Sound on Sound at the Time Tunnel, circa 1967, from left: Stony Ratliff on keyboards (tie and jacket – barely visible), Chris Shortridge, singer (white pants and jacket), Dan Rose on guitar (dark pants and shirt), Larry Lester on bass, and Terry Long on drums. Eddy Dixon usually stood between Larry and Terry, but was taking this pic.Sound On Sound were from Grundy in the western part of Virginia, close to a three hour drive to any large city like Roanoke or Johnson City, Tennessee.
The original group consisted of Ed Dixon lead guitar, Curtis Shortridge guitar, Stoney Ratliff organ, Larry Lester bass and Terry Long on drums. Looking for a singer they found Oakwood’s Danny Rose of the Kool Kuzzins, who had cut an excellent 45 on Spot in 1967, “Love Can Be True” / “Hey Little Girl”.
Sound On Sound played back country gigs until they opened their own club, the Time Tunnel, in Garden Creek, about 10 miles from Grundy.
From the Virginia Mountaineer:
These young men performed at a nice, wholesome hangout in 1967 at Young’s Branch for the young people in our community. The teens danced and had lots of fun!
In 1968, at a radio station in Big Stone Gap they recorded their only 45, produced by Joe Deaton. The A-side was the sleepy “My Little Girl”, but on the flip is the much more electric “Girl, You’ve Got to Turn Me On”. Dominated by Stoney Ratliff’s organ style, Ed Dixon’s guitar buzzes in around the vocals while Terry Long smacks the kit and Larry Lester plays runs on the bass, making a great single all in all!
In the 1970s, Curtis Shortridge played bass and sang backup with a group called Phoenix, with Danny Perkins, Lonnie Perkins, Kenny Hale, Randy Long, Ken Jordan and others. Phoenix lasted into the 1980s, and released a single “Loving You” on Transworld Records, recorded at Tandem Recording Studio in Bristol, VA, engineered by Joe Deaton.
Thank you to Selena Long for sending in the photo at top.
Sources include: The Virginia Mountaineer, and liner notes to Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things vol. 2.
Billy John and the Continentals are most famous for a couple 45s on Floyd Soileau’s Jin label in Ville Platte, “The Alligator”/”All Over Again” (Jin 203) and “Slap It To Me”/”Shooting Squirrels” (Jin 214). (Thanks to Boursin for this info – see his comment below correcting my original post regarding “Po Boy”.)
Billy John was Billy John Babineaux, and I believe he passed away in 2002. I’m not sure who was in the Continentals, but Kirby Boudreaux is a possibility.
They also released two 45s on Roland “Rocky” Robin’s N-Joy label in a more conventional r&b style. The first is this fine cover of Jessie Hill’s “Ooh Pooh Pah Doo” with the ballad “Does Someone Care (for Me)” on the flip.
The second N-Joy release has two more Billy Babineaux originals, the rockin’ “Lover Boy Blue” and the horn-driven r&b “Put the Hurt on You”.
The furious opening chords and drum rolls, the casual vocal delivery. Sharp guitar and Yardbirds style rave up – “Lovin’ Just My Style” is one of the signature songs from the garage era.
The Caravelles established themselves as a live act in Phoenix and somehow got the attention of Hadley Murrell, a DJ at the AM soul station KCAC. Murrell produced many of Phoenix’s soul acts in the mid-60’s, including Eddie and Ernie (45s “Time Waits for No One”, “I’m Goin’ for Myself”, etc), the New Bloods, and the Soul Setters, whose 45 “Out of Sight” was also released on Onacrest.
When the Caravelles recorded their single in 1966, the lineup included John Fitzgerald on vocals and harmonica, Mike Lipman lead guitar, Jerry Breci rhythm guitar, Danny Reed keyboards and Doug Steiner on drums.
“Lovin’ Just My Style” is an original by Fitzgerald, Lipman and Breci. For the flip, they covered a song by the New Bloods, “Self-Service”, with the memorable lines: “I don’t have no one to love me, I don’t have no one to kiss me … so I’ll have to serve myself … Self-service!”
