Category Archives: Texas

Categories: Brent, California, Capitol, Cleveland, Dimension, Highland, Houston, Los Angeles, Mainstream, Ohio, Rosco, Texas

The Bushmen, War Babies and Euphoria

November 16, 2015 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

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 traveled Texas in 1966. Bill Lincoln married and moved to England, and left the group before they went to Texas. However, he would rejoin Wesley Watt within a year or two for the sessions for Euphoria’s 1969 album on Capitol.

Euphoria featured in Scott Holtzman’s nowsounds column, Houston_Post, June 19, 1966

Euphoria arrived in Houston in the spring of 1966. Scott Holtzman saw them at La Maison and featured them in his June 19, 1966 nowsounds column.

A trio (plus one child) fresh from Hollywood’s Sunset Strip called Euphoria. They’re playing at La Maison and recording at Houston’s Andrus Productions.
Drummer: David Potter, 18.
Guitar: Wesley Watt, 19.
Bass: Pat Connally, 19.
Tambourine and Harmonica: Robbie, 3.
The Scene? A Houston apartment. Three longhaired musicians, two girls called Kym and Joe and one small boy called Robbie.
Wes: “The only reason we’re different is because we’re out of place. In LA, we’d be in place. Just ordinary.”
What is Psychedelic Rock?
Dave: We don’t know. We play our own music.
Wes: The phonies put the labels on it and we just play.
Dave: Really weird, way-out stuff. Teenagers love confusion.
Wes: You get carried away on your highs .. and you’re pounding all the time and it’s just shriek … shrieking noises.
Dave: Most people think when we’re playing we’re loaded on dope, ya know. We’re not. We just get involved in our music … euphoria.
They don’t like Houston groups except the 13th Floor Elevators.

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.

In a later column by Scott Holtzman titled What is Psychedelic? he wrote:

Houston has had some of the leading exponents of this kind of music, but the most pure form of it I have personally heard live was a group called Euphoria, which has since disbanded. I’ve heard unreleased tapes and spent time around these guys and I’m truly sorry they couldn’t stick together, because there were strong leaders of the trend.

By July 24, 1966, they had left Texas as Holtzman wrote in his column that week: “Wesley Watt of Euphoria called Frank Davis from LA and asked him to come out there and engineer and play and sing on their sessions. Frank would rather stay at Andrus Productions though.”

Pat Connolly left the band either in Texas or when they returned to California. Watts and Potter returned to California, taking Misfits members James Harrell on guitar and Peter Black on bass with them.

Houston artist and band manager George Banks wrote to me:

Euphoria did come into Houston about high times for the Elevators and others of the IA time frame. They were a sizzlin’ three piece group. Wesley Watt, David Potter, drums and Pat on bass … Euphoria and the guys from the Misfits got along quite well and … through some differences .. all together left for LA, minus [Misfits lead guitarist] Frost, who having married early on and was with their first child, did not travel to CA with everyone else.
We played around out there, got a recording contract. I brought the first release [Euphoria’s “Hungry Woman” / “No Me Tomorrow” 45 on the Mainstream label] back to Houston and presented it to Larry Kane. It didn’t really take off, Euphoria hadn’t stuck around town long enough to really develop any notoriety, or following.
The band in LA went through a lot of emotional changes in part due to the fact that Wesley and David were married (and drugs). The times got tough, to even feed ourselves. James, Pete and I headed back to Houston.

Euphoria mentioned in nowsounds, Houston Post, October 9, 1966

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,

In his October 9, 1966 nowsounds column, Scott Holtzman wrote: “George Banks, manager of Euphoria, is in town promoting their new Mainstream single. Wesley and Dave have combined with two former Misfits, (James Harrell and Pete Black) and their sound is something else.”

At these sessions Euphoria cut two originals by James Harrell, “I Realize” and “It Could Do Us No Wrong”, but these were left unreleased and eventually lost.

Despite a good push from Bob Shad, the single didn’t make much of an impact. Back in Houston, Scott Holtzman wrote in his November 6, 1966 nowsounds column: “Euphoria broke up for good. George Banks is building a new group from the old Misfits into Lost & Found.”

