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.
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.
Please reply. I am actively searching for Goldsboro recordings to document for our Local History Collection. Recently stumbled across a 1960 article in the Goldsboro newspaper that mentioned The Little Boppers released a record.
Marty Tschetter
Local History Librarian
Wayne County Public Library
1001 E. Ash Street
Goldsboro, NC 27530
919/735-1824
Hey Marty,
I think your comment ended up in the wrong category – try posting it again on this page: https://www.garagehangover.com/countsiv/
I believe the “Paz” was Freddie Paz who also played with Bobby Fuller for a few months on their first California trip. David Hayes dated the sister of a classmate of mine and they would rehearse in the garage of her parents house. Their house was a couple of streets away from mine and we would hangout in the driveway on summer evenings and listen to them. My older brother Ken, was also friends with David.
Here’s a little more on the history of “The Pawns”, an El Paso, Texas band that got its start in 1964. The four original members were: David Hayes, Don Doize’, Freddie Paz, and Tex Grant. We were classmates at Eastwood High School in El Paso. We were mostly a surf band until David Hayes decided he would be our frontman and we started doing some vocals. Tex didn’t last long, and was replaced by guitarist Jack Watkins (who penned “Lonely”). Most of the surf songs were arrangements by me, and none were originals. On drums, Freddie (The Pawn, South Bay, Voices, and Lonely) was replaced with David Marcum, then with Jimmie Wagnon (Lonely Weekends and Meet Me Here), and finally with Barry Davis. We added bass player Jack Duncan when Jack Watkins left. We had a few other guest members for a short time but the core was always Don Doize’ and David Hayes. When I left in 1966, the group slowly fell apart and finally faded out completely. I joined a psychedelic band called Mother Grossell’s Assorted Pyes and after about a year, left to join a bar band called the Fifth Estate. On graduating from UTEP in January of 1971, I hung up the guitar for good, moved to Northern California and started my sales career that lasted until my retirement in April of 2013.
Don,
I remember seeing you guys play at Eastwood HS in the hallway during a Halloween festival. Love the Pawns!
Always liked The Pawns, as well as many other El Paso early rock’n’roll bands, but their instrumentals weren’t originals.. For Instance, ” South Bay” is note for note the great George Tomsco and The Fireballs’ “Dumbo”.. so don’t know why they are credited as composers on the label.. But anyway, they were terrific.