Leito of Puro Rock Latino! turns us on to another band from Montevideo, Uruguay.
The all-female group Mother’s Worries featured the two Paglia sisters, Lelé and Helena. They had been together from 1967 until 1969 but as far as I can tell they never recorded. After breaking up they formed Cold Coffee with Ernesto Soca from Los Malditos to pursue a ‘West Coast’ sound.
Members changed over the life of the band but included Ernesto Soca (guitar), Pippo Spera (guitar), Quique Cano (bass), Ricky Levy (drums), Daniel Amaro (vocals and guitar), Lelé Paglia (vocals and guitar) and Helena “Pip” Paglia (vocals).
They recorded very few songs, most notably this fine single released in 1970 on the Sondor label (# 50,117). On the A-side they cover the Shocking Blue’s “Venus”, an obvious choice and a great version, with the Paglia sisters’ dual vocals a nice contrast to Mariska Veres’ huskier voice on the original. They chose a more obscure song for the flip, Country Joe and the Fish’s Flying High, which they titled “Volando Alto”. Interestingly their take on the heavy Dutch freakbeat “Venus” has a lighter West Coast sound than their version of Country Joe’s song. Ernesto Soca noodles through the whole second half of Volando Alto with a sick guitar tone similar to Ron Ashton’s on the Stooges’ Fun House sessions.
After Cold Coffee split in 1972, Helena Paglia recorded an LP ‘Magica Luna’ with a band that included Ernesto Soca.
The MTA label was a faceless New York corporation primarily licensing recordings from both the East and West Coasts. Most of their California bands were signed through Leo Kulka at San Francisco’s Golden State Recorders. Their East Coast material seems to come from a variety of sources, and some bands seem to be purely studio concoctions.
One such shadowy group are the All 6, with this 1967 release. For years I thought they were a studio group like the Powers of Blue on the same label, as the only names I could ascribe to them come from the songwriters, Paul Leka (well known for writing “Green Tambourine” for the Lemon Pipers, among other hits) and Joseph Messina (credited on the label as J. Mesina).
Both are commercial pop of the time. Of the two I prefer “You Call It Love” for it’s arresting intro and consistent energy, while the A-side “Baby Hold On” has some fine organ playing. Production is credited to Cynthia and A.B. Jet Productions.
Tom Southwell and Andy StoneTom Southwell, Joe Messina and Eddie Rigano
As it turns out, they were a real group, a quintet despite their name. Tom Southwell commented below: “This was a real group from Mamaroneck, Larchmont, and New Rochelle, New York. The odd thing about All 6 is that there were only five members Their names are in the anagram A.B. JET: Andy Stone (drums), Bill Hanff ( lead vocal, electric piano), Joe Messina (organ, principal writer/leader), Eddie Rigano (guitar, vocal), and Tom Southwell (lead guitar, vocal). While All 6 were promoting this record they often were the opening act for The First Edition, B.J. Thomas, The Association, and The Four Seasons. All 6 performed in the area thru high school and college but went into other specialties: journalism, medicine, law, business, and motion pictures, respectively.”
The All 6 also backed Terry Randazzo on a 45 for MGM, “Trick or Treat”.
I asked Tom some questions about the band and he kindly answered with a short history of the group and the photos posted here.
Tom SouthwellWe really were a true performing band with costumes and routines and not just studio musicians. Our band was often hired to record the instrumental part of a vocal groups record. Some were master recordings and others were demos for writers to place songs with artists. We did quite a lot of these for Teddy and other writers. I was surprised when he put our name on that record (“Trick or Treat”). I think it may have been an accident (with our name on the envelope with the tape as it went to the place where the records are pressed… or a deal with our label MTA.)
We recorded an entire album (instruments only) for (Little) Anthony And The Imperials. All this studio work was after years of performing as a band in clubs and school dances. This was a way to gain experience for our own records when the time came. Sometimes I was in the studio working with some jazz legends.
