Category Archives: Pot Records

Omnibus “Take Your Only Chance” from Lancaster, PA

Omnibus Pot 45 Take Your Only ChanceOmnibus came from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The psychedelic styling on the B-side, “Take Your Only Chance” led me to think this single was from about 1970, but it seems to come a few years later, 1973 or 1974.

Omnibus members were:

Dan Glasse – vocals and percussion
Jeff Morrison – lead guitar
Jimmer Pontz – bass, guitar and vocals
Kenny Kaye – keyboards, guitar and vocals
Biair King – drums and vocals
Gail King – vocals and hand percussion

A good summary of the band come from Blair King’s Youtube channel:

Central Pennsylvania’s Omnibus had its origins in 1970, while Jeff Morrison and Jimmer Pontz formed a band called San Juan Hill, playing throughout their sophomore years at Hempfield High School, Kenny Kaye was touring with Store Records’ Geoffrey Stoner Band supporting a regional hit with a reinterpretation of The Bee Gee’s “To Love Somebody” and Blair King, a sophomore at JP McCaskey High, was performing with another local favorite “Exit”.

In February of 1972 the high school musicians were asked to audition for a new band in its infancy. Founded by keyboardist Kaye it also had vocalist Dan Glass, a recent transplant from Nashville, and Gael King, King’s folkie sister.

The band recorded it’s only single “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise” b/w “Take Your Only Chance” on the POT label out of Philadelphia, taping at Virtue Studios under the helm of Central Pennsylvania producer and Pee Vee Records label owner, Pancho Villa.

Omnibus Pot 45 Surprise Surprise SurpriseOmnibus was to be the last act to be signed to the Pee Vee label before the company moved to Delaware in 1974. The 45 single … was a minor regional hit and afforded the band the opportunity to tour in their funky converted delivery truck gigging from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Lowell, MA.

Dan Glass’s name is spelled Glasse on the label of the single. I’ve also seen Blair King as Blaine King, and Gail King instead of Gael, so maybe someone could clear up the correct spellings.

Kaye and Morrison wrote “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise”, which includes harmonica and was designated the A-side. I prefer the flip, “Take Your Only Chance”, written by Glasse and Morrison. Released on Pot Records P-100, a “Farr-Vil Promotion”; it seems to be rare now.

Both songs published by Pan-Vil Music BMI.

Kenny Kaye wrote “Let’s Go Steady” for the Shaynes, who were produced by Pancho Villa (Charles Miller), like Omnibus, but I don’t believe he was ever in the Shaynes.