On September 4, 1969, the Fort Stockton Pioneer announced a battle of the bands at the Large Community Hall.
Odyssey members were Blane Wilson, Steve Ham, Chris Strong, Stanley Woodard and Larry Pittman.
The Havoc (formerly the Sine) included Tim Castle, Mike Duerksen, Steve Hawkins and Paul Duerksen.
The Pioneer followed up a week later with a photo of “flashing psychedelic lights reflecting the movements of several dancers”, and announcing the Odyssey was voted the top band of the night. I don’t believe either band ever recorded.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
The Crystal City Sentinel published this piece on a battle of the bands at the Carrizo Springs armory on April 14, 1967. These towns are southwest of San Antonio.
The article notes that the Sound Tracks and Four Jays from Crystal City and lists their members:
The Sound Tracks:
Joe Peralez – lead vocals and rhythm guitar Cesar Perales – bass, vocals and harmonica Kenneth Hale – lead guitar Calvin Reily – drums Ben Martinez – rhythm guitar and vocals
The Four Jays
Jesse Garcia – bass and lead vocals Johnny Rodriguez – lead and rhythm guitar Joe Lopez – drums Emilio Fiscal – organ
I couldn’t find a follow-up on the results of the battle. I don’t believe either of these bands recorded, but I could be wrong.
Thank you to Matthew B. for help accessing the news clipping.
The Olney Enterprise of July 28, 1968 announced a battle of the bands at the Gray-Barr post of the American Legion featuring Fox and the Hounds of Graham and the Ragmen of Olney. These towns are about 20 miles apart; Graham is about 90 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Neither band recorded to my knowledge.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
This is an odd single, an unknown group named Cliff White and the Dovers doing two non-hit Zombies songs “I Don’t Want to Know” (written by Chris White), backed with Rod Argent’s “Women”.
The group do a decent job on both songs, though neither cut has the magic of the originals. There’s a question of whether this is an English recording only released in the U.S., or if this is a U.S. act. I think the latter, as I found the English accent on “I Don’t Want to Know” to be contrived. Also, the production credit, M.J.B. Prod. for R.P.M. Ent. Inc. may give one clue, as RPM Enterprises was Charles Calello’s production company for some Lou Christie MGM recordings.
Released on 20th Century Fox 631 in the first half of 1966, the Mainstay Publishing credit is correct for the Zombies songs.
There was a Cliff White from London who was in a beat or R&B group in 1966, but went on to be a writer and reissue producer, but I don’t know if this is his recording. A suggestion that this was the Dovers on Miramar is laughable.
Located at 120 Holland Park Avenue, the London Cavern was a short-lived club in West London that operated during the mid-1960s.
Melody Maker lists The Dukehounds as regular Thursday band during May/June 1965. The following dates are all from Melody Maker unless otherwise noted.
18 May 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday)
25 May 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday)
1 June 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday)
3 June 1965 – Dukehounds (every Thursday)
8 June 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday)
15 June 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday)
22 June 1965 – Initial 4 (every Tuesday) Not listed after this date for a while
2 July 1965 – Initial 4 Kensington Post also lists The Dae ‘B’ Four
3 July 1965 – The Cardinals (Kensington Post)
4 July 1965 – Top group (Kensington Post)
5 July 1965 – Themselves and The Effect (Kensington Post)
6 July 1965 – Dae ‘B’ Four and The Tribe (Kensington Post)
9 July 1965 – Initial 4
12 July 1965 – Bern Elliott & The Klan with Initial 4
16 July 1965 – Initial 4
18 July 1965 – Dave Whittling & Uncalled Four plus John Spencer and Guest Artists
19 July 1965 – The Five Dimensions and Initial 4
20 July 1965 – Group Survival
According to the Kensington Post, 3 September issue, Marshall Scott Etc played every Sunday, so presumably that includes 5 September 1965.
The Middlesex County Times on 24 September and 1 October both list The Eyes as resident band on Tuesdays. That would include 28 September 1965 and 5 October 1965.
According to Boyfriend magazine, The Four Pennies played at the club on 11 October 1965.
