Just a few days after I added Nick’s article on former Daily Flash guitarist Doug Hastings’ time with Dr. John’s band in 1969, I picked up this single on the Another label by Drits & Dravy, one of Mac Rebennack’s many early releases before he moved to Los Angeles and assumed the Dr. John persona. It features Mac and Ronnie Barron putting down a long stream of quick rhymes and puns, many of which I can’t make out through the echo.
I’ve seen this as being from 1960, but I think 1962 is probably more likely, given that Dr. John mentions having the Drits and Dravy act at the same time he was cutting an unreleased LP for AFO.
Besides Mac and Ronnie, either of whom could be playing organ, I’m not sure who was on this session. It could have included some of his regular band at the time, such as Paul Staehle (drums) and Charlie Maduell (sax).
Another collaboration between these two which sounds very different is Ronnie Barron’s single “It’s All in the Past” written by Dauenhauer-Rebennack b/w “The Hip Parade”by Rebennack-O’Neil, from about 1963.
Selling records at the WFMU fair kept me so busy that I had zero time to look at other folks’ tables. Of course, sharing a table with Mr. Robinson is dangerous, and sure enough I spent a chunk of my sales on a few of his records, including buying back a copy of P.B. & the Staunchmen that I had sold to him last year. Why did I sell it in the first place? Why did I bother to buy it again? These are questions that haunt record collectors.
Billy from Norton Records dropped off a copy of the latest collection of unissued garage acetates: You Tore My Brain! (half of it comes from tapes and not acetates, by the way). Besides the title cut and its flip by the James Street Overpass, there are some excellent and crude out-takes from the Fine Recording vaults, like “I Won’t Play Your Game” by an unknown group, and an incredible cut by Sir Winston & the Commons, “All of the Time”. I remember when that acetate came up for auction earlier this year.
The only other record I picked up was this bizarre psychedelic number by Utopia Carwash. Mr. Finewine turned up a batch of unplayed copies – unfortunately most of them including this one have a rolling warp. The warp was bad enough that I couldn’t make a transfer of “Loneliness”. I did get a decent, if noisy transfer of the flip, “Wait and See”, which hasn’t been compiled. It’s not a bad tune once you get past the droning organ intro.
“Loneliness” was written by Gary Costa. “Wait and See” by Lloyd Deckman.
I didn’t have any real clues as to the location of this band for a long time. South Grape Street could mean Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles CA, or Medford, Oregon. Etched into the trail-off vinyl is “SGS 001A/B – IFL” and “LW” for all the deadwax hounds out there. Mike Markesich thought it might be mid-upstate New York. As it turns out, they were from Long Island.
Last month I heard from bassist Lloyd Deckman, who filled me in on the group’s story:
Utopia Carwash was named after the “Utopia Carwash” that was visible from the Long Island Expressway in towards the city. It was a carwash. Prior to that name, we had called ourselves the Makos, from East Northport.
The Cast:
Barry Ambrosio – guitar Bryan Ambrosio – keyboard Gary Costa – percussion Lloyd Deckman – bass
We started – actually Barry and Bryan started – the Makos in their basement on Grant Street in East Northport. They were twins and they lived across the street from me – we grew up together, Boy Scouts, played army, etc. Barry was the brains and driving force behind the operation. As the Makos we played out at a firemens’ party in the firehouse in East Northport, at the Northport High School (video’d), and at a place called either “The Most” or “Hullabaloo” that was usually a roller skating rink in Northport. The time frame would have been around ’66 or ’67. Those were the only gigs I remember while I was in the band.
I don’t remember where South Grape Street Records came from; I was no longer in the band. “Wait and See” was actually written as “Just You Wait and See”, they chose to abbreviate it for labeling purposes. I wanted it done up-tempo too, but… They had the record cut in early ’69.
As I understand it, Barry has passed, his bio in the music world is rather impressive. I believe Bryan lives in Florida.
I’ll be selling records at the WFMU record fair this Saturday, Oct. 23. Come out and say hello, booth D-24, in front of the large pillar in the middle of the room.
Unusual 45s and LPs, including a batch of Polish pop LPs from ’66-’68, including this one, Czerwone Guitary’s second album, which features a fine guitar and bass break on the melancholy “Cztery Pory Roku” (“Four Seasons”).
Dr. John’s band at the Fillmore East, October 1969
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to interview bass player Dave Johnson and guitarist Doug Hastings, both of whom played with Dr John in 1969 and spoke highly of their time working with him.
Johnson was an integral member of Dr John’s touring band throughout most of that year alongside drummer Richard Crooks. Together with conga player Didymus (aka Richard) Washington, guitarist Gary Carino and singers Eleanor Barooshian, Jeanette Jacobs and Sherry Graddie, they played all the high profile gigs that year, most notably the Atlantic, Detroit and Toronto Pop Festivals.
Later that autumn guitarist Doug Hastings (who had recently left Rhinoceros) joined Johnson and Crooks in a revised line up. Hastings told me that the band had been assembled in L.A specifically to record the album Remedies, which was later cut at Columbia Studios in New York on 19 and 21-23 October.
The new group debuted at the Whisky in A Go Go in West Hollywood on 23 September (playing six nights) in what Hastings said ‘amounted to a shake-down gig for the band’. Johnson told me that the cover for Remedies was taken at the club by his cousin Steve LaVere.
At the last minute, just before they set off on tour, Hastings’s former cohort from The Daily Flash Don MacAllister was added on electric mandolin for ‘breadth of sound and camaraderie’.
Dr. John at the Fillmore East, October 1969Hastings reckons, however, that Don’s real interest was the attraction to heroin that he had in common with Dr John. Sadly, MacAllister was ejected from the tour a few weeks before it ended. Hastings remembers walking in Manhattan with MacAllister the night he was fired and passing Unganos where Tony Williams’s Lifetime was playing. Miles Davis’s Ferrari GTO with bullet holes was parked outside!
