a dance in the near future.
At this early point in 1968, members were:
Frank Coy – vocals Galen Niles – lead guitar Pat Cosgrove – guitar Chet Himes – bass Gary Crapster – drums
Galen Niles has a stellar history in San Antonio music. He played on both the Pandas “Walk” / “Girl from New York City” on Swingtime and the Outcasts “1523 Blair” / “Smokestack Lightning” before joining Homer. He also played the solo on the Mind’s Eye “Help I’m Lost” (Steve Perrone – Luis Cabaza) on Jox (but not on the flip, which was taken from a single under their earlier incarnation as the Argyles).
Ron Houston wrote in the San Antonio Express and News on February 9, 1969:
… I sat ringside at the Web in Corpus Christi diggin’ the band playing a song called “Hi Ho Silver Lining.” It wasn’t Jeff Beck I was looking at. It was “Homer,” the band I had booked for Ray Schaff at the Web.
Frank Coy wrote the A-side of their first single, “Dandilion Wine”, (note spelling – not “Dandelion”) backed with a radical reworking of “I Never Cared for You”, which I would never have guessed was a Willie Nelson song if I hadn’t seen the credit on the label. It even uses “Hall of the Mountain King” in the break.
Their next single had two originals by Galen Niles, “On the Wall” / “Texas Lights”, published by Illiad Music.
Their third single had another Galen Niles composition, “Sunrise”, with a repeat of “Dandilion Wine” on the flip.
Homer at Sun Valley Ballroom on Friday, July 25, 1969 with Ron Houston, KTSA DJ, from the Victoria Advocate.
In September, 1969, Homer were one of the bands represented for booking by Fun People, Inc. at 4807 West Ave in San Antonio, along with the Laughing Kind, the Bubble Puppy, the Playboys of Edinburg, the Sweet Smoke, and Lavender Hill Express.
By the time of their album’s release in 1972, with eight originals by the band, the lineup was:
Phil Bepko – vocals Frank Coy – vocals Galen Niles – lead guitar Howard Gloor – lead guitar and steel guitar Chet Himes – bass Gene Coleman – drums
Frank Coy, Galen Niles and Chet Himes seemed to be in all incarnations of the group. I’ve also seen Rob Randolph and Van Wilks named as members. Robin Overall was a member for a few weeks, but wound up forming Heironymous with Gene Coleman and Phil Bepko, ending Homer’s run.
Chet Himes went into audio engineering, he passed away in August 2020.
Some info from mikesbandarchive.com (now defunct).
I often find records that are not garage rock, but are interesting enough to warrant research. The Pot label, the Texas location, & the title “The Exorcism” might raise one’s expectations, but this 45 by Isaac Sweat, David Kealy and Tom Lunar is conventional ’70s rock with a little horror in the lyrics. There is a cool backwards track version on the flip side.
Still, it’s obscure as can be: this is the only copy I know of, and have found no mention of it elsewhere. Some of members had their roots in the Houston garage band scene, though exactly how is murky at this point.
I found a copyright entry for “The Exorcism” from February, 1974, along with one for “A Love That Will Never Die” by David Kealey, Tom Lunar and Harold Fulton.
The address of 9717 Jensen Drive in Houston points to the Nashville Sound Studio (soon to be renamed Sound Masters) and the release number fits into other singles from that studio.
I thought Pot was the band name, because I.P. Sweat, David Kealy, Tom Lunar seems awkward for a group. But there are releases on the International Mod label that looks very much like this one, by Just Us, the Walkers, and Rocky Rhoades, all cut at Nashville Sound Studios.
I’ve read Isaac Payton Sweat played bass with Johnny Winter, I assume in the early days in Beaumont before Tommy Shannon joined in ’68 or ’69. Isaac died in 1990 after achieving some success with a rocking version of square dance and country music.
David Kealy has a credit as engineer on Kenny Cordray’s version of “Francene” from 1987. As David Kealey, he appears as a bassist on a Bill Nash LP and has many more engineering credits.