Rick Anderson may have been bassist at the time of the record; he later joined the Superfine Dandelion. The band’s first keyboardist was Brooks Keenan, and Neal Smith was their last drummer, before he joined Alice Cooper.
Michael Lloyd formed the Rogues while he was at Hollywood Professional School. It was his third band after the surf instrumental group the New Dimensions and the vocal version of the Dimensions, the Alley Kats.
Shaun Harris met Lloyd while playing bass in another band at Hollywood Professional, the Snowmen, who had recorded “Ski Storm” with Kim Fowley producing. Shaun joined the Rogues in time to help produce their only 45, “Wanted: Dead or Alive”/”One Day.”
Original US issue on Living Legend“Wanted: Dead or Alive” is basically Hey Joe with altered lyrics, despite the songwriting credit to Harris and Lloyd. It’s an unusual version though, with ethereal harmonies and a guitar solo accompanied by a change in rhythm that just manages to stay on track. On the flip is Michael Lloyd’s excellent “One Day”, which demonstrates the direction his songwriting was heading in.
Lloyd and Harris produced the 45, which was released on Kim Fowley’s Living Legend label. This record marks the start of Shaun Harris’ work with Lloyd; they would soon start the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band with Shaun’s brother Danny. It may also mark the beginning of Lloyd’s frequent collaborations with Kim Fowley.
On the Living Legend label are also a couple solo 45s by Kim Fowley “Mr. Responsibility”/”My Foolish Heart” and “Underground Lady”/”Pop Art ’66”; a Fowley duet with Gail Zappa as Bunny and Bear titled “America’s Sweethearts”; and one by Vito and the Hands, “Where It’s At,” featuring the Mothers of Invention.
The sleeve above shows the German release, probably a result of Fowley’s connections in Europe.
For another example of Michael Lloyd’s early work, see the entry on Boystown.
The Prime Mover were led by two brothers from New York, John Pastor and Tony Pastor, Jr., who wrote both sides of this mystical opus.
Released in late 1967 on the Socko label, “When You Made Love To Me” contrasts droning chords with ringing chimes and quirky lead guitar work. The dense production prevents this song from having as strong an impact as it could have.
The less ambitious flip, “Shadow of a Day Gone By”, falls flat by comparison. The Pastors were sons of jazz bandleader Tony Pastor, and also had a vocal group the Pastor Brothers with their other sibling, Guy.
There were a number of bands calling themselves the Shags in the ’60s, this group came from Winnipeg, Manitoba. The only member I know of was Greg Leskiw, later of the Logan Avenue, the Guess Who and Mood jga jga.
“Smiling Fenceposts” is a great psychedelic song, written by Merritt & Steward. The group vocals remind me the Strawberry Alarm Clock, and the song has a fantastic buzzing guitar break. The drumming is excellent as well.
“Dr. Feel-Good” is more formulaic, but has another fine guitar solo. The singer is looking for women who weigh at least 400 pounds! It was written by someone named Smith, and is a different song from the Aretha Franklin tune.
Wes Nowosad founded Eagle Records, releasing records by Winnipeg groups including the Quid, Satan and the D Men, Good Feeling and the Shondels. He died last year, Dec. 4, 2006.
Another obscurity from the MTA label. Ferguson Tractor was the vehicle (hah, sorry for the pun!) for D. Ferguson, who wrote both these songs. “12 O’Clock High” has strong fuzz guitar backing the vocals and what sounds like a Leslie speaker for the guitar’s wah effect on the chorus.
“Desperation Blues” is very much like other psychedelic blues from 1967, like the Dead or Big Brother & the Holding Co. The guitar fills remind me of early Country Joe & the Fish especially. Neat watery effect on the organ. Anyone who likes blues in the style of the early Bay Area groups should dig this.
I’ve read that “Desperation Blues” was the last 45 released by the Moonglow label, in early 1967, but I’ve only ever seen it on MTA, a 1969 release. The Moonglow link, if it’s real (which I doubt), plus the general sound of the record strongly suggest this is a California group.
