Ahmadi Hassan is the stage name of Ahmad bin Hassan of Malaysia. The song “Kemana Nona” (Where Are You Going Young Girl) has a sixties feel to the opening [the riff to the Animals’ “I’m Crying”] and closing segments, but was probably recorded about 1974. The rest of the song has some strange bits in it, such as a sort of fairground version of Jingle Bells. The song has an Indian feel and I believe this could be a Malaysian version of a song made popular from a Bollywood movie.
Ahmadi Hassan made numerous albums during the 1970s and 1980s, but then disappeared from the music scene and concentrated on business. He was sentenced to a years gaol in the early 2000s for illegal money transactions. In the meantime he released his first album for many years. Unlike his earlier pop albums his latest release is Nasyid music; music inspired by Islamic teachings set to Arabic rhythms. The album won the best Nasyid album award at the 2007 Malaysian Music Awards.
The Noblemen 4, from left: Dave Henry, Lou Penzera, Roy Albert and Rich Yusko
Pennsylvania’s Noblemen 4 came from the towns of Greensburg and Irwin, southeast of Pittsburgh.
Members were:
Dave Henry – lead guitar, vocals Rich Yusko – organ Lou Penzera – bass Roy Albert – drums
Andy Anderson, a friend of the band, wrote to me about their early days:
I’m originally from Greensburg, and know three of the members of the Noblemen 4. Actually I should say “knew” as I’ve been gone for about 38 years. The three guys that I know/knew are Dave Henry (lead guitar/vocals), Roy Albert (drums), and Joe Smartnik (bass guitar).
There was a mail-in contest to vote for your favorite band, and they had a form letter to vote. I recall Dave ripping the phone book into sections so everyone had their own part of the book to copy names from. I was one of the guys who was signing any name I could think up, and stuffing the letter into the envelope. Dave’s wife, Carol, and her sister Barbara were sealing the envelopes and putting on the stamps.
Needless to say, they won the contest and “Get Outta My Life Woman” / “What’s Your Name” was the record they cut for winning the contest. Both of the songs are covers.
My involvement with the band ended right around the release of the first record, and I moved out of state and lost touch with them. Sure would have liked to see them hit the big time.
“What’s Your Name” was a cover of the Don and Juan doo-wop hit from 1962. I prefer the flip, an uptempo version of Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out of My Life Woman”.
Though the band may have won the contest by rigging the vote, they must have done a good enough job on the first record, as Recap had them cut a second. The Recap label was owned by Norman and Tony Candelore. Tony would also be manager of the Noblemen 4.
Their second 45, the bittersweet ballad “I Can Hear Raindrops” was written by Ty Lemley and Philip Rowe, and the rowdy and non-sensical “Hang It In Your Ear” by keyboardist Richard Yusko. Both songs were produced by Tyler-Perell for Georden Productions, and published by Triver Music BMI.
The Noblemen 4 reach the finals of the WIIC Channel 11 Battle of the Bands, January 15, 1968
In 1968, the band won Come Alive’s Battle of the Bands on WIIC-TV, beating out the Pilgryms of Follansbee, West Virginia. The prize was a recording contract with Mercury Records, which led to a single I haven’t heard yet, “Beach Umbrella World” / “Lady Flora” on Mercury 72828.
One article also mentions Mad Mike presenting local group Light with a record contract from Cleo Records in Cleveland.
Thanks to Andy for the label scans and mp3s of their first record. Special thanks to Rich Yusko for the photo and news clippings seen here.
A fraudulent 1980s “acetate” of “I Can Hear Raindrops” made by a Michigan dealer. Credited to the Aces, this is actually the Noblemen 4’s version lifted off their record.
As an interesting side note, in the 1980s, the Noblemen 4’s record of “I Can Hear Raindrops” was used by a Michigan dealer to make a fraudulent acetate credited to the Aces, with “Punch Record Company” listed to give the false impression this was one of Punch Andrews’ productions. The dealer sold this at an expensive price to a collector who hadn’t known the Noblemen 4’s record, and it was also used in a compilation called Thee Unheard Of which had other misattributed songs, some of which have not been identified to this day. For more info see the Ugly Things compilation site. If anyone has more info on these acetates, please let me know. Thank you to Gregor Kessler for the scan of the “Aces” acetate.
