notice in the Courier-News, Thu, Sep 24, 1964Frank Jones was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and joined the Fabulous Strings at age 15. Frank wrote to me:
My band the Fabulous Strings won a talent show in Newark NJ and recorded two demos at Hertz Studio 38 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey. The tunes were “How High the Moon”, “Slow Hold It”, “Movin’ Up” and “Vibrating”. I would like to listen to them again.
Charlie Morton – lead guitar C.B. Hill – rhythm guitar R.D. Cunningham – bass guitar Frank Jones – drums
The Bridgewater Courier-News announced a benefit concert at Plainfield High School on Saturday, September 26, 1964 with 20 acts including Sammy and the Del Larks, the Conchords, Jimmy Gator, Mersey Johnson, the Plazas, Paradons, Jo Jo and the Admirers, the Tri Dells, Harry Ring and the Fabulous Strings, Parliaments and Parlets.
If anyone comes across any Hertz Recording Studio lacquer demos of the Fabulous Strings, please contact me.
Frank Jones has kept active in music, and can be found on facebook.
Morning After released one record in 1970, “I Don’t Need You Today” / “Dream” on Third Wave 0027.
Members were:
Joe Kearney – lead guitar and vocals Bruce Talbott – bass guitar and vocals Jim Tate – drums and vocals
Although all three have song writing credit on the labels, copyright registration from March, 1970 shows Bruce E. Talbott wrote words and music to “I Don’t Need You Today”, and Talbott and Joseph Kearney co-wrote “Dream”. Dyad Music published the songs, but I don’t see them in BMI’s database.
According to an article in the Kingston Daily Freeman from March 7, 1970, the group met in New Paltz but were based in Kingston, NY. The group were in their early 20s, so they may have had previous band experience.
For Them, Rock’s the Mother Tongue
Morning After is not much interested in talking up a revolution. Its three clean-cut, suede-jacketed-and-vested members prefer to sing songs that are rhythmic with vocal harmony rather than rife with social movement … forsaking screaming lyrics and fire-eating antics for music with a straight-ahead sound.
Relying on the powerful, bluesy, lean sounds of Wallkill drummer Jim Tate, Kingston lead guitarist Joe Kearney, and bass guitarist Bruce Talbott of Walden … Their impeccable instrumental style and express-track delivery has brought them bookings at The Creamery in West Park, the Thunderbird in Saugerties, the Blue Eagle in New Paltz, and the Trade Wind and Coral Reef in Newburgh …
Talbott … tied in with the other two members of the group during a jam session while he was a student at New Paltz State University College.
The new disc, produced by Lance Naylor for Third Wave Records, was recorded at Kennett Sound Studios in Kinderhook: is currently available at Caldor’s Abrams and Britts.
(T.G.)
I don’t know if Talbott, Kearney or Tate continued in music after Morning After. Their record is one of the few singles from Kennett Sound studio that I don’t have in my collection.
Lance Naylor had a previous mention in the Daily Freeman, from March 25, 1969:
Theft of musical instruments valued at $1,000 from the Pleasure Yacht Tavern here, was under investigation …
Lance Naylor … manager of The Spurs, a musical group, reported the theft on Monday to authorities. He said the missing articles included three amplifiers and other musical equipment.
The Mystics, from left: Dan Searcy, Ben Willis, Donnie Fields, John Schuessler and Johnny Teague at an “infamous gig” at the Woman’s Club, 1965
The Mystics came from Tallahassee, Florida, and in late 1964 recorded “Snoopy”, a crude version of the Vibrations “My Girl Sloopy”.
Members of the band were:
Johnny Teague – guitar and vocals John Schuessler – guitar and vocals Ben Willis – guitar and vocals Dan Searcy – bass and vocals Donnie Fields – drums
Mark Hinson wrote a profile of the group’s upcoming reunion in the Tallahassee Democrat on April 3, 1998, featuring the photo at top, and mentioning that the Mystics cut “Snoopy” at a small studio on Adams Street.
Teen Beat Mayhem states “consensus opinion deems the McCoys patterned the arrangement of “Snoopy” for their own remake of ‘Hang On Sloopy.'”
The article quotes John Schuessler about the McCoys version:
It was the same producer and he used our exact same arrangement. But he left town with our contract, which was written on the back of an FSU speeding ticket, and there wasn’t much we could do.
