I don’t know anything about The Checkmates, who put out one 45 on Flic Records 786 in the early or mid 1960s. Tim Garbocz wrote “Do It” with vocal by Mickey Stillson. There’s no publishing info listed.
Crypt Records put “Do It” on the 2015 compilation Ho-Dad Hootenanny Too!, which I recommend buying if you like this crude, rockin’ garage sound. The instrumental flip is only a minute and a half long and has not been reissued before.
The initals MW on the label (MW 544/5) indicate Midwest Record Pressing in Chicago pressed this single. Could be they were an Illinois group.
One source shows this band connected to the Checkmates from Johnson City, Tennessee who recorded “Talk to Me” / “Cindy” on Champ Records 2009 in August 1967. That may be possible, but I doubt it – the band would have had to add an organ player and the vocalist sounds different. The Checkmates who recorded “Do It” were a pre-British Invasion group in their style. It would have been a leap for them to get to the sound on “Talk to Me”.
Spectras opening for the Tidal Waves, Teddy & the Pandas, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, August 10, 1966
While searching for articles on the Devil’s Own, I came across news clips about other bands from the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area in the mid-60s.
The Spectras seem to have been a successful band. Over two nights at the Hampton Beach Casino in August 1966 they opened for Gary Lewis & the Playboys, the Tidal Waves, Teddy and the Pandas. At other shows, the Spectras opened for the McCoys, Gary Pickett & the Union Gap, the Doors, Gene Pitney, the Easybeats, the Happenings, Buckinghams, Music Explosion and Fifth Estate. That’s an amazing list of ’60s bands!
The Orphan, Country Gentlemen, Shades of Difference, Portsmouth Battle of the Bands, November, 1966
A Portsmouth Battle of the Bands in November, 1966 featured three bands I don’t see mention of again, The Orphan, Country Gentlemen, and the Shades of Difference.
Unidentified group at the Portsmouth Battle of the Bands, December, 1967Battle of the Bands with the Collections, Assassins, Coachmen, Nameless, Elements of Sound, Roulettes, Wonders, Disinherited Sunns, December, 1967
Also in December 1967 there was a Jaycees Battle of the Bands at Portsmouth High School featuring the Collections, the Assassins, the Coachmen, the Nameless, the Elements of Sound, the Roulettes, the Wonders and the Disinherited Sunns.
Pine Grove Pavilion shows with the Tierdrops, Four Musketeers, Warlocks, December, 1967
The Tierdrops shared their manager with the Devil’s Own, one gig notice from December 1967 shows them at the Pine Grove Pavilion.
Exeter Battle of Bands featuring my favorite band name, The Plate of Garbage
An article from March 1968 discusses a battle of the bands at Exeter High School featuring a number of bands.
from Exeter: The Wuz Five, The Back Street Windows, and The Plate of Garbage ! from the Hamptons: The Lords of Mourning from Portsmouth: The Coachmen, The Northern Lights from New Castle: The Wonders
The winner went on to the state finals in Manchester NH in April.
Elements of Sound, June 19, 1968
That state contest seems to have been won by The Elements of Sound, the only band I can find photos of in the Herald. The Elements of Sound began in 1965 at Portsmouth High School, adding a brass section in the fall of 1967.
Members included John Keenan (guitar), Ken Scarponi (lead vocalist), Dale Dockham (drums), David Schiefer (bass); front row: Dan Meehan and William Carder (trumpets), Charles George (guitar) and James Watt (trombone).
The Elements of Sound played in a national Battle of the Bands in Atlantic City in June of 1968 where they just missed the top ten acts.
The Devil’s Own came from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or more precisely Greenland which lies just to the west. They cut a double-sided monster on Exit Records in late 1966, one side a version of “Hey Joe” with writing credit to Powers (Chester Powers, a pseudonym for Dino Valenti). The flip is an intense take on Willie Dixon’s “I Just Wanna Make Love”.
