The Burlington Express from Topeka, just west of Kansas City, released an excellent double-sider on the Cavern label from Missouri in 1967. Members of the band were Greg Gucker, Blair Honeyman (replaced by Bruce Lynn), Eric Larson and Mike West.
Greg Gucker wrote most of their material including “Memories”, though Mike West co-wrote “One Day Girl”. Michael Chapman, guitarist for the Bluethings produced their 45 on Cavern, and also played lead guitar on the unreleased song “If I Were Free”. The address on the label, 16400 E. Truman Rd, Independence is the location of Cavern Studios.
Besides the Cavern 45, at least eight demos have been discovered. A version of the Byrds’ “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” is competent, but their take on the Yardbirds’ “Stroll On” is spectacular, and suggests they were an excellent live band.
Bruce Lynn wrote to me:
I played bass for the Burlington Express from 1966-1970 when we ended the band. I took Blair Honeyman’s place and sing lead on “Stroll On” and “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better”. I was in the band when we opened for The Who in 1968.
Four later demos, “Mr. Destiny”, “If I Were Free”, “Black Hearted Woman”, and “Listen Closely”, were recorded at Audio House studios in Lawrence in August 1968. These display psychedelic touches, but with the band’s fine pop sense and fuzztone intact. “If I Were Free” is an intense song that uses horns to good effect. Check them out at Audio House’s website.
A 7″ Audio House acetate contains a cover of the Blues Project’s “I Can’t Keep from Crying”, but I haven’t heard that yet.
Another group called the Burlington Express recorded a brooding song called “Comin’ Home” b/w the maudlin “A Girl” on the Roach label, but they’re supposed to be a different group altogether – songwriting credits list D. Gray, G. Niebur and J. Turner.
Not garage, Lil’ Henry and his Soul Express is a Texas soul/funk act that I’m posting because I can’t find any information about this record anywhere.
“Baby” repeats the same couple of themes for its two and a half minutes, but does so with soulful energy. The flip side is a more laid-back piece called “Girls”. Both songs are credited to H. Gentry, so his name may be Henry Gentry.
The Ride label was located in both Dallas and out in L.A. at some point, and may have been one of Mel Alexander’s labels. The publisher, Little “m” Music is a Dallas company, and that’s all I can tell you about this.
There’s also a Little Henry and the Laveers 45 covering “Georgia on My Mind” and Jesse Hill’s “Whip It On Me”, on the Laveer label out of San Antonio. As you can see from the comments below, most agree that Henry Parilla, aka Little Henry Lee is not the same person as Lil Henry from the Ride 45. It sounds like a different singer to my ears.
from left: Wes Dobson, Ron Fricano, Lee Adams and Rick Harper
The Riddles were all from the well-to-do western suburbs of Chicago, around Elmhurst. Members were:
Patrick Harper – lead vocals and lead guitar Lee Adams – vocals and bass Weston Dobson – rhythm guitar Ronald Fricano – drums.
They recorded a cover of the Searchers hit “Sweets For My Sweet” which made the charts on Chicago stations WLS and WCFL in April of 1967, but it’s the b-side that I dig, the very cool original “It’s One Thing To Say”, written by Pat Harper and Wes Dobson. Edgewater music publisher Peter Wright often placed records with Mercury Records, so the 45 was released locally on Qull and with national distribution on Mercury.
The Riddles were frequent guests on the local Chicago TV program Kiddie A-Go-Go. They played a benefit concert with the New Colony Six in Grant Park on September 27, 1967, then disappeared, probably off to college to avoid the draft.
Thanks to Chris S. for sending in the photo of the band, and to Jim M. for alerting me to the interview with Jack Mulqueen of Kiddie A Go go by Phil X. Milstein. Mercury promo photo sent in by John ‘Nusound’.
The Starlites released this one 45 on Zap, a Nashville, Tennesee label affiliated with Belle Meade Records.
