Not much info here, the Catalinas “rock and roll band” at the Oasis Club at 1300 S. Barnes in Pampa, Texas in March of 1964. I’ve covered three other Catalinas from Texas, one from San Antonio and the others from the Dallas area, but I bet this was a different group.
Also seems to be a few years too late to be the Catalinas out of Dallas who had a 1958 single on Back Beat, “Speechless” / “Flying Formation With You”, that band included C.B. Oliver, Happy Bond, Mickey Jones, Vince Murphy, and Jack Schell.
On April 29, 1965, the Duncanville Suburban published a profile and photo (unfortunately blacked out by the microfilm process): “A new band —’The Catalinas” – has been organized in Duncanville, headed by Ricky Rose. The band consists of Gerald Marable, drummer; Mike Mayhew, rhythm guitar; Ronny Teames, bass guitar; and Ricky Rose, pianist. Rose also serves as vocalist.”
In March of 1967 the Duncanville paper published a notice that the Catalinas would be playing, “a local combo that is well-known around the Southwest Dallas County area.”
As far as I know, these Catalinas never recorded.
There was a Catalinas group from the Garland area of Dallas playing at the same time as these Catalinas. I believe they are different groups though, because that one featured two guitars and no pianist.
I very much doubt this is the same group listed on a couple San Antonio ads at Teen Town in 1966.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
The Catalinas, including Gary Nicholson front center and Rodney Wall at right
The Garland Daily News ran two announcements for the Catalinas at the Karavan Klub at the Community Center Annex, first with the Cherries IV on February 26, 1965.
On April 6, 1965 the Daily News ran a photo of the group, noting “Catalinas to play at Karavan Teen Klub and DECA Club Dance at Community House … with the Fiestas who won the Karavan Battle of the Bands contest, and a new group composed of South Garland High School students known as the Sceptors.”
There was a Catalinas group from Duncanville playing at the same time as these Catalinas. I believe they are different groups though, because that one featured a pianist and only one guitarist.
As far as I know, these Catalinas never recorded.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
Taken May of 1967 in Beaumont, Texas at the Crown Room in the King Edward Hotel.
The Kidds was a cover band that consisted of 6 members. The original band pictured here is Gerald Patrizi on drums, Joey Patrizi lead guitar, Jimmy Phelan rhythm guitar, Jake Tortorice lead singer, John Schmidt base guitar and myself, Antoine LeBlanc keyboard.
The Kidds were fortunate to open up for The Five Americans when they came to our area. That band had just recorded “Western Union” and they preformed it that night. We also opened for The Moving Sidewalk before they changed their name to ZZ Top.
The Kidds had plans to record a single “Down To Middle Earth” but broke up before going to the studio.
After the Kidds broke up in 1970, rhythm guitar player Jimmy Phelan moved to Austin Texas played and ran sound for country singer-songwriter Rusty Wier. No one else that I remember went to play with any other bands at that time. I have been playing with a 10 piece cover band for the last 17 years called Mid-Life Crisis.
Jolly Rogers, Kerrville Daily Times, January 26, 1967The Jolly Rogers came from Fredericksburg, Texas, its members were:
Byron Freeman – organ Danny Kunz – lead guitar Robert Miller – bass guitar D.L. Chase – drums
An article in the Kerrville Daily Times from January 25, 1967 announces their upcoming show at the J.M. Auld Youth Center, and notes the band had been together for about six months with Byron Freeman as manager. Also that they had “played at the San Angelo Air Base and Service Club, the Commanche Club in Burnet, The Char Door in Comfort, Legioin Hall in Fredericksburg, and the teen Club in Kennedy and New Braunfels.”
The article also mentions another dance with a band called The Gates of Creation.
I don’t believe this group ever recorded. There was a group called Jolly Roger and the Poppiteers, from the Waco area, with a couple singles on White Deer. From the label credits, that band included Roy Irby, Dave Carr, Ray Colin, Jim Muile and Roger Simmons.
The Other Side came from Tulia, Texas, a small town south of Amarillo and north of Lubbock. The Tulia Herald profiled the group on November 9, 1967.
Members were:
Kennth Bean – lead guitar Paul Sharp – organ Perry Russell – bass and band “showman” Bill Cruce – drums
I don’t believe the group recorded, but it’s encouraging that they had three Kinks songs in their live repertoire.
