Magic Mushrooms publicity photo taken by Ted Cahill in Philadelphia, Fall, 1966
Five students at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia formed the Magic Mushrooms. Original members were Stu Freeman vocals and guitar, Ted Cahill lead guitar and autoharp, Dick Richardson keyboards, Charles Ingersol on bass and Joe LaCavera on drums.
Allen Ginsberg gave them the Magic Mushrooms name after a campus lecture in late 1965. In early 1966, Josh Rice joined the band on vocals, flute and harmonica.
Sonny Casella heard the band playing at Drexel University and became their manager. Contrary to previous reports, he did not sing or play in the band, but he was responsible for mixing, arranging and producing their records.
They recorded their first 45 in New York, “It’s A-Happening”, an original credited to Casella and Rice, but perhaps really written by Stu Freeman and Josh Rice. A bizarre psychedelic montage, it was released on A&M in September, 1966 and reached as high as #93 on the Billboard charts in November, backed with another original, “Never More”.
A close comparison could be made to the Electric Prunes, but unfortunately we’ll never know how far a record this strange could go – when Herb Alpert of A&M realized the drug reference in the band’s name, he pulled the record from the shops and ended their relationship with the label.
Item in Billboard, August 19, 1967.
Despite this setback the band hooked up with Philips for their second record, “Look in My Face”, which didn’t chart. However, it was backed with the intense “Never Let Go”, an original by Stu Freeman and Josh Rice and my favorite track by the band.
Their final release is the corny “Municipal Water Maintenance Man” on the East Coast label, hiding a very fine hippie-ish track on the b-side, “Let the Rain Be Me”, another Freeman/Rice song.
Magic Mushrooms on stage, from left: Chris Barbieri, Stu Freeman, Joe LaCavera and Josh Rice. Out of frame: Bob Grady and Ted Cahill.Manager Sonny Cassella, Ted Cahill, Stu Freeman, Chris Barbieri and Josh Rice taking a break from recording
Lead guitarist Ted Cahill and vocalist and guitarist Stu Freeman have filled in some details on the band:
Ted Cahill:
I was the lead guitar playing for The Magic Mushrooms. I am still in touch with Stu Freeman, and Joe Lacavera, the drummer.
The original bass and keyboard players were replaced, I think, in the Spring of 1966. Those guys were replaced by Chris Barbieri (bass) and Bon Grady (keyboards). They had both been in a band with Stu in Westchester County, NY before Stu came to Penn.
That summer we played the Jersey shore at a place called Tony Mart’s in Somers Point. We had a dispute with the owner later in the summer and quit. One of our lead singers had been sick and the guy docked us some money. Little did we know it was a mafia bar; our days of playing that part of the Jersey Shore was over. If you have ever seen the movie Eddie and the Cruisers, Tony Mart’s is the club where a lot of the action in the movie happens.
Chris Barbieri and Bob Grady
We played a lot around Philly, the Hy Lit show on TV, some bars around the city and lots of frat parties at Penn. We also were supposedly in a movie the Andy Warhol shot at Penn’s Mask and Wig Theater in Center City Philly, whether that really happened I don’t know, but we were asked to play the party there and there was filming going on.
We saw no reward for the Nuggets appearance, all the money we made was from the gigs we played.
Stu Freeman:
I grew up in New Rochelle and presently live in White Plains. The band I had in high school was called the “Foremost” and later the “Fiendish Thingies”. The other members were Barbieri, Grady and a guitar player named Lloyd McCool. All from Pelham Manor.
Barbieri and Grady replaced Charlie Ingersol and Dick Richardson in the Mushrooms after about a year. After about another year, Cahill, Josh Rice and drummer Joe LaCavera were out and the Mushrooms was composed of myself, a guitar player named Steve Rundle, bassist Pete Gries (both from Penn) and a couple of different drummers from around Philly.