Here’s a 45 on the Impression label that I didn’t know about until finding it last week. It also happens to be the label’s first release on their revamped, yellow Impression label. I’m not sure who the Dillons were, but this 45 was written and produced by Dorsey Burnette.
Along with his younger brother Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison, Dorsey was one of the Rock and Roll Trio, whose songs include the fuzzed-up version of “Train Kept a Rollin'” that the Yardbirds would cover.
“Simple Way of Living” is a truly fantastic garage tune, contemporary to the times musically, if not lyrically. The flip, “Night Winds”, is out of an earlier era, and was written by Burnette and Joe Osborn, bass player for Ricky Nelson.
I’d love to know the story behind this single! Freddy pointed out the clip from Shivaree, which shows the band as a duo backed by (according to a comment on the video) the Challengers:
From left: David Moore, Don Willin, Carl Erwin and Joe Boyland
Here’s a record I don’t own myself, but after writing about the Marke 5, I heard from a member of another band from Fayetteville, the Symbols.
The Symbols released this one 45. The A-side is the Beatlesesque “Can I See You Tonight?” with an unusual guitar solo. Less restrained is the excellent flip “Give Me Time,” full of energy and originality, and written by David Moore and Joe Boyland.
Jerry Miller put me in touch with his brother George, who was the second lead singer of the group, joining right after the 45 was recorded. Prior to the Symbols, George was in the Taxmen, a rival band to the Marke 5 at Seventy First High School in Fayetteville.
George Miller wrote to me about the Symbols:
David Moore played lead, Don Willin bass, Joe Boyland (he was a preacher) rhythm, Carl Erwin drums.
Don Willin was a McCartney freak at the time and copied his style. Willin played a big red Gibson hollow body Bass, like Peter Tork of the Monkees. Moore and Boyland wrote their songs.
Johnny Betz did the original vocals of “Can I See You Tonight.” I have no idea why, but after the record was cut and got dist. going, Betts and the drummer quit. Carl Irwin, from Pine Forest H.S. and myself from 71st, moved into those to places and the Symbols really clicked. I sounded exactly like him doing that song so we did it all the time and I got the credit for making it a hit.
We did “Words” by the Bee Gees then; and the crowd always went crazy. We played all over N.C. The Symbols were the first to use strobe and stage lighting. Very limited at the time, but effective. We had that stage magic. I won’t ever forget the fun and work it took to be on the road in H.S.
Jimmy Capps Productions was in Raleigh, N.C. Capps produced “Can I See You Tonight” 600 copies (at total $625.00). We had a recording offer from ‘Colgems’ (Columbia/Gem) in California, four songs all original, and I was too young to go on tour without an adult chaperone. So I got in trouble and headed off to Viet Nam with Mike and Jim, who were the other getter-in-troubles …..and we got to be War Heroes n’stuff and be cool around Fayyette-Nam….
By the way it is Bradley Moffet, lead guitar – Marke 5, that was working at Edwards Music not Donnie Wofford. Wofford is retired from the Army as an E-7, and runs some convenience stores in Hope Mills.
The Taxmen: Bobby Williams – Lead, Jay Shepherd – Rhythm, Bob Holmes – Bass, George Miller – Vocals, Bill Palmer – Drummer # 1, ? – Drummer #2. Anyone know where Bob Holmes and John Holmes might be? Old Jr. High School band “The Barons” the best song we did was “Shapes” by ‘The Yardbirds’… Barons was ahead of their time.
One of several bands called the Impacts in Washington state, this group was from Longview, a small city along the Columbia River, a half-hour’s drive north of Portland. Original members were Ron Baldwin and LaDonna Lockman on vocals, Bruce Farquhar on guitar, Dick Sayles keyboards, Bill Uhlig bass and Spook Brusco on drums.