This is NOT the same group as the Other Side who cut “I Can’t See You” / “Your Faith So Strong” on Warlock Records ACA 6250 in October, 1966. That group came from Victoria, TX, almost 600 miles away and included Tobias Henderson, Bill Gaida, Leroy Materanek, John Wells, Terry Wells, and Gary Vancleave
This is a probably unrecorded group from the Dallas area called the Galaxies.
Members were:
Steve Connor Frank Schefflier Monty Oakley Garry Ford – guitar
Garry’s father, Robert Ford wrote a profile of the group for AP which ran in the Garden City Telegram on November 10, 1965.
These Galaxies are NOT the Garland, TX Galaxies that recorded “Gitchy-Gitchy-Goo” on Limelight and were active throughout most of the ’60s. That group included Bobby Lake, Kenneth Pugh, Bubba Tomlinson, and Ray Windt.
Here is a previously unpublished history of Mechanical Switch written by lead vocalist and song writer Bart Baca in 1994. Thank you to Bart and to Massimo Di Gianfrancesco for bringing this history to light.
First time I heard the monster Texas garage psych two-syder 45 by Mechanical Switch was in the late ’80s when I bought a copy of Eva Records’ Texas Psychedelia. A few years after in the early 90’s. I bought an original copy with the picture sleeve from an U.S. dealer; I was so happy considering the scarcity of the 45 and for such awesome punkadelic single. At the time we did a small ‘zine called Never Existed, so for the second issue (that never came out), I sent a xerox copy of the pic sleeve to my friends Matteo Bocci and G. Del Buono to try contact the band by phone ’cause they had easier access to call the states. The band was shocked that somebody from Italy in the ’90s were looking for them and liked them so much; they happily sent us the pics and story you find here, enjoy!
Massimo Di Gianfrancesco
Mechanical Switch started in a garage in the small Texas farming town of El Campo. It was 1966, a wild period in U.S.A. history. Sixties music was rocking in Texas. Our group met at high school and began practicing, playing music by the Yardbirds, Stones, Animals, English groups.
The Mechanical Switch core band was Alan Meek, lead guitar; Leroy Shelton, rhythm and bass guitar; Benny Dusek, drums; and me, Bart Baca, vocals and tambourine. Mark Wenglar, organ and several other bass players joined later.
We started playing school gigs and local clubs in 1967. Rednecks and cowboys hated us and our hair and music. Always wanted to fight us. We tried to play in the high school talent contest but the principal read the words to the song we picked (“Satisfaction” by the Stones) and he stopped us. Just driving around town could be dangerous.
The late 60s brought psychedelic music and a dropout-anti-war, turned-on counterculture. We had played some pretty good shows in the Houston area where girls would mob us and start to rip off our clothes. We wore paisley and metallic Nehru jackets and “Beatle boots”. We did songs by psychedelic bands like Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Fever Tree, Iron Butterfly, Spirit and the Doors, and traditional English rock.
We also wrote a number of songs and recorded two in 1969. We recorded in Robin Hood Bryan’s studio in Tyler Texas where other psychedelic groups had recorded. We recorded all night. Our 45 rpm record had a drug-love song “Everything is Red” on the “A” side and “Spongeman” on the “B” side. “Spongeman”, about a flaky guy who lived by soaking up his girl’s love, was a hit and all copies of our record sold, except for a few we kept.
Vietnam was big. The war was always reaching for us, trying to get us into it. We saw friends dying for nothing or skipping off to Canada and blowing off their life. We recorded psychedelic songs and sent them to soldiers in Nam since they did not have live rock to listen to. Some songs were so radical people would not send them to the soldiers. Rednecks and cowboys were worse than ever. They were also our parents. Marching or even talking against the war was risky. Keeping long hair was hell. Mine was curly so I had to use heavy grease or go to a black lady who knew how to iron it straight.
The draft lottery and college deferments kept some out of war, but many went. Anyway, the band broke up during these times (1970). Leroy joined the service, went to Korea, returned to the U.S., and died in a mine cave-in. Benny joined the service and went to Germany. He is now in the Texas oil business. Alan and I went to college. Alan is a farmer in El Campo, still playing a little guitar. I am in environmental work in Florida. Watching for a rebirth of the rebel rock music of the late 60s. Saw it happen again with punk, and grunge. Kind of repeats itself when we need it.
Bart Baca 11-15-94
We recommend On the Road South for more info and photos of Mechanical Switch.
The Nokounts came from West, Texas, a small town south of Dallas and just north of Waco. The band released one single in August, 1964, “Hey Girl” / “I Saw Her Yesterday” on Venus 500/501. The A-side is a strong bluesy shuffle while the flip is a fast rocker.