When the guitarist got back to the West Coast, he discovered that MacAllister had overdosed. He was only 27 years old!
The photos are from the Fillmore East in mid-October. Johnson told me he doesn’t remember the name of the photographer but she was a girl he met in New York who sent him the 35 mm slides.
The group appeared at the Fillmore East on 10-11 October with Vanilla Fudge and AUM before playing four nights at Unganos from 12-15 October. The tour was wrapped up with two nights at the Fantasy East, running from 17-18 October. The sessions for Remedies took place after the tour but from what I gather only Hastings participated from the band.
Dr John put together a new road band in November but that wasn’t the end of his dealings with Johnson. Shortly after Dave Johnson replaced Randy Fuller in Blue Mountain Eagle (who had morphed out of Dewey Martin’s ill-fated New Buffalo Springfield) in April 1970, the group’s engineer Bill Halverson presented the musicians with a demo of Stephen Stills’s ‘Marianne’ and told them to cut a version.
The band’s lone album had sold poorly and despite having a stash of new songs, Atlantic would only allow them to cut a cover tune as a single before committing to a second album. The band didn’t feel Stills’s song fitted with the sound they wanted to project but begrudgingly cut a version at the Record Plant.
Johnson told me that he managed to get Dr John to come in and play some really funky piano on the song which really gave it a unique sound and feel. Halverson, however, was having none of it and forced the band to re-cut an identical version to the demo, which failed to chart on its release. It would be great to hear that version if it still exists.
The Sideshow, 1967, standing: Dave Bishop and Freddie Mooney; seated: Chuck Riley and Dennis Wilbur
Dave Bishop – guitar, vocals Dennis Wilbur – guitar, piano, vocals Freddie Mooney – bass, vocals Chuck Riley – drums
Dennis Wilbur sent in the photo and history of his bands This Generation and Sideshow, out of Bell, California:
I have always been interested in music from the time I was about 3 years old. I was fascinated by the people I saw standing on a stage and performing and the applause from the crowd after each song.
My first band was called This Generation. We formed around 1965 and played dances, parties, etc. The members were Dennis Wilbur (guitar-vocals), Freddie Mooney (bass-vocals), Danny Shoaf (drums), and Tom Jonutis (guitar). Freddie Mooney and I were in the band and orchestra at Bell High School. I knew that he was playing with his step-dad Vern “The Voice” Gosdin, and Vern’s brother Rex, along with Clarence White (Kentucky Colonels, and later The Byrds). The Gosdin Brothers were former bluegrass musicians known as The Hillmen (with Chris Hillman playing mandolin prior to joining The Byrds).
I had gone to a rehearsal of the Gosdin Brothers and started talking with Freddie and said we should form our own group. One thing lead to another and This Generation was formed. We were together a little over a year when our drummer and guitarist were both drafted. Freddie said that he knew another guitarist named Danny Duran from the next town over (Maywood, CA). We auditioned him and added him to the group. I don’t recall who our drummer was at that time.
We played together for about 6 months and for some reason our guitarist left. Again, on the search for someone to replace him we found Dave Bishop (also from Maywood). We knew Dave from high school also. He had been playing with a local surf band and realized that surf music was quickly being replaced by the British Invasion and decided to join us. This was mid 1966. This also called for a name change and The Sideshow was born.
Sometime in late 1966 we landed a gig at The Street Scene in El Monte, CA which was owned by Gary Bookasta who also owned The Hullaballoo in Hollywood and was manager for The Palace Guard and The Yellow Payges. It was during this time that we again needed a drummer and while playing at the Street Scene that we found Bob Phillips from El Monte and he joined the band.
After a couple of more gigs at the Street Scene, Gary Bookasta hired us as the “house band”. We were still doing mostly Top 40 covers at this time but it did provide us with the opportunity to open for many of the big acts of the time (Grass Roots, Music Machine, Freddie Cannon, The Seeds, etc.). This also allowed us to play at The Hullaballoo with many other top acts (Linda Ronstadt with the Stone Poneys, Taj Mahal, Van Morrison, The Doors, John Lee Hooker as his backup band, and many more) and the regular groups that Gary Bookasta handled (Palace Guard, Yellow Payges, East Side Kids).
While playing the Street Scene we were approached by Lou Liuzzi about him becoming our manager. Lou was just out of college with a degree in Business and trying to get into the music biz as a manager. He didn’t really have any experience but he did try hard. I don’t think he ever managed anyone else but The Sideshow.
He initially was able to get us some gigs and financed our first recording session at a small studio somewhere in the San Gabriel Valley. We recorded two covers, one was a song by The Who (“Can You See Me”) that hadn’t been released in the US yet and the other was by The Blues Magoos (“One By One”). During this period we were continually playing various clubs around Southern California (Marina Palace in Seal Beach, and The Galaxy in Hollywood). The Galaxy was less than 100 feet from The Whisky, which provided us with some exposure to some of the big acts of the time that would just stop in and see us.
It was at this time, early 1967 that The Standells came in to see us. A few weeks later they came to see us again when we were playing a car show at the Anaheim Convention Center. They approached our manager about signing with their new production company. We recorded four tracks at Mama Joe’s recording studio in the San Fernando Valley. We didn’t have any original material at that time so The Standells found the songs that we recorded (“Paper People”, “Black and White”, and two other tracks that I don’t recall the names). The sessions were a lot of fun as The Standells played on the tracks with us. Our drummer felt left out as he didn’t get to play on the tracks. The lineup for the sessions was Dennis Wilbur (guitar-piano-vocals), Dave Bishop (guitar-vocals), Freddie Mooney (bass-vocals), Larry Tamblyn (organ), Dick Dodd (drums), Tony Valentino (guitar), and John Fleck (guitar). Unfortunately all of the recordings that we had done have gotten lost over the years.