By the time of their first 45, Dan “Spyder” White and Steve Green had replaced Sayles and Brusco, respectively, and LaDonna Lockman had either left the band or was only appearing at their live gigs, as she isn’t on any of their recordings.
They recorded their first 45 at Northwestern Inc., the legendary Portland studio where the Kingsmen cut Louie Louie, and paid the studio to press it on its NWI label. “A Little Bit More” is a fine original, and may have helped get them signed with Pat Mason, a major booking agent in the Pacific Northwest.
“Leavin’ Here” is an Eddie Holland song on Motown that became a staple of live acts like the Who and the Birds in the UK, but in the states was less often covered. The Impacts probably learned it from Jimmy Hanna & the Dynamics’ version on Bolo.
Compared to the frantic pace of the UK groups who recorded “Leaving Here”, the Dynamics and the Impacts versions take a much more languid approach. The Dynamics make it work with swirling organ fills and horns responding to the vocal lines. The Impacts start off well, with a sharper sound than the Dynamics, but the band somehow fails to generate the energy to make this work, especially on the chorus.
Once signed with Pat Mason, the Impacts started releasing records on his Lavender label, and recording at Bob Gibson’s Ripcord Studio in Vancouver, WA.
“Green Green Field” and “Don’t You Dare” show a much more confident and accomplished band. Like “A Little Bit More,” these two songs are originals by Dan White (Robert Douglas White on the BMI registration).
After this record they changed their name to the Impact Express and released three additional 45s on Lavender in progressively pop stylings. I’d feature “I’m Gonna Change the World” if I had a copy, but by “Sunshine Day” they sounds like a completely different band.
45 releases:
The Impacts:
A Little Bit More / Leavin’ Here (NWI 2006) Don’t You Dare/Green Green Field (Lavender 2005)
The Impact Express:
I’m Gonna Change The World/ You Get Your Kicks (Lavender 2006) Sunshine Day / Don’t You Dare (Lavender 2007) A Little Love/Fly With Me (Lavender 2008)
“One of the gassiest groups in Miami, man. Got a smash-a-demus going for ’em. The Invaders — it’s rated number two on the survey tonight. It’s called ‘She’s A Tiger’!”
Rick Shaw’s words in ’65 let teens in sixteen counties know that a band from South Florida — for that night, at least — had the second most-requested song in the area. On that night, the Invaders had outperformed the Beatles, the Supremes, the Byrds, and Herman’s Hermits, as their fans all flocked to their phones to give support to the guys who’d just won the Burdines Combo Castle Battle Of The Bands.
“She’s A Tiger”‘s brief success was certainly a highlight for the group, which had started out way back in 1962 as the Playboys. After adding Don Goodson on drums and Kenny Ahern on guitar, keyboard player Robert Haas renamed the group The Invaders.
Their electronics expert manager Richard Sano leased a rehearsal studio for the guys on Northwest 27th Avenue, near the Palmetto Expressway. Inspired by the Canadian Legends, the guys decided to buy all new Fender equipment. Ahern exited, and Dave Davis came in as the band’s new lead guitarist.
It was about that time that Goodson purchased a new Chevy van to transport the group’s new gear. Haas designed a logo that was then painted on the van. Everyone knew when the Invaders were coming!
By ’64 the band was booked solidly all over Dade County, and into Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale as well. They played at spots such as PAL, Code One, the Diplomat, the Fontainebleau, the Bath Club, the Hollywood Armory, and the Surfside Community Center.
Notice both the Shaggs and the Blue Beatles had their names misspelled on this flyer.Burdine’s Combo Castle Ballot
The band members traded in their Fender equipment, after agreeing to an endorsement deal with Vox. Haas became one of the first keyboard players in America to own a Vox Continental organ. The Invaders appeared in a series of ads for Vox, including the one above that promoted the House Of Pianos and Organs, on Northwest 7th Avenue and 34th Street. The band also played at the South Florida premier of the movie “Help!”