In 1967, Potter and Watt joined Lee Michaels band where they played on Michaels’ album Carnival of Life with Gary Davis and John Keski, released in January 1968.

In his February 25, 1968 nowsounds column, Scott Holtzman wrote “[In Los Angeles] I ran into Wesley Watt, who you’ll remember as lead guitarist with Euphoria about a year ago in Houston. Wesley was all strung out back in Houston, but you should see him now. He is really into the meditation and has even become a vegetarian.”

Potter joined the East Side Kids in time to play on their 1968 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 Kids The 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.

Bill Lincoln recorded an album with his wife Lynda and friends as Addie Pray. Late for the Dance went unreleased for years but is now available on www.cdbaby.com/cd/addiepray.

Sources include Alec Palao’s liner notes to the Big Beat CD release of With Love – A Pot of Flowers.

Categories: Austin, Texas, Totem

Leo and the Prophets

October 16, 2015 Chris Bishop 3 Comments

Leo and the Prophets cut one of the legendary Austin singles of the ’60s, “Tilt-A-Whirl” b/w “The Parking Meter” on Totem Records T-105 in April, 1967.

The band members were:

Leo Ellis – vocals and lead guitar
Travis Ellis – tambourine
Dan Hickman – rhythm guitar
Rod Haywood – bass
Bill Powell – drums

In January or February of 1967 they recorded their first songs with Sonobeat’s Bill Josey Sr. and Rim Kelley, resulting in a finished vocal, “Flowers on the Hill” and two instrumentals “Ozone Forest” and “Prophecy of Love”. Unfortunately none of which were ever released, but you can hear about half of “Flowers on the Hill” at the impressive Sonobeat website. Thirty seconds of “Ozone Forest” used to be on the old Sonobeat site but I can’t find it now. It’s a pity these songs weren’t finished and released, but at the time Bill Josey and the band felt there was too much distortion in the recording.

Andrew Brown published interviews with Dan Hickman, Rod Haywood and Bill Powell on his site 1966: Texas Music in the Sixties, which makes the best history of the band. I don’t have much to add to that.

My copy of the single is signed by Leo W. Ellis, Bill Powell, Haywood and “To the Roman Nose … Danel Boone” which I believe is Daniel Hickman as he signed the copy on the 1966 site in the same manner.

A possibly complete discography of Totem Records:

Totem T-101 – Rix Slaughter “Listen Little Girl” (Rix Dale Slaughter and James O. Glass)/ “Shades of Dawn” (Slaughter), November 1964
Totem T-102 – Rix Slaughter “Bright Lights” / “Everybody’s Fallin’ In Love”
Totem T-103 – Damon Meredith & the Western Caravan “Don’t Interfere With Love” / “(I Know That) You’re Trying to Forget Me” (WAM-45-66126, copyright reg. May 1966)
Totem T-103 – Cecil Moore & The Diamondbacks “Wind It Up” / “Stuff” (WAM-45-66125, copyright reg. June, 1966)
Totem T-105 – Leo & the Prophets – “Tilt-A-Whirl” (Ellis, Haywood) / “The Parking Meter” (Ellis, Hickman), April, 1967

Totem Records and KCFH advertisement for Rix Slaughter "Listen Little Girl" — Totem Records and KCFH advertisement in the Cuero, Texas paper in November, 1964

J.O. Glass (James Otto Glass) and J.C. “Scat” Hamilton produced all the singles.

Totem advertised Rix Slaughter’s first single in conjunction with KCFH in the Cuero Record on November 3, 1964.

The Meredith and Cecil Moore singles have a code I’m not familiar with, WAM, the Moore reading WAM-45-66125, while the Damon Meredith notes WAM-45-66126. Both singles share catalog number Totem T-103.

The singles list Totem Records at 4307 Speedway, Austin, with publishing by Fathom Pub. Co.

James Otto Glass copyrighted other songs in 1963 and ’64 that may not have been recorded, including “Halfway to Heaven (I Can’t Believe In You)”, “Window In My Heart”, “Fleeting Love”, “Just a Tear Away” and “What Doesn’t Show (I’ll Feel in My Heart)”.