The recordings were mostly done on Broadway across from The Winter Garden Theater, on Saturday or Sunday mornings. We would perform live the weekend evenings, and summers. I think it was Joe Messina who got us in front of MTA. Their A&R man had used us on a record or two and once Joe had a few songs they liked we recorded them. This is the way we worked, since we were all still students.
We played lots of senior proms and dances in the area (including Scarsdale High, Sleepy Hollow High, among others.) During the summers we played at the beach clubs, country clubs , and finally the New York night spots The Phone Booth, Joel Heller’s Eighth Wonder in the village, and often we were regulars at The Canada Lounge in Mamaroneck, NY. I studied guitar with Linc Chamberland from Norwalk, Connecticut, who also was a regular attraction at The Canada Lounge. Spectacular guitarist.
We were friends with Don McLean who lived a couple blocks from me (he was a graduate of Iona Prep school where Joe, Bill, and I briefly went). Don hit it big about 1969 but he was always building a guitar or playing his individual style of music. I was a class mate of Tommy Mottola who lived down the street and we would play guitars together. This was long before he became a legend in the music business. I was already in Hollywood when he got famous.
By the way, that James Burton record (Powers of Blue) really rocks! (too bad I wasn’t at his session.)
Tom Southwell
Ed Rigano added:
This band was formed by Joe Messina. Joe was a great musician besides the organ he was as accomplished drummer and of course a great song writer. Bill H. our lead singer had a incredible voice could sing with the best of them. Andy could play drums like no one else and Tom Southwell played lead guitar, wow could he play. I backed everybody playing rhythm guitar, bass on the recordings and backing vocals to bill. We did other recordings but they were never released, I’m sure Joe has copies.
The Fewdle Lords at Swinney Park, Ft. Wayne, 1968, just back with new threads. From left: George Christie, Dennis Geiger, John Gall, George Danusis
The Fewdle Lords were an accomplished band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. On their only record, the band lays down two excellent originals with confidence, great vocals and energetic playing.
The languid “Farewell to Today and Tomorrow” was given the A-side, while the flip is the uptempo and catchy “I Know.” The sound is certainly right for 1968, certainly a lot of English influence here, maybe a bit of Bee Gees on “Farewell.” There’s even a return fade at the end of that song.
All the instrumentalists stand out: the drummer rolling through the chorus on “I Know”, the organ alternating between sustained notes and percussive chords, tasteful rhythm guitar, and the bass player strumming the strings on one song and running scales on the other.
The mastering code indicates that this is a RCA custom press from 1968 (the 1965 date on the label refers to the copyright for the Tiara label and does not have anything to do with the release date of the Fewdle Lords). The ‘I’ in the deadwax indicates it was pressed at RCA’s Indianapolis plant.
The record was released twice on Tiara 900, first on a blue label in April, 1968, and on a red label shortly after when the first pressing sold out.
First lineup of the Fewdle Lords, from left: George Christie, Denny Geiger, George Danusis and Rich Jackson
Members of the band were:
George Christie – lead guitar & vocals George Danusis – organ & vocals Rich Jackson – bass & vocals, replaced by John Gall Denny Geiger – drums & vocals
Bass player Rich Jackson sent in some of the photos and news clippings seen here. He wrote to me:
I was the bass player back in ’67-’68. Prior to this band, we were called the “Exiles” (Mike Kruse, Don LaFever, Rich Jackson, and George Danusis) and broke up to form the Fewdle Lords with a couple different members.
We were from Fort Wayne, Indiana and were fairly popular around our area. For personal reasons I was forced to leave the band just before the record “I Know” and “Farewell to Today and Tomorrow” was cut.
I never played in a group again after that, but I went from the bass guitar to a six string guitar, which I still play. Also I’ve always wanted to play the piano so I bought one about 3 years ago and am doing fairly well with that.
We had a great time and they are all still in my heart.
Rich Jackson
Fewdle Lords winners of the Franke Park Battle of the Bands, July 28, 1967At the Scottish Rite Auditorium, Ft. Wayne, prior to opening for Jay and the Americans. Clockwise from bottom left: George Christie, George Danusi, Dennis Geiger and John Gall
John Gall replaced Rich Jackson on bass and sang lead on the record. John Gall wrote to me in 2021:
I was the bass player, a songwriter and one of the lead vocalists for the Fewdle Lords from late 1967 to late 1969, the period during which the four-person band released a surprisingly popular single in northern Indiana that rose to #4 on local charts.
