Keith Everett (real name Keith Gravenhorst) released this 45 in April, 1966. “Don’t You Know” is a fine ballad, while the flip is an outrageous indictment of conscientious objectors, with the lyrics:
They call themselves the conscientious objectors
But all they’re tryin’ to do is tryin’ to infect us
With their fear and their shame
They hide under the name of conscientious objectors
They might as well be defectors
The way they actWell keep it up boy the way you’ve been goin’
And who can tell son, you’ve got no way of knowin’
That tomorrow we might be the way
That Vietam is today
And you’ll be sorry you fools
For the things that you doYou’re conscientious objectors
You might as well be defectors
The way you act
“Don’t You Know” did well in Chicago, entering WCFL charts in March, and reaching as high as #10 two months later.
After “Conscientious Objector”, he released another on TMT-Ting, “She’s The One Who Loved You” / “Lookin’ So Fine”, then one more on Mercury with a Dunwich Productions credit, “The Chant” / “Light Bulb”. Everett wrote all six songs.
I have never seen “Don’t You Know”/”Conscientious Objector” on another label but Tmp-Ting. I have also never seen a stock copy of “The Chant”/”Light Bulb” on Mercury, only promo copies. “The Chant” is a garage raveup about a slave’s escape. Yes, you read right…
This is an interesting record, to be sure. I found a copy of this a couple of months ago in a record shop, but I was turned off by the rather boring (in my opinion) A-side and the overblown, conservative politics of the better B-side. It reminded me of The Spokesmen’s “Dawn of Correction.” I’m not sure if the copy I found was on this TMP-Ting label, though. Did the disc come out on another label, too?
-Kurt
He’s got a myspace page and has been very nice about responding to email. It’s http://www.myspace.com/keithgravenhorst.
This song is nuts. It makes me wonder if the US Military produced it. I can’t imagine he thought this was gonna go over well with the kids.
See the always interesting Crud Crud blog to hear Keith’s Mercury 45 of “The Chant”
If the counterculture industry didn’t exist in 1966, how did these so-called “left-wing protest records” that required “crappy right-wing responses” get made and become hits? The counterculture industry certainly did exist in 1966, and it was even kinda interesting in those days, if only for the novelty of it. Alas, though, it hasn’t had a fresh idea since shortly after ’66, when a handful of, yes, self-appointed elites systematically undermined a dance-based, democratic, and triumphantly capitalistic music form (i.e. garage rock) in favor of the boring bearded wonders and pathetic drug casualties it celebrates year after year in the latest glossy Rolling Stone anniversary nostalgia orgy–as if that’s the only thing worth remembering about the ’60’s. Kinda like the left wing itself, longing mournfully for those halcyon days of Vietnam and Watergate, and either ignorant of or hostile toward anything happening outside of their fragile, dogmatic world view. To wit: both of the knee-jerk lefty posts to which I’ve now written crappy right-wing responses.
There is no counter-culture industry. There is just a culture industry, one in which anything that can be sold IS sold. The idea that somehow salesmen/hucksters/etc. are in any way affiliated with some sort of left-wing “culture” elite is ridiculous. They’re just salespeople like anyone else, with no viewpoint other than whatever will best sell that in which you have a controlling interest.
In addition, I feel that your characterization of the left wing longing for the days of Vietnam and Watergate is inaccurate.
Apparently it did go over quite well with the kids, since the 45 got to #10. If you look at polls from the era, the vast majority of American kids in the ’60s were patriotic Americans who would’ve been pretty receptive to Everett’s message, so this is hardly surprising. He was obviously a very talented songwriter and performer; no reason why Wenner, Graham & Co. couldn’t have propped him up and rammed him down our throats too… if only he’d been willing to “play ball.” Produced by the U.S. military? Your tin foil hat is on too tight, methinks. Was Brezhnev signing Country Joe McDonald’s paychecks too? C’mon, this guy coulda been a big star. He deserves props for his courage and individuality bucking the elites in the Counterculture Indu$try.
The “counter-cultural industry” didn’t really exist in 1966. For every left-wing protest record that was a hit, some crappy right-wing response like “Dawn of Correction” or “What’s Come Over This World” came out in response.
BTW, it’s critical to note that “Conscientious Objector” was NOT the a-side, and so “the kids” didn’t buy it for that reason. “Don’t You Know” was the radio hit.
be on the lookout for the other record on tmp-ting, called “she’s the one that loved you”/”lookin so fine”… two monsters!
I remember meeting Keith when his parents were visiting neighbors of ours. If I recall correctly he was about 16, a student at Deerfield HS when he cut a record before this one, but I cannot remember the name of it. It played briefly on WLS and WCFL, and I am sure it was in 1965. I don’t think it charted. Does anyone know what record that might have been? I thought he had a great voice and always wondered what happened to him.
“Don’t You Know” was advertised in Billboard, p. 32, April 30/66. As his management company is noted as “Talent Mangement & Promotions, Inc.,” that is probably where TMP came from. The ad has a photo and the tagline “Do you THINK HE REALLY CARES IF … ‘Don’t You Know’ … is a hit at this time?” followed by the tag, “Keith Everett … Somewhere in Viet Nam!” Check it out on Google Books.
If I remember correctly, Keith recorded this song and the flip side “Don’t You Know” right before he was shipped to Viet Nam. I hear he never came back. I cannot verify this info, just remember hearing this back in 66.
Randy
Keith is alive and well. He owns and operates a recording studio in Georgia. We have been friends since 1968, when we were both communications majors at Southern Illinois University. He often let me sit in on guitar with his band. That was very generous of him because I was terrible!
Remember hearing “Don’t you know” as a kid. Believe he is related to my schoolmate & Neighbor ,Neil Lindberg. (Now deceased.) Listened to it over & over.