Categories: Talisman, Texas, Tyler

Murphy and the Mob “Born Loser” on Talisman

June 25, 2015 Chris Bishop 2 Comments

Denny Murphy – lead vocals
Terry Murphy – lead guitar, lead vocals
Kenneth Sigler – bass
John Sebring – rhythm guitar
Ronnie Cooper – drums

The great majority of the information in this post is from Andrew Brown’s Brown Paper Sack.

Terry Murphy started playing with school friends when he was in 7th grade in 1964 in Tyler, Texas. The group was dubbed Murphy and the Mob by an adult as a joke but it stuck. A year later Terry found a more serious group of musicians, kept the band name and started practicing regularly in the Murphy family living room.

The group played live at a local teen club called The Plum, at the Bergfeld Park ampitheatre, at the YMCA and at their Catholic high school. At the Bergfeld Park battle of the bands produced by Rodney Kamel, Murphy & the Mob would compete with The Marauders (from Troup, TX), the Hobos from Jacksonville, and the Indifferents from Tyler, featuing Terry’s friend Sam Blanchard. (The Indifferents had a 45 on Valor, “Cindy” / “She’ll Be Back”).

In October 1966, the band went to Steve Wright Studios in Tyler to cut their only single, hoping for some success with “Because You Love Me” an original by Terry and featuring his lead vocal. Funds for the recording came from the father of Terry’s girlfriend, Diane Whitten. For a B-side, the band tried “Born Loser”, a song co-written by Terry, Denny and the group’s manager, Steve Brewerton, who was attending Tyler Junior College that year.

Dennis and Terry Murphy and Steve Brewerton (and their moms!) signed publishing contracts with Steve Wright’s Thunderball Music Co. for “Born Loser” in October 1966. Interestingly the three also signed a contract on July 14, 1966 for an unrecorded song called “Don’t Let It Blow Your Mind”.

The band pressed 500 copies to be sold at Anton’s Records in the Weingarten Shopping Center, and reached #11 on KDOK’s charts in November 1966. The band continued until the summer of 1967. Terry Murphy stayed in music while Denny Murphy and Ronnie Cooper left music. Sadly, Kenneth Sigler and John Sebring passed away many years ago.

Stephen Brewerton commented at On the Flipside:

Stephen Brewerton, Tyler Junior College Yearbook Photo — Stephen Brewerton, in the 1966 Tyler Junior College yearbook

I was a nerd going to junior college trying to avoid the draft. I began making fur vest out of old fur coats discarded behind a local high end department store. I began selling these fur vests to rock bands. Some were sold to bands that recorded at Robinhood Bryan’s recording studio and Steve Wright’s recording studio. I met Terry and Dennis Murphy and somehow became their manager. I wrote the lyrics to “Born Loser.” I managed them for two months. After I quit managing them, Terry and Dennis put music to my lyrics and recorded the songs at Steve Wright’s recording studio.
The “A” side made it to the top 10 on KDOK radio station, the local rock station. “Born Loser” made it into the top 40 on KZEY, the local R & B station. After that I joined the Navy and went to war and became an alcoholic. I am a hell of a lot more proud of my small volume of poetry, “Ramblings Of An Alcoholic Mind” than I am the lyrics of “Born Loser.”

Stephen added to Oktay Gürbüz:

I have lost touch with all persons involved in [the] Mob and don’t know where to find them. As I stated before, I am not interested in any MOB projects. I can’t remember even one word of “Born Loser”. Terry and Dennis probably consider this infatuation with Murphy and the Mob as I do as a mere childhood juvenile frivolity.

Thank you to Andrew Brown, Morgan Young, Terry Murphy and Stephen Brewerton, and to Oktay Gürbüz who prodded me to do this article for a long time! Pics of the radio survey and business card from Andrew Brown via Oktay.