Our drummer Bob Phillips left the group and became the drummer for The Rooney Brothers (Mickey Rooney’s sons, Tim, Ted, and Mickey Jr.). We found another drummer right away from Downey CA. His name was Chuck Riley. Things were looking good and we were about to sign a deal with Reprise Records when our manager fell victim to the dreaded “Greedy Manager Syndrome” and presented us with a ridiculous contract that was to be 10 years long with a 25% commission. Needless to say, we said “NO”. That’s when everything fell apart and the deal with Reprise disappeared. Shortly after things fell apart with The Standells. We continued to play for about another six months and then broke up. This was early 1968.
After a few months of not doing much of anything I received a call from Freddie Mooney. He had met Diana Di Rose from The Rose Garden and said that she was auditioning players for a replacement band as several members of the original group had been drafted and the remaining members had quit. Freddie and I auditioned and landed the gig but the group was still incomplete needing another guitarist/vocalist and a drummer. We immediately called Dave Bishop and added him to the group. After auditioning numerous drummers we found Ken Dalton recently arriving in California from New York. We started learning material and for the first time writing some of our own. At this time I was the only writer with some help coming from Freddie Mooney.
Diana Di Rose introduced us to Charlie Green and Brian Stone who had produced the original Rose Garden (also Buffalo Springfield, Iron Butterfly, Sonny & Cher, and Jackie De Shannon). They were interested in recording us but as things turned out Diana was more interested in promoting herself and our other guitarist as the new Sonny & Cher, and another potential deal bit the dust. This version of The Rose Garden lasted only about eight months.
After this I stopped playing for a while and went back to school for a couple of years.
After college I reformed The Sideshow with Wayne Boyles (vocals) (another high school friend), Mike Herrmann (guitar-vocals), David Ando (bass), and David “Frenchy” O’Brien (drums also a founding member of the group Animotion). After about a year we replaced Mike Herrmann with Michael White and continued playing the club scene for a few more years.
Overall my experiences with The Sideshow were fantastic. At that time everything was about the music. What a great time to be playing rock. I did get to meet a lot of interesting and talented people and I wouldn’t have changed anything.
I never thought I’d find a band to cover from Costa Rica, so I was surprised to learn about two 45s by Los Gatos. This group shouldn’t be confused with Los Gatos from Argentina and Spain, they’re an authentic Costa Rican band. I can find little information on the band, but one of their vocalists, Jorge del Castillo became a major singing star in the 1970’s. The group also had more releases than these two.
The earlier 45 was “Boogaloo Indio”, a promising title though the record seems to have more in common with “Wooly Bully” than any real boogaloo. It was backed by a ballad, “Toma Mi Corazon” written and sung by Jorge del Castillo.
Of the four songs I’ve heard by the band, I prefer “Ven Que Estoy Hirviendo” their cover of the brazilian hit “Vem Quente Que Eu Estou Fervendo”, written by Eduardo Araújo and Carlos Imperial. Los Gatos may have heard Erasmo Carlos’ Spanish version of the song though their version is much more sedate. There was at least one other version sung in Spanish, by Peru’s Los Spectros.
Manuel Najar is listed as vocalist on both “Hirviendo” and the A-side of that 45, “Tiritando”. We can date this 45 to no earlier than 1969, as the original version of “Tiritando” done by the artist ‘Donald’ was a hit in Argentina that year.
One of the members of Los Gatos wrote to me in November, 2010:
My name is Jose Sanabria and I was the drummer for Los Gatos de Costa Rica con Ricardo Acosta.
The group formed as studio band for Ricardo Acosta sometime in the middle ’60s. I came as the drummer six months after the group got together. The members at that time: Chino Lios (lead guitar), Emanuel Najar (electric bass), Jorge Del Castillo (singer), Ricardo Acosta (lead singer), Ricardo Sosa (keyboards) and myself Jose Sanabria (nickname Pepe Sanabria) on drums.
We recorded many hits under the label INDICA (Industria de Discos Centro Americanas), later became Columbia Records then Sony Music. I was the drummer on all these recordings.
We traveled all over Central and South America promoting some of the hits and went on tour with another group called Paco Navarrete y Su Conjunto.
Most of the music you will find under Ricardo Acosta con los Gatos de Costa Rica. Most of the recordings are now on CD.
I was with the band until 1968 when I got married and moved to Wisconsin. I reside in Middleton, Wisconsin as a computer specialist for a company call Full Compass Systems. You can check our site, there are what we call Gearcast and some interviews with me during our new building’s grand opening. Even at 66 years old I am doing studio work playing with top notch musicians.
I have been in contact with Ricardo Acosta on a regular basis. I do not know about the rest of the members.
We are going to Costa Rica in Jan. of 2011 and I am hoping to get the band together one more time since we all are by now in the late 50s and 60s.
Jose E. Sanabria
Much thanks to Jeffrey Harvey for alerting me to Los Gatos and sending scans of the songs.
1046 – Bob Haydon – “Suzanne” / “Gonna Go (Gonna Leave Ya)” (both written by Bob Haydon; July 1, 1964) 1047 – Abby Anderson – “(We Were) Sittin’ in the Balcony” (Lewis Lindsey) / “My Love” 1048 – Lewis Lindsey – “Girls Always Break My Heart” / T”he Promise” (written and arranged by L. Lindsey) 1049 – Jimmy Rabbit with Ron and Dea – “Pushover” / “Wait and See” 1050 – The Knights – “Stay” / “I Know It Now” (both by B. Kissell) 1051 – ? 1052 – Jimmy Rabbit – “Wishy-Washy Woman” / “My Girl” (both by Ron Price, arranged by Bob Rambo)
4121-31 – The Knights – “Only You Hold the Answer” (Dick and Bob Kisslle [sic]) / “Walkin’ The Streets” (Bob Kisslle [sic]) published by Pinent Music, BMI and recorded at Dayson Studio in East Syracuse, NY
Any help with additions or corrections to this discography would be appreciated.