“It’s a Happening” was recorded in Sigma Sound studios on Broad Street in Philly, NOT in New York. Engineer was Joe Tarsia, who worked with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on all those great “Philly sound” records (Harold Melvin, MFSB, Ojays, Archie Bell, Jerry Butler, Soul Survivors, etc). Tarsia expanded and opened up a studio in NY after the huge success of the Philly studios.
Stu Freeman
Also, Allen Ginsberg did indeed provide the name “Magic Mushrooms” (he was speaking at a Penn function and Josh caught up with him and asked him for a suggestion). And, there was never any “David Rice” on guitar. BTW, Josh Rice is nephew of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Elmer Rice.Q. Did you ever see much in the way of royalties from It’s a Happening?
We all received some royalties from the original sales (eons ago), but interesting you should ask that, because one of my erstwhile Penn roommates and current good friend asked me a while ago, after noting the success of the “Nuggets” albums, if any royalties had been received from them. I told him no and he suggested that I investigate, but I never did. I have no idea where Josh Rice is so I never contacted him about it either. Casella owned much of the original publishing so he may have received something from “Nuggets” but it’s also possible the publishing had expired and he got nada.
I got involved with “Stars On 45” in 1981 with my current partner Ed Garr and we still play regularly (everything from weddings to CBS News holiday parties to Vegas conventions).
I believe Joey Gennetti was a later keyboard player for the group.
In 2011, acetates of two songs, “Pain” and “I’m All Ears”, turned up from a later version of the group that included only Stu Freeman and Josh Rice from the original six that had cut “It’s-A-Happening”.
Sonny Casella also helped produce the first record by The Snaps (later known as the Underground Balloon Corps) “You Don’t Want Me”/ “You’re All Mine”.
These Magic Mushrooms shouldn’t be confused with the California group the Magic Mushroom (singular) who recorded “I’m Gone” / “Cry Baby” on Warner Bros.
Photos from the collection of Ted Cahill. I am sorry to report that Ted passed away on March 16th, 2020.
Chris Barbieri and Ted Cahill, with Stu Freeman in backgroundJoe Lacavera of the Magic MushroomsJosh Rice of the Magic Mushrooms on harmonica“Joey Gennetti, our last keyboardist when I was with the band. He had an awsome Hammond B3 organ and Leslie cabinet. I piped some of my leads through the Leslie” quote by Ted CahillTed Cahill with his Gretsch Country Gentleman, Stu Freeman and Chris Barbieri during a practice
30 thoughts on “The Magic Mushrooms”
Hey Chas!
Love the site. Have never come across one that actually has Mushrooom song samples in their entirety (probably with good reason!). The bio is fairly accurate. Contact me if you’d like any updates or addtional info about the members.
FYI, I’ve been with the band Stars On 45 for over 25 years now. (www.starson45.com)
Hi Stu could you kindly get in touch with me or Dave from Distortions records in the USA. Kind Regards Glyn Bowen Hyperloop Records UK .You can email at hyperlooprecordings@gmail.com
Stu, Roger Maglio, President of Gear Fab Records here. We reissue alot of bands from the 60’s such as the Magic Mushrooms. Visit our site. Rumor has it you guys recorded a full length LP that was never released. True or false?
Hey Roger! Sorry I’m so late responding but the answer is yes and no– we recorded enough tunes to release an album, but the deal fell through when Herb Alpert of A&M Records decided “Magic Mushrooms” was not the proper image for his label. At the time, all of A&M’s roster was clean-cut pop artists, e.g., Chris Montez, Baja Marimba Band, Tijuana Brass, etc.
It’s been comp’d on a volume of Tony The Tyger’s series, Fuzz Flakes and Shakes. I forget which one, you can check the garage comps database section of the Ugly Things website.