The 45 labels list them as the Starliters, but the R is crossed out on at least some copies, so they’re generally known as the Starlites. They were a mystery group until comments came in from Steve Dodson and lead guitarist Alan Wait. The band was from Danville, Illinois.
Members were:
Alan Wait – lead guitar Harold Hannon – rhythm guitar Ron Meeker – sax Jim Crystal – drums Steve Ransom – keyboards
“Wait for Me” was written by Alan Wait. Though repetitive, the song features a frantic fuzz guitar solo. The flip is “You’ll Never Find Me”. Alan comments below that Vickie Porter wrote the lyrics for both songs.
Gene Vanderport comments below that he played keyboards with the Starlites after the single.
There’s no connection to the Starliters who have a 45 “I Cry Alone” (written by Lloyd Faust) / “Don’t Ever Leave Me” on the 4 Sons label from Paris, Tennessee.
July 1966, Crown Room, King Edward Hotel, Beaumont
Beaumont’s Six Deep formed in 1966, combining local country and r&b influences with contemporary folk and British Invasion sounds. Their only 45 on the De-Lynn label is one of my favorite Texas records of all time.
“Girl It’s Over” has a cutting quality to the vocals and guitars that epitomizes the best in garage music. “I Must Go” is a gentle song with a fine harmonies and a succinct, Byrds-like solo.
Original members were guitarist Ken Hitchcock, bassist Bob Welch, David Bishop on lead guitar, Roger Koshkin on keyboards, and Bill Donley on drums. Soon after forming, Dave Everett replaced Bishop and Paul Box replaced Roger Koshkin. Jim Keriotis joined, playing guitar and sharing vocal duties with Ken Hitchcock.
In Beaumont the band played gigs at the Rose Room in the Hotel Beaumont, the King Edward Hotel’s Crown Room, and the Red Carpet Lounge on Gladys St. and opened for bigger acts like the Moving Sidewalks, SJ & the Crossroads, the Cambridge Lads, the Basic Things, the Barons, the Critters and the Clique. They toured around east Texas and across the state line, playing teen clubs like the Box in Tyler and the Puppy Pen in Louisiana.
On Thanksgiving, 1966, their manager, Jack Crossley, set up a recording session at Robin Hood Brians Studio. One source for this story, Mike Dugo’s long interview with David Everett and Ken Hitchcock, contains a detailed account of their recording session that I recommend. Ken Hitchcock wrote “Girl It’s Over” and co-wrote “I Must Go” with Bob Welch.
When I spoke to Bob Welch about his later band, the Mourning Reign, I asked him about his time with the Six Deep:
As to my reflections on Six Deep. Now, that was something. As the interview with Ken and David states, Southeast Texas has always been particularly rich in musical talent and somewhat unique – it was/is oil country, Beaumont being the site of the Spindletop gusher in the early 1900’s that – the area of interest lies along the Gulf Coasts of Texas and Louisiana and is populated by an interesting and often dangerous mix of southern rednecks, dirt poor blacks, a small but growing number of Mexicans, and Cajuns of various ethnic blends. The Cajun influence on the music in that area is stronger than you might imagine, primarily because anyone who could manage to lay a dollar bill on the bar without using a stool to do so could get a drink in Louisiana. Hence, just across the river were bars and nightclubs that were like flames on a candle for Texas teens eager to explore those mysteries. Several of those clubs, LouAnn’s, the Big Oaks, and others became meccas for the big name R&B acts of that time and so the music was always hot.
If you’re at all familiar with Cajun cuisine, you know that a staple of that diet is gumbo – a rich stew made by browning flour in oil until it reaches the color of deep walnut, using that to saute’ aromatic vegetables (onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper) and adding lots of water to form the base – then throwing anything and everything else available into the pot to give it character – fish, fowl, sausages, roadkill, whatever – then fortifying it with spices designed to clear the sinuses and thickening it with okra and filet, a fine powder made from grinding dried sassafrass leaves. Gumbo is often ladled over rice and best washed down with liberal amounts of beer. This dish along with jambalaya, or dirty rice, is soul food at its finest and is not a bad metaphor for the music in the region. So, we had heavy influences of swing, hillbilly country, blues, zydeco (which at that time was just called coon-ass), swirling all around us. We spiced all that up with folk music lyricism and rocking backbeats and got Six Deep.