Tony Braunagel joined Paul Kossoff of Free in Back Street Crawler, and later became a studio drummer. Braunagel and David Kealey were both members of Bloontz who had an LP on Evolution in 1973.
Much has been written about Euphoria’s legendary album A Gift from Euphoria. This article focuses instead on the various releases the band members did prior to the LP and the connections to other bands I’ve covered on this site.
Euphoria had its start as a Cleveland band with David Potter and Wesley Watt called the Bushmen. Although it was thought that the Bushmen was a separate group from Wesley Watt’s projects prior to Euphoria, David Potter’s bio states:
After playing drums at the club [the Clinton Bar in Cleveland, OH] for three months, Wesley Watt, a guitar player came in looking for a drummer for a group he wanted to put together, The Bushman [sic]. When he heard David he knew he was the one. David turned sixteen in January and in May, David, Wesley, Paul Armstrong, and Carl Johnson left for Los Angeles to make their mark. On arriving in L.A. they immediately became the house band for the club, Guys and Dolls.
After only eight weeks they signed a contract with Colpix records, also signing with Buck Ram, the manager of the Platters. Their first single was “Baby” with “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on the flip side.
The Bushmen had one release “Baby” / “What I Have I’ll Give to You” on Dimension 1049 in June of ’65. Dimension Records was part of the Columbia Pictures / Colpix company at this time.
Bill Lincoln had relocated from Seattle to Los Angeles. He must have been in the group at this point as he is the composer of “What I Have I’ll Give to You”.
Bill Lincoln and Mike Dood are credited with writing “Walk on the Surf Side” by the Nova-Tones, released on Rosco 417 circa 1963, and backed with “Lost Love”. I’m not positive it’s the same Bill Lincoln, but it seems likely as the time and place are right. I haven’t heard either song, so if you have the 45 or sound files, please contact me.
Potter’s bio continues:
The Bushman [sic] were getting a lot of notoriety and attention from all over, including film producer David L. Wolper. He was looking for bands for a documentary about to start filming, Teenage Revolution. They approached Buck Ram about The Bushman being the premiere band for the documentary. Wolper wanted to show what bands went through while traveling around the country from gig to gig. (Along with The Bushman being were about four other bands, one being The Lovin’ Spoonful.) About a month later Buck set up a live gig in Lancaster CA where they filmed their part of Teenage Revolution.
A portion of Mondo Teeno aka The Teenage Revolution is online. I hear music that may be the Bushmen, but haven’t seen any footage of the band.
In addition to the Bushmen single, Watt and Lincoln recorded their original songs as the War-Babies “Jeanie’s Pub” / “Love Is Love” (Highland 4000, August 1965).
The War-Babies recorded another two songs, “Now It’s Over” / “So Little Time” but these came out under the name The Word on Brent 704.
Although I’ve read that the Bushmen came after the War-Babies and Word singles, release dates suggest the Bushmen single came first.
Potter’s bio continues:
After filming the documentary, David, Wesley, and Bill Lincoln wanted to do their own thing. Now seasoned professionals and highly respected musicians they wanted to play and record their own music. With the chance so did their name, to Euphoria. The newly named group spent all their time playing, touring, and recording material that would lead to two of the groups albums. During a successful tour in Texas, their single. “Baby”, released when they were The Bushman [sic], went to #7 on the charts, staying there for seven weeks.
The newly-named Euphoria added Pat Connolly of the Surfaris on bass by the time they toured Texas in 1966. Bill Lincoln left the group when he married and moved to England, though he would rejoin Wesley Watt within a year or two for Euphoria’s 1969 album on Capitol. Connolly also left so Watts brought in James Harrell on guitar and Peter Black on bass, both of the legendary Houston group the Misfits. I believe David Potter was still playing drums with the group at this point, but it may have been Steve Webb of the Misfits.
This group recorded some tracks at Andrus Productions in Houston, including “Pick It Up”, “In Time”, “Walking The Dog” and “Oh Dear, You Look Like a Dog”, none of which surfaced until Texas Archive Recordings released the LP Houston Hallucinations in 1982. The band had other unreleased Texas recordings which await reissue, including “People You and Me” which has some similarity to Da Capo era Love.