I am a loner baby, I swing alone I’ve got my own pad and an unlisted phone
A steady job, that’s all I need
One pocket to fill, baby, just one mouth to feed
I got no pals, but look who’s got the gals
They come to my pad because they want me so bad
I sleep all day and I swing all night
I’m so cool, baby, I’m just out of sight
(spoken)
All these people. I mean, people they just don’t understand. They see me coming, they shake their head and
say, “Look at him. He’s the born loser. Well, look at him. Born loser.” All right.
– Born Loser by Murphy, Murphy and Brewerton

Murphy and the Mob and Thunderball Music contract for “Born Loser”, courtesy of Stephen Brewerton

Categories: Cecile, Houston, Texas

The Ninth Street Bridge

March 18, 2015 Chris Bishop 21 Comments

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

Categories: Coronado, El Paso, Exeter, Texas

David Hayes and the Pawns

February 12, 2015 Chris Bishop 6 Comments

Mike Kelly of the Renegades, David Hayes of the Pawns, Rod Crosby of the Intruders and Anita Moskal for the Chapparals receiving trophies for the Bassett Center 2nd Annual Battle of the Bands, August 1964

The Pawns had two releases on Bobby Fuller’s Exeter label. First was Exeter 125, featurin, two good surf type instrumentals, “South Bay” / “The Pawn”, released about August, 1964.

Just a month later they released their next 45 on Exeter 127. The top side has David Hayes, the leader and vocalist with the Pawns, listed as the artist, with his original “Meet Me Here (In New Orleans)”. The Pawns are listed on the flip for the sleepy instrumental “Lonely”.

Interestingly, both sides were re-released as the first record on the Coronado label, but given the same release number, 127, as the Exeter 45. Credits are the same, including “A Fuller Production”, Todd Music BMI, and the RCA custom master code RK4M-3630/1. Since 127 was the last of seven 45 releases on Exeter, I assume Fuller gave up the label when he moved to California and let the Pawns take record and/or contract to Coronado.

David Hayes and the Pawns were one of only three 45 rpm artists on Exeter, the others being Bill Taylor & the Sherwoods and Bobby Fuller himself. Exeter also had an LP by Los Paisanos.

David Hayes Exeter 45 Meet Me Here — original release on Exeter

David Hayes Coronado 45 Meet Me Here — re-release on Coronado

The Pawns Exeter 45 Lonely — original release on Exeter

The Pawns Coronado 45 Lonely — re-release on Coronado

Their last 45 came out as David Hayes and the Pawns and featured two vocals, a cover of Charlie Rich’s “Lonely Weekends” backed with a strange original by Hayes, “What Do the Voices Say”. Produced by Calvin Bowls, it saw release sometime in 1965 on Coronado 132.

I know David Hayes was in the group, but the other members are unclear. Songwriting credits on “The Pawn” and “South Bay” are Doize’, Paz and Hayes. Since these are instrumentals and Hayes was definitely part of the group, I assume Doize’ and Paz were the other two members of the group.

However a post by Patrick Lundborg from 2012 on the Acid Archives Updates states “Jack Duncan (bass) and Gary Davis (drums) [I think this should be Barry Davis] learned their chops … in surf-band the Pawns. The leader of this group was one David Hayes, who presumably took on vocal duties on the later 45s, at least he receives separate billing. The two would-be Dragonflies Duncan and Davis did not contribute any songwriting from what I can tell, but were definitely present for the Pawns’ 1964 debut 45 … Duncan and Davis left the Pawns to join a more experienced musician friend in a band called Lords Of London, based in Durango, Colorado. After some time they recruited their old El Paso friend Randy Russ who left the Infants Of Soul to join them, and the band also changed its name to Legend around this time (1967).” Legend had three 45s and two LPs on the Megaphone label, the second and better of the two as Dragonfly.

Info on Legend from Klemen’s interview with Randy Russ. Exeter discography info from the Bobby Fuller – Never to Be Forgotten site.

Thank you to Sam Stephenson for scans of the Coronado 45s and Exeter 127.

Categories: Baytown, Hitt, Texas

The Runaways of Baytown, TX

February 5, 2015 Chris Bishop 4 Comments

The Runaways came from Baytown, across the San Jacinto River and about 25 miles east of Houston. The band formed in June of ’65; most of them were students at Ross Sterling High School. They cut one fine 45, notable for the rockin’ harmony cut “Love”, released in May, 1966.