The Invaders caught the attention of several WQAM Tiger d.j.s, including Rick Shaw and Jim Dunlap. It was only natural that their record would get airplay on the station. (Having the word “Tiger” in the title didn’t hurt matters, either). The single, by the way, was engineered by Mac Emmerman at Criteria.
The B-side title was changed from “She’ll Come Back” to please one of their sponsors, Honda… even though the word “Honda” is never mentioned in the tune.
Rick Shaw introduced two Capitol Records A&R men to the boys in the band, who were then offered a record deal — with one catch. The boys were told they’d have to devote all their time to their career, which would mean dropping out of school. That offer was turned down.
Steve Seitz and Dave Davis at the “She’s A Tiger” session
Some additional information on the Invaders, from Robert Haas:
The Honda Corporation, a sponsor of Burdine’s Combo Castle Battle of the Bands, insisted that the Invaders use the brand name, “Honda,” in one of the songs the group recorded. The recording, which took place at Criteria Studios on W. Dixie Highway in N. Miami, was as part of the grand prize for winning the contest. The requirement to use “Honda” in one of the two songs recorded was made known to the band AFTER I had written the lyrics to the original tune, “She’ll Come Back.” It was an absurd request since the song had nothing to do with a Honda motorbike and the only solution I could come up with on the spur of the moment was to use “Honda” as a nickname for the girl referenced in the song. Silly, but those were the rules!
The Invaders, the Calientes and the Stops appearing with WQAM DJs at screenings for Help!“She’s A Tiger” was never used intentionally for promotional purposes. I wrote the lyrics prior to winning the battle-of-the-bands-contest. WQAM, purely by coincidence, was called “Tiger Radio” and the DJs there did not miss the opportunity to capitalize on the coincidence. It was good for the Invaders, who had already caught the ear of DJs Rick Shaw and Jim Dunlap. Rick was instrumental in getting Capitol Records to offer the group a recording contract (which we turned down). He nevertheless continued to play the song nightly and used it to promote not only the Invaders but also WQAM.
There was another DJ on FM radio who came to prominence two or three years after the Invaders had disbanded. Her name was Trish. I don’t recall the station’s call letters. I would tune Trish’s show in at night and listen to her talk about the Invaders. She apparently had been a big fan of the group. To my knowledge, I never met Trish. She would regularly play “She’s A Tiger,” for her audience.
I think that’s about as much exposure as the song got. It was the very first song I had ever written, so I guess that’s not too bad for a first effort. Little did I realize that it would not be until I was 40 years old that I would become a major label recording artist and pen a few Billboard-charting songs! From 16 to 40 is quite a wait!
Peter Pan Productions was the name of the Invaders’ publishing/recording company. I cannot recall why we chose that name but I am fairly certain it was the result of a standing band joke. Humor ruled the day whenever the Invaders got together.
Don Goodson on the drums, at the “She’s A Tiger” session
Not long after, Dave Davis left town, and the members of the Invaders drifted into different directions. Don Goodson would join former Invader Kenny Ahern in The Echoes. Haas would replace Richie Borkan in Sounds Unlimited. (Borkan would soon join the Kollektion.)
Steve Seitz opened an artist management firm on Miami Beach in the 1980s.
Don Goodson worked at Ace Music in North Miami for many years, and made appearances recently at both Geezerpalooza and the “While We Still Can” reunions. Don passed away in late 2007.
Ahern can still play surf guitar with the best of them, and a few years ago was in a duo called The Stratospheres with Bill Kerti, another Echoes/Echo veteran.
Robert Haas went on to write the best-selling health and fitness book, Eat To Win, and collaborated with Cher on another best-selling book. He landed a major label recording contract with Mercury/Polygram with the group Siren (aka Red Siren), and has been told one of his songs is on hold for recent American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.
Unfortunately, Dave Davis killed himself in the 1970s, before he could see his music appreciated by a new generation of fans. I do not know what happened to Jeff Glass.
Thanks to Robert Haas for most of the photos. Invaders van picture by Linda Neary. Thanks also to Billy DeMoya. 45 transfers from Jeff’s Florida Flashbacks.
The Invaders story by Jeff Lemlich. Originally published on the Limestone Lounge and reproduced with permission.