The single actually made the local radio charts. The ARSA site has a survey of WBBX 1380 AM from November 28, 1966 showing the Devil’s Own version of “Hey Joe” at number 16. The release number CO 1907 probably refers to Cook Laboratories, the eccentric studio run by Emory Cook in Stamford, CT.
I assembled a list of members from the comments below, but I don’t know if it’s complete or who played what instrument. They included:
Garland Purdy – vocals Stephen Hill Joe Wilbur Paul Murphy Jon Wyckoff – bass Greg Naseman Wayne Valzania – drums
I’ve found notices of their live shows starting in January 1966 and continuing through February 1968.
One news clip from the Herald shows the band’s manager, George A. Browning, taking ownership of a Shelby GT-500 and a Shelby Cobra. Browning was in his mid-twenties at the time and also managed the Tierdrops (who included Paul Murphy).
Browning’s name appears extensively in the Herald for speeding and drunk driving citations until about 1973.
Stephen Hill wrote to me:
George (Spike Browning) drove the Ford Cobra and Joey Wilbur drove the Shelby GT 500. The Devils Own opened for BJ Thomas and the Triumphs at a surf club, and the Tierdrops opened for Teddy and the Pandas at the Pine Grove.
Eliot, New Hampshire Battle of the Bands with the Devil’s Own, the Mongols, the Ushers, the Agents, January 22, 1966The Devil’s Own with Little John and the Sherwoods at the Skyline in Newington, March 4, 1966
Advertisements show the Devil’s Own playing many school dances and a military teen center, and entering a battle of the bands with the Scorpions and Mongols from Kittery, the Ushers from York, the Agents from Eliot.
At the Skyline in Newington, NH, the Devil’s Own supported Little John & the Sherwoods (the Lowell, MA group who had the cool “Long Hair” / “Rag Baby” on the Fleetwood label) and co-headlined with the Spectras. They shared the stage with the Spectras again at the Pine Grove Pavilion in Portsmouth.
Anyone have a photo of the Devil’s Own?
The Devil’s Own with the Spectras at the Skyline in Newington, March 25, 1966The Warlocks followed by the Devil’s Own with the Spectras at the Pine Grove Pavilion, November 10-11, 1966The Devil’s Own version of Hey Joe at number 16 on WBBX, November 28, 1966. Courtesy of ARSAGeorge A. Browning, manager of the Devil’s Own and the Tierdrops buying two sportscars from Patterson Ford Sales, February, 1967
The Early Americans come up with a balanced, rich ’60s sound on “I Love You (I Want You)”, not released until May of 1971.
The group may have been from Bath, Pennsylvania. Both this and the b-side “Got a Lot” were written by Nick Mitchell and produced by Nick Mitchell and Brent Koehler.
The Early Americans released this single on Brenick Flagg Records STEA 1012. Pete Helffrich mastered the single, signing the deadwax and indicating stereo sound, though I don’t hear much stereo separation on this single.
Helffrich Recording Labs did a lot of mastering for classical labels like Everest, Nonesuch and Turnabout, but as far as I can tell, relatively little recording. One of Pete Helffrich’s most notable recordings was another PA band, Sandstone, for the album Can You Mend A Silver Thread? I checked the back cover of that LP and didn’t find any other names in common with the Early Americans.
This is not the Early Americans from Tampa, FL who cut Night After Night on Paris Tower in 1967.
The Ravens came from Tampa, Florida. They two singles a couple years apart with different band lineups. The first single is on Charles Fuller’s Boss label, the original and gentle “Reaching for the Sun” b/w a slamming instrumental version of “Things We Said Today” on Boss BOS 003 in 1966.
According to Brian Egan on the Tampa Bay Garage Bands website (originally published in Fuzz, Acid & Flowers I believe), the first line-up of the Ravens consisted of Mark Maconi on lead vocals, Richard “Rick” Vincent Simpson on lead guitar and vocals, Richard “Thor” Simpson on rhythm guitar and vocals, Brian Egan on bass and vocals and Paul Purcell on drums and vocals.