Bob Welch
Ken and David are still two of my dearest friends.. our time as bandmates was too brief, but the friendships have endured, in part due to the intensity of the experience we had together and the joy we shared performing and drafting on the magic that was the mid-60’s. We were average musicians at best, but more than adequate to do respectable covers of a wide range of styles that were popular plus creative enough to put our own mark on tunes in a way that pleased the audiences wherever we played. Not many bands at the time were confident in or capable of doing original material worth beans… we’d often announce them as being cuts off a new album from so and so (name your favorite band)… just to see what would happen… more often than not… we’d get requests for replays…Looking back on it, and even comparing to today’s bands, the Six Deep was blessed with strong vocalists and performers that could get a crowd on its feet. Ken was just out there, way ahead of the times in terms of freneticism. He really shone on material from the Stones, Yardbirds, or the uptempo Beatles songs. The other thing a little off-beat he would do was male-sung adaptations of female tunes… Dusty Springfield, Skeeter Davis, etc…, no one else was doing that. Jim Keriotis was our R&B singer… holy moly was he a monster on Otis Redding, Mitch Ryder, James Brown, anything of that ilk… the women all loved Jimmy… he was typically the most busy after the shows. Together we were able to do all the harmonies, so Byrds, Hollies, Springfield, etc., were all in the repertoire. We had it all… it was a great little band.
Probably the high point for the band was getting to play at a small festival in Houston on same venue as Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat, Country Joe and the Fish, and other name acts of that time. While we were just a fill-in act, it was an incredible opportunity for a bunch of fresh punks from Beaumont.
Jack Crossley made tapes of the band live and in rehearsal, but no one knows his whereabouts. After the band broke up in 1967 Bob Welch and David Everett formed Mourning Sun, while Ken Hitchcock went on to the short-lived 1984 Revolutionary War Band.Read more about the Mourning Sun on Garage Hangover here. Also check out Six Deep’s website and the aforementioned interview by Mike Dugo. Thanks to Ken Hitchcock for the scan of the band’s business card, and to Bob Welch for his time in talking about the band. Thanks also to Gyro1966 for the transfer of “I Must Go”.
January, 1967, top: Jim Keriotis, bottom from left to right: Bobby Welch, David Everett, Bill Donley, Ken Hitchcock, Roger Koshkin
disraeli (spelled with a lower case d) self-produced four 45s from 1967-70, finding an original sound that was both accessible and psychedelic.
Band members were Steven Mathre lead vocals, Al Nelson lead vocals and saxophone, Thomas Stangland guitar, Roger Everett guitar and vocals, Steve Kernes bass, and Gene “Geno” Faust drums and vocals. Richard Keefer, who did a lot of engineering work for Oregon and southern Washington bands, also helped produce disraeli’s records.
Remastered monophonic version of “What Will the New Day Bring” due to DJs being unable to broadcast stereo recordsWhen a copy of their third 45 came up for sale, the seller (I’m sorry, I don’t know who) wrote a good description of the group:
These handsome chaps all attended Astoria High School in the mid 1960’s…
Their freshman effort was “Tomorrows Day” b/w “Humidity 105”. People liked this record everybody bought copies, fellow students, people at the gigs, their relatives of which they had many and their relatives friends.
They had two frontmen, Steve Mathre and Al Nelson who both sang up a storm and played the tamborine so hard they had to wear gloves to keep from getting blisters. Al also played a mean tenor sax … They sold stock certificates to their friends and neighbors, got better gear went back to the studio and recorded another 45.