Released on Black Cat 501, “Sloopy” is credited to C. Jim, aka Curley Jim (real name James Morrison), who did not write the song, but was associated with Marve-N-Harve Music Pub. out of Miami. The flip was a version of “Oo Poo Pah Doo”.
Somehow the single also saw release in February 1965 on Future Talent 13893/4, “A Rose-Givens-Mason Production” from tiny Waverly, Virginia, and also with Marve-N-Harve Publishing.
I don’t know who the Mystics producer was, but “My Girl Sloopy” / “Hang On Sloopy” was written by Bert Berns (aka Bert Russell) and Wesley Farrell, and produced by Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer (the trio behind the Strangeloves singles), so the connection is unclear.
In December 1965, the group released another single as the Many Others on Orchid BC-504. “(Tell Me Why) I’m Alone” is a great original by Johnny Teague. The flip is a version of “Can I Get a Witness”, which according to the article was “a fluke No. 1 hit in Japan”. However, I can find no release of this single in Japan.
Orchid and Black Orchid Publishing were based in Miami, like Black Cat and Marve’n’Harve Pub. Orchid singles from two other west Florida bands. From Marianna there was the Bangs “Then I’ll Cry” / “Tab Top” in 1965. In 1966 Orchid released the Pagans “Your Going To Lose That Girl” / “Strawman” (written by Frank Chandler), recorded live at Rutherford High School in Panama City.
Donnie Fields died in a car crash circa 1988, so when the Mystics reunited in 1998, Richard Bevis played drums. Another reunion in 2000 included David Cox on keyboards and vocals, and has been released on CD as “Live and Kickin'”, but I haven’t heard it.
Pat ‘n’ Al were Pat Bowers and Al Hittle, with Steve Marley on drums and Jim Gonzales on guitar. Al Hittie and Pat Bowers wrote both songs on their single, “I’m Still in Love” / “Meant to Love” released on Pleasure Records 45-1050, with Sunnyvale, Calif on the label.
Bowers Music published the songs, with copyright registered by Patrick D. Bowers and Alvin R. Hittle on October 4, 1965.
There is some incorrect information on the internet that this is a stereo record from 1968. It is a mono record, and the date was probably late 1965 to match the publishing.
The Las Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer on March 5, 1965:
Young performers from area high schools will have their turn to appear in the Villa Montalvo Carriage House Theatre March 12 and 13. The cultural center’s drama committee will present “A Folk Festival”, featuring local folk singers and instrumentalists … Pat Bowers and Al Hittle, Buchser High School, will sing many of their own songs.
Steve Marley commented on youtube:
This was recorded in 1965 at Pacific Recorders in San Francisco. The instrumentals were put down live and just the vocals were overdubbed. Pat Bowers, Jim Gonzales and Steve Marley (me) attended Santa Clara High School together. Pat, Al and Jim were seniors, while I was a kid freshman. Pat n’ Al played regularly at Ricardo’s Pizza in Willow Glen in the summer of 1966.
After Pat n’ Al, I joined a couple of other bands, before landing the Teddy and his Patches gig in 1967 – the year we recorded “Suzy Creamcheese” at Tiki Studios in San Jose.
One note though – Pacific Recording Studios in San Mateo did not open until 1968. The runout code CR-2711/2-RE suggests the group went to Coast Recorders at 960 Bush St. That code could also mean the single was recorded elsewhere but mastered at Coast.
Commercial Recorders at 149 Natoma St. is another possibility. Engineer Dan Healy recorded his friends’ bands after hours by invitation. During the day the studio was busy producing radio ads, but did record and master some garage singles like the Ethix “Bad Trip” / “Skins” on Mary Jane.
In November 1965, Patrick David Bowers and Alvin Robert Hittle registered three additional songs, “Why, Oh Why?”, “Yes I Do” and “You Say”. Alec Palao tells me there is another, folkier, Pat ‘n’ Al single, which I have not seen yet.
After leaving Teddy and His Patches, Steve Marley and David Conway would record another single as The Change: “The Time Traveler” / “Things Aren’t What They Seem to Be” on Chance 670.
I am not sure if Pat Bowers, Al Hittle or Jim Gonzales continued in music.
The Electric Tomorrow single is one of only two record credits I can find on musician Clem Floyd. The Electric Tomorrow was likely a studio concoction from early 1966. At the time Clem was a member of the Sound Machine, a group in the middle of the mid-’60s Los Angeles music scene.