By 1966 the two Rick Simpsons had left the band. Al Schweikert joined on lead guitar – at 21 he was four years old than the rest of the band and became their leader. John Hallenstein came in on organ and the band started playing bigger gigs. This was the lineup that Charles Fuller saw at the Spot in Tampa and brought in to cut a single. “Reaching for the Sun” had song writing credits to Albert Schweikert and Bob Orrick, an early manager and subbing bassist with the group. Brian Egan credits Richard Vincent Simpson as the original writer of “Reaching for the Sun”, however Schweikert at least would prove himself to be a fine song-writer in the near future.
Soon after the Boss single, the band dropped Brian Egan and replaced him with Ken Spivey. Chris Krawczyn replaced Hallenstein on keyboards, and later Beau Fisher replaced Spivey on bass. The band split up around 1968 and Schweikert reformed the group, bringing in Kent Pearson on bass. Mark Maconi and Paul Purcell were the only original members to last the full time with the band. Their second manager was major Tampa area promoter A.J. Perry
The lineup of Marconi, Purcell, Schweikert and Pearson recorded “Calamity Jane” / “Now She’s Gone” as the Raven on Rust 5123 in late 1968.
Albert Schweikert and Karl Lamp (Karl Leopold Lamp, Jr.) wrote “Calamity Jane” for Roznique Music, BMI. Schweikert and Lamp had scored a success (artistic anyway) in 1967 when they co-wrote “As Time’s Gone” for the Tropics, a classic of ’60s garage.
The Gernhard Productions credit on the Rust label refers to Phil Gernhard, who co-wrote “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” and brought the Royal Guardsmen to Laurie Records (Rust Records’ parent label). Gernhard surpassed himself on “Calamity Jane”, blending bullet ricochets, morse code beeping, horns, fuzz guitar, electric sitar, flute and melodica sounds and cowbell into the backing track. The single attracted no chart action – perhaps Laurie Records was in the process of phasing out the Rust subsidiary so they didn’t promote this late single. In any case, “Calamity Jane” has become a catchy hit among club DJs in recent years.
Schweikert’s original “Now She’s Gone” has none of the flashiness of the A-side, but an inventive organ track and good harmonies back up an impassioned lead vocal. Copyright registrations from that era show another Schweikert song never recorded to my knowledge, “The Prism”.
Towards the end of the band, Albert Schweikert left. Tommy Angarano came in on organ and Charlie Bailey on guitar for the final lineup of the band.
If anyone has more input on their time with the Ravens I’d like to hear about it.
Here’s an obscure single on Tampa, Florida’s Boss label, the Souldiers with a great harmony song “Would You Kiss Me” b/w an underrated ballad, “Lemon Sun”. Release date was approximately January 1967 on Boss BOS 007 (BSKM-1119/20)
Randy Lewis and Swilley wrote “Would You Kiss Me” for Fulprod Music Pub ASCAP, while Ed Hillert wrote “Lemon Sun” published by Fuller Music Pub. BMI.
Despite the obscurity of the band, the other two names on the labels are famiilar, John Brummage and Charles Fuller.
John Brummage had a hand in the production of the Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron”. He produced the Split Ends “Rich with Nothin'”, the Noah’s Ark “Love In”, several for the Rovin’ Flames including “I Can’t” (which he wrote) on Boss, “Gloria” on Fuller and “How Many Times” on Decca, and many for the Boss label including the Berkley Five’s “You’re Gonna Cry” and the Ravens who I’ll feature soon.
Charles Fuller headed the CFP, Fuller, Tigertown and Boss labels, among others, with Brummage most often listed as producer.
There’s a possibility this Souldiers band is connected to another local group called the Soljers aka Blues Syndicate, with Bob Conn as either member or manager, but otherwise I can’t find any definite info on who was in the band or any photos of the group.
The Denny & Kenny Duo at GG’s in Davis, CA, from left: Kenny Whitcombe on organ and Dennis Sacco on drums
The Denny and Kenny Duo were Kenny Whitcombe on organ and Dennis Sacco on drums. They came from Davis, California, where they played regularly at Gi-Gi’s night club.