Each of the members had been a lead singer in other bands, so the Fewdle Lords focused on vocals and tight harmonies to complement a solid, straight-ahead dance beat. Ironically, the record — a relaxed-tempo song with baroque-style vocals — was actually a departure from the usual style of live sets the band played.
John Gall of the Fewdle Lords
I was recruited in November of 1967. By early ’68 the band had attracted the interest of our future producer at Tiara Records (based in Hollywood, Florida) and, on March 16, 1968, we went to RCA Studios in Chicago to cut the single. The A-side — “Farewell to Today and Tomorrow” — was a song I had written earlier; the B-side (“I Know”) I finished shortly after joining the band. Our hope was to be more than a cover band, so we were excited about having an original song down on tape.
The chance to be signed up with Tiara Records to record in 1968 came about in an almost random way. A childhood buddy of mine, who lived just down the street, had a father who was a private commercial pilot for an industrialist, as well as being an accomplished singer himself. Because he performed, the father had some connections to the music publishing business and, further, he piloted in Florida as well as the Midwest. My friend told his father about the band and, on one of the rare days his father was in Indiana and not flying, the father came to rehearsal, liked the songs (at least enough to take a chance) and said, “Let’s make a record”. His father acted as producer at the session and the single was issued by a small independent label in Hollywood, Florida (Tiara), owned by one of his colleagues in the industry.
A local radio personality in Fort Wayne, Indiana was impressed with the energy of our live sets so, when the record was released in early summer of ’68, he pushed for airplay. It happened, to our great delight, but the response was more than we had expected. Things moved exceedingly fast, bigger crowds were coming to the venues we were playing, the record went to a second pressing and, by July of ’68, the Fewdle Lords were opening for some of the iconic pop groups of the sixties (Herman’s Hermits, The Buckinghams, Jay and the Americans) as those groups toured their way through the midwest.
By then, the Fewdle Lords usually took the stage resplendent in costumes, commissioned from a Canadian opera supply firm, that matched the specious medieval nature of their name. Somewhere in this swirl, before the end of summer, we were tapped for a local “back-to-school” TV special (really an early half-hour pre-teen infomercial, a low-budget, sorta-like-the-Monkees-but-not-nearly-so-nice show) that was probably painful to watch but great fun to make. George Danusis, the thin but plucky organist, was pulled behind a British taxi in a baby carriage on a rope, but then rolled into a lake when the taxi turned! The outdoor scenes, involving primarily a lake and a beach in Kendallville, Indiana, were shot on film. The remaining parts, a fashion show and the band lip-synching to the record, were done in the WANE-TV studio in Ft. Wayne and were tracked on early videotape. Then, along with the commercials (all about back-to-school shopping at the sponsor’s store, of course) the parts were compiled onto videotape for broadcast. Alas, the TV show does not survive.
While all that was going on, we embarked — with much greater seriousness — on a constant, night-after-night schedule of shows in clubs and resorts, criss-crossing the midwest in our very own Greyhound bus. The pace slackened some, but continued into 1969 and, in July of that year, we were back in the studio with improved musical skills, recording what was intended to be a pair of new singles. However, I was booted from the band in late 1969 and, shortly thereafter, George Christie, our outstanding lead guitarist, was killed in a driving accident, putting an end to the Fewdle Lords. The new songs we had recorded were never released.
I have no idea where the original tape from the Cleveland recording session in 1969 is today. My dim recollection is that it was multi-tracked and mixed on two-inch magnetic tape (basically, videotape). I do have a small reel of quarter-inch magnetic tape with copies of the songs, but the tape has not been played in years.