The 45 was found in quantity over 20 years ago. I’m not sure how many, probably 50 copies, all unplayed. It’s scarce now but should not cost more than, say $75 tops
The band are really from Clifton heights delco pa as where other senior garage punk kings like the snaps come from …Tom stone Dudley from folcroft auther of delco rock 1957 1987 nuff said ..
when it’s a-happening first came out i was 16 years old.i was a junior in a south jersey high school..i had went freshman and sophmore year in up state new york and came home more interested in garage music than the delaware valley scene e.g. the gerry blavit thing…i’ll never forget the first time i heard it’s a happening on wibg radio… it knocked me out….it was so original…it was brilliant…till this day i think it is one of the 5 greatest psychedelic songs of all times…i had just started playing bass and went out and purchased a 45 (which I still have today). I played it over and over. It’s still one of my favorite songs of all times and I was thought the musicianship was way ahead of its times. I only wish I could have heard you guys live at the time. Today, I spoke to Richie Ingui who is one of the original Soul Survivors who is still gigging with his brother Charlie Ingui. It would be nice if you guys got back together. That would be a great thing for my bucket list. I recently got tickets for the a Blues Magoos concert which will be at the Keswick Theatre on October 20th. This was also an answer to my prayers after all these years. Thanks for the great memories and still looking to find your other three 45’s for my collection. May the blessings of psychedelia be with you always.
God Bless,
Anthony Mole Maressa
P.S. I got the nickmame Mole in 1966 because my soul became psychedelisized
When I quit the Magic Mushrooms in 1968, and stopped playing guitar in 1969, I never dreamed I would ever play again. Well, 36 years later, I started to play Celtic music, and now have a band in New England called Last Night’s Fun. The new band is a serious enterprise, and we play out quite a bit. So now, 45 years after the release of It’s a Happening, I play jigs and reels and love entertaining people. The coolest thing about Celtic music is that it crosses generations, it’s nice to see people dancing from the age of 2 to 70.
Nice to hear the Mushrooms have a fan who is still coherent! I’d love to get the band together for a reunion tour but I’m afraid we’d have trouble finding venues small enough to accommodate all five of our fans. In any event, glad you enjoyed “It’s A Happening” and I’m thrilled there’s someone who thinks were as cool as we thought we were!
I got connected up with Ted yesterday (thanks Michael) and found this great site. Stu – I have been wondering for years how to find you. This is really fun.
Hello, is it possible, to get the lyrics of “Let the rain be me”? That would be fine! 😉 I found this great song on youtube and also learn to play the bass-guitar-part.
are you the same being listed on that fantastic record as keyboarder? if so, did you sing can’t keep from crying, one of my all-time fave island-songs? (on the back side of the record is only written “”the voices come from barbara, stu and deirdre”). if you were not the singer, who was it? please answer me here and directly to soul@atomic.de
Wow, I am so glad I was able to get ahold of this site. And if you guys actually were able to get something of a reunion tour going, it would be amazing. I think it’s such a shame that things never really worked out the way you wanted them to with this band, but had you been able to release a full record, it would for sure be one of my favourites of all time. Even with the very limited amount of music I have of yours, you guys are still one of my favourite bands ever. Thanks for the songs and memories. Oh yeah, by the way, You would have many more than one coherant fan at shows. You would have many fans, from many generations. I’m only 19, but I discovered this band about a year ago, and brought the amazing sound to my small town’s attention, and I’m sure I’d gather up some people to go wherever to see you guys. Cheers!
Roland– Sorry I’m so late in responding, but I haven’t been to this site for a while. Yes, I was the male vocalist and played some keyboards on the album. Apparently some of the cuts were very popular in Europe and I’ve recently heard from some European DJs and jazz buffs who loved our arrangement of “I Can’t Keep from Cryin’ Sometimes”.
