The Bed of Roses came out of the same Bay City, Michigan music scene as the Jayhawkers and Dick Rabbit. Like those artists, they recorded for Deltron Records.
In August, 1967, Deltron put out Bed of Roses’ first single, a cover of “I Don’t Believe You” (my copy has “ASCAP DYLAN” stamped on it) b/w a ragged raga-rock instrumental, “Hate” with no songwriting or production credits on the label.
I’ve read that in late ’67 the band moved to San Francisco for a short time, returning to tape a second single in a room above a record shop. However, “tea Records” is a Fenton custom label, so the band likely recorded the songs at Fenton’s Great Lakes Recording Studio.
The four-minute long “Quiet!” (written by F. Dash) was backed with “I Gotta Fight” (by J. Light), that starts out with a menacing feel, but the shouting chorus brings it out of that mood.
The single came out on tea Records 2577 in February 1968. I can find no list of band members. Copyright records show a F. Dash as a pseudonym of Fredrick Dashkovitz, the writer of a song called “My Feeling” published in November, 1968, however I don’t know if this is the same F. Dash.
The Deltrons recorded in Sebewaing, Michigan a town about halfway between Bad Axe, the town of the A-side title, and Bay City, the location of the Deltron label and Delta Promotions.
Members were:
Dan Richards – vocals and lead guitar Bob Power – guitar Craig Young – bass Greg Young – drums
When I covered the Jayhawkers and Deltron Records, I didn’t believe this single was related to the Bay City Deltron label. The label design is different, and this one is a Chicago pressing by Stereo Sound from April of 1966. But Max Waller found this comment that Daniel Richards wrote on youtube:
It was Craig Young (bass), Bob Power (guitar), Dan Richards, and Greg Young (drums) recorded in Sebewaing, MI in January of 1966 at a cold warehouse. Dan (me) did the singing and lead guitar. Chet Hey wanted it recorded again after Arthur Godfrey sang it on his TV show in the 50s. He wanted a more modern version and we were just 16 to 18 years old at the time and still in high school.
Chet Hay and Ted Shunk wrote “I Found My Baby in Bad Axe” in 1949. “Bad Axe sounds like a funny name, it’s a durn good city just the same” go the lyrics. I wonder what he thought of the Deltrons version of his song!
The B-side “Tonya”, written by Dan Richards and Greg Young is wild, and has this for a chorus: “her name is Tonya, she’s really cool / the day I win her, I’ll blow up the school”!
The Jay Hawkers came out of Bay City, Michigan and were led by Jay Walker, who was later a DJ on WKNX (1210 AM) in Saginaw, Michigan and WGRD, eventually changing his name as Sonny Fox.
Discographies tend to list the Jayhawkers as the backing band for a single by Dwight Douglas and the Jayhawkers on Astra 3008 – “Interstate ’45′” (L. Drake, J. Stokes) / “Mr. Big” (Lenny Drake). This is a pseudonym for Lenny & the Thundertones, who were based out of Detroit. Certainly the songs were cut several years prior to the Deltron records, so I have to believe this is a different band.
I’ve sometimes seen them listed as a Grand Rapids band, but the promo photo above comes from Delta Promotions in Bay City, which also (I believe) ran Deltron records label. Bill Kehoe and Jim Atherton owned Delta Promotions, which managed Question Mark and the Mysterians, and was the company that created several fraudulent bands to tour the US, including a bogus Zombies featuring two future members of ZZ Top and a made-up Archies group that led to a devastating lawsuit from Don Kirshner.
Deltron 21 (1227) – The Jayhawkers – “Dawn Of Instruction” (Trusdale Music, BMI) / “Searchin'”
As I wrote in an article about certain topical songs of the mid-60s, the Jayhawkers’ “Dawn of Instruction” is a straightforward inversion of P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction”. With over-the-top lyrics like “even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’ … my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin”, “Eve of Destruction” was an easy target. The Jayhawkers made the most of the hyperbole in their answer song, singing lines like “step aside, Mister Doom Peddler” and “[we’re] not old enough to vote, but ain’t young enough for runnin”.