“What Will the New Day Bring?” and “Spinning ‘Round”, songs about a peeping Tom with a knife and coming home drunk with the whirlies for the first time respectively. The picture sleeve for this 45 was color and featured the band in matching red blazers out on the south jetty at the mouth of the Columbia, a popular spot to party and race cars not to mention neck etc. This record was supposed to establish disraeli. Both sides were predicted to be hits, it was recorded in stereo, a big deal in ’67 for a 45. The record got airplay and charted around the Northwest.
I remember seeing a billboard for the band in Portland Oregon in late ’67 it said:
disraeli….
listen
Back cover of the sleeve for What Will the New Day Bring
A band self-releasing a 45 with a color picture sleeve was unusual for the time, and to release it in stereo in 1967 is extremely rare.
45 releases:
Mantra 001 – Tomorrow’s Day (Stangland – Mathre) / Humidity 105 Mantra 113 – What Will The New Day Bring? / Spinnin’ Round Mantra 114 – Say You Love Me (Stangland-Mathre) / I’ve Seen Her One Time (Stangland-Mathre) Mantra 115 – The Lonely One (Stangland-Mathre-Wiley-McKune) / You Can’t Do That
Thomas Stangland mentioned to me that “There were probably 8-10 tracks recorded, but never released because of minor glitches or they just didn’t seem good enough.”
The Beatmen were from Bratislava, which in 1965 was part of Czechoslovakia, but is now the capital of Slovakia. Original members were Marián Bednár (bass guitar), M. Bedrik, and P. Petro. Lead guitarist Stano Herko joined, but soon left to be replaced by Dežo Ursiny of the group Fontana, who sang and played harmonica as well as lead guitar.
In 1965 the Beatmen released two 45s almost simultaneously, becoming enormously popular in Czechoslovakia. Both records feature a Kinks-like r&b original on one side with a slower tempo song on the flip. All four songs are originals and sung in English, something bands in other East bloc countries probably couldn’t have gotten away with.
In 1966 they became the first one of the early East European beat groups to play in the West, with a concert in Munich, and even received a mention in Time magazine. After seeing them in Bratislava, Manfred Mann attempted to get the Beatmen on the bill of their upcoming UK shows, but the Beatmen were denied permission to tour.
The Beatmen emigrated to Western Germany, leaving Ursiny, who remained in Bratislava. With new guitarist Peter Eperješi, the band failed to find much success, and the Beatmen soon split up.
Ursiny formed the Soulmen in 1967, with Vlado Mally and Fedor Freso, releasing one excellent EP in ’68. Ursiny’s music went into a more jazzy and progressive direction after the Soulmen. He died from cancer on May 2, 1995, in Bratislava. After the Beatmen, bassist Marián Bednár joined the Braňo Hronec Orchestra for at least one single.
Thanks to Yag for the music and scans. Yag tells me that four tracks of the Beatmen from a radio performance also exist.
Beatmen 45 releases:
Supraphon 013842, 1965 Break It (D. Ursiny, P. Petro) Let’s Make a Summer (D. Ursiny, P. Petro)
Supraphon 013843, 1965 Safely Arrived (M. Bedrik, P. Petro) The Enchanted Lie (M. Bednar, M. Bedrik, P. Petro)
The Crusade are one of only two garage bands from Alaska that I know recorded (the other is the Pulsating Heartbeats from Anchorage). The Crusade came out of Sitka, and their 45 was released on the Golden North label out of Juneau in April 1967, produced by J. Allen MacKinnon.
“Psychedelic Woman” has a heavy guitar line and lyrics about a girl who’s “got big hips like a buffalo”! “Fade Away” is much more mellow. Both songs were written by Agafon Krukoff, who had a previous 45 on Golden North 101 in late ’66, a good version of “Walkin’ the Dog” backed with “Here I Sit in Alaska (Breaking the Legs Off Poor Little Self-Defenseless Crabs)” (credited to Dhon Cole). Anyone know who was on Golden North # 102?