I’d be really grateful if anyone can add their own confirmed shows at this club plus any memories. Please get in touch as well if you know any local papers that advertised shows here as Melody Maker didn’t advertise the gigs very often. The following (incomplete list) is from 1966 and was taken from Melody Maker:
3 March 1966 – Blues Ad-Lib
4 March 1966 – The Lincolns with supporting group
5 March 1966 – Marshall Scott Etc with supporting group
6 March 1966 – Fives Company
10 March 1966 – Blues Ad-Lib
11 March 1966 – Hamilton King & The Blues Messengers with supporting group
12 March 1966 – The Pieces Fit and Blues Ad Lib
13 March 1966 – Fives Company
17 March 1966 – C-Jam Blues
18 March 1966 – Five’s Company with supporting group
19 March 1966 – Jo Jo Gunne with supporting group
20 March 1966 – The Peasants
24 March 1966 – C-Jam Blues
25 March 1966 – The Lincolns
26 March 1966 – Hamilton King & The Blues Messengers
27 March 1966 – The Peasants
29 March 1966 – The Syn
30 March 1966 – The Pieces Fit
1 April 1966 – The Pieces Fit and The JRS
3 April 1966 – The Syn
7 April 1966 – The Herd
8 April 1966 – Sky Fever
9 April 1966 – Norman St John Show and Hamilton King & The Blues Messengers
10 April 1966 – Marshall Scott Etc
11 April 1966 – Jo Jo Gunne
22 April 1966 – Dee Dee Warwick and The Sloane Squares
The Victoria Advocate featured a photo of the Gay Lords on September 18, 1966. The Gay Lords won second in a battle of the bands in Corpus Christi, losing to local legends the Zakary Thaks.
Members were:
Don Halk Glen Christian Jerry Cockerham – drums Mike Rippamonti Kenny Lange
The microfilm quality makes it impossible for me to be sure who is playing guitar and who is on bass. I don’t believe the Gay Lords recorded.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
The May 25, 1967 Burnet Bulletin gave a description of the Deacons, a local group invited to a battle of the bands in Colorado City, TX, 230 miles to the northwest, on June 3.
Members were:
Eddie Fariss (Farris?) – drummer and lead singer Larry Boyd – lead guitar Joel Mann – lead and rhythm guitar Don Baker – rhythm guitar Larry Dunlap – bass guitar
All were students at Burnet High School. I don’t believe the Deacons recorded.
If you have any photos or info on any local Texas bands of the ’60s, please comment below or contact me.
From La Crosse, Wisconsin, the Ladds had three singles on Transaction, Universal Audio and Teen Town between 1967 and 1969. In 1970, they changed their name to Today’s Tomorrow and had a minor hit with “Bring Back The Days” / “Witchi Tai To ” on Bang Records.
As the Silver Bullets they made an instrumental single for Teen Town, “The Lone Ranger” / “No Name Boogie”.
Members were:
Chuck Holzer – vocals Ralph Russell – guitar Alex Campbell – keyboards Eric Melby – bass, also Randy Taylor, and Clare Troyanek (of the Unchained Mynds) Mark Melby – drums
This is their next single, “Wanton Forest” / “You’ve Gone Away” as Today’s Tomorrow, on Teen Town TT-118, from about mid-1970. “Wanton Forest” is fine light psychedelia, and “You’ve Gone Away” is well-crafted and commercial. Alex Campbell wrote both songs, published by Jab Music BMI.
John Hall produced. Hall later started the Blue Ribbon label and released a great punk single, the Ones “Short Dress / Tight Rope ”
The July 11, 1970, La Crosse Tribune had a note about the recording of this single. I like how they call them “old hands” when most of the group were still teenagers:
“Today’s Tomorrow,” who are old hands at making records and working in recording studios, seemed a little shook up as they entered the RCA Victor Studios in Chicago a couple of weeks ago to put their vocal tracks on their latest 45 single. Looking at the big-star albums hanging on the walls, one of the members of the group asked the recording engineer who had recorded in just the past couple of days. He replied in a very mild mood, The “Guess Who” were in the other day and cut their new single, “Hand Me Down World.” That was enough to give any young band the winks. The session pulled off great. It’s the best job of composing thus far for Alex Campbell. The two new sides are entitled, “You’ve Gone Away” and “Wanton Forest.” The tapes have already been sent in to the Bang record office in New York.