“Left to right are Mark Hinton, Ronnie House, Ken Hutchinson and Mike Pugh. The picture was taken just before the group went to New York to record for United Artists. We were 17, 17, 17 and 18.” – Ken Hutchinson
A double-sided winner from Amarillo, Texas. Both sides were written by M. Hinton (Markus Lee Hinton according to the song publishing info).
The producer Eddie Reeves was working for United Artists publishing at the time; he’d had a prior career as a vocalist with the Nighthawks and a solo 45 on Warwick, “Cry Baby” / “Talk Talk”. He was from Amarillo, and may have provided these songs for a home-town group.
There is a likely connection to a group who recorded a 45 as the Hysterical Society Boys, “Funny Face” / “I Got Shot Out Of The Saddle” on the EBR (Eddie B. Reeves) label in the early ’60s, but I haven’t heard that one yet. (Thanks Davie G for this info.)
Despite good songwriting, production and performance on both sides, the 45 didn’t make a dent in the charts.
The band had one more release, “I Put A Spell On You” b/w “Summertime (Variations)” on an Amarillo label, Tipton, in 1968.
Update May, 2018:
Michael Thom acquired a 10″ acetate of one song recorded at Associated Recording Studios in New York. Michael wrote, “the acetate is very badly damaged, with a lot of lacquer separation that goes through the entire disc”. Michael spent hours restoring the sound so we can hear what this unreleased song sounded like. Perhaps someone associated with the band has another copy of the demo, or the master tape from this session.
The Hysterical Society with friends including Mark Kirk
I knew next to nothing about the band until Woody Key contacted me about the band. I’ll reproduce the comment he left below here, because it contains so much info about the group:
The Hysterical Society lineup on this record (and most of their career) was Mark Hinton – guitar, organ, vocals; Ronnie House – guitar, vocals; Ken Hutchinson – bass, vocals; and Mike Pugh – drums, vocals. There was indeed a link between Eddie Reeves and the Hinton family; Mark Hinton’s uncle Mike was one of the members of the Hysterical Society Boys, which I think were a band that was formed in Austin when Mike went to University of Texas. I don’t think that Eddie Reeves was in the Hysterical Society Boys, but he and Mike Hinton were in the Nighthawks.
The record (and I think 4 more sides, which weren’t released) was done in New York City. The boys were excited to be in the Big Apple, and had the opportunity to meet Bob Dylan and Napoleon XIV of “They’re Coming to Take Me Away” fame.
The Hysterical Society were a popular TX Panhandle and regional band from 1966 – 1969. They recorded “Summertime” / “I Put a Spell On You” in 1968 at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, NM, with Norman producing. By this time, they had replaced Ken Hutchinson with David Fine on bass and keyboards. They eventually replaced Ronnie House with Mark Kay on guitar, and kept this lineup until they broke up in late 1969.
Mark Hinton and Eddie Reeves kept crossing paths musically, with Eddie producing demos by Mark’s band Piper in Los Angeles, and also Mark’s solo demo projects in the early ’70s.
Update January 2012
Ken Hutchinson sent in the photo at top, and answered some of my questions about the band:
The photo was one of my favorites and I’m happy that I found it. True that Eddie had some promo shots of us done while we were in New York but as the single never made a dent in the charts we saw proofs but I do not believe finished copies were ever made. My sister remembered some studio shots done in Amarillo by our mother who was a photographer with a local studio. My mother also took the shot that I sent you.
The formation of the band came about by a chance connection of me and Ronnie House, the lead guitar player. He also knew Mark Hinton from school and as he and I worked together he suggested that we get together with Mark who knew a drummer (Mike Pugh). At the first get together the chemistry was good and we decided to become a group. Mark and Mike were the real talent of the group and Ronnie and I were good enough to compliment them.