Since writing about this 45, I heard first from Mike Murphy, brother of Dennis Murphy who plays drums on the 45:
Dennis Murphy was the youngest brother of myself. Dennis was 16 at the time. Dennis started learning drums from an old man in Sitka who was retired and played occasionally with groups at the Elks and Moose in the ’50s. Later Dennis studied with Bruce Golubier, the drummer with the Don Cole Trio, that was very popular in the ’60s and was the house band for a while at the Potlach Club, a popular club at the time and one of the few to have live music come up from the states. Bruce was an excellent drummer and Dennis really improved under his guidance.
The bands that I know existed in the 60s in Sitka were the Invaders, and the band had various names during those years of ’62 to ’64. The Moose Lodge had an auditorium with a stage above the bar, where they held meetings and activities. That was the first place my brother Pat and Eric Olsen started playing together and working up tunes by Lonnie Mack and Duane Eddy. Eric was playing a Gretsch guitar through a Sears Silvertone amp. Pat had a ’57 Fender Strat. The bass players were several, one of which was Joe Chicarri, spelling is incorrect, the drummer’s name escapes me. They were thee band at high school dances in ’63 and ’64.
Eric Olsen went on to police work in Sitka; Pat Murphy died in a car accident in Washington after high school and a short time in the Navy. Both graduated Sitka High in ’65. The Moose Hall auditorium is gone now along with the movie theatre and lots of other things.
I remember Agafon, but never met him. he was without doubt and incredible talent. Without any schooling or training, he was able to cover many popular tunes and was a teenage prodigy on the guitar for that time. The band was [originally] called the Pribiloff Trio because Agafon was from the Pribiloff Islands out in the Alutians.
Later when I returned to Sitka in the summer of ’67, after three years in the Navy, Dennis and I, drums and guitar, joined with Fred Stratton, bass, and Pat Stengal, lead guitar, to form a band that played several shows at the Centennial Building. We could rent the auditorium for $50 a night. some friends organized a light show to accompany the music. I don’t recall what the band was called. We played covers of the Grateful Dead, Cream, and others that were popular at the time. During this time, bands like the Wailers from Seattle came up and booked the auditorium and played shows. These were high level recording artists with expensive professional equipment. If I recall correctly, we were able to use their PA to open their show, which was a nice experience.
Dennis lives in Portland now and still plays drums, guitar and harmonica quite well.
Mike Murphy
Then I heard from Dennis Murphy himself:
I was just a beginner at drums. I had taken lessons from an old dude who was a friend of my dad, he taught me the rudiments when I was 11 or 12. I had another brother who is dead now, he had a band and I would study the drummers he had, watch em real close, and practice what I saw.
I was hired by Agafon in an audition for drummers when I was freshman in Sitka High School. One other guy tried and failed. These guys were all in college so it was real intimidating, to say the least.
The drummer had to leave town so they would take anybody to fill his place and there were not many to do so, or choose from. I had been commercially fishing with my Dad so he owed me something for that. They offered me the drumset the old drummer had been playing for $300.00 and I got my Dad to pay for it. It was a gold sparkle Slingerland four piece drumset with calf heads.
Agafon had already made a record on the same label called “Walkin’ the Dog”. So he knew J. Allen McKinnon from that recording.
We recorded that record in an auditorium up on the stage. It was a real strange place to do a recording but it was in the old days I guess you might say.
Shirley, circa 1974. From the collection of Shirley Hughey.
Shirley Hughey recorded this hypnotic slice of psychedelia at Harry Deal’s Galaxie III Studios in Taylorsville in 1969. As it turns out, she recorded her vocal having never met the band cut the backing track! The flip is “When I Reach For You”.
“Pink and Green” was written by Bob Pruitt, produced by Dave Smith, and released on the Bandit label of Asheville, which is known more for soul releases by Willie Hobbs and Pic and Bill, but also has the Electric Love’s “She Wants to Be Free” / “Dreaming of Her”.
I didn’t know much else about this record until Vance Pollack contacted me in 2013.