Clem Floyd and Jack Millman co-wrote “Sugar Cube” and “The Electric Tomorrow”. Both are captivating instrumentals, despite an odd warble that could be considered a defective tape transfer. Dan Daniels did “sound coordination”, perhaps manipulating the tape to give these songs their strange sound.
Jack Millman and B. Elder “of Music Industries” produced the single for Banyan Productions, released on World Pacific Records 77860.
I can find no listing of musicians on the single, nor do I know if Clem Floyd played on it.
B. Elder and Dan Daniels also have credit for sound coordination on the Mira LP New Directions of the Afro Blues Quintet Plus One, also recorded in 1966. Jack Millman produced three cuts on that album, which has special effects credited to David Diller. Some of the cuts on the album have a passing resemblance to the Electric Tomorrow single, such as “Incantations” and portions of “3/4-5/4-7/2 (Liquid Landscape)” and “Freaks”.
The Afro Blues Quintet Plus One included Joe DeAguero, Jack Fulks, William Henderson, Jim Keltner, Michael Davis, Norman Johnson and Moises Obligacion. It’s possible some of these musicians play on the Electric Tomorrow single.
BMI’s database also lists “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” published by Irving Music, and another collaboration with Jack Millman, “Minute Freakout”.
The Sound Machine had one single: “Gotta Ease My Mind” / “Spanish Flash” on Canterbury C-511 from March, 1967. Clem wrote both songs and Gerald Curland (who has no other credits I know of) produced.
In Hollywood Eve, published 2019, Lili Anolik describes Clem Floyd as band mate to David Crosby in an unnamed group, and also as part of the Sound Machine with John Densmore. The book has more detail about Clem’s relationship with Mirandi Babitz (sister of Eve Babitz) and their leather clothes business, but nothing further about Clem’s music.
In the July 29, 1966 Los Angeles Free Press, Jerry Hopkins mentioned “Clem Floyd’s newly reorganized Sound Machine” opening for the Factory and the Mothers of Invention, in a review of the Great Underground Arts Masked Ball and Orgy (GUAMBO).
In late 1966, Mojo Navigator #11 mentioned the reorganized Sound Machine with “Gary Marker, formerly of the Rising Sons on bass”.
Grant Johnson played keyboards with the Sound Machine around the same time he was part of the Psychedelic Rangers with John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Billy Wolff.
On his website, Bruno Ceriotti mentions the Sound Machine playing an after-hours show at Dave Hull’s Hullabaloo on January 14, 1967.
That is all the info I can find on Clem Floyd and the Sound Machine to this point.
“The Train” / “You Put Me Down” on San Mateo’s Action Records is a different Sound Machine altogether, with Wayne Ceballos (later of Aum) on guitar, Ty Tolomei playing organ, and Lee Better on drums.
Special thank you to Mike Dugo for pointing out the Sound Machine single I had missed. Info on Wayne Ceballos from Hooterollin’ Around.
The Grand Jury made one single, “Lovely Lady” / “Rollin” on Musicor Records’s New Talent Series NTS 417. The New Talent Series is an interesting set of records, including some experimental singles that I haven’t covered before, like the Lemon and Lime.
The Grand Jury single is not as adventurous, but both are original songs by Moore and Spitrini. Of the two, I prefer the B-side, “Rollin'”. Like others in the series, it is a styrene 45 that is easily worn.
I can’t find any information on where the group is from or who the members were. I am guessing Rhode Island only because Spitrini is an unusual surname, but is found in Rhode Island.
Joe Saia owned AAA Recording Studio and Parsay Pub. Co. Parsay appears on many New Talent Series 45s like the Lemon and Lime, the Lost Souls, and LSD, as well as other AAA productions like the Collage’s “Best Friend” / “Girl Don’t Tell Me”.
However, most of these songs do not appear in BMI’s database, or in the Library of Congress list of registrations.
I’d appreciate any further info on the Grand Jury or other acts that recorded at AAA.
Parliament Hill, Ottawa, 1967. Photo: Stan Endersby. Left to right: Bob Ablack, Dennis Pendrith, Stan Endersby and Jimmy Livingston
Jimmy Livingston (Vocals)
Stan Endersby (Guitar, vocals)
Ed Roth (Keyboards)
Dennis Pendrith (Bass, vocals)
Bob Ablack (Drums)
Ted Sherrill (Drums)
Bobby Kris (Vocals)
This short-lived, albeit important, Toronto rock band evolved out of The Tripp in late May 1967 and was briefly known as Livingstone’s Tripp. In July the musicians modified the name to Livingstone’s Journey.
Jimmy Livingston, Stan Endersby, Ed Roth and Bob Ablack had all earlier been in The Just Us. Livingston had also briefly co-fronted The Mynah Birds in 1965 with Ricky James Matthews (aka Rick James).
The Livingston-led line up entertained fans at Toronto’s Esplanade (a plaza on the ground floor of the Richmond-Adelaide Centre) during mid-August 1967 and played at Ottawa’s Mall and Parliament Hill (the latter at a ‘smoke-in’ in support of pot legislation).
Sometime in October, Ted Sherrill came in on drums from The Vendettas (Keith McKie of Kensington Market fame’s old band) and former The Imperials frontman Bobby Kris (real name Bob Burrows) was drafted in to replace Livingston.
The new line-up lasted only a few months and in the spring of 1968 the group played its final date at Toronto’s Night Owl (which was recorded live but never released).
Photo: Bob Burrows. Left to right: Dennis Pendrith, Stan Endersby, Ted Sherrill, Ed Roth and Bobby Kris (aka Bob Burrows)
These recordings included group originals ‘Inner City’ (written by Bobby Kris) and ‘Bull Feathers’ (written by Ted Sherrill), and a heavy version of The Beatles ‘You Can’t Do That’.
Endersby left for England soon after, where he met The Kinks’ Peter Quaife at Hatchettes Playground in Piccadilly, London (together they later formed Mapleoak), while Roth travelled to Los Angeles and worked with former Tripp members Neil Lillie (aka Neil Merryweather) and Livingston, who later died of cancer on 1 June 2002. Kris reformed The Imperials, who gigged into 1969.
Burrows and Pendrith continue to perform and record with Burrows & Company, who have a number of tracks on Spotify.
Selected gigs
2-4 June 1967 – Boris’ Red Gas Room, Toronto (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp)
9 June 1967 – Boris’, Toronto (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp)
11 June 1967 – Boris’, Toronto (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp)
30 June 1967 – North York Centennial Centre, Toronto with Mandala, The Spirit and The Power Project
1 July 1967 – Broom and Stone, Scarborough (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp) with The Reelers and The Deep End
5 July 1967 – Hawk’s Nest, Toronto (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp).
9 July 1967 – Broom and Stone, Scarborough with Mandala (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp)
28 July 1967 – Kin-Oak Arena, Oakville, Ontario (billed as Livingstone’s Tripp)
4 August 1967 – Hawk’s Nest, Toronto
5 August 1967 – Broom & Stone, Toronto with A Passing Fancy and The Dana
14-19 August 1967 – Esplanade, Toronto
19 August 1967 – Danceiro, near Sauble Falls, Ontario (Sun Times, Owen Sound)
22-27 August 1967 – Le Hibou, Ottawa (Ottawa Journal)
26 August 1967 – The Mall, Ottawa (Ottawa Journal)
August 1967 – Parliament Hill, Ottawa
29 August-3 September 1967 – Le Hibou, Ottawa
22 September 1967 – Purple Peanut Teen Club, Toronto
3 November 1967 – Hawk’s Nest, Toronto (billed as featuring Bobby Kris), with the Tiffanies
8 December 1967 – Purple Peanut, Toronto (billed as Bobby Kris with Livingstone’s Journey)
6 January 1968 – Purple Peanut, Toronto
26-27 January 1968 – Club 888, Toronto
10 February 1968 – El Patio, Toronto
15 February 1968 – The Flick, Toronto
8 March 1968 – BCI, Brantford, Ontario (cancelled when truck broke down) (billed as Bobby Kris & The Livingstone Journey) (The Expositor)
Toronto gigs from the Toronto Telegram and Ottawa gigs from the Ottawa Citizen. This article is based on research originally undertaken in the early 2000s. Many thanks to Bob Burrows, Stan Endersby, Ed Roth and others for their help.
The Polaras released a good instrumental 45 “Cricket” / “Breaker” on Pharos PR 100. Harry Baldwin wrote both songs, published by Bevlynn. Cashbox reviewed the single on July 11, 1964.
My copy is inscribed by Harry Baldwin and Don “Pickle” Nadow. Copyright registration from September 21, 1964 shows the band’s names for an unreleased pair of songs, “Polara 500” and “Pickled Drums”, with music by Les Peterson, Harry Baldwin, Arden Fennell, and Don Nadow. Bevlynn Music Corp. also published these songs. I hope they exist on a demo.
Assuming these are the members of the group, the lineup might be:
Harry Baldwin – guitar Arden Fennell – guitar Les Peterson – bass Don Nadow – drums
Cash Box review, July 11, 1964
Arden Fennell is the only member I can find further info on. Arden had a 1969 single on Evolution, “Baby” b/w his original song “Smile A Little Smile”.
Arden was also guitarist and vocalist in other groups: The Daniel Paul Revelation with Sam Haughland, John Kerns, Rich Tiley, and Randy Tiley; and The Tryb with Ralph Gonzalez, Jerry Lawson, Tim Rock, Leroy Shuster, Bill Shuster, both of which recorded unreleased songs at Norman Petty’s studio.
Pharos was based in Hollywood, mainly releasing records by TV actress Rosemary Prinz, and a jug-band type single by the Nomads, produced by Jackie DeShannon.
Riccardo and the 4 Most made one single, the great ballad “There’s a Reason” backed with a good version of “Barefootin'”, released in 1967 on Foremost Records.
The band is listed on the label: Riccardo Wright (guitar), Ralph Marotta (bass), George Leary (drums), and Douglas Jacobs (organ). Bill White wrote and sung lead on “There’s a Reason”.
“Bare Footin'” features Ricardo Wright on lead vocals. Someone is playing trumpet on both songs, uncredited.
Later members included Joe Lattanzio (trumpet) and Tommy Watson (bass). In 1969, with an expanded horn section including Ron Rucker on trombone and Gene Hilstro on sax, the group became a nonet called the Blues Busters.
If any of the members of the band are out there, I’d like to hear from them.
The single was recorded at Kennett Sound Studio in Kinderhook. I found an acetate lacquer of both sides among a stack of Kennett demos. The Foremost Records release code U4KM-0937 indicates a 1967 RCA pressing.
ad from February 11, 1967It’s a little difficult to search for the band, as listings for the group in newspapers include variations such as Riccardo & the Fourmost, Ricardo and the 4 Most, Ricardo and the Foremosts, etc. The sign behind the band on stage in two photos reads “The Fabulous 4 Most”.
The earliest ad I can find for the group is from the Troy Record on February 11, 1967, noting that Ricardo and the 4 Most would be playing the Excelsior House on Snyders Lake in North Greenbush “every Friday, Saturday and Sunday”. Another ad on August 19, 1967 noted the group would play the Excelsior “every Thurs. thru Sun.
The Times Record of Troy mentioned the group playing Shaker High School in Latham twice, once on January 15, 1968, then again on May 29, 1968 in a benefit for a Shaker school in Vadawal, India. The group also played the University Twist Palace in Albany.
Another ad lists Ricardo and the Foremosts at Corkey’s on 18 Clifton St. in Waterford, April 5-7, 1968.
The Troy Record noted a Youth On Unity dance on May 29 at St. Joseph’s Church Hall in Rensselaer with the Blues Busters (“formerly known as ‘Riccardo and the foremost’ from Albany” with the Souls from Pittsfield and the Multi-colored Projections.
Riccardo and the Fabulous 4-MostA clipping from January 25, 1969 (I don’t know the paper) describes their transformation into Ricardo and his Blues Busters:
Riccardo and The Fourmosts, as you younger people know, has enlarged from four to nine. The new nonet is called the Blues Busters and features rhythm & blues and soul music, much of it original words and music by Riccardo, the leader, and some arrangements by Al Friedman.
The Blues Busters are a living example of interracial harmony, personally and musically. They play to an enthusiastic gathering at The Royal Mousetrap from 9:30 to 3 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Mousetrap is on New Karner Road (Route 155) just off Central Avenue [in Colonie].
The two photos and some of the info came from the Albany Group Archive. Thank you to Al Quaglieri and Joe Lattanzio for their help with this article.
I know nothing about Venus Plus X, other than the first names Ken & Greg given writer credits on the A-side. I’d like to know who was in the group and how they came to make this record. The group took their name from the 1960 Theodore Sturgeon novel.
The flip is a cover of the John Phillips song, but a pleasant version.
Andre Tanker and Herman Hadeed owned the Atman Records label, and published “Victim of Circumstances” through Tanker Music.
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
