Writing about Danny and the Counts has brought in a lot of information about the Coronado and Frogdeathlabels, so I’ll feature some more artists from these companies, starting with the Imposters.
The A-side is “Wipe In”, their take on the surf standard “Wipe Out” of course, with plenty of reverb and a deranged introduction. It was written by E. Teleheny, published by Conte Music. The flip is a standard blues, “Tulsa”, written by L. Miller.
I can’t find any info or photos of the band, if anyone has one, please let me know.
Although a DJ in El Paso, Steve Crosno’s Frogdeath label was based in University Park, New Mexico. At least some records were cut at his house. He usually put a witty quip on the label, this one has “Produced by Shteve [sic] Crosno”.
Thanks to Sam Stephenson for the scans and transfers of this 45.
“Guajira Sicodelica” by Los Destellos is a fine example of the mesmerizing effect of electric guitars in Peruvian cumbia. The ‘sicodelica’ may refer to the bluesy licks (including the signature line from “Out of Limits”) and discordant tuning.
I can take or leave the A-side, “La Ardillita”. They have dozens of singles and albums. I’m not sure which LP of theirs, if any, these songs appear on. Both sides written by Enrique Delgado, guitarist and leader of the group, and the label was Odeon.
Supersonido has a good quick overview of their career, and some more info and music is available at Murky Recess..
For years I’ve seen white-label copies of the King’s Court record with only stamped titles and the words “Test Pressing”. Until recently I assumed they were bootlegs. I’ve since read they are originals, pressed at the same time as the standard green label copies. There even exist some copies with blank white labels.
I don’t have a green label 45 to compare, but I’ll list the deadwax info from my stamped copy: both sides of the dead wax have the Nashville Matrix stamp, and “95” etched into the vinyl. “Don’t Put Me On” has “WH 3613-A” etched into the dead wax, along with a separate etching of “WH 6̶3̶1̶3̶A̶” (partially crossed out). The flip has the Nashville Matrix stamp, the “95” and “WH-3613-B”. The 95 is code for the Archer Record Pressing in Detroit.
“Don’t Put Me On” has the band playing a steady groove behind a repetitive, buzzing guitar figure. The opening line is “Girl you better not cheat on me” and the lyrics alternate between warning the girl and pleading with her. “Don’t Put Me On” is an original by Holowicki, Suba and Grihorash and published through Jamaica Pub, BMI. The flip is a cover of “Midnight Hour” that’s better than most versions I’ve heard.
Members of the King’s Court were:
John Holowicki – lead vocals Aaron Dytiniak – lead guitar Craig Suba – rhythm guitar Brian Cramer – keyboards Mike Grihorash – bass Bill Barent – drums
Anyone have a photo of the band?
Bill Barent, drummer for the band wrote:
Craig Suba one of the guitar players was installing drapes at our house and heard me playing the drums down the basement. When I came up he asked me if I would be interested in playing in a band. That’s how it all started. The recording studio was in a basement in Dearborn it was a great experience. Grew up in Dearborn Heights, Michigan that’s where all the members of the group lived.
After the Kings Court I played in 10 piece Soul Band called Dan Riley and the Soul Review. I played in the U. S. Army, we put a group together and won 1st Army Entertainment Contest. Later on after I was married I just did weddings and some club work.
The Wheels 4 Records label had a tag, “The Dearborn Sound”, but since that city is just west of Detroit the Kings Court and other bands on the label could have come from anywhere in the area. The records I’ve seen list Bryan Dombrowski as engineer, and I’ve also read he owned the label, though I see Jim Walters is credited as producer on several Wheels 4 sides.
Some of the better Wheels 4 releases include:
3609 – House of Commons “Til Tomorrow” (Tony Franciosi) / “Love Is a Funny Thing” 3611 – Innsmen “I Don’t Know” (Vince Goldsmith) / “Things Are Different Now” 3619 – Hearsemen “I Get That Feeling” / “Christianne” (both by Chris Brent)
There was a three CD set of Wheels 4 recordings, including many unreleased sides, issued in 1994.
Jimmy Peterson, photo courtesy of the Peterson family
“Electrified People” is a funky instrumental with a rhythm that kind of follows “Who Do You Love” while an anonymous guitarist throws in repetitive fills with shameless use of the wah pedal. “One Thousand Dimension in Blue” has a more conventional blues structure, the guitar isn’t as wild and there’s a cheesy echo effect placed on the snare drum.