Bob Sanders ran the Knight and Spectra labels, among others, during the mid-’60s in Dallas, Texas. The two Jimmy Rabbit singles are probably the best, though I haven’t heard the Abby Anderson 45, described as doo wop.
See the earlier articles on this site for more on Jimmy Rabbit, the Mystics (on Spectra) and the Knights.
Bob Haydon had the first 45 that I know of on Knight, released in mid-1964. “Suzanne” never made much impression on me, but “Gonna Go (Gonna Leave Ya)” has an easy mix of country and pop sounds.
Lewis Lindsey was either co-owner or had some position with the label. Jimmy Rabbit called the Knight label’s studio “Sand-Lin”, though I haven’t seen that name cited by anyone else.
Lindsey co-wrote “Sittin’ in the Balcony” for Abby Anderson, and co-wrote both sides of the Jimmy Rabbit 45, as well as being in Rabbit’s band at the time. For his own Knight single Lindsey wrote and arranged “The Promise”, a pop number with big production. Lewis Lindsey had another release on Vandan VR-7742, “Wish It Could Be Me” / “Is It Love” that I haven’t heard.
All of the above except the second Knights 45 (4121-31) produced by Bob Sanders with publishing by Fieldcrest Music, BMI, often the credits say “An Empire Production”. I would assume the Knights “Only You Hold the Answer” was their own production back in New York, however the logo is exact and their names are misspelled on the song writing credits.
There’s no connection to the Tampa, Florida Knight label that released 45s by the Tropics, Mods and Outsiders or the Wilmington, Delaware label with a release by the Spectrums, “I’ll Never Fear” (D. Stewart) / “Wine, Wine, Wine” recorded at Ken-Del Studios, or the Schenectady, NY label.
Many thanks to Brian Kirschenbaum for alerting me to the Knights 45, and to Tommy “MrTeenSwe” for his help with the Lewis Lindsey 45 info.
Hedgehoppers in 1971, left to right: Alan Avon, Bill Honeyman, Colin Turner (and front) Mick Matthews
Tony Kaye (guitar, vocals) John Askey (bass) Dave Birkenhead (organ) Bill Honeyman (drums)
1967
October Original Hedgehoppers Anonymous lead singer Mick Tinsley and drummer Glenn Martin (who has joined after the top five success of “It’s Good News Week”) have participated in a swansong tour of Sweden and Lapland with bass player Howard Livett and guitarist Ian Atkinson.
(6)During their Scandinavian trip, the quartet play at the Cue Club in Gothenburg on a bill that also features Stoke-on-Trent band, The Colour Supplement. Singer Phil Tunstall will join a new version of Hedgehoppers Anonymous in December 1968. Comprised of guitarist Mick Nixon, bass player Paul Stevenson, drummer Ricky Ballan and future Climax Blues Band keyboard player George Glover, The Colour Supplement play another Swedish date with Hedgehoppers Anonymous, and further shows with The Troggs, before returning to the UK later in the month.
November On their return to England, Tinsley and Martin disband Hedgehoppers Anonymous. Tinsley establishes a solo career while Martin replaces Bill Honeyman in Sandie Shaw’s backing band, The Streamliners, which also comprises lead guitarist/singer Tony Kaye, organist Dave Birkenhead and bass player John Askey. Kaye, who began as a frontman with early 1960s Stoke-on-Trent band, The Huckleberries forms The Shandykins Four in October 1965. The following month, The Shandykins Four were chosen as Sandie Shaw’s permanent backing band and become The Streamliners. Askey and Birkenhead, who has previously played with Chris Ryan & The Crescents, The Scorpions and The Times, join The Streamliners in 1966. The group, however, will also use The Hedgehoppers Anonymous name for gigs.
NME, November 26, 1965
December Phil Tunstall’s band, The Colour Supplement had travelled to Germany during November and spent about a month playing at the Star Club in Hamburg where they meet Ritchie Blackmore (soon to return to the UK and form Roundabout, which morphs into Deep Purple). The band then plays the Storyville Clubs in Cologne and Frankfurt for about a month before returning to Britain.
(30)Hedgehoppers Anonymous perform at the Public Hall, Preston, Lancashire with The Atlantics, The Four Crestas and The Blue Notes.
The Colour Supplement, Phil Tunstall at topThe Colour Supplement, Phil Tunstall in front
1968
January Sandie Shaw & The Streamliners appear at the MIDEM Festival in Cannes, France.
February After Martin leaves Sandie Shaw’s band, The Streamliners, Tony Kaye brings in Roger Keay briefly before former member, Scots-born drummer Bill Honeyman rejoins. Honeyman is a veteran of popular Stoke-on-Trent R&B band, The Marauders having started out in Alan Avon & The Presidents with future Hedgehoppers’ singer Alan Avon, guitarist Peter Birch, bass player Brian Birch and sax player Tony Bennett.
March With the original Hedgehoppers Anonymous defunct, Kaye decides to take over the name and put together an entirely new version of the band. According to the Burton Daily Mail, the new version appears at the 76 Club, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire on 10 March.
(3) Phil Tunstall’s band, The Colour Supplement appear at the Blue Ball, Risley, Staffordshire.
April(10) The Hedgehoppers Anonymous appears at the Bull’s Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
(11)Hedgehoppers Anonymous play at the Crystal Ballroom in Stoke-on-Trent.
(12) The Colour Supplement begin a second Swedish tour.
Sandie Shaw & The Streamliners, 5 May 1968
May(12)After a disastrous tour, The Colour Supplement return to the UK and play their first show back on home soil at the Bull’s Head, Hanford.
(16)The Tony Kaye-led Hedgehoppers Anonymous appear at the Crystal Ballroom in Stoke-on-Trent.
(22) The Colour Supplement play at the Bull’s Head, Hanford.
(30) Hedgehoppers Anonymous perform at Longlands College, James Finegan Hall, Eston, Middlesbrough with The Lemon Tree and The Georgian Quintet.
June(1)After playing the Northern club scene for a few months, Hedgehoppers Anonymous are billed to appear at the Union Rowing Club in Nottingham but are replaced at the last minute by Legacy after it’s announced the band has split up. In reality, John Askey has left to join future Hedgehoppers’ singer Alan Avon’s new band, The Toyshop with Roger Jones and Tony Todd. Colin Turner from The King Pins (who have been working as The Ivy League’s backing band) takes over on bass. Turner joined the Manchester band in late 1966 prior to its relocation to the Stoke-on-Trent area and its signing with the Keith Fisher agency. He also appeared on the band’s final single for Columbia in 1967, “Summer’s Come and Gone” c/w “Another Tear Falls”.
The King Pins with Colin Turner, Star Club promo, Germany, late 1966.
(3) The Colour Supplement appear at the Basford Coronation Club in Basford, Staffordshire.
(12) Tunstall’s group return to the Bull’s Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
(17) The Colour Supplement play at the Filleybrooke Hotel in Stone, Staffordshire.
(19)Phil Tunstall’s band The Colour Supplement appear at the Bull’s Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
(21) The new Hedgehoppers Anonymous line up with Colin Turner appears at Bradford University with Fleetwood Mac, Blossom Toes and The Amboy Jukes.
(23) The Colour Supplement appear at the Clayton Lodge in Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire.
July(24)Phil Tunstall’s band The Colour Supplement play at the Bull’s Head, Hanford.
August(7) Alan Avon (who will replace Tunstall in Hedgehoppers in 1970) makes an appearance at Bucknall Workingmen’s club in Bucknall, Staffordshire with his band Toyshop.
(14) The Toyshop play at the Bull’s Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
(21)The Colour Supplement perform at the Bull’s Head, Hanford.
(29) Alan Avon’s band, The Toyshop appear at the Bull’s Head in Hanford.
September(6)Hedgehoppers Anonymous play at the Bull’s Head, Hanford, Staffordshire.
(18)Alan Avon’s band The Toyshop appear at the Bull’s Head, Hanford.
(26) The Toyshop perform at the Steelman’s club in Stoke-on-Trent.
(29)Hedgehoppers Anonymous play at Mr Smith’s in Hanley, Staffordshire.
October(4) Hedgehoppers Anonymous play at the Forest Folk Hotel in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire. Immediately afterwards, lead guitarist/singer Mick Matthews (b. 18 December 1946, Knutton, Staffordshire) joins the line up after impressing the band with his song “My Friend John Carter The Kind Magician”. Matthews, who started out in The Telstars, has been playing with Harvey’s Team with singer Ian Riley and bass player Graeme Bates. The new Hedgehoppers Anonymous line up embarks on a four-week Scottish tour with Dave Berry & The Cruisers.
(9)Phil Tunstall’s band The Colour Supplement travel to the Birmingham area and play at the Mackadown, Kitts Green, West Midlands with The Passion Forest.
(11) Future Hedgehoppers’ singer Alan Avon’s band, The Toyshop appear at the Harold Clowes Hall in Bucknall, Staffordshire.
(23)The Colour Supplement perform at the Chesterfield Club in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands.
South African sleeve from early 1969 showing a short-lived lineup, photo taken November 1968 Left to right: Bill Honeyman, Mick Matthews, Colin Turner and Dave Birkenhead
November Kaye, who wants to concentrate on a management role for the band, drops out and Matthews take over lead vocal duties briefly until Phil Tunstall joins from The Colour Supplement in December. Kaye’s sons will later write for Robbie Williams.
December Future Hedgehoppers’ singer Alan Avon’s band, The Toyshop record a lone single for Polydor Records – the Carter/Lewis penned “Say Goodbye To Yesterday” c/w guitarist Tony Todd’s “Send My Love To Lucy”. John Askey leaves after this recording and Maurice Cope takes over on bass.
After arriving in South Africa, March, 1969 Article from the Natal Mercury
1969
January Hedgehoppers Anonymous are invited to play a three-month residency at Tiles nightclub in Durban, South Africa but Dave Birkenhead is unable to participate in the South African tour and stays behind to join The Look Twice Band.
February Decca re-releases Hedgehoppers Anonymous’ second single “Don’t Push Me” in South Africa with a picture sleeve featuring the short-lived line up from November 1968 depicting Honeyman, Matthews, Turner and Birkenhead.
(26) Remaining members – Phil Tunstall, Mick Matthews, Bill Honeyman and Colin Turner arrive in Durban to be feted as rock royalty.
March Hedgehoppers Anonymous start a three-month residency at Tiles nightclub. After playing a huge concert at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, they are invited to extend the Tiles residency until August.
August Following their resounding success at Tiles, Hedgehoppers Anonymous move on to Johannesburg where they hold down a residency at the 19th Level nightclub. Hedgehoppers Anonymous play at the club for three months before embarking on a short tour of Rhodesia where they appear at the Stork Club in Bulawayo and the city’s town hall.
December Hedgehoppers Anonymous return to Johannesburg to play another residency at the 19th Level nightclub before working at the Underground club below the Hotel Continental.
Left to right: Bill, Mick, Phil and Colin in 1970, shortly before Phil Tunstall’s tragic death. Photo by Barry Oliver
1970
January Hedgehoppers Anonymous sign a deal with the Highveld label to record three tracks.
March Linked with producer Tony Gibson, the group records Matthews’s “Mary Mary” backed by a beat version of Eric Morris’s “Humpty Dumpty”, which has been blended with an indigenous kwela sound, for their debut single. They also record the Matthews-Tunstall-Turner collaboration, “The Man Upstairs”.
April(10) Future Hedgehoppers’ singer Alan Avon’s band, The Toyshop play at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
May(30)Hedgehoppers Anonymous are billed to appear at a huge rock festival to be held at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg to mark Republic Day on Monday, 31 May alongside The Bats, Omega Limited, Sounds of Brass, The Rising Sons, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The First Acquaintance, Hawk and The Staccatos but Tunstall is killed in a road accident on the eve of the show.
June Devastated by their loss, Matthews, Honeyman and Turner return to the UK and go their separate ways. Over the next six months, Matthews works with a band in Germany before Honeyman contacts him about returning to South Africa where there is a demand for the band.
July In their absence, Highveld releases “Mary Mary” c/w “Humpty Dumpty” as a single, which peaks at #15 on the South African LM radio chart. Producer Tony Gibson has set up his own label Tojo with his wife Jo and in August issues “The Man Upstairs” backed by an instrumental version of the song entitled “The Man Downstairs” but it does not chart.
December The remaining members add singer Alan Dutton (aka Alan Avon), who has played with Honeyman during the early 1960s in Alan Avon & The Presidents and until recently was lead singer with Alan Avon & The Toyshop. Avon’s band has toured extensively throughout the UK and recorded the collectable single “These Are The Reasons” c/w “Night To Remember” for the Concord label.
1971, left to right: Mick, Colin, Alan and Bill1971, left to right: Mick Matthews, Colin Turner, Alan Avon and Bill Honeyman
1971
January To avoid any potential legal problems with Jonathan King who still owns the name, they drop the Anonymous tag and become Hedgehoppers.
February(27)Billboard magazine announces that Hedgehoppers have returned to South Africa after a spell in London. The revised line up resumes gigging at the Underground nightclub where they are booked for three months. Producer Tony Gibson’s Tojo label records a lone single combining two strong Matthews numbers – “A Song For Pete”, inspired by English guitarist Pete Clifford from The Bats (and one-time guitarist with Dusty Springfield’s band, The Echoes), and “Here’s To The Morning Sun”.
April The band opens Samantha’s, a new nightclub in Johannesburg. While there, Gibson negotiates a deal with CBS which allows the band to record an album mixing Matthews’ originals with covers of Buffalo Springfield’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Woman” and George Gershwin’s “Summertime”. (4) “A Song For Pete” on Tojo peaks at #5 on the LM Radio hit parade.
June Having given the others notice that he’ll be returning to the UK after their six-month contract is up, Avon completes a nationwide tour taking in Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, Cape Town, Upington and Windhoek.
July After Avon returns to the UK in late July, Hedgehoppers bring in new singer, the late Andy Ionnides from Suck, who joins the band for a three-month residency at the Coq D’Or in Salisbury, Rhodesia.
August(29) “Hey!” recorded with Avon on lead vocals, backed by the non-album “My Friend John Carter The King Magician”, featuring Matthews on lead vocals, hits #2 on the LM Radio hit parade and tops the Rhodesian charts.
September(17) “Hey” peaks at #9 on the Springbok Radio hit parade.
October(2)Billboard magazine reports that Hedgehoppers are touring Rhodesia. After the tour finishes this month, keyboard player and singer Rupert Mellor from The First Aquaintence takes over from Ionnides. Hedgehoppers return to Samantha’s and hold down a residency until the end of the year. While there, the band records three new Mick Matthews’s songs for Parlophone Records – “I’m On My Way Ma”, “Blue, Blue, Blue” and “Young Man On The Road”, all featuring Matthews on lead vocals.
November “Blue, Blue, Blue” backed by “I’m On My Way Ma” is released.
1972
March(4)Shortly after watching their beloved Stoke City beat Chelsea in the League Cup final at Wembley, Matthews leaves the band and returns to the UK. He later returns to South Africa and forms Ballyhoo, who will have significant success in the 1970s. Hedgehoppers carries on as a trio and back Wellington Count Judge on the Mojo single “Noma Kunjalo” c/w “Salani” as The Cool Cats. A few months later, Honeyman is killed in a road accident and the band splits with Turner returning to the UK.
From left: Alan Avon, Bill Honeyman (in back with glasses), Mick Matthews and Colin Turner. Photo by Gavin Furlonger
Sources:
I Started Out To Write A Song, by Mick Matthews and Adrian English (awaiting publication). Strange Brew – Eric Clapton & The British Blues Boom 1965-1970, by Christopher Hjort, Jawbone Press, 2007 Tapestry of Delights Revisited by Vernon Joynson, Borderline Productions, 2006.
Information on the King Pins from the Starclub Hamburg site. The photo montage is their copyright.
Live dates sourced from Melody Maker, Birmingham Evening Mail, The Evening Sentinel, Nottingham Evening Post, Middlesbrough Evening Gazette.
Many thanks to Mick Matthews, Alan Avon, George Glover, Tertius Louw, Marq Vas, Benjy Mudie and Gavin Furlonger. Thank you to George Glover, Mike Nixon and Paul Stevenson for passing on details about The Colour Supplement, to Joe Toriati for the photos of this band and to Marq Vas for 45 label scans.
Thank you to Mick Matthews and Benjy Mudie at Fresh for permission to use the Hedgehoppers’ tracks. Keep an eye on Fresh Music’s website for the forthcoming Hedgehoppers CD: www.freshmusic.co.za
Mick Matthews and Adrian English’s I Started Out To Write A Song is awaiting publication.
I have tried to ensure the accuracy of this article but I appreciate that there are likely to be errors and omissions. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who can provide any additions or corrections. Email: Warchive@aol.com
Jon Adair of the Ramrods and Mike from the Alabama Record Collectors Association wrote this history of the band, reprinted with permission. If anyone has a good scan of the Queen 45 or transfers of missing songs, please contact us.
The year was 1959. Five guys from Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Joe Lackey (lead guitar and vocals) Butch Fadely (piano), Jim McCulla (drums) and Larry Wooten (rhythm guitar) had gotten together and decided to form a band of their own. Jon Adair, who was a friend of Joe’s, had already been in two bands, ‘The Teen Beats’ and the ‘The Ray Royster Combo.’ None of the other guys had ever played in bands. Of course, all of them were in their mid-teens, 13 to 15 years old.
Joe asked Jon to come and sit in with them at a practice, which he did, playing rhythm guitar. Later, Joe and the other guys went to Jon’s house and asked him to join the band. When Jon joined, the rhythm guitar player, Wooten, was sick and couldn’t make the first gig, so Jon played rhythm alone. When Wooten returned, both he and Jon played rhythm, which the band really didn’t need two of, but the band had no bass player, which it did need, so they asked Jon to play the bass. He knew nothing about the bass and told them he definitely could not afford to buy another guitar, but wanting to be in the band, Jon compromised. He removed the two high strings from his 6-string electric and tuned the remaining four strings down one octave. It worked well enough to get by. In fact, this is what was used later on their first record, “Fire Tower.” This is how they played until Wooten left the band and Jon moved permanently to rhythm. It was also about this time that Butch Fadely left the band to join the Army.
The band took the name, the Ramrods, from the Duane Eddy tune and even adopted that song as their opening number on every show.
There were not many local bands around at this time. The Roulettes, the Premiers, The Epics and now the Ramrods were just a very few. That, of course, would soon change, especially after the Beatles hit America in 1964. Bands began to pop up everywhere, but, for now, the Ramrods and these other few had a corner on the market.
Many member changes would soon take place in the Ramrods, including adding Paul Newman on vocals. The Ramrods also decided to add a saxophone player, so Ronnie Eades joined the band. Ronnie would later move to Muscle Shoals and become a prominent member of the Muscle Shoals Sound as a session musician.
In 1961, a friend of a friend of a friend, met the Ramrods and wanted to record them. He, Wayne Bright, owned a recording studio in Muscle Shoals, “Bright Records.” The band agreed and laid down two tracks, “Fire Tower,” written by Paul Newman and “Sittin’ Alone,” written by Jon Adair. When the record was pressed, it had mistakenly listed the band as ‘Paul Newman and the Ramrod Combo’ instead of ‘The Ramrods.’
They soon followed with their second record, “Slee-zee,” b/w “Slouch-ee,” both written by Joe Lackey. These were recorded at Homer Milan’s studio at 1st Avenue and 20th Street in Birmingham in 1962. It was released on Queen Records, which was a subsidiary of King Records.
Member changes continued with the addition of Fred Guarino on drums, Johnny Mulkey on lead guitar, Frank Bethea on bass, Bubba Lathem on piano, Durwood Bright on sax and Dwight Anderson on sax. Bright would later play with the Townsmen and Anderson with the Tikis.
In 1963, the Ramrods went into Baldwin Recording Studio in Woodlawn, which they did quite often after shows to record various tunes. On this trip, they recorded two original songs, written by John Mulkey, “Night Ride” and “Moonlight Surf,” both surf sounding instrumentals. They took the tracks to Rick Hall, who ran Fame Recording Studio in Muscle Shoals. He liked them and agreed to press the songs. The band had thought that their songs would be on the Fame label, which, although still a local label, was fairly well known. However, Rick was starting a new label, R and H, and released the Ramrods on it. Theirs was the first record on this label, the label number being RH-1001. This was an obvious disappointment to the band not to have been on Fame, but Hall had done a good job of mixing and producing the record and the band was happy with the result.
“Night Ride” started as a ‘Pick Hit’ on WSGN in Birmingham in 1963, but soon made it to WSGN’s Top 40 where it remained for thirteen weeks, reaching as high as #5.
During the band’s tenure, they toured all over the southeast, playing the college circuit and other venues and either opened for or backed up major national artists. A short list includes Del Shannon, the Four Seasons, Arthur Alexander, Tommy Roe, Chris Montez, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich, but there were many, many more.
Also during this time, they had played shows with another Alabama band, the Webs, from Dothan. One member of the Webs was a guy named Bobby Goldsboro. By 1963, the Webs were traveling with Roy Orbison as his backing band, which had been arranged by another Dothan guy, Buddy Buie. Of course, Buddy was becoming a well-known songwriter and record producer. He had also become Orbison’s tour manager as a bonus for getting the Webs with Roy.
Jon Adair remembers fondly one concert both groups played together at the Cloud Room (Cascade Plunge) in Birmingham. After the show was over and the band was putting their instruments in the car, Bobby took out his acoustic guitar, sat on the hood of a car and told the guys that he was working on a song which he hoped to record as a solo.
He played “See the Funny Little Clown,” written by Bobby. A short time later, it became Bobby’s break-out solo hit and reached #9 on Billboard in early 1964. Bobby was now a solo artist with many hits to follow.
By the time 1964 rolled around, the Ramrods had been together for almost five years. Only Jon Adair and Joe Lackey remained as the nucleus of the original band from 1959. Jon had joined the Navy on a deferred enlistment program as a senor in high school and when he graduated in 1963 had to go straight to boot camp. However, when he completed it, he returned home where he rejoined the band. In April of 1964, the Navy called him to active duty. It was only a few months later that the Ramrods decided to disband.
What had actually happened was that the Webs, minus Bobby Goldsboro, were now touring with Roy Orbison as his backing band. Roy renamed them the Candymen, after his song title, “Candy Man.” The Candymen would later form the nucleus of the Classics IV and then the Atlanta Rhythm Section. In late 1964, Buddy Buie, who was Roy’s tour manager, was itching to form a new band, one to help showcase his songs. He took three members of the Ramrods (Guarino, Mulkey and Latham) and members of the Webs, including Wilbur Walton and Jimmy Dean and formed the James Gang. They made several records, mostly written by Buddy, but their biggest song was “Georgia Pines,” co-written by Buie. This song was also recorded by the Candymen. Their version peaked at #81 on Billboard, but the James Gang version received more regional airplay.
As for the remaining members of the Ramrods, after finishing his stint in the Navy, Jon went into the business world, as did Joe Lackey and Frank Bethea. Other members, as already mentioned, played in various local bands for a while.
Sadly, we have lost a few of these guys over the years, Joe Lackey, Harry Looney and Fred Guarino. Who knows, maybe one day there will be a reunion of the remaining members.
The Ramrods can really be considered one of the pioneer bands in the Birmingham area, one who inspired many other young musicians who also began to form bands and become prominent artists in their own right.
from left: Kent Klinkenbeard, Dennis Chitwood, Frank McCaslin and Bill Leach Location is possibly Hedrick Junior High, Medford
“Denny and the All Americans was pre-Us Kids. I believe that was the time we opened for Gary Lewis and the Playboys.”Dennis Chitwood – rhythm guitar, vocals Bill Leach – lead guitar Frank McCaslin – bass Kent Klinkenbeard – drums
I’m constantly amazed at the quality of rock ‘n roll cut by young teens during the mid-’60s. Billy and the Kids from Washington state is one example, another is Us Kids from Medford, in southern Oregon.
They recorded their single at Rex Recording Service in Portland, both songs written by their vocalist Dennis Chitwood. “Check-Out” is a great A-side, with tough lyrics from a thirteen year old boy:
You’re thinking the smiles they gave you were because you’re pretty Well the smiles you got were actually out of pity!
Dennis Chitwood, Frank McCaslin and Bill Leach at Rex Studios, PortlandI recently spoke to Bill Pitts, who was known as Bill Leach when he played lead guitar for the group:
We were very young at the time. When we made the record, I was the oldest by a month or two and I was 14. The singer, Dennis Chitwood would have been 12 or 13.
We met through word of mouth in those days. Somebody told somebody that I played guitar or that Kurt played drums. Just good old fashion networking. Then we would have “try-outs” to fill or change a spot. Dennis played the Fender and I the Rickenbacker.
In actual fact, “I Love The Rain” was the chart song or “A” side. I have two original copies of those “K-Boy Top 25 Pop” charts. August 19, 1966 – #19; August 26, 1966 – #3 (#1 was the Beatles, #2 was Tommy Roe so I guess you could call that “good company”).
We saved our money and our parents helped pay for the session. If memory serves, it was around $200.00 each. I’m not sure who searched out Rex, most likely Chitwood’s parents. I do remember how excited we all were to travel to the studio (Portland). I remember vividly how nervous I was when the “Recording” light came on over the sound control booth. I remember sitting around the control room with the engineer, listening to the final cut and us giving our approval.
Our biggest gig (in my mind) was opening for Gary Lewis and The Playboys. As I recall, that’s the only time we played the Medford Armory (which was the only large auditorium in the day). I have pictures of us playing in (I believe) a battle of the bands at the Medford Shopping Center parking lot. These venues happened once a year to a very large turn-out.
Us Kids on local TV
The pic of us on TV was taken of us on the show Woman’s World. It was local interest type programming. We also did a short interview and, I believe, announced some news and the weather on our local rock station of the day, KBOY AM.
“I Love the Rain” reaches #3 on KBOY’s Top 25, August 26, 1966
At that point, our parents managed us. We were happy to just play music but our parents got involved (we were very young remember) and agendas won out. Ultimately what broke us up. A shame, as we were starting to draw some interest.I just found out that Dennis Chitwood has passed, I believe last year. I did hear a great blues band in Jacksonville while visiting once. Entered the bar and saw my old friend Kent Klinkenbeard still playing drums. Damn good too. Not sure where the others ended up. I played rock for a few more years and ended up trading my electric in for a Lyle “Dove” twelve string and went all Simon and Garfunkel. Now I pluck through Jimmy Buffet and some mild country.
It was a magical time. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
Bill (Leach) Pitts
Special thanks to Bill for sending in these great photos and for answering my questions about the band.
from left: Kent Klinkenbeard, Dennis Chitwood, Frank McCaslin and Bill Leach Location is likely Happy Camp, California“I Love the Rain” enters KBOY’s Top 25 at #19, August 19, 1966
Note upcoming show listed at bottom of flyer: The Blue Boys (should be the Boys Blue) from Sacramento with the Nervous Navarros.The Navarros were from Ashland and cut “Tomorrow Is Another Day” / “Sad Man” at Golden State Recorders around this time. That went unreleased until many years later, but there’s an earlier 45 I haven’t heard on the Corby label from Corvallis, “Ikie”.
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
Just a few days after I added Nick’s article on former Daily Flash guitarist Doug Hastings’ time with Dr. John’s band in 1969, I picked up this single on the Another label by Drits & Dravy, one of Mac Rebennack’s many early releases before he moved to Los Angeles and assumed the Dr. John persona. It features Mac and Ronnie Barron putting down a long stream of quick rhymes and puns, many of which I can’t make out through the echo.
Any help with additions or corrections to this discography would be appreciated.
Lewis Lindsey was either co-owner or had some position with the label. Jimmy Rabbit called the Knight label’s studio “Sand-Lin”, though I haven’t seen that name cited by anyone else.
Jon Adair of the Ramrods and Mike from the 
The band took the name, the Ramrods, from the Duane Eddy tune and even adopted that song as their opening number on every show.