Vance Pollack interviewed Shirley Hughey on Asheville Free Media on June 6, 2013. Vance wrote to me: “The song was written and recorded by Hendersonville, NC band Orange Purple Marmalade. Shirley’s vocal track was added later and she never met or performed with the band.”
“Orange Purple Marmalade’s guitarist songwriter “Hobby” Pruitt, who died in 2002, is the only writing credit appearing on the label.
“Shirley went on to a significant singing career fronting club bands in NJ, PA and NY throughout the 1970s before returning to North Carolina.
“About the time the song was recorded, Hobby shipped out to Viet Nam and the rest of the band relocated to Connecticut and played clubs along the coast with female drummer Theresa Crouch and guitarist Terry Justus. Theresa and Terry were married in 1970, returned to western NC and continued with Orange Purple Marmalade until about 1975 when the band was renamed Justice. Theresa gained quite a reputation as one of the region’s hardest rocking female drummers, known during the time by the grand title “Theresa, Queen of Drums!” Terry died in 2010. Theresa has fond memories of the musical career she shared with her husband of 40 years.”
Thank you to Vance for shedding light on this odd and fascinating single.
A 1969 clipping of Orange Purple Marmalade with Chuck Carter, organ; Adrain Rovillon bass, Teresa Couch, drums, and Terry Justus, lead guitar. Thank you to Vance Pollack for this clipping.
Orange Purple Marmalade in the Danville Bee April 17, 1975
M.G. & the Escorts, from left: Glen Stephen, Mike Gauthier, Graham Powers, Glenn Grecco and Bill Bryans
Where does a song like “A Someday Fool” come from? The parts are not much more than a steady snare beat, a repetitive fuzz riff, simple rhythm guitar and faked at-wits-end vocal, but the result is staggering, a template for what garage bands have been trying to do ever since. The unstoppable drum beat and the mesmerizing guitar really give this song its hooks, and they catch you fast.
The band was Glenn Grecco lead guitar, Graham Powers vocals, Mike Gauthier guitar, Glen Stephen bass and Bill Bryans on drums, from the Pointe Claire section of Montreal.
Their other 45s are excellent as well. You can hear that distorted guitar sound on their very first 45, “Please Don’t Ever Change”, which was a top ten Canadian hit in May of ’66. It was written by Glenn Grecco, who also wrote “A Someday Fool”, and backed with a slow ballad, “Sorry to Hear”.
Their second 45 featured a great British-sounding beat number, “I Can’t Go On” backed by one I haven’t heard yet, “The One Who Wants You”.
“It’s Too Late”, the flip of “A Someday Fool”, is maybe their most complex song, featuring organ, celeste, solid rhythm playing and good harmonies and was written by Grecco and Bill Bryans.
The band’s fourth and final 45, “Next to Nowhere” shows a more soulful direction, and lightly psychedelic. It was backed with “Remembering”, a well-crafted ballad with more fine harmonies, and a personal favorite of mine. This single also was released in the U.S. on the Mala label.
Update, June 2024: Glen Stephen kindly sent four more snapshots of M.G. & the Escorts on stage at the Garden of Stars at the 1967 World’s Fair in Montreal:
Graham Powers singing, with Glenn Grecco on keyboards, on stage the Garden Of Stars, 1967 World’s Fair in MontrealBilly Bryans on stage the Garden Of Stars, 1967 World’s Fair in MontrealGlenn Grecco of M.G. & the Escorts with Graham Powers on keyboards, on stage the Garden Of Stars, 1967 World’s Fair in MontrealMike Gauthier on stage the Garden Of Stars, 1967 World’s Fair in MontrealRPM, November 28, 1966
Bill Bryans and Glen Stephen at the Garden of Stars, Montreal World’s Fair, September 1967Bill Bryans has been keeping a blog, misterbryans, which is focused mainly on Cuban music, but he has an entry about the band that I’ll quote here, with his permission, along with the photo he posted:
We were called M.G. & The Escorts. This type of name was trendy back then, initials followed by a name (I’ve no idea why). The biggest group at the time was called J.B. & The Playboys – another suit band – who were from NDG [Notre-Dame-de-Grace]. We were from Pointe Claire, which was a bit more middle class. But eventually, we became more popular.