The 45 was mastered at Bell Sound, and issued on Red Lite Records 113. David Gordon commented below “definitely 1971, issued approx. June / July – the label was based in New York and was connected to DeLite (Kool & the Gang, etc).”
For years, I mistakenly thought the Jimmy Peterson credited on both sides was the Chicago-based songwriter, producer and singer who cut 45s on Limelight and Chess. However, I now realize that the Jimmy Peterson who is credited on the Electrified People was recording mainly in New York. Not only was Red Lite based in New York, but a conversation with his son, whose mother is Yvonne Daniels, who also recorded on Red Lite, confirmed this info. To make matters more confusing, there was a different Yvonne Daniels working in radio in Chicago!
Jimmy confirmed that the Electrified People an actual group, not just a studio creation, and that Yvonne Daniels was a member.
Jimmy Peterson wrote and/or produced or arranged on all four of Yvonne Daniels’ singles, including “I Got to Get Close to You” / “Spread the Word” on De-Lite DE-451 and “Super Soul Music” “I Got to Get Close to You” on Red Lite 117, and her earlier singles on Roulette and Sterling.
This is the only other De-Lite or Red Lite 45 that I can find Jimmy’s name on, but he has a long list of credits and his own singles on Federal, Barry, Roulette, HoMark, Fox Fire and other labels.
Red Lite discography:
Red Lite RL 102 – Crystal Ship – Mary Jane Fletcher (Michael Berardi and Richard Berardi) / Lovin’ Stuff (Richard Berardi) (Produced by Bob Yorey)
Red Lite RL 111 – Johnny Desmond with Candullo-Val Blues Band – Red Lips / Jim Webb – Didn’t We (with PS)
Red Lite RL 113 – Electrified People – Electrified People / One Thousand Dimension in Blue Red Lite RL 114 – Dennis Robinson – Hard to Handle / Unchained Melody (prod. by Larry Philips, arranged by Barry Alley) Red Lite RL 115 – Piccolino Pop Strings – Clown Town / Vous Etes Beau (both written by Gladys Shelley) Red Lite RL 116 – Sammy Taylor (and Hot as Hell) – Something the Devil’s Never Done / Send Her Back (Sammy Taylor) Produced by Melting Pots) Red Lite RL 117 – Yvonne Daniels with the Electrified People – Super Soul Music / I Got to Get Close to You Red Lite RL 118 – Underground Lite Bulb Co. – Evil Ways (L. Zack) / Happy People (P. Martone) produced by Vince Castellano and Bob Yorey Red Lite RL 119 – Jean Battle – Love Making / When a Woman Loves a Man (both songs written and produced by Sam Dees)
Thank you to Jimmy for setting the record straight about which Jimmy Peterson was the correct one for this record and for sending in the photo of his father.
Apologies to Joe Pytel Jr. for removing the photos and info he sent me of the Chicago-based producer, but that is a story for another post.
First notice I can find of Birsen, from 1964Ad for Birsen Armağan’s first Melodi single in Hafta Sonu Ilavesi (Weekend Edtion), February 1967. Yurdaer Doğulu is listed as “guitarist with the National Orchestra”.
Here’s a neat single from female vocalist Birsen Armağan with the Yurdaer Doğulu Orchestra, one of a dozen singles from Turkey I found while on vacation in the Florida Keys earlier this month. “Helvaci” has an interesting guitar and bass opening, but I prefer “Gül Ayşe”, with it’s unusual rhythm and long guitar intro.
This 45 dates to early 1967, and though the instrumentation is mainly western (electric guitar and bass, organ, drums) the songs are very much in a Turkish style.
Her 1968 single on Melodi, “Gel Gel Gel” (“Come Come Come”) / “Ah! Yalancilik” (“Cinderella Rockafella” – a song by Mason Williams and Nancy Ames popularized by the Israeli duo Ester and Abi Ofarim) is much different, as “Gel Gel Gel” is straight-up ye ye style pop.
I don’t know much about Birsen. She may have done some film work as well, but her singing career seems to have quieted in the early ’70s. I don’t know of any other records by Birsen though I wouldn’t be surprised to learn of more.