After a while we kind of took the Texas panhandle by storm as we were all high school students and were very good at copies. We practiced enough to keep our material current, were very energetic on stage and popular enough around school that the buzz got going pretty quick. What probably kicked us off the most was the opportunity to open for Buffalo Springfield and Jay and the Americans at The Amarillo Civic Center [Tri-State Exposition on June 23, 1967 with additional acts the Dearly Beloved and the Stumps – anyone have a poster of this?]. The crowd was packed and I believe we represented the local talent well as we were the only local band. There were a lot of people in the audience who had never heard of us and could not believe we were local. Members of both of the lead bands complimented us back stage on our performance.
The Hysterical Society February 1968
The connection with Eddie Reeves did indeed come through Mark’s uncle Mike Hinton who was pursuing a law degree at The University of Texas at Austin. He had booked us at some frat parties and such in Austin as he was still active in music and had a lot of connections down there. We had to be careful about booking Austin as it was a 500 mile drive one way from Amarillo but the pay was so good that it seems we were playing down there a lot. I’m not sure yet what those college kids saw in a high school band from Amarillo but we continued to be asked back.
Mike asked Eddie to come listen to us in Amarillo. I believe Eddie had some family ties in the area. He came, listened and asked us if we would be interested in coming to New York to record for the label – he would produce us and take care of us while there. How could four 17 year old kids refuse?
We did indeed cut six sides while there however the promo copy of the two that you acquired was all that was released. We received copies of the other four, but I have lost track of mine after being passed around to family members for 45 years. There were five rock and roll songs written by Mark and one ballad written by me recorded. Eddie picked the two for release.
“Come With Me” was very current for the time – it must have been as the Beatles used the same riff for “Tax Man” a short time later with a lot better result. The flip side, “I Know”, was, I think, a little ahead of it’s time but what is my opinion worth.
We did have the opportunity while in New York to meet Bob Dylan and Napoleon XIV but I doubt that it made any sort of impression on either of them as we were just some high school kids from Texas who happened to draw the attention of UA momentarily and they were stars. Probably just bored.
Drummer Mike Pugh
When I left the band I had an opportunity to tour with The Shirelles who later connected up with The Drifters and The Coasters. So I had a chance to appear on stage with all three for quite a while. This was late 1969 and the early ’70s and all three of the groups had seen the shining days of their careers go by but were still active on tour and still drew reasonably good crowds. I’m sure the groups I played with did not still retain all of the original members but the music was good, the crowds were large and the tour was fun so I stuck around for a while.
I also played with some opening bands around Los Angeles while we were there and got to meet quite a few more “stars” and perform for huge crowds. When I finally decided that what I was doing was really to big for me I returned to Amarillo. I was after all married with children and needed to settle down.
I took a break from music that turned out to be extended to almost 20 years before the itch was too much trouble to scratch and started playing again about 1992.
A couple of really good local bands and about 15 years later I took another break and do not at 62 have much desire to do it any more. That’s why I respect Woody Key so much. He is not that much younger than me and is still out there doing it every day and succeeding. The difference between an artist and a practitioner I guess but I would not give one minute of it back for anything.
Ken (Hutchinson) Warren
Thank you to Woody for info on the band, and to Ken Warren for the photo at top and history of the band.
Special thank you to Mike Pugh’s niece Deborah for providing scans of all the photos except the top one. These were added to this article in November, 2014.
From left: Ken Hutchinson, Mark Hinton, Mike Pugh and Ronnie House
Tommy Faia is the force behind Tommy & the True Blue Facts, writing his own songs, singing and playing the acoustic guitar. I didn’t know anything else about him until he contacted me in January 0f 2009.
“I’m Back” is an anti-drug song, more convincing than most with great lines like “I’m not trying to bring you down, but how long ago was your mind really sound?” The arrangement of guitar, congas and an out of tune electric piano perfectly matches the mood of the song; Tommy sounds like he was way out there indeed.
“Who’s Got the Right” is a bit of a rant sticking up for cops (“he must refrain from protecting his life because if he does, he’ll get the blame”) and denigrating looters, law breakers and welfare bums. It’s just an example of reactionary attitudes in the late ’60s.