We did pretty good, we had a good run. We put out three singles that got a lot of airplay and we played every weekend in Montreal or Ottawa, Kingston, Brockville – that area of the country. We played teen clubs and high school dances mostly and a lot of “Battle of The Bands”, which were popular back then.
We had an advantage because my father owned a record store, so we could get the newest songs before anyone else because back then all the music came out as singles, and whoever could play the hit parade was the most popular. The hit parade was the best music back then. Albums were just the singles with a few filler tunes.
Everything changed in 67. Pop music began to get more complex. I remember seeing the Grateful Dead and The Jefferson Airplane at Expo 67 and that changed everything for me. I began to listen to Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, blues music, free jazz, Aretha Franklin. I began to connect the music to the other things going on in the world, mostly triggered by the war in Viet Nam. I didn’t even hang out with the guys in MG & The Escorts anymore.
I followed up with a few short questions:
Q. I read a rumor that the group was going to record an album in Texas – is that true?
Billy Bryans: News to me although I’d love to know where you read the rumour.
M.G. & the Escorts[I read this in the liner notes to Nightmares from the Underworld, a great Canadian garage compilation by Andre Gibeault that was released over 20 years ago – but even there it’s called a rumor.]
Q. Was there much recorded that was never released?
Billy Bryans: I don’t believe so. We just recorded single by single.
Q. Did you ever play any TV shows – is there any live footage of the band?
Billy Bryans: We did play TV shows (usually lip-synching) but I’ve no idea if any of that footage exists.
Music Trend, June 16, 1967 from left: Bill Bryans, Glen Stephen, Graham Powers, Mike Gauthier and Glenn Grecco
In late 2010, Glen Stephen sent in photos and news clippings on the group. An article from Music Trend in June of ’67 quotes Bill Bryans: “we got to a point where we were out and out tired of the music we were playing. It had served a purpose for a while but … we want to put something into our performances now that we couldn’t do before with top 40 material. So, we’re drifting away from it but not divorcing ourselves altogether. We’ve learned a lot from watching the big name groups on the tours. Now I think we’ve become a little more artistic in our music rather than mechanical.”
The article continues “The groups [sic] has also finally produced a record that they are satisfied with,” and quotes Glen Grecco saying “We are really pleased with it. It’s a bigger sound and a bigger arrangement and not like the others which shouldn’t have been released. But at the time we didn’t have the money or the time to keep working at a track until it was an ideally perfect product. The record will be out in the beginning of July. We have no title for it yet but that’s because we haven’t been able to get together on the name.”
Since the article says the band’s previous record was “Someday Fool”, it seems the song they’re discussing is either “Next to Nowhere” or “Remembering”, the two sides of their last single.
I asked Glen Stephen about the Music Trend article, and also about the band’s early days:
I played in a couple of groups prior to M.G. and the Escorts. The first band was in high school in a group called the Crescents which focused on Buddy Holly songs. I later joined a group with Glenn Grecco and Billy Bryans in a group called the Strangers and the focus of the music was Cliff Richard and the Shadows.
The Stratocaster was purchased in New York City in 1961 and it was coral red. I played rhythm guitar and we used a Danelectro reverb for the lead guitar. Glenn Grecco could imitate the Shadows guitar sound to the letter. We also played the Chet Akins style of finger picking as there were several people in the Pointe Claire area that played that style.
I don’t remember the details of how the group formed into M.G. and the Escorts. Part of the group The Strangers joined with another part of a group with Graham Powers and Mike Gauthier.
Our first major performance as M.G. and the Escorts was at the Maurice Richard Arena where we were the opening act for the Beach Boys” Other groups we opened for were The Young Rascals, Tommy James and the Shondells, Neil Diamond, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Serendipity Singers, & the Happenings. Our group would play a lot of the top 40 of the hit parade, many of which involved four part harmony which we did fairly well.