Hello to all Mushroom fans from Croatia, In 1976. Sire records version of The Nuggets opened my eyes completely. From that moment I’m garage man, before I was just ordinary rocker. Most of the bands from Nuggets I have found on CDs, LPs but not Magic Mushrooms. This site is great, photos are great and hopefully there is a CD somewhere out there with mushroom’s unreleased album and singles? Greetings from Dalmatia, Croatia Igor Sinovcic
“It”s a Happening” came out on Sydney radio at the time which is a testament to the huge variety of sounds and music genres we all heard then . I got the 45 then and one unjustly unregognised much later at a Record Fair. A unique and wild single that excites to this day whenI play it. One of the greatest psychedlic creations of them all and there were some truely spine tingling great ones. There is no match for that energy and shear creativity of sound since the psych days. Sound yes, but less edge and pure adrenalin.
Man, if only you could do a reunion show alongside the OTHER “The Magic Mushroom” from ’66 (singular name, from San Diego) – that would be a blast. They only had one single, as far as I know…
I just came across this site today. I was the drummer on “It’s-A-Happening,” “Never Let Go,” “Let The Rain Be Me,” and “Municipal Water Maintenance Man.” Stu Freeman was the musical leader and lead singer on most of the songs we played at gigs. It didn’t hurt that he was a Mick Jagger look-alike and mimicked his moves on stage. He played a 12 string Rickenbacker guitar much of the time. He taught Ted Cahill most of the guitar solos, and Ted was then able to play them flawlessly. Ted loved his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar, and when we found a fuzz tone pedal we pounded out “Satisfaction” like no other local groups. For the sake of accuracy, I was given the opportunity to sing the first verse of “Gloria” – the only tune I sang lead on at our jobs (even if it was only one verse). We used to drive our audiences crazy by having Ted face ME – his back to the people during entire sets. We were at our best during the summer of 1966 playing at Tony Mart’s in Somers Point, NJ – the first “long haired” band ever to play there. ( Later that summer, the Monkey Men played across the street at Bay Shores and people had 2 “hippy” bands to listen to.) To finish my story, I took up pre-med studies at Penn and had to drop out of the group. It was a fantastic year with some very talented musicians. So sorry to hear of Ted’s passing. I have the Nuggets album framed on the wall along with the promotional 45 rpm record of “It’s-A-Happening.”
Hi Joseph, Great to hear from you. If you have any memorabilia from those times, or memories of the Monkey Men or other contemporaries, I’d love to see/hear about it. My email is RChrisBishop [at] gmail.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
Five students at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia formed the Magic Mushrooms. Original members were Stu Freeman vocals and guitar, Ted Cahill lead guitar and autoharp, Dick Richardson keyboards, Charles Ingersol on bass and Joe LaCavera on drums.
They recorded their first 45 in New York, “It’s A-Happening”, an original credited to Casella and Rice, but perhaps really written by Stu Freeman and Josh Rice. A bizarre psychedelic montage, it was released on A&M in September, 1966 and reached as high as #93 on the Billboard charts in November, backed with another original, “Never More”.
A close comparison could be made to the Electric Prunes, but unfortunately we’ll never know how far a record this strange could go – when Herb Alpert of A&M realized the drug reference in the band’s name, he pulled the record from the shops and ended their relationship with the label.
Hey Chas!
Love the site. Have never come across one that actually has Mushrooom song samples in their entirety (probably with good reason!). The bio is fairly accurate. Contact me if you’d like any updates or addtional info about the members.
FYI, I’ve been with the band Stars On 45 for over 25 years now. (www.starson45.com)
Stu Freeman
Formerly of the Magic Mushrooms
Hi Stu could you kindly get in touch with me or Dave from Distortions records in the USA. Kind Regards Glyn Bowen Hyperloop Records UK .You can email at hyperlooprecordings@gmail.com
Hi Chas,The Magic Mushrooms – Let the Rain Be Me What a Great Song! Should have been a Hit!!!
Are you the same Stu Freeman who was in the Broadway production of “Hard Job Being God” May 1972?
Stu, Roger Maglio, President of Gear Fab Records here. We reissue alot of bands from the 60’s such as the Magic Mushrooms. Visit our site. Rumor has it you guys recorded a full length LP that was never released. True or false?
Yep.