I don’t remember everything about those days — it happened fast and details, of course, fade with time. But I still remember vividly how much fun it was, just absolute, unbridled fun. At the same time, however, if you look closely at the faces in the pictures, beneath the smiles I think you can glimpse four young kids who, despite tender years, were absolutely committed and deadly earnest in the pursuit of being really accomplished musicians — the best we could be, even if just a garage band from Indiana. It was a privilege to sing and play with musicians as talented as my other bandmates in the Fewdle Lords. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat!
After the Fewdle Lords, I spent several years working in broadcasting, both on-air and also behind the glass as an engineer and producer. After moving to Maine, I picked up some classical training for voice, then became very involved in choral music. I’ve been privileged to sing in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, as well as in Bath Abbey and other cathedrals in England.
— John Gall, Rockland, Maine 2021
2nd pressing on red label
A notice in the Waterloo Press from February 15, 1968 mentions the Fewdle Lords playing a homecoming at DeKalb High with another Fort Wayne group, the Children.
The Rushville Republican from February 12, 1970 reported the death of George Christie from injuries suffered a traffic accident in Toledo four days previous.
Dan Karns replaced John Gall on bass around 1970, during the final months of the band. The band continued after Christie’s death, with John Escosa on guitar. The band went through other changes and ended up as Airfield Wright. Other members from that time include Jerry Reff and Rick Armstrong.
Denny Geiger continued in music, usually as a vocalist, notably with Mark Urgent Labov & Beyond.
Tiara Records & Mana Productions
Old sources listing the Fewdle Lords as a Florida band are mistaken. The confusion came because the same Tiara label had releases from Florida bands, including the Belles (“Melvin”) and the Vandals (“I Saw Her in a Mustang”).
Ad for show at the Hullabaloo Club
Deborah Teaver Moore of the Belles wrote in a comment below, “Mana Productions, Ft Wayne was the parent company of Tiara Records based in Miami. The 1966 label for The Belles “Melvin”/”Come Back” was a different color and design from the one featured for The Fewdle Lords – but you probably knew that already.:-) The woman representing Tiara in Miami was named Ruth Sadler.”
Jeff Lemlich commented: “It looks like Mana moved around. The Billboard Record Talent directory, dated December 24, 1966, lists Mana’s address as 2632 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Fla 33020. Then it’s tied to Indiana, and on Tiara CW100, by Ray Yeager, it has a Baton Rouge address! Yeager (who’s Bunny Yeager’s brother) died recently. He seemed to have close connections to the label.”
Thank you to Rich Jackson and John Gall for sharing their clippings, photos and recollections. Thank you to Janice for information on the later members of the band. Thanks to Deborah Moore, Jeff Lemlich and Mike Markesich for info on the Tiara label.
The Exiles, before the Fewdle Lords. From left: Mike Kruse, Don LaFever, Rich Jackson, and George Danusis
The Upper Class included bass player John Broberg, Randy Shelton and drummer Neal St. John. Major Bill Smith’s Charay label signed them to record their two originals, “Help Me Find a Way” and “Can’t Wait.” David Norfleet of the Chants told me he went into the studio with them to help them record these songs.
“Help Me Find a Way” had hit potential from the strong vocal harmonies and upbeat production. The Charay 45 was picked up for national release by the Smash label, but didn’t chart in any market.
Beginning in 1969, John Broberg and Neal St. John played in the group “Quest” along with Chants vocalist Darrel Howard and guitarist Michael St. Romain.
Calling themselves the Sandmen was the right move, ’cause you’re likely to be hit with a wave of sleepiness while listening to these dragging versions of “I Can Tell” and “You Can’t Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover.” They managed to make Bo Diddley tunes sound boring twice in one session. Should have laid off the cough syrup before hitting the studio!
I’m sure I’m being too harsh – I know some people like this 45, so judge for yourself. Cut on the Minneapolis, Minnesota Studio City label in 1965.
Almost certainly not the same Sandmen from West Bend, Wisconsin, who cut the excellent World Full of Dreams on Night Owl.
Originally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Royal Flairs began as the backing band for singer Dick Hodge, cutting one single at Sears Sound Studio in Omaha, Nebraska, “Dream Angel” / “Let’s Go”, in October of 1962 as Nelson Royal, Bobby Williams and the Royal Flairs*.