Glen Stephen with 1960 Fender StratocasterWe could see that there was a trend towards a heavier sound, ex. The Rolling Stones and we started to adjust accordingly, but still maintained much music that involved harmonies. That is where “Someday Fool” flowed from. There was no harmony, some background singing, but a solid beat which was different from the style we played.
The first recording we did was at Stereo Sound Studios where we recorded on a two track system which was one one of the better ones in Montreal. It cost $100/hour in the early 60s which was alot of money in those days. When recording you had to play and sing at the same time and make no mistakes or you would have to redo the song. Once completed you would hope for a good mix.
In one song, we recorded the guitar and lead on a 4 track tape machine in a house; brought the track to the recording studio and added in the drums and bass at the studio. The last song we recorded was in the RCA studio in Montreal which had a 4 track system. It was called “Next To Nowhere.”
MG and the Escorts Glen Stephen on stage the Garden Of Stars, 1967 World’s Fair in MontrealQ. The article in Music Trend in June of ’67 mentions many long hours in a recording studio – what kinds of songs was the band working on? What became of them? Is it true the band had clearance for an album?
All the songs that we worked on in the studio, we recorded. There was some talk of an album. but it never materialized.
We played in the Garden of Stars at the World’s Fair in 1967 and it was not much longer after that that we disbanded.
Q. The article also says the band was in semi-retirement before June ’67? Is this true?
Lead guitarist Glenn Greco with manager Mel McCormickWhat we did was re-evaluate our direction and a change in the style of music. It was more of a time of reflection. We were offered a possible recording session to produce advertising music for French’s Sloppy Joe Mix. We were to go to Texas for the recording, but it didn’t materialize.
M.G. and the Escorts 45 releases:
Reo 8936 Please Don’t Ever Change / Sorry to Hear Reo 8960 I Can’t Go On / The One Who Wants You Reo 8975 A Someday Fool / It’s Too Late (early 1967) Reo 8998 Next to Nowhere / Remembering (released in the U.S. on Mala 582) (late 1967)
Thank you to Billy Bryans and Glen Stephen for the photos and clippings, and for answering my questions. Thanks to Ivan Amirault for many of the scans from RPM.
Update, April 2012:
I’m sorry to hear that Billy Bryans passed away on April 23, 2012. Bill was seventeen when he started recording with the Escorts, and he spent the rest of his live working in music as musician, promoter, producer, and writer.
Now defunct: a short audio interview with Bill and a clip of the Parachute Club at http://music.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2012/4/Parachute-Clubs-Billy-Bryans-dies-at-63
The Globe and Mail also had a good overview of his life at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/billy-bryans-eclectic-musical-tastes-took-him-far/article2411780/, now taken down but available on Archive.org.
Music Trend, June 16, 1967from left: Mike Gauthier, Glenn Grecco, Graham Powers, Glen Stephen and Bill BryansRPM, October 2, 1967RPM, October 21, 1967RPM, July 4, 1966RPM, January 21, 1967Promo shot from the 1967 Canadian Music Industry Directory from RPM Magazine, November 11, 1967 – but not the Escorts!
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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
disraeli (spelled with a lower case d) self-produced four 45s from 1967-70, finding an original sound that was both accessible and psychedelic.
In late 2010, Glen Stephen sent in photos and news clippings on the group. An article from Music Trend in June of ’67 quotes Bill Bryans: “we got to a point where we were out and out tired of the music we were playing. It had served a purpose for a while but … we want to put something into our performances now that we couldn’t do before with top 40 material. So, we’re drifting away from it but not divorcing ourselves altogether. We’ve learned a lot from watching the big name groups on the tours. Now I think we’ve become a little more artistic in our music rather than mechanical.”
I asked Glen Stephen about the Music Trend article, and also about the band’s early days:
