The Happy Return came from St. Louis, Missouri, releasing two very different 45s in the space of a couple years.
Members at the time of the Cadet single were:
Steve Noack – vocals, lead guitar Tom Noack – rhythm guitar Jim Cunningham – organ Jimmy Albright – bass Rich Carrell – drums
In November 1967 the Happy Return released a very good Steve Noack original in the Beatles style, “Longed For”, backed with another original “Maybe”, and issued Steve’s own Stack Records TS-XM510. The publisher, Country Stream Music BMI mainly handled country and gospel songs.
In July of 1968 Steve Noack had a light pop single as Steve Lee on the R.S.S.P. Inc label featuring his original “She’s Afraid to Answer” as the b-side to “Baby” (by G. Tomsco, B. Tomsco).
Missouri Music BMI published “She’s Afraid to Answer”. Missouri Music’s biggest copyrights seem to be on the Norman label, including “Rockin’ Little Egypt” by the Egyptian Combo and “Jerkin’ Time” by Bob Kuban with vocalist Little Walter.
The Happy Return next appear in June 1969 on the Cadet label with a great double-sided single featuring two more Steve Noack originals with great production by Norman Petty at his Clovis, NM studio. The plug side at the time was “I Thought I Loved Her”, a gentle ballad with keyboards making harpsichord and flute sounds. The Library of Congress registration for “I Thought I Loved Her” in April 1969 shows words by Rich Carrell and music by Steve Noack.
The flip is the very different and hard-rockin’ “To Give Your Lovin’”, full of crunching guitar and heavy drumming. Both songs list Steve Noack as writer and Heavy Music, Friedman-Collins Music BMI as publisher.
“I Thought I Loved Her” showed up as a “hitbound sound” in a weekly chart of Saint Charles, Missouri’s KIRL 1460 AM that August, but otherwise seems to have missed all radio charts despite being on Cadet. The band broke up the following year.
On the Cadet labels, the band’s manager Stan Friedman is listed as producer of the single. He was a booking agent in St. Louis with a University City address.
I haven’t been promoting my own DJ nights on this site much, but this one is special: a New Year’s Eve party to benefit local community radio station WGXC 90.7 FM. Admission is only $10 all of which goes to the station.
There will be a live band featuring Bobby Previte bashing out some rocking r&b, with DJ sets by Peter Aaron of the Chrome Cranks and me.
If you’re in the Albany / Kingston / Hudson NY area please come out and support community radio.
Saturday, December 31, 2016, 10 PM to 2 AM
The Half Moon 48 S Front St Hudson, NY 12534
Easy walk to the Amtrak station. 21 and over. Food and drink available.
Westcliff High School for Boys circa 1958. Nigel Basham is third from the left, with Arthur Walker on Nigel’s right doing the V-sign. Others in the group include Martin Bayley, Chris Winch, Selwyn, and seated, smoking, Ian Crawshaw.
Tim Wainwright sent in this photo of Nigel Basham with school friends at at Westcliff High School for Boys, circa 1958. Not bad quality from a worn 3″ x 2″ print. Tim wrote the caption above and adds, “the pic is a group from the school having a smoke by the bike sheds, totally against school rules.”
Nigel Basham was part of the Monotones, covered extensively on this site in a main post and a second focused on photos of their early days. In the Monotones, Nigel took the professional name of Mark Loyd, sometimes spelled Mark Lloyd.
As Mark Loyd, he released three singles on Parlophone, timeless British soul music that is highly valued now. Mark Loyd passed away on April 4, 2012 in Sydney, Australia, where he ran a successful event and performance management company called Popset.
Flyer for the Nightshades with WLS DJ Ron Riley at A Better Mouse Trap Club in Vernon Hills
The Nightshades formed as the Deadly Nightshades at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, IL, a suburb of Chicago. The group’s lineup changed, sometimes to a quartet or trio format, but included at various times:
Gary Schaeffer – vocals Bob Zemke – lead guitar Larry LaCoste – rhythm guitar Phil Jernigan, replaced by Tom Lavin – bass Don Locke, replaced by Kenny LaCoste – drums
I only have one of their singles, the second of three the band released on Gear Records in 1967 and 1968.
The first was “Summertime” / “Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight” on Gear 747/8.
“Summertime” and the Kinks cover are cool enough, but I like the original songs on their second single on Gear C 749/750, “Flying High” and especially the heavier “American Boy” with its sustained guitar sound and lyrics that would tell an interesting story if I could decipher more of them. The labels list Zemke, La Cost, Jernigan as writers for both songs, published by Gear Music BMI, with arrangement by Bob Zemke, plus Gear Enterprises, c/o Ed Zemke.
Their last single was “Sweet Cecelia” / “My Mother Done Told Me (That You Were a Lover)” on Gear 751/2.
Flyer for the Nightshades at The Exit on 1810 Walters Ave
Deborah Fortune wrote to me with the flyers for the Nightshades at The Exit and the Mouse Trap. She wrote to me:
Nick Rush was their first drummer. Sometime in 1965 or so. He lives in California now. I went to high school with Larry and Kenny, Bob, Nick and Gary. Gary Schaefer is alive, Nick is too. Bob Zemke died when we were all kids in high school. Bob’s dad was the band’s manager.
I grew up on the Northshore; Glenview, and went to all the different teen clubs. I found it interesting, looking back, that the Glenview Park District forked over its golf course clubhouse to be used as a teen club every Friday and Saturday night. That was The Pit. They also supplied an off duty policeman. Why, I was never sure as we certainly were not a rowdy bunch back then.
Billy Stephens seems to have been based in Belmont, Mississippi, about 45 miles north east of Tupelo, and three hours southwest of Nashville. According to a comment online, he died at age 55, which would be sometime around the year 2000. I can find no obituary or biography, but here is what I know:
Billy Stephens registered two songs in June 1963, the intriguingly-titled “Rice Paddies” and “I Need Wanda”. Unfortunately, neither seem to have been released. I wonder if demo acetates exist of these songs.
Starting around 1966, he did release three singles of excellent original songs on his own Kidd Glove label.
The first was Kidd Glove 101, credited to Billy Stephens & the Nashville Casts. One side was the amazingly brooding “Baby You Got Me” while the flip is the country “Lumber Jack”. “Baby You Got Me” almost defies description, not exactly garage and really has to be heard.
I’m not sure of the date for this one, the NRC # 510 indicates pressing at National Recording Corporation’s plant in Atlanta, sometime between late 1966 to mid 1967.
Next he released an excellent instrumental, “Sneak Attack” backed with one I haven’t heard yet, “Shirley”, on Kidd Glove 301 with a redesigned label and motto, “The Sound That Leaves You Breathless”.
The third single was the rockabilly “Dozen Diamond Man” b/w an offbeat harmony jangler, “There’s a Time” on Kidd Glove 302. Lyrics for “There’s a Time” are hard to make out, but seem to be about how his teenage queen got locked up “they took her far away, said she had to pay”. This single was released in 1967 with a b&w photo sleeve.
All of his songs were published by Kidd Glove Music BMI, though I can’t find registrations for all of them.
Certainly this was an artist with a lot of talent and originality.
“Half Past the End” by the Smoke is hard-rocking and heavy on the keyboards, which I don’t usually like, but it has some lead guitar work that hooks me, and features a solid performance by the entire group.
The group included Mark Sheldon, who had played bass for the Mussies on their 1967 Fenton single, “12 O’Clock July” which is a great psychedelic take on Link Wray’s “Jack the Ripper” b/w one of the better versions of “Louie Go Home”.
Other members of the Mussies were Chic Ericksen (lead vocals), Paul Knapp or Paul Nabb (lead guitar), Tom Mann (rhythm guitar) and Bill Johnson (drums). I don’t know if any of them played on the Smoke single from late 1968.
The Mussies & the Smoke came out of South Haven, Michigan. Mark Sheldon wrote both songs on the Smoke single, “Half Past the End” and the flip, “My Mama”. Both published by Rise Music, Inc. BMI. Mark Edward Sheldon registered the copyright for “Half Past the End” with the Library of Congress in February 1969.
The Smoke single was produced by Sheldon-Pielert, the Pielert standing for Fred Pielert, the manager of the band with his wife, Gail Ostrow.
The ARP stamp in the deadwax indicates the American Record Pressing Co. in Owosso, MI, pressing number 1316.
I’ve seen promo and stock copies of this 45, and all seem to have stickers listing the band as the Smoke. Mark Sheldon’s name is underneath.
There’s not much info on the Smoke out there (or the Mussies for that matter). I gleaned a little from the Grand Rapids Rocks site.
I don’t have any info on the Mark V other than what’s on the labels. BMI lists the “Mark V” as the song writer for “I Want To Say”, so that indicates the band members were L. Cerame, G. Snow, R. Eder, T. Montanino, and R. Hackling.
The b-side “You Make Me Lose My Mind” is the wilder of the two songs; Jack Provenzano is the writer. Unfortunately it’s not on youtube right now, but it’s worth seeking out for the weird scream after the opening drum roll.
Released on Blast 215 in 1964. Vincent Catalano (Vinnie) owned the Blast label, and also had the Sinclair, Whale, Mermaid, and Camay Records labels with Don Ames. Blast is known for doo wop, especially “Coney Island Baby” by the Excellents. Basil Bova did some A&R work for the Blast label.
The Mark V single comes towards the end of the Blast catalog. New York City was my best guess on the band, but it turns out they were a Belleville, New Jersey group.
The Outer Limits, 1966, from left: Jim Westbrook, Pete Hecker, John LeDuc and Jerry Bachman
Years ago, Wayland L. Davis wrote a detailed story about his time with the Outer Limits, and the Las Cruces, New Mexico music scene he grew up in. He was going to expand on it for publication in Garage Hangover, but then we lost contact. I won’t publish it since I haven’t received his permission, but I will include a little info about the band from our email back in 2009:
I grew up in Las Cruces and was one of the original members of the Outer Limits. I left the group before they recorded with Golddust. But, I helped write “The Waves” and “Walking Away” long before that, and we recorded our first version of both songs with Steve Crosno.
Keith Hackney [of the Four Dimensions] lived a block away from me and taught me how to play a barre chord, which led to me playing rhythm guitar for the Outer Limits and Pete Hecker playing bass.
The original Outer Limits were Jim Westbrook, Wayland Davis, Pete Hecker and multiple drummers. First, Jerry Savage and later Jerry Bachman. We named ourselves after the TV show and not the Markettes “Out of Limits” song. John LeDuc [was] my replacement as I left the band before this picture and Goldust recordings.
I can’t find much info on the Apaches, who had one single on Galena Records out of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1966. One side is a pleasant original song, “Please Understand” by Burgess, Tousley. My copy is too scratchy to include a sound file, sorry.
The flip is a cover of “Heart of Stone”, which sounds like it features a different lead singer.
The Apaches was an RCA custom pressing, TK4M-4746/7, from late 1966, released as Galena G-131.
There was one other garage 45 on Galena Records, the Executives, who did a good original, “Why Make Me Cry” by T. Carter, Brock, Hoffman, G. Carter, Teaff, b/w “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better When You Are Gone”, also released in 1964.
Though the label for “Please Understand” lists Galena Music BMI, I can’t find copyright registration with the Library of Congress, or for the Executives song.
I find a number of registrations with Galena Music from 1964 and 1965, including: “Just Another Night”, “Gonna Find Me Someone” and “Moon Girl” by Roy L. Ferguson and Leroy Duncan, “Tear Drops” and “This Same Old Heart” by Sam Barrett, “Lonely Hours” by Roy Ferguson, Lercy Duncan and Autry Rutledge, “My Castle by the Sea” by David Vowell and Autry Rutledge, and “Back Up, Back Out” by Roy Ferguson, Leroy Duncan and Connie Rutledge, but these all seem to be country or pop music.
Orange Rainbow, lock, Uxbridge, west London, 1969. Left to right: Martin Hayles, Robin Lawrence, Geoff Foster, Rodney Barrett, Martin Bryan, Alan Ray, Dave Goodman and Terry May
Alan Ray – lead vocals
Kenny Surmon – lead guitar (replaced by Geoff Foster)
Terry May – keyboards
Dave Goodman – bass
Martin Hayles – trumpet
Robin Lawrence – tenor sax
Rodney Barrett – trombone
Tony Hampton – drums (replaced by Martin Bryan)
+
George Russell – alto sax (played on and off 1969-1970)
John Barter – tenor and baritone sax (played on and off 1969-1970)
Orange Rainbow at the Railway Hotel (Iron Bridge), Southall, west London
Orange Rainbow were a west London soul band that had worked as The Bluesville Soul Band, changing name around late March 1969.
Little is known about the group and Garage Hangover would welcome any additional information.
According to tributes to the late Dave Goodman, who went on to become sound engineer for the Sex Pistols, Orange Rainbow began as seven-piece group.
Frinton Bassett Blues in Feltham in 1967. Photo from Scot and Patricia Whetton
Goodman had started out with The Frinton Bassett Blues band, who were profiled in the 22 September 1967 edition (page 2) of the Middlesex Chronicle, Hounslow Edition.
The article lists the band’s seven-piece line up as Steve Crawford (lead vocals); Alan Cook (lead guitar); Dave Goodman (bass); Denis Smithers (drums); Pete Watson (alto sax); Ray Johnson (tenor sax) and an unnamed keyboard player.
Singer Alan Ray at the Railway Hotel
According to the newspaper, The Frinton Bassett Blues Band had been formed around the spring of 1966 and added the sax players in the summer of 1967, prompting the slight name change to New Frinton Bassett Blues Band.
Goodman and Martin Hayles (who had joined later) subsequently worked with The Bluesville Soul Band, which formed the nucleus of Orange Rainbow.
Article on The Bluesville Show Band, Kingston and Malden Borough News, 12 July 1968
Alan Ray had started out with The Keyes (sometimes spelt Keys), who also included guitarist Geoff Foster and keyboard player Terry May.
However, around December 1967, Geoff Foster left to play with west Londoners The Casuals (Frankie Reid’s former group) and Terry May joined The James Royal Set and then The Huckle Buck Band.
New Frinton Bassett Group February 1968
Alan Ray put together The Bluesville Soul Band with lead guitarist Kenny Surmon; sax player Robin Lawrence; trumpet player Martin Hayles; bass player Dave Goodman; and drummer Tony Hampton. Terry May joined in July 1968. Rodney Barrett joined soon after.
Alan Ray and Kenny Surmon (plus Geoff Foster who was playing in The Army after Steve Priest left to join The Sweet) all auditioned for Tangerine Peel around this time but turned the offer to join down.
The Kingston & Malden Borough News, which profiled the band in its 12 July 1968 issue, lists the following gigs:
20 July 1968 – Excel Bowl, Tolworth, southwest London
3 August 1968 – Apple Tree Club, Kingston Hotel, Kingston Upon Thames, southwest London
17 August 1968 – Apple Tree Land, Staines, Middlesex with Way In and Souvenir Badge Factory (Staines & Egham News)
27 September 1968 – Apple Tree Club, Kingston Hotel, Kingston Upon Thames, southwest London
21 December 1968 – Excel Bowl, Tolworth, southwest London
Around March 1969, Geoff Foster took over from Kenny Surmon and Martin Bryan replaced Tony Hampton. Later this month they became Orange Rainbow.
According to Goodman’s webpages, Orange Rainbow toured the UK extensively and even worked on the continent. They also backed Ben E King, The Drifters, Nicky Thomas, The Flirtations and The Fantastics (from mid-1970 onwards after Pip Williams’ band, The House of Orange). Orange Rainbow also supported The Four Seasons and The Jackson Five on UK tours.
Left to right: Rodney Barrett, Martin Hayles and Robin Lawrence
From mid-July to early August 1969, the band was booked to perform at the Ye Ye Club in Rimini, Italy for three weeks. Geoff Foster also remembers the musicians playing at Sloopy’s Disco in Manchester, the Place in Hanley, Staffordshire and the Pavilion Ballroom in Gillingham, Kent.
Orange Rainbow played Sunday lunchtimes at the Railway Hotel in Southall, west London and were also regulars at Samantha’s in central London.
Geoff Foster’s former band mates in the Army, George Russell and John Barter worked with the band on and off throughout 1969-1970 but never officially joined as permanent members. All three left during 1970.
Orange Rainbow continued into the early Seventies during which time the group underwent many personnel changes (see comments below). Dave Rose took over from Terry May on keyboards and Graham Board replaced Martin Bryan on drums. Eventually, the group morphed into Polecat.
Left to right: Martin Bryan, Dave Goodman and Geoff Foster
Selected gigs
5 April 1969 – Hay Makers Hoedown, Lake Farm, Blechingley, Surrey (Surrey Mirror and County Post)
18 April 1969 – Addlestone Community Centre, Addlestone, Surrey (Woking Herald)
26 April 1969 – Kingston College of Technology, Kingston Upon Thames, southwest London with Episode Six and The Giant (Melody Maker)
10 May 1969 – Pavilion Ballroom, Gillingham, Kent
8 June 1969 – Woodhall Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
28 June 1969 – Railway Hotel, Southall, west London
28 July 1969 – Ye Ye Scandinavian Club, Rimini, Italy with Root and Jenny Jackson (Poster)
6 August 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Sunnyside (Evening Sentinel)
7-8 August 1969 – Samantha’s, Burlington Street, central London (Poster)
11 August 1969 – Samantha’s, Burlington Street, central London (Poster)
14 August 1969 – Samantha’s, Burlington Street, central London (Poster)
17 August 1969 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
26 August 1969 – Samantha’s, Burlington Street, central London (Poster)
29 August 1969 – George Hotel, Walsall, West Midlands (Walsall Observer & South Staffordshire Chronicle)
31 August 1969 – Samantha’s, Burlington Street, central London (Poster)
10 September 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with The All-Round (Evening Sentinel)
An article in the Horncastle Target, dated 26 September 1969, page 2, says the band are due to play in Denmark in November. It also says that they have played the Scotch of St James.
15 November 1969 – Walton Playhouse, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (Woking Herald)
16 January 1970 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
Photo: John Kirk’s book
1 February 1970 – Broken Wheel, Retford, Nottinghamshire (Retford Times/John Kirk’s book “Another Saturday Night”)
5 February 1970 – Acorn Club, RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire with The Stack (Cambridge Evening News)
14 February 1970 – Barn Dance Hall, Penzance, Cornwall (West Briton and Royal Cornwall Gazette)
21 March 1970 – Rebecca’s, Birmingham with James King (Birmingham Evening Mail)
2 April 1970 – Rebecca’s, Birmingham with Rare Bird (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 May 1970 – Mackadown, Birmingham with Toyshop (Birmingham Evening Mail)
An article in the Horncastle Target, dated 8 May 1970, page 2, says the band has played gigs in Wigan, Birmingham and Wolverhampton and have just been booked to back US vocal group, The Invatations (formerly The Original Drifters).
The line up is listed as:
Alan Ray – lead vocals
Peter Wrigley – lead guitar
David Rose – keyboards/vocals
Dave Goodman – bass
Martin Hughes – trumpet/vocals
Robin Lawrence – tenor sax
Rodney Barrett – trombone
Graham Broad – drums
28 June 1970 – Up the Junction, Crewe, Cheshire (Chester Chronicle)
1 August 1970 – Starlight Room, Gliderdrome Boston, Lincolnshire with Nicky Thomas (Lincolnshire Echo)
8 August 1970 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury) They play next four Saturdays
15 August 1970 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
22 August 1970 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
29 August 1970 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
20 September 1970 – Blue Orchid, Nottingham (Guardian Journal)
December 1970 – Broken Wheel, Retford, Nottinghamshire with The Fantastics (Retford Times/John Kirk’s book “Another Saturday Night”)
Photo: John Kirk’s book
7 February 1971 – Theatre Royal, Nottingham with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Fantastics and Mike Felix (Nottingham Evening Post)
19 February 1971 – Odeon Birmingham, Birmingham with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Fantastics and Mike Felix (Birmingham Evening Mail)
20 February 1971 – Odeon Hammersmith, Hammersmith, west London with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, The Fantastics and Mike Felix (Marylebone & Paddington Mercury)
16 May 1971 – Wallsend Rising Sun Welfare Club, Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)
20 May 1971 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull with The Fantastics and The Incredible Station (Hull Daily Mail)
24 July 1971 – Whitchurch Civic Centre, Whitchurch, Cheshire with The Fantastics (Chester Chronicle)
11 December 1971 – Drill Hall, Lincoln, Lincolnshire with The Fantastics (Lincolnshire Echo)
1 January 1972 – Birtley Rex Social Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)
An article in the Horncastle Target, dated 23 June 1972, page 22, lists the band playing at the London Palladium with The Four Seasons and The Fantastics
16 July 1972 – White Horse Inn, Cranswick, Hull with The Fantastics (Hull Daily Mail)
I would like to thank Geoff Foster for helping with the story and supplying the excellent photos.
Orange Rainbow, mid 1970s. Back, left to right: Bob Gorman, Graham Broad (drummer from Feltham), Robin Lawrence (sax from Hanworth) Dave Goodman (bass from Feltham), Derek ? Front, left to right: Martin Hayles, Mel Day and Paul Sheath. Photo from Mel Day.
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
The Happy Return came from St. Louis, Missouri, releasing two very different 45s in the space of a couple years.
In July of 1968 Steve Noack had a light pop single as Steve Lee on the R.S.S.P. Inc label featuring his original “She’s Afraid to Answer” as the b-side to “Baby” (by G. Tomsco, B. Tomsco).
The flip is the very different and hard-rockin’ “To Give Your Lovin’”, full of crunching guitar and heavy drumming. Both songs list Steve Noack as writer and Heavy Music, Friedman-Collins Music BMI as publisher.
Geoff Foster’s former band mates in the Army, George Russell and John Barter worked with the band on and off throughout 1969-1970 but never officially joined as permanent members. All three left during 1970.