The Flairs became house band at the Milrose Ballroom outside of Omaha, playing primarily surf instrumentals.
Three members stayed with the band through all of their changes: Bob Everhart (Bob Williams’ actual name) on sax and vocals, Dave Krivolavek on guitar and Dave Brubeck on bass. Other early members included Jerry Fleetwood on trumpet, Daryl Hill on organ, Brian Sallozo on sax, Brad Starr and Mike Nelson on lead guitar, and Rick Brown on drums.
Everhart, Brubeck and Krivolavek relocated to Chicago in early 1965, adding Mike Donion on drums and Mel Matthews on lead guitar and organ. In 1966 they cut two 45s for the Marina label, one as the Royal Flairs, and another as the Unlimited.
The first, “Suicide” has a sharp garage sound and a great solo. In the lyrics the singer wants to join the girl who killed herself over him. It was written by Everhart and Dave Krivolavek, with Everhart playing the harmonica. The instrumental flip, “One Pine Box” (misprinted on the labels of one pressing as “One Pink Box”) has an earlier surf style. It’s a gruesome number featuring the sound of scraping and a hammer nailing a coffin lid shut.
The second Marina 45 as The Unlimited was another morbid number “Feelings.” The flip was one I haven’t heard yet, “Gone Away”.
Bobby Williams remained a pseudonym for Bob Everhart as that name appears as the promotional contact on their Marina 45. For the Flairs final 45, they released the folky “Hat On Tie” as by Bobby and Dave on one side, and the killer soul screamer “My Baby Cries” as by Bobby Williams on the other. These were produced by D. Marrone for the Tonorous label.
According to the notes from Back from the Grave, the band broke up after Bob Everhart was shot when he tried to protect a 350 pound go-go dancer named Miss Temptation from a crazed patron. Bob survived the wound but decided to get out of the nightclubs while he was still in one piece!
In the 1980’s an EP Surfin’ with the Royal Flairs featured five unreleased versions of surf songs recorded in 1962. Another LP, The Royal Flairs, Rare Recordings from 1965-66 contains their singles along with a side of unreleased songs that reflect their change to r&b and British Invasion sounds, recorded in Omaha.
Mike Donian passed away in 2010. His brother Dan sent in the photo below:
Royal Flairs publicity photo, courtesy of Dan Donian
*The Routers cut a version of “Let’s Go” in 1962. Bob Everhart filed a complaint with BMI over the copyright of “Let’s Go”, which caused SAM owner Leona Leivas to release the copyright. However, a 1973 European Warner Brothers release of “Let’s Go” shows song writing credits to Lanny Duncan and Robert Duncan.
Sources: Royal Flairs photo from Back from the Grave 3, Marina 45 scan and transfer of Suicide taken from bosshoss’ Flac Attack vol. 1. Info from the liner notes to Rare Recordings. Thanks to Phil Dirt for the better quality rip of “One Pine Box”.
April Brooks and Candy Hunt of Fire, featured in the E.J.D. Enterprises Inc. News Bulletin of Nov/Dec ’67
JP sent me this 45 by an Oregon group The Fire, released approximately 1968. “Happy Springtime” was written by Candy Hunt and David Kahl, but I prefer the b-side, “Sorry for Tryin'”, written by Candy Hunt and Jeff Kaasted, with a neat organ solo. Both sides were produced by Bill Downer and engineered by Rick Keefer.The Fire included two female singers, April Brooks and Candy Hunt, Jeff Kaasted on guitar, David Kahl on bass, and Jerry Krauser drums. John Lessig was the original frontman and the first keyboard player, Roger was replaced by Omar Burns who also doubled on trumpet.
I spoke to David Kahl about his time with the band:
I was sixteen at the time. I never intended to join the band, I was always basically a blues lover. The Animals and Yardbirds were the only bands that had appeal for me outside the blues.
I had gotten a call to audition for this band when I hadn’t actually put anything out that said I was interested. They were out in the middle of the sticks. They had a gig, needed a bass player temporarily. I agreed to join for thirty days. I stayed longer than I ever anticipated – almost a year. Getting out of class early was compelling!