The Jayhawkers version came out in October 1965, just a month after Barry McGuire’s recording hit #1 in Billboard. Interestingly there’s no song writing credit for this side, only Trusdale Music publishing, which, as Max Waller pointed out, is probably a dig at “Eve of Destruction” publisher Trousdale.
The Jayhawkers opened for Simon and Garfunkel on Wednesday, December 29, 1965 at the Saginaw YMCA.
Deltron 1228 – The Jay Hawkers – “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” (T. Saputo, B. Kirener) / “Send Her Back” (Walker, Huntleigh)
Their second single came out in April, 1966, this time Jay Hawkers listed as two separate words. Both sides show a very different side to the band, and for me this is the best of their singles. “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” is catchy and very commercial. The song seems to be original to the band, though I don’t think the writers were members of the group.
“Send Her Back” is a slow and very affecting ballad. It may be the only song they recorded that was written by people in the band, namely Walker and Huntleigh.
The Jay Hawkers continued with two more singles, all cover songs in different styles:
Lucky Eleven 232 – “Come On (Children)” / “A Certain Girl” (produced by “Terry Nnight” aka Terry Knight, October 1966)
Lyke Til 4147 – “Love Have Mercy” / “Baby Blue” (Produced by Jay Walker, June, 1967)
The Deltron label
I can find three, maybe four, additional releases on this Deltron label out of Bay City:
Deltron 812 – The One Way Pedestrians – “I’d Like to Say (I Love You)” (Rod Clowthier) / “Hey Miss Sally” (I haven’t heard either side yet) Deltron 813 – The Bed of Roses – “Hate” / “I Don’t Believe You” (August 1967)
Deltron AR895 – Dick Rabbit “Take Me to L.A.” / “You Come on Like a Train” (both by The Thayber Brothers, produced by James Atherton, Package Music BMI)
Dick Rabbit also had “Love” (Phil Gordon, Rich Thayer) / “Trip” (Donavan) on Great Lakes GL-103, both published by Rabbit Music Co.
Deltron SS-6518 – The Deltrons (Craig, Bob, Dan, Greg) – “I Found My Baby in Bad Axe” / “Tonya” (Dan Richards, Greg Young) from April 1966
The Deltrons single is crude and great garage single on “Tonya”. I doubted it was related to the Deltron label from Bay City but the group recorded in nearby Sebewaing, so it likely is. I cover the Deltrons in more depth here.
Following the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan in February of ’64 there was an explosion of bands across the U.S. The next few years would see thousands of singles released by individual bands, professional and amateur, which we now consider to have the ‘garage’ sound.
These prime years for teen bands closely coincide with the beginning of America’s war in Vietnam. In August of ’64, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson authority to use military force in Vietnam. The Resolution responded to attacks on U.S. ships stationed near North Vietnam, but these supposed attacks are now known to be bogus. (Check the Gulf of Tonkin Incident entry in Wikipedia to read how the truth was distorted to justify military action.)
In March of 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder began the bombing campaigns on North Vietnam. Initially only a few thousand troops were stationed in Vietnam to support the bombers, but this number grew to 200,000 by the end of ‘65. Troop levels increased to 500,000 in 1967. The Tet Offensive occurred in January of 1968, marking a turning point in the war and U.S. public opinion.
As teenaged boys started bands in the wake of the Beatles, they were facing the possibility of being drafted within the next few years. Most had more immediate concerns – girls, school, cars, and the number of songs about Vietnam or the draft are a tiny minority of all teen beat songs from the period. It was easier to write lyrics that imitated the relationship-oriented pop songs of the era than to sing about political opinions and personal fears.
For those that did, their lyrics display their ethical dilemmas – feeling a duty to serve but ambivalent about whether the war is right; being afraid of dying; not wanting to be told what to do either by the government, society or the anti-war front. These lyrics range from idealistic to cynical. Early on there were very dogmatic patriot songs, but as the draft widened and sentiment turned against the war the imagery became more violent and the jingoism subsided.
Stylistically they had few models to draw from in 1965, as most major U.S. and British Invasion acts weren’t writing political lyrics yet. Some groups would draw from the folk styles of Bob Dylan and Barry McGuire. Others could look to a long tradition in country and pop of making novelty adaptions of hit songs. An example of this would be the Beach Bums’ “The Ballad of the Yellow Beret”, or the Midnight Sons rewrite of “Summertime Blues” to show chagrin at the draft.
At least as far back as the Civil War there had been an industry of professional songwriting and production teams to craft songs about war for the public. (See the Civil War Preservation Trust’s article Patriotic Songs of the War to read about the professional origins of the most-well known songs of the era.)
The Vietnam War would be a different case, as by 1965 young bands were the lifeblood of the music industry. For the first time in modern history, the generation actually serving in the war became the primary voice of the conflict.
I: Shutup the Folksingers
In 1965 Bob Dylan was just starting to make inroads on pop radio with “Like a Rolling Stone”. Earlier protest songs like “Masters of War” were rarely heard on commercial radio but their influence was an intellectual force behind the anti-war movement: a voice that had to be answered by those in favor of the war.
Teenagers in bands may have been unaware of the anti-war songs of Bob Dylan or Phil Ochs in 1965, but they certainly couldn’t miss Barry McGuire’s #1 single “Eve of Destruction” on the radio during that summer and fall. This anti-war, pro-civil rights, anti-nuclear song provoked answer songs and parodies, most not sympathetic to McGuire’s sentiments.
There was plenty in “Eve of Destruction” to upset the mainstream: comparing America’s failure on civil rights to a communist totalitarian state (“Think of all the hate there is in Red China / Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama”) and equating anti-Christian values to hypocritical religiousness (“Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace”) are but two examples!
There’s a sting of truth to lines like these which would put people on the defensive. Most grating of all was the singer’s repeated dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country. Love it or leave it pal!
An early rebuke to McGuire is “The Prophet” from 1965. One thing that’s striking is the sheer belligerence of the singer as he rants!
There’s a prophet of doom, spreading his gloom Shouting misery and hate. Saying this world is a tomb, yeah and there ain’t no room For dreams ’cause it’s too late. He calls you his friend, says it’s the end Destruction is near, but wait …
Hey Prophet, take a look around, Yeah Prophet, there’s still hope around / … /
Hey Prophet It’s awful easy for you to talk about it … Tell me something what are you doin’ about it? Yeah Prophet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?! / … /
There’s guys just like me who like what they see, And they want to be free because they like it that way They don’t care what you say They’ll fight to keep it that way too!
Fight for their right to be free … of conscience!
Sure there’s things to be found in this land that’s free that don’t seem right to me But there’s hope in the air because there’s people who care, There not filled with despair like you!
This is the classic turnaround – the one exposing the problems is accused of doing nothing positive to help the situation, of being cynical and emphasizing the negative. The patriotic citizen has ‘hope’ and faith that things are getting better.
A straightfoward inversion of Barry McGuire’s song is the Jayhawkers’ “Dawn of Instruction”. The attitude of the lyrics is similar to The Prophet, with lines like “Step aside, Mister Doom Peddler” and “[we’re] not old enough to vote, but ain’t young enough for runnin'”.
“Eve of Destruction” was an easy target for some of its over-the-top lyrics (“even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’” or “my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’”), and the Jayhawkers made the most of these exaggerations.
Billy Carr’s “What’s Come Over This World” saw release on Colpix, and is obviously a professional songwriting and studio effort. Lyrically it is a flag-waving message, with plenty of disdain for the dissenting elements of the younger generation. The production co-opts more than a little of Dylan’s style, and not in parody either, a sure sign that the old guard was desperate to keep relevant. Dylan-esque harmonica shows up on so many of these answer songs, whether mocking him or in sincere imitation, that his influence must have been inescapable.