Robert Campbell – lead vocals and guitar
John Govro – lead and rhythm guitar, vocals
Ray Hayden – lead guitar
Eddie Norris – bass
Glenn Dew – drums

An article in the Baytown Sun from August 14, 1966 mentions their 45 on Hitt, stating that “What’s Happening Baby” (good vocal harmony pop, written by Robert Campbell) reached #21 on KEYS in Corpus Christi and #29 on KOLE in Port Arthur, and “Love” (written by John Govro) made #24 on KLVI in Beaumont.

Jack Sims managed the group and produced the single. Bobby Bon was equipment manager with Jack Conway and Steve Shrier.

There was another Texas group called the Runaways, from San Antonio, with the legendary single on Alamo Audio, “18th Floor Girl” / “Your Foolish Ways”.

Categories: Baytown, Highlands, Texas

The Impacs of Highlands, TX

February 5, 2015 Chris Bishop 1 Comment

The Impacs came from Highlands, about 15 miles east of Houston, across the San Jacinto River and just north of Baytown. The Baytown Sun featured this sharp photo of the group in March 1966.

Band members were Audie Morgan, guitar; Tim Franks, drums; Garry Wicker lead guitar; and Gary Norris, bass.

They did not record to my knowledge.

Categories: Baytown, Texas

The Invertebrates

February 5, 2015 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

I like this photo of the Invertebrates (or Inverebrates, but I think the Baytown Sun spelled the name wrong) in their early psychedelic shirts. This article ran in April, 1967.

Members were Colby Tipton, lead guitar; Rickey Glover, drums; and Bill Badeaux on bass, students at Cedar Bayou Junior School in Baytown, Texas, and managed by Larry Snderli.

Another group with no recordings that I know of.

Categories: Brazosport, Sweeny, Texas, West Columbia

The Downbeats of Sweeny, TX

February 5, 2015 Chris Bishop Leave a comment

The Downbeats came from Sweeny and West Columbia, two small towns just inland of Brazosport. The Brazosport Facts paper ran this photo of the group in March, 1965, and had another short article on the group in July.

Members were Cleston King, vocals; Bobby Maxey, guitar; Randy Tolbirt guitar; Mickey Duke, drums; David Smith, trumpet; and Jackie Benet, trumpet.

They did not record to my knowledge.

Categories: Denton, Texas, Young Generations

The G’s “There’s a Time”

February 2, 2015 Chris Bishop 1 Comment

The G's of Denton, December, 1964 — The G’s of Denton, December, 1964

The G' s Young Generations 45 There's A Time — The G’ s Young Generations 45 There’s A Time

The G’s have a great 45 on Young Generations Records featuring two originals, “There’s a Time” / “Cause She’s My Girl”. I haven’t been able to find a copy unfortunately, but I did find this poor reproduction of a photo of the band posting with Santa Claus, and an additional article on the group. It’s quaint how Texas newspapers often list the names of the parents of the teen combos they cover.

The band came from Denton, Texas, about 40 miles northwest of Dallas, the same town where the Chessmen and the Briks had their start. In a December, 1964 news clip they’re called the 4G’s.

Members were:

Randy Ford, lead guitar
Bobby Keith Jr., guitar and vocals
Mike Green, drums
Don Hansel, bass guitar.

The band made their first appearance in July of ’64 at the Sanger Hootenanny. They were 14 and 15 years old.

G's article in the Denton-record-chronicle-jan-02-1966-p-23 — The G’s open “The Place”, January 1966.

An article in the Denton January 2, 1966 features a photo of Don Hansel and Bobby Keith. Bobby Keith’s father R.V Keith acted as their manager and even opened a teen club called “The Place” on Fort Worth Highway in Denton so the G’s could have a place to play every Saturday.

By this time, Mike Smith had replaced Randy Ford.

The G' s at the North Texas State Fair, Sept. 16, 1966 — The G’ s at the North Texas State Fair, Sept. 16, 1966

In September, 1966 they released their only single, and on September 16, 1966 they played at the North Texas State Fair. Smith and Bobby Keith would write both sides of their 45. The article calls them “the G’s Combo”. It also states that they have made 22 recordings, and that their single would be out that week. I would like to hear the other 20 songs!

Garage Hangover