Hey Roger! Sorry I’m so late responding but the answer is yes and no– we recorded enough tunes to release an album, but the deal fell through when Herb Alpert of A&M Records decided “Magic Mushrooms” was not the proper image for his label. At the time, all of A&M’s roster was clean-cut pop artists, e.g., Chris Montez, Baja Marimba Band, Tijuana Brass, etc.
I’ve heard ‘let the rain be me’ on youtube and absolutely love it. Is it available on any compilations? Or is anyone prepared to sell it?
It’s been comp’d on a volume of Tony The Tyger’s series, Fuzz Flakes and Shakes. I forget which one, you can check the garage comps database section of the Ugly Things website.
The 45 was found in quantity over 20 years ago. I’m not sure how many, probably 50 copies, all unplayed. It’s scarce now but should not cost more than, say $75 tops
The band are really from Clifton heights delco pa as where other senior garage punk kings like the snaps come from …Tom stone Dudley from folcroft auther of delco rock 1957 1987 nuff said ..
when it’s a-happening first came out i was 16 years old.i was a junior in a south jersey high school..i had went freshman and sophmore year in up state new york and came home more interested in garage music than the delaware valley scene e.g. the gerry blavit thing…i’ll never forget the first time i heard it’s a happening on wibg radio… it knocked me out….it was so original…it was brilliant…till this day i think it is one of the 5 greatest psychedelic songs of all times…i had just started playing bass and went out and purchased a 45 (which I still have today). I played it over and over. It’s still one of my favorite songs of all times and I was thought the musicianship was way ahead of its times. I only wish I could have heard you guys live at the time. Today, I spoke to Richie Ingui who is one of the original Soul Survivors who is still gigging with his brother Charlie Ingui. It would be nice if you guys got back together. That would be a great thing for my bucket list. I recently got tickets for the a Blues Magoos concert which will be at the Keswick Theatre on October 20th. This was also an answer to my prayers after all these years. Thanks for the great memories and still looking to find your other three 45’s for my collection. May the blessings of psychedelia be with you always.
God Bless,
Anthony Mole Maressa
P.S. I got the nickmame Mole in 1966 because my soul became psychedelisized
When I quit the Magic Mushrooms in 1968, and stopped playing guitar in 1969, I never dreamed I would ever play again. Well, 36 years later, I started to play Celtic music, and now have a band in New England called Last Night’s Fun. The new band is a serious enterprise, and we play out quite a bit. So now, 45 years after the release of It’s a Happening, I play jigs and reels and love entertaining people. The coolest thing about Celtic music is that it crosses generations, it’s nice to see people dancing from the age of 2 to 70.
Hey Mole!
Nice to hear the Mushrooms have a fan who is still coherent! I’d love to get the band together for a reunion tour but I’m afraid we’d have trouble finding venues small enough to accommodate all five of our fans. In any event, glad you enjoyed “It’s A Happening” and I’m thrilled there’s someone who thinks were as cool as we thought we were!
Hi, I have a reel to reel tape of two Magic Mushroom tunes: one song is called “I’m All Ears”, it is actually very good. Dave (Distortions Records)
Hi Dave, I am doing my homework !
Yo!
I got connected up with Ted yesterday (thanks Michael) and found this great site. Stu – I have been wondering for years how to find you. This is really fun.
Josh
Hello, is it possible, to get the lyrics of “Let the rain be me”? That would be fine! 😉
I found this great song on youtube and also learn to play the bass-guitar-part.
greetings and thanks…
Soeren
hi stu,
are you the same being listed on that fantastic record as keyboarder? if so, did you sing can’t keep from crying, one of my all-time fave island-songs? (on the back side of the record is only written “”the voices come from barbara, stu and deirdre”). if you were not the singer, who was it? please answer me here and directly to soul@atomic.de
kind regrads, roland
Wow, I am so glad I was able to get ahold of this site. And if you guys actually were able to get something of a reunion tour going, it would be amazing. I think it’s such a shame that things never really worked out the way you wanted them to with this band, but had you been able to release a full record, it would for sure be one of my favourites of all time. Even with the very limited amount of music I have of yours, you guys are still one of my favourite bands ever. Thanks for the songs and memories. Oh yeah, by the way, You would have many more than one coherant fan at shows. You would have many fans, from many generations. I’m only 19, but I discovered this band about a year ago, and brought the amazing sound to my small town’s attention, and I’m sure I’d gather up some people to go wherever to see you guys. Cheers!