What’s become of this nation and the songs that they sing? Everybody’s protesting, what’s it all gonna bring? We sang the Star Spangled Banner, forever in peace may it wave, And now some rock ‘n roll singer is knocking the Home of the Brave
What’s come over this world? I’ve thought it over and I can’t get over What’s come over this world?
There’s an army of cowards, see them marching in line While the country’s in danger, they just carry a sign Look at them burning their draft cards and refusing to fight While they talk about freedom, they’re dimming liberty’s light
My brother fought in Korea, my daddy in World War II Now there’s a war in Viet-nam and there’s a job we must do What can you do for your country, his words were written in blood Those who forgot what he died for, are dragging the flag through the mud.
More nuanced (and much better music) is “So the Prophets Say”, released in April 1965 by a group in their late teens the Centurys of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The echo engulfing the tom-tom drums, dense guitars and eerie organ creates a doom-laden atmosphere, but lyrically the song repeats anti-communist propaganda. More than anything, though, it stresses individual choice against conformity. “So the Prophets Say” was written by lead guitarist Billy Beard, who passed away this past July 31, 2008.
They’ll tell you that they’re wise, and that they’ll analyze your situation. They can tell you what’s gonna come and how certain things will be done, They’re your salvation.
Will the world end today, like it did yesterday, or will we have to wait till tomorrow? will tell you when it comes, you’ll hear those rocking drums, you’ll just repent, you know your sorrow
These men of wealth? and men so poor? These prophets of peace and prophets of war – are they getting you?
Then they tell you to make a big sound about getting out of Vietnam, You know you’ve got a right to your convictions! But will they warn you of a coming day, when your placards might be thrown away, and they’ll say “now you’ve got a few restrictions.”
You may not like it if they hand you a gun, before you turn 21 and say “now you’ve got to be a man!” But when your freedom’s bells stop ringing, and a Red slave song you’re singing, You’ll wish you had a gun in your hand!
These men so good and men so bad These prophets so sane and prophets so mad – they get you!
Why don’t you let it be known, you’ve got a mind of your own, And you can tell right from wrong from day to day, And that you l… because they know you care, And so you’ll beware of what the prophets say!
In early 1966 Sgt. Barry Sadler had a #1 hit with that paen to the american soldier, “Ballad of the Green Beret.” The Beach Bums (actually Bob Seger singing when he was with Doug Brown and the Omens) adapted it for their “protest against protesters”, “The Ballad of the Yellow Beret.” It’s not really a parody of the Sadler song as a straight up mocking of draft-dodgers.
This is a protest against protesters:
Fearless cowards of the U.S.A. Bravely here at home they stay They watch their friends get shipped away The draft dodgers of the Yellow Beret
Yellow streaks up and down their spines Men who gladly stay behind They won’t fight for the U.S.A. They fought hard for the yellow beret
Men who faint at the sight of blood Their high heeled boots weren’t meant for mud The draft board will hear their sob stories today Only the best the yellow beret
Back at home a young wife waits Her yellow beret has met his fate He’s been drafted for marching in a protest Leaving her his last request
Put a yellow streak down my sons back Make sure that he never ever fights back At his physical have him say he’s gay Have him win the yellow beret.
Next installment: Democracy and the Draft
Thank you to Bernard Watts (Scratuglia) and to Pete Sofinski for the label scan. Thanks also to portofranco and Justin for the Billy Carr scan.
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
The Bed of Roses came out of the same Bay City, Michigan music scene as the Jayhawkers and Dick Rabbit. Like those artists, they recorded for Deltron Records.
I’ve read that in late ’67 the band moved to San Francisco for a short time, returning to tape a second single in a room above a record shop. However, “tea Records” is a Fenton custom label, so the band likely recorded the songs at Fenton’s Great Lakes Recording Studio.
Deltron 21 (1227) – The Jayhawkers – “Dawn Of Instruction” (Trusdale Music, BMI) / “Searchin'”
