Really don’t know anything about the Mustard Men other than that they were from Wisconsin.
Wish I owned this business card myself, but I saved $50 by just buying the 45.
The band recorded at Dave Kennedy Recording Studios in Milwaukee and released this on the Raynard label, the same label that featured the Bryds great “Your Lies” among others.
“I Lost My Baby” opens with a perfect guitar and organ intro, settles into a nice groove with good vocals that occasionally get excited, and features a fine bluesy guitar solo which kind of falls apart towards the end as some of the notes miss the intended pitch. Still, an A+ in my book for the overall sound they achieve.
The flip is “Another Day”, credited to Donne & the Mustard Men.
Thanks to Gary Myers for the photo.
Hey Jerry,
Thanks, I’d definitely like to see the photo – email me at chas_kit@garagehangover and I’ll talk to you more then.
I LEARNED MY FIRST GUITAR LICKS FROM STAN FROM THE MUSTARD MEN IN A LITTLE MUSIC SHOP IN WEST ALLIS , WISC. HE WAS A REALLY NICE GUY. HE PLAYED A FENDER STRAT , IF MEMORY SEVES ME RIGHT IT WAS BLACK. IVE SEEN THE BAND PLAY AT VARIOUS CYO(CATHOLIC YOUTH ORGANISATION) EVENTS. MOSTLY BATTLE OF THE BANDS IN 1965 AND 1966.THEY HAD A GOOD SOUND. I HAVE A 45 RPM RECORD THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME JUST RECENTLY BY A FRIEND. WE HAPPENED TO TALK ABOUTBANDS FROM BACK THEN AND I TOLD HIM STAN TAUGHT ME GUITAR FROM THE MUSTARD MEN AND THE NEXT DAY HE PRODUCED THE 45 FROM A COLLECTION AND GAVE IT TO ME. I HAVE IT FRAMED AND ITS INMY MUSIC ROOM WHERE I STILL PLAY GUITAR. IM 56 NOW BUT I STILL REMEMBER STAN AND THE MUSTARD MEN. BY THE WAY, GUITAR LESSONS WHERE 8 DOLLARS AN HOUR BACK THEN(1965)
TOM
Actually he played a Fender Jazzmaster. It was indeed black. I played bass in the Mustard Men. The old Epiphone.
This was in high school. Stan and I later reunited in Wild Rose WI in a band called [of course] Wild Rose. From there he married and moved to The Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand. He was ashamed of American politics and wanted to disassociate. The keyboard and saxophone player from the M.Men went into jazz and his band is the house band for the Milwaukee Bucs. I believe that they are still called Sweet Bottom. If you are interested in a business card and a stunning group photot to go with your 45, I would be happy to send them along.
Hi Jerry – Just googled the mustsrd men and found you at last !! Drop me a line on my email I would love to hear from you
Cheers stan
PS dont get online much so might take a while to reply
standiana@xtra.co.nz
Jerry, I saw you guys play many times in high school in our school cafeteria. Originally, you were called the Imperials. Then you became the Mustard Men with those yellow coats. I have actually exchanged email with Warren (keyboad, sax) on Facebook. Saw Keith (lead vocals) at our 20th reunion. Actually ran into George (drummer) at a frat party in Beloit, Wisconsin, in the late 60s after we graduated. Never knew what happened to Stan. I remember when you guys broke the Top 40 our senior year. I was actually sitting across from Warren in study hall when he brought in the Top 40 list from a local radio station. You guys were great. You did a great cover of the The House of the Rising Sun by the Animals. I danced with a girl for the first time to that song. Thanks guys.
Please send me a photo of the MM band on my email.
Geoff Schultz
Brookfield Central HS 1966
Jerry Wimmer played bass with The Mustard Men at a party my brother Tom had in a barn in Brookfield, WI. Jerry also played bass in Feather while we were married with our friend Ashbolt Stewart who was Portland,OR’s best drummer a few years back. Google Next Five Brookfield WI and Bolt Upright Portland OR .
A fellow I graduaded with from high school, Don Grede, recorded, with The Mustard Men, a song he wrote titled (if I remember right) “Another Day.” I still have a copy of the record buried in a box of 45’s. I don’t think it got a lot of play time.
John Smithwick
Brookfield East 1966
Yes, Grede was on one side, with backing by the Mustard Men, and the Mustard Men are on the other side without him. My first WI book (Do You Hear That Beat) includes the band and the follow-up book (On That Wisconsin Beat) includes Grede, whom I did not find until after the 1st book came out.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
http://home.earthlink.net/~gem777
Don Grede is my brother. He lives in Denver, CO. w/ wife and daughter. He recorded “Another Day” as Donne & The Mustard Men. I guess he thought Donne was more “cool” than Don [he’s still a little whacky like that]. I still have boxes of his old records. Didn’t ever think they would be worth anything. I just planned to decorate his Chirstmas tree with them sometime. They make pretty good coasters, too.