All the news clippings shown here come from the Milliyet newspaper and its weekend edition, Hafta Sonu Ilavesi.
Thanks to Max “King Boogalouie” for the second Melodi 45 scan and transfers.
Concert ad, February 1967Ad for a concert engagement in 1971December 1968Solo artist, 1969
“A picture of the Sting Rays when we were at the top of our game.” From left: Cecil DeHart, Tom Pittman, “Butch” Schodt, Randy Vaughn, Tom Parker and Vince Screeney
For the 500th story I’ve done on US artists and labels since starting this site, I’m featuring a couple records that are very obscure and rarely heard, but both excellent examples of the sound of bands in the Tidewater region in the mid-60s.
The Sting Rays came from Portsmouth, Virginia. They had two 45s, one on Lawn and another on Vermillion. Both 45s feature an r&b influenced vocal number on one side, and an instrumental on the other.
Their first record is quite a rocker, featuring the swinging horn-led instro “Ele-Phink” backed with the fine, tough vocal “Hey Girl, Watcha Gonna Do” on the flip. Both songs written by R. Vaughn and published through Palmina Music and Florentine, BMI.
“I Need Her”, the vocal side of their second 45 might be their best track. The soulful singing is strong and the horns work perfectly with the driving rhythm section. “Calhoon-a”, the instrumental side, featured piano with bursts of horns (sorry about the warbled sound on this transfer). “Cahoon-A” was written by Tommy Parker, while “I Need Her” was by Tommy Pitman. Both sides produced by F.W. Singleton and published by Florentine Music, BMI. Released on Vermillion 107, the RCA custom press number S4KM-8478/9 indicates that this was pressed in the first half of 1965.
Their lead guitarist Vince Screeney took over on bass for the Swinging Machine when Evan Pierce was in the army.
Vince wrote to me that his time with the Machine, as he calls them, “started with me playing lead guitar for a rival band, The Sting Rays.” Vince gave me some background on the group and sent in the photo at top:
The Sting Rays were:
Cecil DeHart – bass Tom Pittman – lead sax and vocals “Butch” Schodt – drums Randy Vaughn – sax, vocals Tom Parker – organ Vince Screeney – guitar, vocals
These were the members in the group that made the records and we were in top form before we had to break up so that three of our guys could go to college. This is the same group that shared the stage and alternated sets and jam sessions with the Rhondels at the Top Hat club in Virginia Beach.
We certainly weren’t any slouches and recorded twice at a studio in Accokeek, MD. It’s hard to read on the Vermillion label but if you look closely you’ll see that they were recorded by Ray Vernon Productions. His real name was Vernon Ray and he was the brother of Link Wray. Yes, he spelled it differently and I guess he had his reasons. He joked with us that he called his little basement studio “Ray’s Three Track Chicken Shack”. We got to meet Link Wray at our final recording session and I can tell you it was a real charge for me to meet the rockabilly legend.
The Sting Rays had a manager, a retired Portsmouth cop named Woody Singleton who was responsible for getting us recorded. I believe he must have met Vernon during the time Vernon was driving taxis in Portsmouth.
By the way, in case you’re curious, those were yellow shirts, white pants, burgundy jackets and ascots! and of course… Weejuns!
Sadly, we lost Randy on Dec. 23, 2010. The rest of us are hoping for a reunion soon. Thanks to all who remember us and wish us well.
Vince Screeney
I’m sorry to report Vince Screeney passed away on May 25, 2013. Last time I heard from Vince in 2011 he said the remaining Sting Rays were planning a reunion. Vince helped me put this page on the Sting Rays together, and also wrote to me about his next group, the Swinging Machine. He lived in a golden age for music generally and Portsmouth especially.
The Sting Rays with Elsie Strong top row, L-R: Brent Brower, Cecil Dehart, Tommy Parker Middle row, L-R: Bob Watkins, Randy Boone Bottom row, L-R: Roger Thacker, Elsie Strong, Terry Legum
Randy Boone sent in the photo above with a later lineup of the Sting Rays that included:
Elsie Strong – lead vocals Roger Thacker – lead vocals Terry Legum – lead guitar Cecil Dehart – bass Tommy Parker – Hammond organ Randy Boone – drums Brent Brower – horns David Todd – horns Bob Watkins – trumpet
Thank you to Vince Screeney for the scans of both records and the photo of the group, to Chris Beisel for help with an ID in the second photo, and to Mop Top Mike.