“Meet My Little Sweety In the Night Time” immediately grabs the listener with its speed and echo. I find Sacco’s drum fills endlessly entertaining. The flip “I Love You So” is also good, if not as original. Kenny Whitcombe wrote both songs. Released on Sacramento’s legendary Ikon Records IER 179/180 in 1965.
I’ve always loved this single since hearing it on Crypt Records’s fantastic “The Ikon Records Story”. I finally found a copy, signed by Dennis Sacco! For two people they raise a huge racket.
Whitcombe came from the Carpetbaggers with Dehner Patten who would go into the Oxford Circle and Kak. I’m not sure if this was the same Carpetbaggers from Sausalito who had the single “Let Yourself Go” / “Just a Friend” on the LTD International label in mid-1966. Sausalito is an hour and a half from Davis, but it’s not inconceivable.
Whitcombe opened another Davis club, Mousey’s, and eventually the duo split up. Sacco played with the Daytrippers, then with the Sacramento’s Burgundy Express, and now is pursing a writing career.
Dennis Sacco wrote to me a little about the group, and added more history to the notes for a CD of later, jazzy recordings that he and Kenny did either together or separately.
As a drummer I grew up listening to Gene Krupa, then Joe Morillo and then Louie Bellson.
Back in 1965, Denny and Kenny started playing at GG’s, a little beer bar in Davis, California. Soon, their reputation and fans out grew GG’s. Kenny built a bigger night spot in Davis called Mousie’s. Between GG’s and Mousie’s, Denny and Kenny played in Northern Caliornia and Nevada. During this period, Denny and Kenny cut a record at Ikon Records in Sacramento, California.
Denny and Kenny were a great match. Denny used a Ludwig double bass drum setup and Kenny used a Hammond organ kicking bass pedals. They both did vocals and backup. Many people thought that they were listening to at least four players. They don’t perform as a duo anymore. But each of them, separately or together, have made a few recordings. Included in this album are Kenny’s beautiful and “original” songs (ala 40s style) and some of Denny’s earlier big band recordings for you to listen and enjoy.
There’s a small but interesting genre of organ and drum duo records that include the Me and Him Duo and the Chancellors b-side “5 Minus 3”.
The Me and Him Duo were organ player Phil Long and (I believe) drummer John Hill, from Pottstown and Reading, Pennsylvania. They have a good instrumental on Paza Records, “On the Money” backed with a vocal by Phil Long “Stay With Me”.
Songwriting is credtied to Philip Long and John C. Hill for Mamy Music Corp. and Mary Hill Music BMI.
Phil Long’s real name was Philip Charles Peter Vagnoni. He was related to country songwriter Shorty Long (Emedio Vagnoni). Phil continued playing organ in the Pottstown area with other drummers including Scot Raugh. Phil passed away in July 2008 in Reading, PA.
This is a mid-late ’60s record, not ‘garage’ by most people’s definition, but I’m posting partly to compare it to other organ and drum duos such as the Denny & Kenny Duo, and the Chancellors (usually a quintet but one of their Fenton singles has the instrumental “5 Minus 3” by organist Jim Ovaitt and drummer Rick Garfield):
I shouldn’t leave out the Cosmic Rock Show whose fabulous “Psiship” / “Rising Sun” takes the duo concept into new experimental territory, released in 1968 on Blitz Records 469 from the Minneapolis area.
“Slimy Sue” by the Sounds, Ltd. featuring Phil Jackson is the kind of odd, non-commercial record of the ’60s garage era that I love.
These lyrics are bizarre, with plenty of humor in the masochism of the second and third verses.
I got me a woman, buddy, she’s got purple hair Ain’t no other woman, buddy, that can compare, that can compare To my girl, true blue, back alley Sue Slimy Sue, yeah, well alright now
When I want some lovin,’ buddy, Sue knows what to do She can kiss so gently, buddy, turns me black and blue My girl, true blue, back alley Sue Slimy Sue, yeah, well alright now
Hit it [guitar break]
When I get in trouble, buddy, with someone tough like you Me, I never worry, buddy, I call on Sue, I call on Sue My girl, black belt, weight lifting, Sue Slimy Sue, yeah, well alright now
Philip W. Jackson wrote this song as well as the flip, “Fly Away”, for Cookie Crumb Music, BMI.