Rob, check their worth:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DONNE-MUSTARD-MEN-Another-Day-I-Lost-My-Baby-U-S-7-Raynard-843K-2940-w-Card-/162169288030
Yes, that’s ~$350 for one record.
That seller is notorious for over-pricing his records. He’s had that 45 for years and years with no buyers, We joke around and call his operation “Records for Ransom”.
A realistic value for the Mustard Men 45 in today’s collector market is around $150 for an unplayed copy.
Robert, if it’s convenient anytime, please tell Don I said hello. I guess he didn’t remember my interviewing him for my 2nd WI music book, but we spoke back in 5/96 and the result of the interview is in that book.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
http://home.earthlink.net/~gem777
I’m a cousin of Don and Rob Grede…..from Madison, WI. We had the 45 as well and it got some play at Cherokee Junior High school dances and for various West High school baby sitters.
Fun Times!
I remember the Mustard Men. In fact I played with them for a short while at the very end of their career as replacement for Jerry when he went to college. It was probably the least memorable part of their career but it was fun. I joined a Jazz Trio in Milwaukee then moved to Philadelphia and became a club DJ for many years. I am still involved in music. I do soundtracks for Horror Movies and Environmental films. I am now 66.
I heard about Warrens success with the Milwaukee Bucks and Stan’s ventures to New Zealand. I became friends Keith while I was with the band and crossed paths with him a few times before I left Milwaukee. In fact I saw him as a bass player with a band at “Papa Joe’s”. He called me up on stage and we did an old Mustard Man song. I have not seen him since.
Does anybody know where he is ?
BIlly/DJ Zoomtiger
I absolutely LOVE “I lost my baby” by The Mustard Men!
This song is just PERFECT, what a joy!!!!
Found it on Youtube by chance 🙂
Best regards from Hamburg, Germany!!
Tanja
Check out the flip side, Tanja. Fun times. Donne
I will look for it, Donne, thank you!
I wrote a song, Another Day, in high school. I knew Keith, Warren, George, Stan and Jerry from junior high and had heard the Mustard Men play in the suburban Milwaukee area. I took the song to them, played it with them, and we recorded it. It got some pretty fair airplay in 1965/1966, even getting ranked in one of the local hit lists. Since Another Day got the airplay, I always thought it was the A side and “I Lost My Baby” was the B side of the 45, but reading the previous comments, maybe not. I did get a few nice royalty checks. We performed at a number of Milwaukee area dances, and sold some records. So, it was a fun time and a good memory.
But it was clear that rock and roll frontman was not for me. I only did the one song with them and wished them well. Don (Donne) Grede
It’s so nice to hear from you, Donne, personally, about it! Thank you and have much more happy moments in the future!
Tanja
The Mustard Men were in my graduating class of 1966 at Brookfield Central High School. While not exactly friends with any of the guys, I did know them from sharing classes, etc., over the four years and do remember that each of them were really nice people. They played a number of times up on the stage of Central’s cafeteria at Friday night sock hop dances. They were a great band.
As for the group Feather, I was a close friend of Tom Stewart’s older brother, and remember days of spending time in their shared bedroom in an apartment they lived in with their Mother out on Brookfield Rd. We were in high school then. Tom was a year younger than us, and we’d hang in their room where Tom had a drum set. We’d go to his Next Five concerts around the area, and his Feather gigs too, around the early to mid 1970s. Tom was always a really nice guy, a talented drummer and had a great sense of humor.
Anyway, found this thread while doing some Brookfield googling, and thought I’d share. The good old days were definitely the good old days.
While attending Immaculate Heart of Mary “Grade School” I saw the Mustard Men perform at one of our CYO dances. I believe that I was in 8th grade (’65-66). I thought they were a “bitchin’ ” band!
P.S. Stumbled across this website while looking for West Allis and area garage bands. Wonderful memories!
I went to many of Brookfield Central‘s dances, and always had a great time. The bands they had were really good. Two of my favorites were The Mustard Men and The Yellow Jackets.
No doubt. I loved going to those dances. I met some nice guys there. The Mustard Men and The Yellow Jacket were the two top bands that played at BC. Those were the best of times.
I remember with the Beatlemania, we still had The Mustard Men playing at our dances at BCHS, cafeteria on Friday nights. Those were great memories…chaparones and all! “Girl, you really got me; you really got me so I don’t know what to do!” Oh the lyrics and the tunes back in the day (Class of ’67)