Vermillion (Ver-Million, get it?) had some cool 45s, most notably the Executioners “You Won’t Find Me” / “Haunting My Mind”, the top side of which is a fantastic garage number with a cool guitar intro. The band is still something of a mystery, so if anyone hears of an Executioners from Virginia, Maryland or even PA, please let me know!
The Surprize, from left: Roger Fuentes, James Marvell and Buddy Good. (Paul Paris not shown)
You can hardly find a better intro than the one to the Surprize’s “I Will Make History”, with an immortal fuzz riff that hooks the listener immediately. I find the lyrics don’t match the intensity of the music, and that hokey interlude just doesn’t make sense to me, cutting the momentum in the middle of the song.
The flip “Too Bad” is more consistent, if more conventional, and is the side I play the most these days. I’ve seen this listed as from the summer of ’67 but I would speculate it was cut a little later.
Members of the band included:
James Marvell (Carlos Zayas) – lead vocals Paul Paris – lead guitar Buddy Good – bass and vocals Roger Fuentes – drums
Roger Fuentes came from the Early Americans who have a great single on Paris Tower, “Night After Night” / “It’s So Cold Outside” where his drumming stands out. Carlos Zayas wrote “Too Bad” and co-wrote “I Will Make History” with Centinaro.
John Centinaro managed and produced the band on his own Cent Record label out of Tampa, Florida. Centinaro he also managed the Robbs and the Mysterians for a time.
Prior to the Surprize, Good and Marvell collaborated with Centinaro as the Skopes with “She’s Got Bad Breath” / “Tears In Your Eyes” on the USA label in the summer of ’67.
In 1968 Good and Marvell released one single with lead guitarist Eddie Wasenberg as ‘Together’, with “I Loved You” (credited to Centinaro, Wonderbuna and Zayas) / “Don’t Laugh at Me” on Cent Records, recorded at Charles Fuller Studios in Tampa. Both sides are poppy productions, and “Don’t Laugh at Me” seems to feature some zippy speeded-up guitar runs.
Marvell, Fuentes and Good went on to join Mercy (“Love Can Make You Happy” on Warner Bros), another band managed by Centinaro. After Mercy, Marvell and Good formed the gospel country music duo the Country Cavaleers, again with Centinaro managing, then went solo in 1976.
James Marvell wrote to me:
The Surprize was originally a 1966 three piece Tampa, Florida band.
Before their days as The Surprize, James Marvell and Buddy Good were singing and writing songs together. It was during those teen years that James and Buddy formed The Scopes. They released a song co-written by their manager John Centinaro titled “She’s Got Bad Breath.” Scope mouthwash banned the song and the duo changed their group name to The Surprize.
Around 1968 Surprize members James Marvell, Buddy Good with their drummer Roger Fuentes joined Mercy and recorded the million seller “Love Can Make You Happy” written by Mercy founder Jack Sigler Jr.
James & Buddy wrote many songs during their teenage years in Florida and even had songs published by The Isley Brothers’ publishing company in New York. James hopes to dig up those recordings from the middle to late 60s.
After Mercy, Marvell & Good went on to form The Country Cavaleers. Today, James Marvell is still traveling and reliving the the music of the 60s. Joining Marvell is his wife Faye.
While vacationing in the Florida Keys last week I hit a couple of the local thrift shops. One had some good LPs including an unplayed promo copy of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera (mono US issue on Epic) – not a bad thrift find in this day and age. A second shop seemed like a bust and I was about to leave when, on top of a box of VHS tapes, I found a stack of a dozen Turkish 45s circa 1967. Some of the records looked as if they’d never been played, and one was even in the original small paper shop bag it had been put into when it was purchased over 40 years ago.
From this batch, here’s Berkant with the Vasfi Uçaroğlu Orkestrasi: Turgut Dalar (piano), Nevzat Yalaz (saxophone), Erol Sidal (trumpet), Jean Sirap (guitar) and Erdoğan Serdar (bass). Vasfi Uçaroğlu is the drummer; his frisky fills and fast tapping are the highlights of these songs.