Back in L.A., Bob Shad of Brent & Mainstream Records brought the group into United Studios in Hollywood to record four songs in one session. Shad issued two of these (with vocals re-recorded at additional sessions), “Hungry Women” and “No Me Tomorrow” on Mainstream 655, but two originals by James Harrell, “I Realize” and “It Could Do Us No Wrong” were left unreleased and eventually lost. The single would reappear on the Mainstream compilation LP With Love – A Pot of Flowers in 1967.
Despite a good push from Bob Shad, the single didn’t make much of an impact and the group broke up. James Harrell and Pete Black went back to Texas and rejoined the Misfits, changing the name to the Lost and Found.
Potter and Watt joined Lee Michaels band where they played on Michaels’ album Carnival of Life with Gary Davis and John Keski.
Potter joined the East Side Kids in time to play on their album The Tiger and the Lamb, which featured one of his original songs as well as two by Wesley Watt, “Heavy Love” and “Can’t Feel Love”.
Bill Lincoln had returned by this time. He and Watt worked for almost two years on what would become their album A Gift from Euphoria on Capitol in 1969, produced by Nick Venet. According to his bio, Potter also played on the album. Guitarist Doug Delain is also listed in credits for the LP.
After recording the East Side KidsThe Tiger and the Lamb album, Potter moved to Houston and joined with Endle St. Cloud (Alan Mellinger) for his album on International Artists, which also included Pete Black and James Harrell of the Lost & Found. They moved back to LA to for the Potter St. Cloud LP on Mediarts in 1971.
David Potter passed away in 2011, but there was a detailed biography about him at his website, davidpottermusician.com (now defunct but viewable on the Internet Archive).
Watt and Lincoln co-produced and played on Bernie Schwartz’s solo album The Wheel, released on MGM in late 1969, which features a version of their song “Sunshine Woman” that had been on Euphoria’s Capitol LP.
Potter, Watt and Lincoln all continued in music into the early ’70s. For example, Potter and Watt played on Daniel Moore’s 1971 ABC album, and Watt played guitar on Dory Previn’s 1971 Mediarts album Mythical Kings and Iguanas.
Hamilton Wesley Watt, Jr. passed away on February 20, 2015 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
The Ninth Street Bridge released one 45 on Cecile in August, 1968, featuring two originals by Tommy Bourque (misspelled on the label as Tommy Bourgue). “Wild Illusions” has a simple riff and beat with overdriven lead guitar and a vocal delivery very much in a Texas garage style. “Hey Boy” is as good as the flip, with the same saturated guitar sound and heavy drumming.
I don’t know anything about the band other than a Houston location and that Sonny Richards produced the single. I did find an ad for the 9th Street Bridge and the Moving Sidewalks for a show on March 15, 1969 at the Safari in Baytown.
I’m not aware of any other 45s on Cecile.
The 9th Street Bridge and the Moving Sidewalks at the Safari in Baytown, March 15, 1969
“Settin’ the Pace” has some sharp guitar playing, though the horn lines basically reprise James Brown’s “Good Good Lovin'”. I still haven’t heard the flip side to this, or even know the title, so if anyone has a copy please contact me.”Settin’ the Pace” appeared on a 1988 LP on Gulf Coast Records LP Texas Guitars. Most of the songs on that compilation came from the Van Recording label, which originally led me to think this was a Van release as well.
One of the comments on my post about Van pointed out this was actually issued on Gemini Records from Freeport, close to the location of Van. DrunkenHobo sent me this scan from on an old auction of the 45, thanks! It provides me with a little info, but I have no clue as to who was in this band or their history.
The ACA-5112 number indicates the Pacers recorded at Bill Holford’s ACA Studio in Houston. “Settin’ the Pace” was written by someone named McQuarter, published by Glad Music, BMI. I’m not sure of the date, but from the sound and catalog #6301, 1963 is a good bet.
Andrew Brown suggested I cover the Sands, a Houston group who cut the legendary Seeds sound-alike “Open Your Eyes” on the Capri label in 1966.
A Houston Post article from January, 1966, shows the band at what must have been one of the oddest gigs ever, playing for patrons of the Look Plaza Barber Shop in the Spring Branch neighborhood on the west side of Houston.
Members were Tom Smith (drums and vocals), Kevin Pitts (bass), Eddie Everett (guitar), Charlie Snell (guitar) and Keith Church (vocals).
The article also lists the barbers: Herb Barnum, Montaugn Wise and shop manager Bill Cox.
The Sands recorded their only 45 at Huey Meaux’s Pasadena studio on October 11, 1966, produced by Joe Falcone. The A-side, “Can’t Find a Way” was written by Tom Smith. The band is known today for the flip, “Open Your Eyes”, a rewrite of “Pushin’ Too Hard” credited to Eddie Everett. The band gives a spirited performance, with off-the-wall fuzz lead, frantic organ, snappy drumming and snotty lead vocals.
For whatever reason, this is one of the rarest of Texas garage singles.
Eddie Everett wrote to me:
Those were the days, my first real band! One of the barbers in the shop (keyboard player) replaced the rhythm guitar, Kevin Pitts. Shortly after that we recorded our first 45 rpm that put us on the map!
We did concerts with Fever Tree, Moving Sidewalks, 13th Floor Elevators. Down the road, I moved to Florida and played with the Night Crawlers (Little Black Egg) for two years.
Thank you to Andrew Brown for the clippings and 45 scans.
The Paradise label out of Houston, Texas is known for garage 45s by Thursday’s Children and the Warlocks, which came late in the label’s run. Most releases are r&b or blues, but there are even some country singles in the series.
any help with this would be appreciated
1000 – Joe Medwick – Second Time Around / Alabama Blues 1001 – Perk Williams – I’m Hanging My Teardrops Out / Release Me 1002 – Jimmy Nelson – Her Last Bye Bye / Tell Me Who 1003 – Frankie Anthony – Goin’ to the River (Frank Argento) / Brenda 1004 – Joe Medwick – You Little Heartbreaker You / I Cried 1005 – Willard Burton – The Last Buffalo / Cuban Cane Fields 1006 – Joe Hill – Just Not My World Anymore / Give Me a Reason 1007 – Link Davis – You Were Only Pulling My Leg / Whenever You Find Your Love My Love (1963) 1008 – Gashead – I’m Too Good / I Want to Get into Something 1009 – The Impellas – Five Plug / Sailing High 1010 – Gene Allison – Not Even Judgment Day / Fading Love 1011 – Gashead – You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone / Why Do You Treat Me Like a Tramp 1012 – Jimmy Nelson – Sweet Sugar Daddy / I’ll Be Ready 1013 – Johnny Copeland – I Need You Now / Heebie Jeebies 1014 – Link Davis – Orange Blossoms / Feu Follet (1963) 1015 – Larry Martinez – Borquinho / Melinda Café 1016 – Jim Post – Every Once in a While / Look a Long Way 1017 – The Rendevous – Ruby Baby / Ram-Bunk-Shus 1018 – Willard Burton – The Freeze / No Name 1019 – Interns – Sally Met Molly / Have Mercy 1020 – Chris Funston with the High Hopes – Summertime / There’s Nothing Left 1021 – Warlocks – Life’s a Misery / Splash Day 1022 – Thursday’s Children – You’ll Never Be My Girl (Jan Pederson) / Try Girl (Charles Helpinstill, Brown) (also released on Kidd 1334) 1023 – Interns – Don’t Make Me No Mind / Life With You 1024 – Leon Mitchison – The Sheek Part 1 / Part 2
5000 – Tommy Hammond – Ride This Train / Beging to You 5001 – Jim Jones and the Chaunteys – Sparkle and Shine / Three Squares 5002 – Johnny Copeland – Night Time Part 1 / Part 2 5003 – Oscar Perry – I’m on My Way / I Want to Get Old with You 5004 – Julius Jones and The Riverea’s – Eimmer Line / Soulin’ with the Riverea’s
With thanks to Texas Soul Recordings for filling in some missing gaps in my discography, and also to Myskatonic for confirming the Chris Funston disk, and to Bob for the listing of 5001.
The Deuce Is Wilde in front of the Catacombs. Photo from Not Fade Away #4The Deuce Is Wilde on film
Updated December 2010
The Deuces Wild (who became the Deuce Is Wilde) performed “You’re All Around Me” with footage from the Catacombs and Love Street in a short 1968 film directed by Charles Burwell, titled Deuce Is Wild.
From people’s comments it seems the band included these members:
Charles Webb – lead guitar Paul Viviano – rhythm guitar Harold Bailey – keyboards Gordon Barnette – bass guitar Rick Slaydon – drums
One early member of the Deuces Wild was Clark Clem, who also played guitar in the Chancellors Ltd. Charles Burwell contacted me to say that Clark Clem recently told him he’d left the band a year before the film was made.
In December, 2010 James Donnelly, who was in Jim Henley & the Thymes, wrote to me about the band:
I always knew them as the Deuces Wild. I went to high school and played in the HS band with two of the members, drummer Ricky Slayden and bassist Gordon ‘Boo Boo’ Barnett. They also had an guitarist named Charlie Webb. Also Harold Baily (keyboards), I think he left the group in ’68 or ’69 and moved to Las Vegas to become a blackjack dealer! Lost track of them years and years ago, although I know the Gordon passed away in the 70’s.
The Deuces were one of the best cover bands around, and covered everybody from James Brown to Paul Revere and the Raiders to the Music Machine. They played the Catacombs on a regular basis. Boo Boo was the comedian of the group, and the bass he played was almost as big as he was, Ricky was one of the best drummers I ever played with.
Margaret Jackson Graeff commented below with information I’ll repeat here:
The Deuces Wild changed their name to the Deuce Is Wilde around 1967. The rhythm guitar player in the picture, who is also doing vocals, is Paul Viviano. The bass player in the photo is Gordon Barnette. Contrary to what was said previously, Gordon did not die in the 1970s. He died in April, 1992. In the early 1970s, their roadie, Howard Lehman died. He lived down the street from Gordon when they were in their teens. I think that is where the confusion is. I knew the Deuces very well.
Charles Webb was their lead guitar player, but left the band when he was a freshman at Rice University. He now has a PhD and is a professor at California State University at Long Beach. He also goes by the name Charles Harper Webb and is a published author. Charles also played in the Houston based band, Saturnalia. Rick Slaydon played drums. Rick also played drums for the Houston-based band, The Starvation Army Band. James Lucas was the lead singer. Harold Bailey was the keyboard player. Paul Viviano, in 1969, formed the band ICE, with Stacy Sutherland, of the 13th Floor Elevators.
Thanks to Charles Burwell for info on Deuce Is Wild and the frame image from the film, and to James Donnelly for the info about the group.
Johnny Winter at Act III, Houston Post, Nov. 30, 1966
A story on a Texas group The Valens / The Outcasts (not the Askel group) mentions the band trying out for a Houston club The Act III a Go Go. However a member of the Interns remembers there being two different clubs, “What a Way to Go Go” and the “The Act III”.
Andrew Brown provided the scan above and says there was also a club called “What a Way to Go Go”. The clubs might have shared the same location, but that’s still speculative. Act III’s address was 6663 S. Main, it seems its been torn down for a strip mall.
Does anyone have posters, photos or material from either club that would clarify this minor point about the Houston music scene?
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
“Settin’ the Pace” has some sharp guitar playing, though the horn lines basically reprise James Brown’s “Good Good Lovin'”. I still haven’t heard the flip side to this, or even know the title, so if anyone has a copy please contact me.”Settin’ the Pace” appeared on a 1988 LP on Gulf Coast Records LP Texas Guitars. Most of the songs on that compilation came from the Van Recording label, which originally led me to think this was a Van release as well.
The Paradise label out of Houston, Texas is known for garage 45s by Thursday’s Children and the Warlocks, which came late in the label’s run. Most releases are r&b or blues, but there are even some country singles in the series.