We did some good rooms all over the Northwest. Opened for Don and the Goodtimes, the Sonics, the Wailers. The manager, Bill Downer … that was an appropriate name – about the slickest guy you could ever imagine … but he got us a lot of gigs.
I’d been trying to write a tune here, a tune there. The manager said “Look, Candy’s got some words, we want to put out a record, give it a try.” Then I heard the words! I said “Oh God!” So I wrote a decent hook and modulated a couple times knowing full well it would be vocally challenging!
Jeff was supposed to write Sorry for Tryin’. I got him interested in using the fuzztone. Once we got into the studio we were told “that will never do!”
We were a tight, well presented group. I got the guys to do a couple Hendrix and Cream tunes. My older brother was a player too, guitar and also violin; we loved the direction Clapton and Hendrix were going in. I was getting paid incredibly well, but my brother and I formed a quartet then a trio, getting paid a fifth of what I got with the Fire. They went on for another year then dissipated as well.
After I worked with Rod Price, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, and spent five years playing with Paul deLay, probably the best chromatic harp player in the world.
David still plays music regularly in Portland. He is now working on MyGigNet.com a social network for musicians and music professionals.
Thank you to JP for sending me the scans and transfers, and to David Kahl for speaking to me about his first band.
Leito alerted me to this great 45 by a band from Uruguay, the Blizzards.
According to the article in the Uruguayan magazine Hit, “Blizzards Soplando Fuerte” (Blizzards Blowing Wildly) the band began in 1965, choosing their name from a Spanish-English dictionary.
After some personnel changes, they arrived at the lineup on this record: Leonardo Ferreira lead guitar, Ariel Burgueño on rhythm guitar, Héctor ‘Bocha’ Marrone on organ, Juan Roberto Agrello Gravestijin (from Holland) on bass, and Carlos Saco Fernández (from Spain) on drums.
An early broadcast on a radio program ‘Caverna Uno’ of the newspaper El Espectador led to bookings at dances and then regular appearances on two popular music shows, the ‘Discodramo Show’ and ‘Gente Joven’ (Young People). Leito tells me “They were seen as an ‘underground band’ [‘onda subterránea’], but nevertheless had two major performances in their career, one on the Canal 4 (Channel 4) and another La Liguria.”
A producer named Barros was looking for a group to record a song he had for his brand new label, Prodisa. Somewhat mysteriously this song, I Know You’re Cryin’ (Sé que estás llorando) is described as Canadian but I haven’t been able to find the source for it yet. The band performs it well, but at points they sound more than ready to cut loose.
They backed the top side with an original composition, Looking Through (Mirando a través). On this song they create an original, distinctly South American sound, opening with a very funky drum and bass combo then adding buzzing guitar and splashes of organ. Continuing for almost five minutes, the song alternates verses with organ and guitar solos. ‘Bocha’ Marrone occasionally uses a wah-wah pedal, and a droning guitar answers each wash of organ.
They sang in English because it was a ‘tougher’ language than Spanish, which, being ‘sweeter’, was “less adaptive for the type of music we make” (“se adapta mucho más al estilo porque es una lengua más dura que el castellano; éste en cambio es más dulce y por eso menos adecuado para el tipo de musica que nosotros hacemos”).
When asked to sum up how they felt about their first record, the band gave this half-hearted statement:
Considering the technical limitations we faced, we think it went rather well. It’s one thing to record with eight tracks in Argentina, and another to do it in Montevideo with only two tracks. All in all, we were satisfied with it.
(Dentro de las limitaciones técnicas del medio, creemos que salió bastante bien. Por supuesto que una cosa es grabar en la Argentina, con ocho pistas, y otra distinta es hacerlo en Montevideo, donde sólo se dispone de dos pistas. Asi y todo, quedamos bastante satisfechos.)