Roland– Sorry I’m so late in responding, but I haven’t been to this site for a while. Yes, I was the male vocalist and played some keyboards on the album. Apparently some of the cuts were very popular in Europe and I’ve recently heard from some European DJs and jazz buffs who loved our arrangement of “I Can’t Keep from Cryin’ Sometimes”.
Stu Freeman
Dave– How did you happen to come by a reel-to-reel of “I’m All Ears”? Just curious.
Stu Freeman
Magic Mushrooms
Are you still around Stu?
very cool to see these photos….love to grab the music..
Hello to all Mushroom fans from Croatia,
In 1976. Sire records version of The Nuggets opened my eyes completely.
From that moment I’m garage man, before I was just ordinary rocker.
Most of the bands from Nuggets I have found on CDs, LPs but not Magic Mushrooms. This site is great, photos are great and hopefully there is a CD somewhere out there with mushroom’s unreleased album and singles?
Greetings from Dalmatia, Croatia
Igor Sinovcic
“It”s a Happening” came out on Sydney radio at the time which is a testament to the huge variety of sounds and music genres we all heard then . I got the 45 then and one unjustly unregognised much later at a Record Fair. A unique and wild single that excites to this day whenI play it.
One of the greatest psychedlic creations of them all and there were some truely spine tingling great ones. There is no match for that energy and shear creativity of sound since the psych days. Sound yes, but less edge and pure adrenalin.
Man, if only you could do a reunion show alongside the OTHER “The Magic Mushroom” from ’66 (singular name, from San Diego) – that would be a blast. They only had one single, as far as I know…
https://youtu.be/Pk8IFJ2vjy0
Also, was this single you guys? Or was it maybe the other Magic Mushroom? The person who posted it says it’s you:
https://youtu.be/ggR8eSgxZSM
Stu – Whatever became of the recorded songs that were not released?
I just came across this site today. I was the drummer on “It’s-A-Happening,” “Never Let Go,” “Let The Rain Be Me,” and “Municipal Water Maintenance Man.” Stu Freeman was the musical leader and lead singer on most of the songs we played at gigs. It didn’t hurt that he was a Mick Jagger look-alike and mimicked his moves on stage. He played a 12 string Rickenbacker guitar much of the time. He taught Ted Cahill most of the guitar solos, and Ted was then able to play them flawlessly. Ted loved his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar, and when we found a fuzz tone pedal we pounded out “Satisfaction” like no other local groups. For the sake of accuracy, I was given the opportunity to sing the first verse of “Gloria” – the only tune I sang
lead on at our jobs (even if it was only one verse). We used to drive our audiences crazy by having Ted face ME – his back to the people during entire sets. We were at our best during the summer of 1966 playing at Tony Mart’s in Somers Point, NJ – the first “long haired” band ever to play there. ( Later that summer, the Monkey Men played across the street at Bay Shores and people had 2 “hippy” bands to listen to.) To finish my story, I took up pre-med studies at Penn and had to drop out of the group. It was a fantastic year with some very talented musicians. So sorry to hear of Ted’s passing. I have the Nuggets album framed on the wall along with the promotional 45 rpm record of “It’s-A-Happening.”
Hi Joseph,
Great to hear from you. If you have any memorabilia from those times, or memories of the Monkey Men or other contemporaries, I’d love to see/hear about it. My email is RChrisBishop [at] gmail.com
Thanks,
Chris Bishop (author of this article)