The Wild Vybrashons, from left: Chuck Terpo, Vern Reeves, Harford Capps, Al Lovoy and Mark Papisan
Revised June, 2010
The original Wild Vybrashons were Charles Terpo, Vernon Reeves, Hartford Capps and Mark Papisan, along with a female singer who was replaced by Al Lovoy, who had been in two prior bands, the Swingin’ Lamp Liters and the Royal Carousels.
They released one 45, with a version of “A Place in the Sun” as the A-side. I much prefer their update of “One Track Mind”, a song that had been recorded previously by Gary Lewis & the Playboys and the Knickerbockers.
The record was arranged by Steve Norris and produced by Glen Powers, two popular DJs on Birmingham radio station WSGN. Not surprisingly, the record hit that station’s charts, with “A Place in the Sun” reaching #1 on April 24, 1969.
After the single the group shuffled members, adding another former member of the Lamp Liters, Gary Swatzell.
Thanks to Diana Lovoy for sending the scan of the photo and business card and to Al Lovoy for correcting the band lineup in his comment below.
Business card with Al’s name misspelled as Al LavoyCool ad and article on the Monkees coming to Birmingham City Auditorium, with the ‘Wild Vybrasions’ opening. Not surprisingly the band’s name is often spelled differently, like Wyld Vibrations, Wild Vibrashons, Vybrashuns, etc.
Voxmen at the Hut in Toccoa, Georgia, l-r: Bill Harding, Bill Thompson, Eddy Jordan, George Dilworth (drums), and David Westmoreland.
The Voxmen released two 45s on their own VM label. Although most of the band was from the town of Toccoa in northern Georgia, they often performed throughout north Georgia and South Carolina and recorded one of their records in Charlotte, North Carolina.
They recorded their first 45 in Atlanta, produced by Barry Westbrook. “They Say (You’re Gonna Lose That Girl)” is their crudest number, it sounds like many a Texas record to me. “You Tell Me”, written by George Dilworth and Eddy Jordan, is less primitive but holds up equally well, with an excellent solo and scream during the break.
They recorded their second 45, “Time Won’t Change My Mind”, at Arthur Smith’s studio in Charlotte, NC in December of 1967, a three hour’s drive from Toccoa. Their harmonies are smoother, the guitar jangly instead of distorted, and the organ takes a backseat to Sam Camp’s catchy harmonica lines. It’s a radio-friendly 45 that probably didn’t get much exposure, but it holds up very well to repeated listens.
l-r: Bill Thompson on rhythm guitar, Eddy Jordan on bass, George Dilworth on the drums, and David Westmoreland on lead guitar
I interviewed drummer, vocalist, and songwriter George Dilworth about his time with the Voxmen:
I connected with music from my earliest recollection of hearing it. Coming from a family of four – two girls and two boys – I was the oldest boy. My sisters had a small record player and I cut my teeth on Buddy Holly, Elvis, Shirelles, Platters, Bo Diddley, early rock and roll. I was always pounding away on something with my hands, which led to bongo drums. My dad died when I was eleven and my mother dated a musician for several years (they almost married). He talked me into buying a used set of drums (Slingerland, green glitter) at a music store in Greenville, SC.
Between the Beatles and Motown, I was in love with music. I played with a small three piece band (guitar, bass, and drums) called the Kapps for a few months. Meanwhile, I was also playing country music (which I dislike for the most part) with my mother’s boyfriend to supplement my income and stay in practice. We played VFW clubs, Moose Lodges, and Armory dances.
I had seen the Voxmen play at a popular hang-out in Seneca (my hometown), known as the Chicken Shack, and was impressed. When the group I first played with (The Kapps – guitar, bass, and drums) broke up, I sat in on a song or two to give drummers a break at the Chicken Shack occasionally, and Eddy and I had spoken a time or two at the shack. He undoubtedly remembered me as a drummer without a band and when they needed a drummer they tracked me down.
It surprised me to get a call from Georgia (if memory serves me correctly, [Voxmen manager] Barry Westbrook called me at home) asking if I was interested in auditioning as a drummer for the Voxmen. It was the summer of my sixteenth year. The original drummer was moving to keyboards. They also had a lead guitar (David Westmoreland), rhythm guitar (Bill Thompson), bass (Eddy Jordan). Bill Harding was the drummer moving to keyboards. I went after the position, never giving the first thought to the distance between Toccoa and Seneca should I become a member of the band. Ultimately, where there was a will, there was a way.
Mutually addicted to the Beatles, Eddy and I became close and began singing together (and later writing). Eddy tought me how to harmonize. That led to my doing more and more vocals. I am lead vocalist on both “You Tell Me” and “They Say You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”.
For the life of me, I do not remember where in Atlanta we went to record our first 45. It was an old chicken house or barn converted into a recording studio. Our manager probably set it up. Bill Harding, whom I haven’t been in contact with since the late 60’s, might recall where it was. I’ve been told he lives in Florida and that Sam has invited him to his 60th birthday jam, so, perhaps he can put you in touch with him. Anyway, it was a crude set-up, but we were excited just to be recording. We were pretty nervous at first, though we “settled in” once we began to play. The 45 sounds pretty much like what you would have heard if you had been there.
It was during this time that I met Sam Camp. He played with one of the best bands around at the time, the Avalons. I was a huge fan of the Avalons. I sat in for their drummer a time or two at the Shack and subsequently got to know some of them as time progressed. Sam was a member of the Voxmen when we recorded our second record, “Good Things” and “Time Won’t Change My Mind.”
[The photo above] was taken at the Chicken Shack sometime in 1967 prior to the Voxmen’s second release, “Time Won’t Change My Mind” and “Good Things.” The girl standing next to me was my date, Kay Chambers. Up front and center is Sam Camp on keyboards with Eddy Jordan to the far right.
The band was enjoying a close-knit period with Roy Thompson on lead guitar (not pictured) and his brother, Bill on rhythm (not pictured). Sam Camp and Roy Thompson came aboard not long after our gig in Greenville with the Dave Clark Five, bringing a much-needed seasoning to the band. We were experiencing a surge of creativity from virtually every musician in the group, culminating in the Voxmen’s last recording (December, 1967).
Our second recording was done, as you know, at Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte. Sam loved getting to play the baby Hammond and blew us all away on the harmonica break on “Time Won’t Change My Mind.”
Eddy and I stood side by side to sing “Time Won’t Change My Mind”, with a scream from me and a “hooooo” from Eddy. I was worried about my voice that day since I had a cold (stuffy nose, scratchy throat, etc.), but it didn’t seem to bother me. Eddy and I were grinning from ear to ear or laughing out loud the whole time.
Something most people do not know is that “Time Won’t Change My Mind” was really written by Eddy and me. The original song by Roy and Eddy never quite suited us, but after Eddy and I rewrote it, we never bothered to change the credits. It’s still mine and Eddy’s favorite song by the Voxmen.
We came up with the idea for the guitar and harmonies at the end of “Good Things” the night before going up to record in Charlotte. Hearing it play back the next day in the studio was a trip. We were never quite happy with the horns on “Good Things,” but had a lot of fun doing both songs. I sing lead vocal except on “Good Things”, which is sung by Roy Thompson. Eddy, David Westmoreland, and I sang background harmonies.
About where we played live. I mentioned the Chicken Shack in Seneca. It was owned by a fellow named Charlie B. Stancil (he and a friend went in together to convert an old chicken shed into a place the young people could hear live music and dance, but the friend took his share and pulled out) who later went on to give a few live outdoor concerts on his farm in the country with groups like Edgar Winter and White Trash, Cactus, Fleetwood Mac, Marshall Tucker Band, and REO Speedwagon to name a few. Charlie’s house burned down years ago and when he rebuilt his house, he finished the basement in a smaller replica of the old Chicken Shack. Charlie brought a lot of bands to this area who would never have come otherwise. All of the young people liked Charlie B. when I was coming up.