Their recording career was short-lived, with just one other single, Tell Mama / Endless Road, released in 1972 on the relatively large label Clave. The Hit article mentions plans to record a full album, and also that the Blizzards would contribute to an album featuring stars of Gente Joven, but I don’t know if any of these were ever done.
Thank you to Leito for sending the photos, scans and songs of the Blizzards.
Several people have requested I post the songs of Huckleberry Mudflap, a band from the North Carolina coastal town of Beaufort.
Jerry Lewis had this information about the group:
I was in high school with the band members (East Carteret High School, Beaufort, NC). They were together from 1969-1972. Most popular song was “Blue Surf.”
Jimmy Amspacher, drums Clinton Nelson, lead guitar Morris Willis, rhythm guitar Donnie Vrooks, bass
The band split up when their main songwriter and lead singer found Jesus and went off to sing in choirs instead of doing rock n roll. In fact, the church where Clinton Nelson has been pastor for over a decade was recently struck by lightening and burned to the ground [article here].
Clinton Nelson wrote Blue Surf (credited to H.C. Nelson). Michael D. Collins wrote Goodnight Mrs. Kollendoffer and co-produced the record with B. Martin.
Special thanks to Jay Jenkins of SouthernSoul.com for sending the poster at the top and to Jeff Lemlich for the scans and transfers of the 45.
The Esquires at Parkview High School, from the ’66 yearbook. L-R (not certain): John Jacobsen, Mike Fielder, Rick Davidson and Mark Morton.
There were many bands that called themselves the Esquires. This group came from Springfield, Missouri.
John Jacobsen wrote all the songs I’m featuring here. He was the only member I could identify until someone sent in the two photos featured here. The other members may have included Mike Fielder on bass, Mark Morton on guitar, and Rick Davidson on drums, with Bill DeLange from the Artificial Flowers replacing Mark Morton at some point. The person who sent the photos also remembered David Kershenbaum substituting for a sick band member on guitar at a Parkview High School dance.
Their first 45, “She’s My Woman” is good rocking fare. Somehow this ended up on Dot records in October of 1966; I presume it had a local release but I’m not sure of that. I haven’t heard the flip yet, called “Misfortune”.
The A-side of their second 45 is “Summer Nights”, a poppy song with horns.
Their greatest moment to my mind is “Settle Down”, the b-side to “Summer Nights”. It’s a beautifully composed song with a perfect balance between the instruments and the group’s fine harmonies. The strong vocal lines remind me of the Jefferson Airplane’s first LP, while the Byrds may have inspired the guitar solo. Released in July of 1967, the Scratch label lists the address as Radio-TV Bldg., Springfield.
Mike Morton, Mark Morton’s younger brother, played in a later band from the area, the Lavender Hill Mob.
Thanks to the person who anonymously contributed the photos and description of the band.
Taken from Springfield’s Community Free Press, August 2, 2006.
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 Fewdle Lords were an accomplished band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. On their only record, the band lays down two excellent originals with confidence, great vocals and energetic playing.
The languid “Farewell to Today and Tomorrow” was given the A-side, while the flip is the uptempo and catchy “I Know.” The sound is certainly right for 1968, certainly a lot of English influence here, maybe a bit of Bee Gees on “Farewell.” There’s even a return fade at the end of that song.
Calling themselves the Sandmen was the right move, ’cause you’re likely to be hit with a wave of sleepiness while listening to these dragging versions of “I Can Tell” and “You Can’t Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover.” They managed to make Bo Diddley tunes sound boring twice in one session. Should have laid off the cough syrup before hitting the studio!
Three members stayed with the band through all of their changes: Bob Everhart (Bob Williams’ actual name) on sax and vocals, Dave Krivolavek on guitar and Dave Brubeck on bass. Other early members included Jerry Fleetwood on trumpet, Daryl Hill on organ, Brian Sallozo on sax, Brad Starr and Mike Nelson on lead guitar, and Rick Brown on drums.
According to the notes from Back from the Grave, the band broke up after Bob Everhart was shot when he tried to protect a 350 pound go-go dancer named Miss Temptation from a crazed patron. Bob survived the wound but decided to get out of the nightclubs while he was still in one piece!
