I found this great sleeve featuring the Invaders on JCP records. Unfortunately I don’t have the 45 yet, and it’s an excellent one.
The Invaders came from Asheboro, North Carolina, a town just south of Greensboro. By the time of their 45 release in 1965 they were older and more experienced than most garage bands, having come together in high school as early as 1958.
Tom Abernathy – lead vocals, piano, organ, trumpet
Joe Abernathy – vocals and bass
James Bridgeman – lead guitar
Bryan Pugh – drums
The Invaders went to the JCP Studio in Raleigh to record this single. “(You Really) Tear Me Up” was a group composition, while “Workin’ For Your Love” is credited only to Abernathy, not specifying Tom or Joe. Both sides published by Aimee Music Co. BMI. The single came out on JCP 1027 in September, 1965.
There are supposed to be other singles and a couple dozen unreleased tracks by the band, many of which were recorded at JCP, but I haven’t heard those yet. The group often played at the Red Barn in Southern Pines. I’ve also read Tom Abernathy has passed away.
This band is not the same Invaders who recorded the LP On the Right Track on Justice Records, that group was from Charlottesville, VA.
Chris,
My son just found this article about The Invaders. It brought back many
memories playing drums with this group of very talented musicians.
Yes, Tom passed several years ago as well as James. At the time, I would
rate their talent and creativity on a very high level. I haven’t spoken to
Joe in years, but I’m sure he’s doing well.
Thanks for your time and effort.
Bryan
BRYAN was my boss in the late eighties early nineties, always a sharp guy, intellectually and sartorially. He gave me two copies of the single which is a superlative slab of snotty, snarly garage punk. I did an interview with him for an online zine and had hoped to hear and release The Invaders unreleased material. NEVER SAY NEVER…
I have had a rough patch after losing my partner after we were together 14 years and took a wee hiatus from the music biz. .Now I’m back managing ,booking,and writing songs with Jeff Kabot of The Downtowners also of The Venusians and The Superkools. If you like fierce garage punk with great songwriting, guitars that sound like an insane swarm of killer bees feasting on your brain. and gutwrenching emotion that makes you feel like Kabot’s pulled your heart out through your throat and jammed it on a popsicle stick, Kabot’s is a garage firebrand whom you will find kompletely kompelling! DAYUM, THE BOY CAN SING HIS TOUCAS OFF! CHECK OUT HIS ORIGINALS ON YOUTUBE like ” This Time” by The Downtowners and ” Why Baby Why” and my ring tone, “Beverly” by The Superkools and the bands that covered his amazing repertoire- “Hard To Forget You” by The Woolly Bandits, ” I’m Gonna Miss You Someday” by The Apehangers featuring Pete aka Pedro of Muck And The Mires and Dennis McCarthy of The Prime Movers and Port Charles Quintet. We are also writing songs to place with specific artists who are some of our personal faves like Mary Weiss (legend of Shangrilas fame on Norton records)and Fur Dixon( of Cramps fame,now recording a fresh new full length,and getting ready to tour with the incomparably kings of garage punk,The Sonics !
The notion that the Invaders had another single has been out there for a while, but only one candidate has popped up. A copy of “I Love You” b/w “Choo Choo Train” (Zombies and Box Tops tunes, respectively) on the AGA label was recently unearthed in North Carolina. Teenbeat Mayhem lists it separately from the JCP single but without any town of origin indicated.