I’ve heard one other 45 by Tommy, an original called “You’ve Got My Soul”, which sounds like Neil Diamond, backed with “An Exception to the Rule”. Gone are the politics, instead you get love songs, with fuller production, girl group backing singers and a generally unconvincing result.
Tommy recently got in touch with me and told me the story about his records on A&M:
Around 1966 I jumped in my friend David Rosenkranz’s pick up truck loaded with his drums and my guitar and amp etc and headed down to LA from Carmel. I was about 19-20 years old. We rented a little dump in Hollywood where we could practice..we’d only been playing together for 1-2 months. I had been writing songs for about a year.
David got a gig playing drums for a little recording studio on Santa Monica Blvd. He told the owner about me and the guy recorded Who’s Got The Right … just David and I played. I played an amplified acoustic classical guitar with a flat pick … like Willie Nelson (unfortunately I didn’t sound like Willie but it was a big driving rhythm sound). The guy said he’d take it around town.
About 2-3 days later we get a call at night from a guy that says to me “do you want to be a star?” I said sure but wasn’t convinced by the big talk. His name was Ed Forsyth and he had a nice plush office on Sunset Strip right across from the Whiskey. We loaded up David’s truck and drove over there the same night and played for him in his office.
About a week later we walked into a huge recording studio with lots of musicians. Jim Economides was the producer (he was a producer at Capitol Records and worked with Dick Dale, Johnny Burnette, Bobby Vee, Bobby Darin and others). What really impressed me on that session was that the guitar player was James Burton. He’s doing that Eastern sounding guitar on “I’m Back”. They spared no expense. Funny because David and I were disappointed that we didn’t have much say in the process. All the records are large productions. On the later ones we had three male back up singers and three female (the Blossoms!)
Just a note on “Who’s Got The Right”. I wrote that song during the Watt’s riots. Later my friends told me it was a “right wing song”. I was not yet political. But I think that my manager Ed Forsyth really liked the message of that song and that’s what got us the deal. I later wrote many anti-war songs during Vietnam. Anyway didn’t want you to think I had a shaved head.
The True Blue Facts was really just David and I. Our management came up with the name. We were horrified at the time. We were a duo. Now I kind of like the name. I also played harmonica (Jimmy Reed was my mentor). We had a big sound for two guys.
I’m 63 now and just starting up another band with original music that I’ve written over the years. After Tommy and the True Blue Facts I continued writing music hoping to get another record deal with a hit song….never happened….came close a few times….even spent 3-4 years in Nashville. Finally gave up in 1983 and moved back to my home town on the Monterey Peninsula in California. Today my songs are much better and I’m playing with some guys and eventually will record our stuff. It’s fun to be back and so cool to find your site.
Tommy Faia
Update June 2012
Tommy has a new website and is performing around Monterey. See www.tommyfaia.com for his current shows.
From Pasco in south eastern Washington State, near Kennewick and the Oregon border, the Pastels formed in 1964. Original members were:
Dale Anderson on guitar Mark Gage on keyboards Ron “Arjai” Jones on guitar and bass Red Elder on drums
They became one of the bigger draws in that part of the state, playing shows at Richland Roller Rink and other venues, and appearing occasionally on local TV.
This original lineup of the band released three 45s between the fall of 1965 and the spring of ’66. All were recorded at Ron Jones’ family house by a Century label agent.
The first of these is the upbeat “Why Don’t You Love Me” b/w the slower “What Can I Say”. It did well enough locally to have a second pressing. Their second 45 was “Circuit Breaker”, demonstrating a darker sound, probably influenced by other Northwest acts like the Sonics.
Their third 45 is their best, at least to me. Fast and danceable, “Mirage” is an intense four minutes of music! Things slow down considerably for the flip, “Where Is the Answer”, a good, idealistic song but a little repetitive at over about four minutes long.
Frank Hames wrote on PNW bands.com:
I was in The Pastels from 1966 until the summer of 1968. I played keyboards. The guitar player was Dale Anderson who was eventually replaced by Larry Rogers sometime during 1967. The other guitar player who also doubled on bass is Ron Jones. Red Elder was the original drummer and was replaced by Larry Horne from Richland in 1966. The first keyboard player was Mark Gage from Pasco. I replaced the second keyboard player who was Don Clauson. Ron Jones’ father, Don, was our manager and produced our recordings.