The Nokounts in the West News, August 28, 1964Both songs list writing credits as Kudelka – Hunt. Ron Kudelka was part of the group while 45cat lists Harmon Hunt and Bobo Wes as producers. Venus Records Inc, based in Waco, published the songs through Deb-Ka Publ.
The West News covered the band in a front-page article from August 28, 1964 titled “Nationwide Sale of Record by the Nokounts” with a lot of interesting information on the group:
Ron Kudelka, Butch Vochoska and Robert Ernst, all of West, Johnny Nash of Arlington and Randy Hudgins of Waco are members of the young group … they are looking forward to additional dates in Hillsboro, Waco and the famed teenage-nightclub “The Sugar Shack” in Dallas.
This record was also the first recording of Venus Records, Inc., a new company formed by several Hillsboro-West area people with the main office in Waco. Harmon Hunt of KHBR is president of the company and Miss LaNelle Duncan of West is Secretary-Treasurer.”
“Hey Girl” was recorded by Sellers Co. of Dallas and pressed by Wakefield of Phoenix, Arizona. Bill Lindsey of Dallas, nationally known for his hit recording of “Blue,” was the arranger for the recording company.
The Nokounts were originally organized by a group of West High Students [sic], and were first known as the Counts.
The Nokounts at the Playdium West, TX, October 17, 1964
The Nokounts at Cottonwood Hall West, TX, December 27, 1964The article also noted their Venus 45 had distribution throughout the U.S.
An ad for a teenage dance on Saturday, October 17, 1964 at the Playdium ran in the West News of West, TX on Friday the 16th saying “The Nokounts of West … Recording Stars on the Venus Label “Hey Girl” and “I Saw Her Yesterday” … Their Second record Will Be Released in December “I’m Alone” and “I Don’t Care”.
To my knowledge that second record was not released and those songs have never surfaced.
Arturo & Pat with the Stowaways, from left to right: Norma Longoria, James Buckley, Pat Buckley, Wendall Maloy, and Arturo Longoria
The Stowaways were:
Arturo Longoria – vocals Pat Buckley – vocals Norma Longoria – keyboards Romolo Montalvo – lead guitar James Buckley – rhythm guitar Wendall Maloy – drums
Wendall Maloy sent in the clipping above and wrote to me about the Stowaways:
This is the first “garage band” to play the Grapefruit Bowl in Sharyland, TX. The photo is from The McAllen Monitor and mentions our parking lot dances in front of Carl’s Minimax in Mission. The photo was taken before the Pharaoh record we cut where the name of the group was changed.
Mr. Longoria paid for the record. On the record, we were listed as Arturo and Pat with the Stowaways. I don’t have a copy of the record. The title might have been, “Turn Your Light On Me.” It got lots of air play on KRIO because we were local. Jimmy Nichols, owner of Pharaoh Records, never signed a group and paid for their recording. He always got paid for studio time and pressing, in other words … he never invested in an artist or group. Anyone could cut a record with Pharaoh if they had the money. If I remember, it was about $500 for 500 records turnkey.
That was our only record with Arturo and Pat. They later were backed by The Invaders. [Arturo & Pat with the Invaders – “Oh Yes Tonight” / “So Tenderly & Faithfully” on Pharaoh 134]
Romolo Montalvo was a great lead guitar player. I played with Romolo, Juan Guerrero (bass guitar) and Oscar Villareall (vocals) at the Grapefruit Bowl after Romolo and I left Arturo and Pat. I soon left the Valley to attend college in Victoria, TX.
Oscar got a record deal with Falcon Records and had a successful career. He was killed in an accident while touring and his records started selling like crazy. I know that Juan played with Oscar’s band. I lost touch with most everyone, except Juan. He played with several Tejano groups like Los Fabulosos Quatro and later had his own group Los Sheekanos. He is in the Tejano Music Hall of Fame.
The best group from the Valley was the Playboy’s of Edinburg. They had a top 40 hit with “Look At Me Girl.” The song was recorded at Pharaoh and later released on Columbia. Bobby Vee covered the song, had it out at the same time on Liberty Records and kind of screwed them out of having a bigger hit.
I got drafted in 1967 and while serving as NCOIC of the Radio-TV Section at the Ft Hood Information Office, got the Playboys assigned to me when they came for summer camp with the National Guard. We are still close today.
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
