The Whatt Four released two amazing 45s in ’66 and ’67, both regional hits on KFXM in San Bernardino. The band cut two original songs for their first 45 on producer Gary Paxton’s own ESP label. “You Better Stop Your Messin’ Around” alternates between moody verses, deadly lyrics (“you say you’re shopping, but … someone else is buying you!”) and an upbeat chorus. Great harmonies and a driving bass line really propel this track. It was backed with the raver “Our Love Should Last Forever”, featuring Tom Ference’s slamming drum beats and John Langdon’s piercing guitar work.

Their next 45 went straight to national release on Mercury. “Dandelion Wine” is a tripped-out gem, sounding like a mix of Donovan and the kitchen-sink production of the Stones’ Her Satanic Majesties Request, but with greater focus than most of that LP. It was written by Jerry Scheff, a member of bands like Goldenrod, the Millennium, Friar Tuck and later Elvis Presley’s touring band. For the flip of “Dandelion Wine” we have “You’re Wishin’ I Was Someone Else”, a Greg Sanders original that would have qualified as the A-side for nearly any other group.

I contacted the Whatt Four’s drummer Tom Ference who kindly shared these photos and comments about his time with the band:

The band members are Greg Sanders (bass and lead vocal), Tom Bitters (guitar), John Langdon (lead guitar), and myself as the drummer. Greg and I are cousins, Bitters was my neighbor growing up, so we three grew up together and started playing music off and on about 1965. Langdon was added later as lead guitar. Don’t remember how the name came about other than they’re was four of us, and adding WHAT, but spelled WHATT made it cool.

We were in Riverside, California. Played that whole area and into LA and San Diego. The Bush was our biggest local competition. But they played a different type of stuff. More of a dirty rock sound. The equipment we used were Fender amps and guitars, except Bitters used a Rickenbacker sometimes. We did have a really big Altec-Lansing PA system, which set us apart from most groups at that time. We were able to mike my drums and standard guitars for what ever effect we wanted.

We met Gary Paxton at the Decca Records office in LA. We were seeing Bud Dant of Decca, pushing some demo stuff. Paxton just happened to be there. Bud said he wasn’t interested, but Paxton spoke up and said he was. So we hooked up with him back at his garage, that’s where his studio was, and the rest is history. ESP was Gary’s own thing. The only picture of us and Paxton is us and him by his bus that had all his recording equipment in it.

“You Better Stop Your Messin’ Around” was mostly a So-Cal thing. I think Gary hoped a major label would pick it up and do it national. I did hear it was getting a little play in other parts of the country. Not much really became of it. “Our Love Should Last Forever” was written by Tom Bitters, our rhythm guitar player.

We didn’t know Scheff [Jerry Scheff, the writer of “Dandelion Wine”]. His stuff was in a pile of songs Gary wanted to see if we could do something with. Greg Sanders was told to sound “loaded” by our producer Gary Paxton.

It came out on Mercury Records, a big deal for us. It was really starting to get some action. Then Greg got drafted, a few months later I got drafted, so the group went down the drain. No group, no record. We were lucky, Greg went to Germany as a radio operator, I auditioned and made it into the 98th Army Band (Ft. Rucker Ala). Much better than Vietnam.

What was Ken Johnson’s role with the band? – he’s co-credited on the flip, “You’re Wishin’ I Was Someone Else”

Johnson was a guy who helped Greg put the words on paper with music. And maybe some words.

Greg and I both got out of the army in 1969. We did reform with Bitters, but Langdon had gone his own way out of music. We added Larry Reid and renamed ourselves as “Allis Chalmers”. We did make one record. “Sing a Song” on Cream Records (1971). It was written by Gary Wright, we got covered by that guy from “Blood, Sweat and Tears”. Shortly after that we went our own ways. Just couldn’t go back to playing bars and stuff like that. Never saw Paxton again, I hear he’s into religious country stuff now, boy what a difference from when we knew him. Greg works for the State of California, not sure what Bitters is doing, I retired from Verizon in 2003 and enjoy every day.

I’m always amazed and happy that what we did is still remembered. It was a fun time of musical experiments. I think that was the best part, the only rule was there were no rules. It was what sounded good to you that mattered.

Tom Ferrence, 2009

Greg Sanders wrote to me in December, 2011 in answer to my questions about Gary Paxton:

Working with Gary was an experience. We were young and innocent, though we probably didn’t think so and he matured us quickly. Always willing to assist and took a real interest in who we were. Learned alot about recording and “inside” music stuff from him. Hal Blaine (prime session drummer) was visiting Gary during one of our sessions and he joined us for the hand clapping part on Dandelion Wine.

There is one person I want to mention who played a large part in helping us along the way: Bill (Kid) Corey. He was the owner/operator of the Mystic Eye teenage club in Riverside. He hired us in the beginning to be the house band. It was there that we practiced and got tight as a band. Sadly, the club closed sometime in 68 I believe.

In a comment below, Kimberly Langdon-Sauceda sadly reports that her father John Langdon passed away in 2002 after fighting esophageal cancer.

See the entry on the New Wing for more about Gary Paxton and Ken Johnson. All four tracks by the Whatt Four will be appearing from the master tapes on an upcoming Big Beat comp dedicated to the Riverside and San Bernardino scene being produced by Alec Palao. “You’re Wishin’ I Was Someone Else” will also be on “Where The Action Is: LA Nuggets 1965-68” box set on Rhino, due to be released in late September ’09.

Special thanks to Tom Ferrence for sharing his memories and photos of the Whatt Four. Thanks to the G45 Secret Society and Jim Wynand for label scans. KFXM chart reproduced from ARSA. Also a tip of the hat to transoniq for name-dropping Dandelion Wine in a comment about the Rites.