The Sounds, Ltd. recorded at Midwestern Recording Studios at 3140 The Paseo, Kansas City, Missouri. The studio’s own Peak label released the single on P-108 in October 1966. I’d like to know more about the band, who maintain a rough but great sound throughout “Slimy Sue”.
The band was from St. Joseph, Missouri, about 45 miles north of Kansas City. “Fly Away” was the ostensible A-side at the time, a kind of folky almost hippie-sounding song featuring lead vocalist Kathy Helmick.
Midwestern Recorders operated a studio since at least 1952 if not earlier, originally releasing records on the Central label. I assume other garage bands must have used Midwestern but haven’t found evidence of that yet.
I wrote about Alva Starr, who had two interesting garage releases on Golden Records of La., based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This single by the Organized Confusion is the other garage single on that label. It features two good original songs by Bill Richards, “Tell Me Why” b/w “Makes Me Sad”. Production credited to Ebb Tide and Randy Darnell, published by Darn-L. Copyrights for these two songs plus one called “Bad Girl” were registered with the Library of Congress in May 1968.
One of Ebb-Tide ‘s ads in Billboard looking for songs and master tapes.
Interestingly, the band was from the Detroit, Michigan area. Ebb-Tide (Ebb Harrison or Ebb Harris) of Golden Records ran classified ads in Billboard in 1967 and 1968 looking for songs and finished songs. Randy Darnell of “The Darnell Sound” may have seen these ads and responded, or A&R man Bob Balog may have brought the band to Golden.
A promotional photo from the old G45 Central forum shows the band in a tree, and the songs for the single list “Hang On, He’s Not Coming” instead of “Tell Me Why”. Contact info is given both for the label, Golden Records and the production company, Darnell Sound Production, which has an address of 13079 Northline, Southgate, MI, south of downtown Detroit. Darnell and Balog also placed the Liquid-Candy “Hold On-I’m Coming” on Golden.
The Organized Confusion, from left: Joe Grabowski, Mark Bruce (friend of band filling in for Matt Sclafani), Dave Thibert, Bill Richards and Al Consiglio
Update, February 2017:
Joe Grabowski and Al Consiglio sent in the photo of the group standing in front of trees and gave me more info about the band:
Dave Thibert – lead vocals Bill Richards – lead guitar Joe Grabowski- rhythm guitar Matt Sclafani – bass guitar Al Consiglio – drums
In the mid 60’s two Wyandotte friends and neighbors, Al Consiglio and Joe Grabowski joined Al’s cousin Matt Sclafani, living in Southgate, who knew Bill Richards and Dave Thibert. The five put together a play list, rehearsed the tunes and played local venues. Bill wrote the two recorded songs and pursued the necessary contacts to find the recording studio of Randy Darnell at 13079 Northline Road in Southgate, MI and produce the record. The building now is a beauty salon.
The band stayed together for a short time after making the record as the members focused their attention on finishing school, girls, cars and careers (in no particular order). To my knowledge no one was in a band prior to or went on to join other bands after the Organized Confusion.
Venues:
Knights of Columbus – downtown Wyandotte, MI Knights of Columbus – Southgate, MI Southgate Anderson High School – Southgate, MI Davidson Jr High School – Southgate, MI ALSAC Benefit with many other local bands including Little Carl Carlton – River Rouge, MI Lawrence Technological University (Lawrence Institute of Technologies) – Southfield, MI Southgate Shopping Center (in front of Montgomery Ward) – Southgate, MI Aquinas High School – Southgate, MI
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
I don’t know anything about The Checkmates, who put out one 45 on Flic Records 786 in the early or mid 1960s. Tim Garbocz wrote “Do It” with vocal by Mickey Stillson. There’s no publishing info listed.