The Voxmen with the Dave Clark Five, at the Greenville Auditorium
We played places like the Chicken Shack, youth centers (like the Hut in Toccoa) throughout SC and GA, and, at our peak, opened for the Dave Clark Five at the Greenville Auditorium in Greenville, SC. An article in the Greenville paper made a big deal of our Beatle cover song, “A Day in the Life”. We heard from several sources that we outshone the Dave Clark Five that night. I still have some photographs of the two groups backstage. (Would you believe my future wife was in the audience and managed to get my autograph that night?)
It was during this phase of the band that we discovered a group in California already had legal use of the name Voxmen. We lost Roy Thompson, our lead guitar, so, Eddy and I made a trip to Jacksonville, Florida to try and recruit an old friend of Eddy’s. We brought Karl Hague back to Toccoa with us and formed the group Fredrick Haze. Internal problems (Karl was married and his wife was expecting) broke up a pretty good sound that never saw maturity. I got a job and married Deborah while the band was fizzling and never attempted to re-enter the field of music.
The keyboardist and harmonica player on “Time Won’t Change My Mind,” Sam Camp, has continued to play music over the duration of his life. He is primarily a saxophone player. He threw a big jam at his place ten years ago when he turned fifty. He’s doing it again this October for his sixtieth and it’s going to be the best yet. We’re trying to get all the old band members to attend.
George Dilworth drumming at the Greenville Auditorium. Eddy Jordan on bass in foreground.
Special thanks to George for taking the time to answer my questions and for sending the photos of the band, and to Sam Camp for the photo of the Frederick Haze poster. Sam tells me the reunion was a great success, with the band playing for over three hours. I hope to add his story on the band, along with some photos in the near future. Check out the Avalons, Sam Camp’s band before joining the Voxmen.
One of the finest records on the Vaughn Ltd. label is the Swingin’ Lamp Liters’ “Get Away”. Members at the time of recording were Al Lovoy on vocals, Tommy Calton guitar, Jesse Warth bass and Gary Swatzell on organ. Charles Carbonie was band leader and drummer.
The record was cut in 1967, featuring Tommy Calton’s original “Get Away” backed with a cover of “Little Latin Lupe Lu”.
Other members of the band at one time or another included Frankie Parrish rhythm guitar, Greg Sheffield bass (actually bass lines on a 6-string guitar!), Steve Burkes on organ and three lead vocalists: Jimmy Whitt, George Tobias and Larry McMeekin.
Charles Carbonie formed the Lamp Liters in January of ’64 and continued playing live shows until early 1969.
After cutting the single, Tommy Calton, Al Lovoy and Gary Swatzell left the band to form the Royal Carousel with Jimmy Whitt on bass and Al Pettinato on drums. The Royal Carousel played current sunny pop songs like the Merry Go Round’s “Live”, but only lasted a few months, when Tommy and Gary returned to the Lamp Liters.
Al Lovoy went into the Wild Vybrashons, who cut a good fuzz version of the Knickerbockers’ “One Track Mind”, produced by two WSGN DJs, Steve Norris and Glen Powers.
Tommy Calton formed bands including the Brass Button, Wooden Music and Hotel, and still plays music professionally. The photo and much of the information here is from his (now-replaced) website www.tommycalton.com.
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
Sound On Sound were from Grundy in the western part of Virginia, close to a three hour drive to any large city like Roanoke or Johnson City, Tennessee.
It was during this phase of the band that we discovered a group in California already had legal use of the name Voxmen. We lost Roy Thompson, our lead guitar, so, Eddy and I made a trip to Jacksonville, Florida to try and recruit an old friend of Eddy’s. We brought Karl Hague back to Toccoa with us and formed the group Fredrick Haze. Internal problems (Karl was married and his wife was expecting) broke up a pretty good sound that never saw maturity. I got a job and married Deborah while the band was fizzling and never attempted to re-enter the field of music.
