The Shy Guys from Oak Park, Michigan and their closest brush with fame was opening for a tour of the Dave Clark Five.
The Shy Guys consisted of Ron Nelson (previously known as Ron Lefko) – lead guitar and vocals, Stu “Hirshfield” Howard – rhythm guitar and vocals, Marty Lewis – bass and Mark Finn – drums. Both sides of this 45 are great garage pop with good harmonies. “We Gotta Go” certainly had the potential to break into the charts, but only had local success.
Scott Regen of WKNR had the Shy Guys adapt “We Gotta Go” into “The Burger Song” to promote his show. Hear it on the Motor City Radio Flashbacks site, along with a photo of the Shy Guys and a Scot Regen fan card.
The Panik label was started as JR by Joe Revaz out of Detroit, originally for soul artists. A couple other garage and pop bands like the Rainy Days and the Human Beings also have 45s on Panik.
These two tracks were also released on the local Palmer label, along with a second 45, “A Love So True”/”Where You Belong”. Their last release was a fine Ron Nelson original “Without You” on the Canusa label, with a cover of the Byrd’s “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better” on the flip.
These are not the Shy Guys from Florida responsible for the incredible psych 45 “Black Lightning Light”.
Thank you to Ron Domilici for the news photo at top.
This was a day in a life. On my purple Sting Ray going to listen to Marty lewis play. And all of the others, Just brought back the memories of the MUMMP.
We Gotta Go-great tune! Thanks for posting it!
Wish I had a pic, I’d post it.
Hey Lee, are you Todd’s brother? The Mump, yea!
OMG the Mump!!! I really think that’s where it all started! I have some amazing memories of that place and of course outside of the building. (bad kids that we were) Just think what our kids would have done with a place like that.
I don’t remember when it closed or the circumstance why it did.
So are you Neil Wiener’s brother? If you are, tell him that I have always considered him my first boyfriend!
The Shy Guys went to my high school — Oak Park High School. The were in the Class of ’67, one year after me. When WE GOTTA GO came out, in the spring of ’66, all hell broke loose at school. One of our local radio stations, WKNR, was so deluged by requests for the song, that it cracked the “Keener 13” in no time. It got a ton of airplay on WKNR, but I’m not so sure the other Detroit rock stations (CKLW and WXYZ) picked up on it. Scott Regan, a “Keener” DJ was all over the record, and was probably most responsible for its local success. He even had the Shy Guys cut a promotional song for him to the tune of We Gotta Go. I remember not liking the song that much when it was first out, but am now a big fan of it. Even have it on my iPod.
yes i am married to mark finn of the shy guys and i can send a picture.. also ron lefco was a record producer for don fogelberg.. check out his older albums of the 70s.
Wow ! How’s Mark? Does he remember playing in the basement of Fatima church ?
Mike Wild
Correction: Marty Lewis, not Ron Lefko, was
the producer of all Dan Fogelberg’s hits.
In addition, he produced/engineered major
hits by Jimmy Buffett i.e. Margaritaville,
Cheeseburger in Paradise, and other artists
including Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson,
Asleep at the Wheel, Charlie Daniel’s Band,
Donovan, Ozark Mountain Daredeviles among
others. For a more complete list of Marty Lewis’
credits, search Marty Lewis producer/engineer/
artist @ http://www.allmusic.com
Right, Shy Guys went to OPHS – Stu graduated in ’67, Ron and Mark in ’68 and Marty in ’69. What a time that was…
You are not on facebook any more-I hope everything is okay
I remember well, 1966, when I was president of the Shy Guys Fan Club in Northville, Michigan. My friends and I were sort of their “groupies” of those days. We met them when they were performing at the Cavern in Northville. We had autograph signings for the guys and attended everytime they played at the Cavern. Those were such happy times and I remember that your Mark was a great guy! Would love for you to tell the guys “hi” for me, and I would like to know how they are and what their life has been like.
Also would love to see pictures of Mark and his family, and the other guys. Please contact my e-mail! Thanks! Debbie
Can somebody please help me with the lyrics, I must be deaf. What are the words to the line that starts:
Those ??? ??? don’t have no fun
No matter what they do
They keep on tryin’ to change it all
You’ll hear them say to you
We gotta go, etc.
A great song, I have it on my iPod too.
Sounds like you know Marty. Worked with him in the 70`s on a few things. Love to get in touch if you know his email.
Their lives are dull, don’t have no fun
No matter what they do…..
Now, where did I put that Unrelated Segments 45…….
Doug: Thanks very much, I’ve been waiting 44 years for that!
There is a picture on Marty Lewis Facebook page. Marty was recently killed in Cabo San Lucas, We miss you Marty.
The Mump use to be the old Northland Playhouse on Northland Shopping Center Drive, there was also the Serendipity and other clubs around for dancing in the 60’s.
I remember the Shy Guys playing at Edsel Ford, (Dearborn, MI) in ’68 or ’69. Dang, maybe it was earlier, which means I was in junior high at Edison Jr High. Anyway, I thought they were great and it inspired me to become a musician. Thanks for posting the MP3s.
We Gotta Go reminds me a heck of a lot of of Strange Town by the Jam. Both songs share the same them of alienation in the big city and even melody.
not even close
They’re in the process of rebuilding the site, but detroitradioflashbacks dot com has (or will have soon) the Scott Regan version of “We Gotta Go”. Click on “Radio Stations” then 1310. It’s rarer than Edwin Starr’s “Scott On Swingers”. Great song, ranking with Tim Tam and the Turn Ons “Wait A Minute” as one of Detroit’s best garage classics…..
Marty Lewis was my cousin
Whatever became of that other OPHS band from the sixties – The Lost Generation?
The Shy Guys played at my high school, Shrine in Royal Oak MI. I can still hear them harmonizing the refrain of Hawaii (the Beach Boys song) in my mind. I remember Mark from elementary school. He was always very musical.
Nothing was quite as special as to going to the Oak Park Follies and seeing the Shy Guys in 1968.
I remember going to the Mump with Alan Rothstein. His relative was owner. Bob Seger was on the bill. Barry Landau. OPHS Class of 1970.