Berkant sang with this group from about 1965 until 1968, when they added a female vocalist, Kamuran Akkor. In fact, Vasfi Uçaroğlu’s Orchestra is the group backing her on “Sevgi Nedir Hiç Bilmedim”, which I featured a few years back. For much of 1968 both singers performed with the group, as shown in many listings and ads in newspapers from the time.
“Şu Aydinin Uşaği” reminds me of “Jaan Pechechaan Ho”. “Dere Geliyor Dere” draws from some of the atmospheric effects of Italian soundtrack music from the time, plus it has some fine stop and start passages. This was released on Sahibinin Sesi, which I believe translates to “His Master’s Voice”, thus the logo on the right of the label. Turgut Dalar arranged both sides.
I can’t find any detailed information on Berkant, but some info on Vasfi Uçaroğlu is here, though in Turkish, and I haven’t found a good automatic online translator for Turkish to English yet.
Muzik Ve Genclik (Music and Youth), November 2, 1968. Inset is Kamuran Akkor, another vocalist with Vasfi Uçaroğlu’s group.Milliyet, May 24, 1969Milliyet, June 7, 1969I’m not sure what this clipping is about! Kadin (Women), October 10, 1968
The Iguana were a Melbourne group that formed from the Sands of Time and the Contours in 1967. Members were Gary Sweetman on vocals, Mike McGuire guitar and vocals, Cleve Littlewood guitar, Garry Littlewood guitar, Graham Jones bass and Peter Saunders on drums, later replaced by Russell McGregor.
They had four singles, plus an EP that combined two of their 45s.
I’ve always loved their first single, “Imagine This”. Produced by Pat Aulton on Festival’s four track, it still sounds fantastic! The combination of vocal harmonies with a strong rhythmic backing reminds me of later work by the English group the Action, especially their single “Never Ever” / “Twenty-Fourth Hour”.
Very few have heard the b-side “Dreaming Away to Myself” which is also very good, if not as arresting as “Imagine This”. Garry and Cleve Littlewood wrote both songs, causing some radio station to mark my copy “Aust comp” – I wonder if that helped get them some airplay.
Given the high quality of their first single I think Festival should have encouraged more original songs by the Littlewood brothers. Despite the later reliance on cover songs, I dig their second single, a great version of “California My Way” which I prefer to the original recording by the Committee. I am less enthusiastic with their heavy take on “Ticket to Ride”, the A-side of their third 45.
I still haven’t heard the B-sides to these, “Mary Go Round” and “Sunshine People”, respectively, or their fourth single, “Good News” / “Requiem: 820 Latham”.
This unknown group recorded one of the strangest versions of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poh Pah Doo” I’ve ever heard, titled “Oop-Oop-a-Doo”. Unfortunately there is no name listed under the song writing credits for “Floatin'”, a cool instrumental with sax, piano and some sharp guitar.
Jim Gordon of USA Records started the Destination label to cover bands from the area around his Chicago base, though this group may be from Indiana.
The was a group called the Trade Winds that eventually morphed into Styx, but I think it’s likely a different group. Nor were they the Tradewinds from New York who recorded for Kama Sutra. Anyone know for sure?
Thanks to Geoff Brittingham for the scans and transfers of this 45.
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.
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Writing about Danny and the Counts has brought in a lot of information about the Coronado and Frogdeathlabels, so I’ll feature some more artists from these companies, starting with the Imposters.
“Don’t Put Me On” has the band playing a steady groove behind a repetitive, buzzing guitar figure. The opening line is “Girl you better not cheat on me” and the lyrics alternate between warning the girl and pleading with her. “Don’t Put Me On” is an original by Holowicki, Suba and Grihorash and published through Jamaica Pub, BMI. The flip is a cover of “Midnight Hour” that’s better than most versions I’ve heard.
The Wheels 4 Records label had a tag, “The Dearborn Sound”, but since that city is just west of Detroit the Kings Court and other bands on the label could have come from anywhere in the area. The records I’ve seen list Bryan Dombrowski as engineer, and I’ve also read he owned the label, though I see Jim Walters is credited as producer on several Wheels 4 sides.
This unknown group recorded one of the strangest versions of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Poh Pah Doo” I’ve ever heard, titled “Oop-Oop-a-Doo”. Unfortunately there is no name listed under the song writing credits for “Floatin'”, a cool instrumental with sax, piano and some sharp guitar.