It didn’t get a release on Bang, but Cash Box listed “Wanton Forest” on the playlist of WOKY in Milwaukee on October 24, 1970.
Today’s Tomorrow would have one final single, a version of Paul McCartney’s “Smile Away” that I haven’t heard yet, backed with another Alex Campbell original, “Lifeless”, which has a ’70s funky hard-rock sound.
Alex Campbell had an early single with the Fax in August, 1966 when he was just 14, “Just Walking In The Rain” / “Not Too Long Ago” on Transaction 702, produced by Lindy Shannon.
If anyone has the picture sleeves for the Ladds first two singles, “Keep On Running” / “‘Wild Angels’ Theme” on Transaction or “I Found The Girl” / “Survival” on Universal Audio, please contact me. Also if anyone has photos of the band other than those on the Ladds picture sleeves, please write in.
Source: Do You Hear That Beat: Wisconsin Pop/Rock in the 50’s & 60’s by Gary E. Myers has extensive information that was vital to this post.
I didn’t expect this 45 by J.P. Company to be almost unknown, but it appears that way. “Gozar Asi” has many of the elements you might expect from early ’70s funky psych, including organ, wah wah rhythm, harmony vocals, a good guitar break and more. It’s a fine song, written by Jaymenoll Hernandez.
The flip is a more conventional ballad, “Fue” by Alfonso Ortiz.
Released on Orfeon 45-15056 in 1971, I thought this could have been a group from Mexico. I had a Los Locos del Ritmo single on the same Orfeon label with a Los Angeles address which turned out to be a reissue of two different sides originally issued in Mexico years before.
As it turns out, this J.P. Company release is an original Billy Cardenas Production out of Los Angeles. Cardenas was famous for his involvement with the ’60s Eastside Sound, including the Romancers, the Premiers, the Blendells, Cannibal & The Headhunters, Ronnie & The Pomona Casuals, Mark & The Escorts and many more. For Orfeon he would produce Jr. & the Preludes, La Tribu and others.
Billy Cardenas producing for Orfeon, Record World, November 20, 1971
A December 23, 1972 notice in Billboard notes Orfeon General Manager Oswaldo Benzor would be recording J.P. Company bilingually. If it happened, I haven’t heard or seen it. From the quality of “Gozar Asi”, this is a group that deserves more attention.
Orfeon promoting J.P. Company as a bilingual act in Billboard, Dec. 23, 19721972
The Oncomers came from the Mon Valley (Monongahela River) region south and east of Pittsburgh. Turtle Creek and McKeesport seem to be the main locations for the band members or where they played live.
The group members were:
Wayne Schillinger – guitar Billy Capranica – bass Jack O’Neill – drums
The Oncomers started in the early ’60s and often played live with a slightly younger act, the Arondies. This is their only release, on the Gateway Custom label. Wayne Schillinger wrote both songs, published by Telldell Music. Teen Beat Mayhem dates the 45 to 1967 but I’ve read the group had broken up in 1965.
“Every Day Now” is something of a throwback to early styles. “You Let Me Down” is a classic moody song, with a fine lead vocal and guitar work.
I’ve read there are more studio recordings and even a live tape from the Cove nightclub in the town of Large, PA, but I haven’t heard these yet.
The Oncomers later became Grant Street Exit with some lineup changes. Wayne Schillinger wrote both sides of the Grant Street Exit’s 1968 single on Del-la single (and re-released on Millage) “I Got Soul” b/w “That’s Why I Love You”, which I haven’t heard yet. Telldell Music is the publisher and distributor for that release.
Jack O’Neill joined Jim Pavlack and Gary Pittman of the Arondies to form the Soul Congress.
Source: the Tube City Almanac has some remembrances of the band & the local scene at that time.
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