The Pastels were very well organized. We each had several professionally designed costumes, individual voice coaches, a paid account at a local barber shop in Pasco as well as individual college fund bank accounts.
In 1967 we played the Teen Fair in Spokane where we were forced to join the union. We opened for The Vanilla Fudge there. Other bands on that show were Harpers Bazaar, The Chambers Bros, and Glen Campbell. Our PA system that was designed and built by Don Jones ended up being the house PA because it was so good. We worked almost every weekend and played all over the northwest.
In an interview with 60sgaragebands.com Frank Hames discussed recording with the group:
I joined the band after these recordings [the three 45s] were released. I did record with the band subsequent to the singles. All the Pastels’ recordings were done in the band’s rehearsal room in the band house: The Jones’. Don performed all the engineering and everything was cut on a consumer stereo recorder.
I recall recording eight or ten songs that were never released. There were many original pieces written and dragged on the stage. Most didn’t last long. Dale Anderson was the primary composer.
The band ended when Ron graduated from high school and went away to college. It was in the summer of 1968.
Red Elder and Mark Gage left the band in 1966 to join the Rock n’ Souls, who won a big area Battle of the Bands sponsored by KALE and later released one 45, Not Like You / Got No Love on Rich Tone.
Red Elder and Arjai Jones later formed the Backward Door with Billy Blair, and later added Larry Rogers as well.
Sources include: PNW Bands.com, and Mike Dugo’s interview with Frank Hames on 60’sgaragebands.com.
Don Griffin and Jerry Strickland were primarily songwriters. In 1965 and ’66, they cut some of their originals as Don & Jerry with the Fugitives.
Their first 45 was “In The Cover Of Night” b/w “I Can’t Quit”, released on Fabor Robinson’s label in late spring of 1965. Ron Gray and the Countdowns would later record an excellent version of “Cover of Night” for N-Joy.
They next backed singer Delna Lee for another record on Fabor which I haven’t heard yet, “One Year Today” b/w “Big Man (That Ain’t Love, It Ain’t Right)” from June of 1965.
Returning to Louisiana, they released another original with a quick tempo, “Better Run & Hide” b/w “Too Much Confusion” on N-Joy. I’ve heard “Better Run & Hide”, and it’s good, but I don’t have a copy to make a transfer yet.
Jerry Strickland went on to work with Bobby Patterson on producing and writing songs for the Jewel and Paula family of record labels. He started two labels of his own, Soul Power with Bobby Patterson in ’72 and Alarm with Stewart Madison in ’75.
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Pennsylvania’s Noblemen 4 came from the towns of Greensburg and Irwin, southeast of Pittsburgh.
In 1968, the band won Come Alive’s Battle of the Bands on WIIC-TV, beating out the Pilgryms of Follansbee, West Virginia. The prize was a recording contract with Mercury Records, which led to a single I haven’t heard yet, “Beach Umbrella World” / “Lady Flora” on Mercury 72828.
Once signed with Pat Mason, the Impacts started releasing records on his Lavender label, and recording at Bob Gibson’s Ripcord Studio in Vancouver, WA.
A double-sided winner from Amarillo, Texas. Both sides were written by M. Hinton (Markus Lee Hinton according to the song publishing info).
Tommy Faia is the force behind Tommy & the True Blue Facts, writing his own songs, singing and playing the acoustic guitar. I didn’t know anything else about him until he contacted me in January 0f 2009.
From Pasco in south eastern Washington State, near Kennewick and the Oregon border, the Pastels formed in 1964. Original members were:
The first of these is the upbeat “Why Don’t You Love Me” b/w the slower “What Can I Say”. It did well enough locally to have a second pressing. Their second 45 was “Circuit Breaker”, demonstrating a darker sound, probably influenced by other Northwest acts like the Sonics.
Frank Hames wrote on PNW bands.com: