Category Archives: Studio

Categories: Audio Recording (Cleveland), Buffalo, GJM, New York, Scepter

Caeser & His Romans

February 24, 2008 Chris Bishop 87 Comments

Caesar & His Romans: Dan Cook, Bill Burt, Chuck Vicario (seated), David Burt and unidentified — Caesar & His Romans, from left: Dan Cook, Bill Burt, Chuck Vicario (seated), David Burt and Karl Durant.

Caeser & His Romans were from Buffalo, recording two 45s on the GJM label in late ’67 and 1968 before signing to Scepter for two more singles. I hadn’t been able to find much about the group but some emails and comments have helped.

Vocalist Chuck Vicario stayed with the group throughout its career. Bassist John Sia co-founded the band with Chuck in 1964, and left for college in ’67. Joe Hesse replaced John and then Vinny Parker replaced Hesse. Joe DeSantis was the original drummer with the group. Other members of the group included Joe Hesse’s brother Jim Hesse on keyboards, Bill Burt and David Burt, and Dan Cook on lead guitar.

Both songs on their first 45 were written by Charles Vicario and J. Hesse, recording supervised by Jerry Meyers and Rich Sargent.

Rich Sargent wrote to me about his work with the band:

Jerry owned GJM Records, I worked for him, we used a few different studios. I produced “Leavin’ My Past Behind” at Audio Recording in Cleveland, the same studio wher Jerry produced the Joe Jeffries gold single “My Pledge Of Love” … great studio in downtown Cleveland. I am a long time friend of Chuck (Caesar/Big Wheelie) and his late manager Fred Caserta. We met in ’64 … my band and Chucks finished 1 & 2 in a number of “battle of the bands” back then.
I haven’t heard “When Will I Get Over You” in about 15 years… my favorite may have been “Leavin’ My Past Behind” (sure wish I could remix it) and “Baby Let’s Wait”. That one came close to breaking, but the Royal Guardsmen put out a version and we were done.
There was a core of players that was consistent but also a number who left, came back, left again. Dan Cook was the guitar player through all of the incarnations of Caesar and Big Wheelie. The keyboard player on “Green Grass…” was Jimmy Hesse who left to join The Road and was part of that band when they had a mid chart dingle on Kama Sutra with a cover of the Zombies “She’s Not There” which was produced by Joey Reynolds (now doing late night talk radio on WOR 710 NYC and also carried on over 200 stations).
Caesar & His Romans became Caesar & THE Romans, [then] evolved into Friendship Train which was a successful club & lounge act. During one set each night as part of the act they became Big Wheelie & The Hubcaps. This became so successful that Friendship Train was dropped in favor of a full night of Big Wheelie. Their final album was released on Amherst Records in 1976. Chuck stlll performs as Big Wheelie about 10-12 times per year. He was brilliantly managed by the late Fred Caserta who went on to found Kingdom Bound which is one of the largest concert events in the Christian Music field.

“Green Grass Makes It Better” is one of their catchiest numbers, and sure seems like a drug reference to me: the world is “going psycho” but “good green grass makes it better.” “Why Make a Fool of Me” on the flip is denser but excellent as well.

Their second record is one I haven’t yet heard, “Baby, Let’s Wait”, backed by the great “Black Lantern”, a bass-driven lament written by Vicario and Hesse. The A-side has the credit “Arr. by Beaver”, while the flip says “Arr. by Breezy” and “(from the movie ‘The Atomic Grandmother’)” – a real production or another joke?

Instead of publishing through GJM Music like the first single, Darshen Music published “Black Lantern”.

Moving towards a much more commercial direction, they signed to Scepter Records as Caesar and the Romans, releasing two 45s in 1969, both minor hits in the Buffalo area. “Baby Love” uses some fuzz guitar and heavy beats on the Supremes song, but I prefer the upbeat flip, “When Will I Get Over You”, written by C. Vicario, Jr.

The A-side of their next Scepter 45, “Leavin’ My Past Behind” / “Jailhouse Rock” continues their pop sound. Mike Dugo sent me photos of two more Scepter recordings by the band, “Come Little Girl” and “Come Live With Me” that were never released to my knowledge. Both are funky soul numbers.

Thank you to Diane Burt for the photo of the group at top and additional info, to Mike Dugo for the Scepter acetate photos, the promotional flyers and ads, and to Ryan Lalande for the scan of “Black Lantern”. Thank you to Mary Durant for help with identifying Karl in the photo; Karl Durant played drums with the group.

Categories: Continental Recordings, Framingham MA, Cori, Rhode Island

The Balladeers

February 5, 2008 Chris Bishop 23 Comments

The Balladeers were from Woonsockett, Rhode Island. In the summer of 1965 they traveled twenty miles north to Framingham, Massachusetts to record this 45 at Continental Recording Studios. It appears to have been the first record released on studio owner Tom Flynn’s Cori label.

“Words I Want to Hear” is an original by Robert Allen, who may have been in the group. The song starts with a subdued atmosphere of just acoustic guitar, percussion and solo voice. Bass and harmonies add momentum until the cathartic moment when the guitarist breaks into the chorded solo.

“High Flying Bird” is one of those songs that bridged the transition from folk to rock, like “House of the Rising Sun” and “Hey Joe”. Written by Billy Ed Wheeler and originally recorded by Judy Henske, it was covered by many groups, including We Five, the Jefferson Airplane and the Canadian band the Plague, who do a great psychedelicized version. The Balladeers take is as excellent as any of these.

Roland ‘Skip’ Boucher wrote to me about how he built Continental Recordings with Dan Flynn and his brother John Flynn. Skip also told me about a release I hadn’t known about – the Balladeers first 45 on the one-off E.P. Scroggs label, also recorded at Continental:

We built the studio in 1962. We were just out of high school and rented space on the second floor of a building in Framingham. We made the walls out of plywood and filled them with sand to soundproof them. In the picture you can see a door, which is also plywood and filled with sand and there is a small interlock and another plywood door leading to the control room.
The Balladeers first 45, also recorded at Continental
I met the Balladeers in the spring of 1964 and that’s when we recorded “Cape Cod Here We Come” and it was released in early summer of 1964.
They were a very good group. Really national level in their talent. “Cape Cod Here We Come” was not in their usual repertoire. They normally did pieces that were similar to the Kingston Trio. They were almost too polished for the ’60’s. If they had been a little rougher, I think they would have fit better with the times. Their style was more of a late ’50’s style.
They had a great sound though and it was great to work with them in the studio, because they were so good.
Dan, John and I worked at WBZ in the summer of 1963 and 1964. In the fall of 1964 I went to work full time for Channel 38 in Boston and that reduced the amount of time that I could spend at Continental. I signed up the Harvard Lampoon to do an album that parodied folk and rock groups. They arranged for musicians from the Berkley school of music and they funded the upgrade of an 8 track recorder for us [Continental].
I also worked on the electronics, building a power supply for the main mixer, because the original one had never worked properly and Dan had been running it from a pair of 12 volt batteries. I did a number of radio and television commercials at Continental with people I knew at Boston TV and radio stations.
I also designed and laid out several of the album covers, including the Rising Storm and others, but I was not involved in the recordings anymore and Dan brought in a new partner at some point in the late sixties. I think this partner’s focus was on bands, so he may have been involved with the groups you mentioned. Later, Dan became more involved with radio station jingle packages.
Dan still has what remains of Continental at his home. He has a small studio and recording equipment and has a large collection of old master tapes. However, I did go through them a couple of years ago and they didn’t seem to go back to the early days.

“Cape Cod Here We Come” was written by J. Martone. In March 1967, the Balladeers released one additional 45 on the Seven Seas label, “Used to Be” / “Goin’ Out of My Head”, which I haven’t heard, but is considered light vocal pop.

Thank you to Skip Boucher for his help.

Categories: Arthur Smith Studios, Georgia, Toccoa, VM Records

The Voxmen

November 20, 2007 Chris Bishop 7 Comments

Voxmen at the Hut in Toccoa, Georgia, l-r: Bill Harding, Bill Thompson, Eddy Jordan, George Dilworth (drums), and David Westmoreland.

The Voxmen released two 45s on their own VM label. Although most of the band was from the town of Toccoa in northern Georgia, they often performed throughout north Georgia and South Carolina and recorded one of their records in Charlotte, North Carolina.

They recorded their first 45 in Atlanta, produced by Barry Westbrook. “They Say (You’re Gonna Lose That Girl)” is their crudest number, it sounds like many a Texas record to me. “You Tell Me”, written by George Dilworth and Eddy Jordan, is less primitive but holds up equally well, with an excellent solo and scream during the break.

They recorded their second 45, “Time Won’t Change My Mind”, at Arthur Smith’s studio in Charlotte, NC in December of 1967, a three hour’s drive from Toccoa. Their harmonies are smoother, the guitar jangly instead of distorted, and the organ takes a backseat to Sam Camp’s catchy harmonica lines. It’s a radio-friendly 45 that probably didn’t get much exposure, but it holds up very well to repeated listens.

I interviewed drummer, vocalist, and songwriter George Dilworth about his time with the Voxmen:

I connected with music from my earliest recollection of hearing it. Coming from a family of four – two girls and two boys – I was the oldest boy. My sisters had a small record player and I cut my teeth on Buddy Holly, Elvis, Shirelles, Platters, Bo Diddley, early rock and roll. I was always pounding away on something with my hands, which led to bongo drums. My dad died when I was eleven and my mother dated a musician for several years (they almost married). He talked me into buying a used set of drums (Slingerland, green glitter) at a music store in Greenville, SC.
Between the Beatles and Motown, I was in love with music. I played with a small three piece band (guitar, bass, and drums) called the Kapps for a few months. Meanwhile, I was also playing country music (which I dislike for the most part) with my mother’s boyfriend to supplement my income and stay in practice. We played VFW clubs, Moose Lodges, and Armory dances.
I had seen the Voxmen play at a popular hang-out in Seneca (my hometown), known as the Chicken Shack, and was impressed. When the group I first played with (The Kapps – guitar, bass, and drums) broke up, I sat in on a song or two to give drummers a break at the Chicken Shack occasionally, and Eddy and I had spoken a time or two at the shack. He undoubtedly remembered me as a drummer without a band and when they needed a drummer they tracked me down.
It surprised me to get a call from Georgia (if memory serves me correctly, [Voxmen manager] Barry Westbrook called me at home) asking if I was interested in auditioning as a drummer for the Voxmen. It was the summer of my sixteenth year. The original drummer was moving to keyboards. They also had a lead guitar (David Westmoreland), rhythm guitar (Bill Thompson), bass (Eddy Jordan). Bill Harding was the drummer moving to keyboards. I went after the position, never giving the first thought to the distance between Toccoa and Seneca should I become a member of the band. Ultimately, where there was a will, there was a way.
Mutually addicted to the Beatles, Eddy and I became close and began singing together (and later writing). Eddy tought me how to harmonize. That led to my doing more and more vocals. I am lead vocalist on both “You Tell Me” and “They Say You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”.
For the life of me, I do not remember where in Atlanta we went to record our first 45. It was an old chicken house or barn converted into a recording studio. Our manager probably set it up. Bill Harding, whom I haven’t been in contact with since the late 60’s, might recall where it was. I’ve been told he lives in Florida and that Sam has invited him to his 60th birthday jam, so, perhaps he can put you in touch with him. Anyway, it was a crude set-up, but we were excited just to be recording. We were pretty nervous at first, though we “settled in” once we began to play. The 45 sounds pretty much like what you would have heard if you had been there.
It was during this time that I met Sam Camp. He played with one of the best bands around at the time, the Avalons. I was a huge fan of the Avalons. I sat in for their drummer a time or two at the Shack and subsequently got to know some of them as time progressed. Sam was a member of the Voxmen when we recorded our second record, “Good Things” and “Time Won’t Change My Mind.”
[The photo above] was taken at the Chicken Shack sometime in 1967 prior to the Voxmen’s second release, “Time Won’t Change My Mind” and “Good Things.” The girl standing next to me was my date, Kay Chambers. Up front and center is Sam Camp on keyboards with Eddy Jordan to the far right.
The band was enjoying a close-knit period with Roy Thompson on lead guitar (not pictured) and his brother, Bill on rhythm (not pictured). Sam Camp and Roy Thompson came aboard not long after our gig in Greenville with the Dave Clark Five, bringing a much-needed seasoning to the band. We were experiencing a surge of creativity from virtually every musician in the group, culminating in the Voxmen’s last recording (December, 1967).
Our second recording was done, as you know, at Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte. Sam loved getting to play the baby Hammond and blew us all away on the harmonica break on “Time Won’t Change My Mind.”
Eddy and I stood side by side to sing “Time Won’t Change My Mind”, with a scream from me and a “hooooo” from Eddy. I was worried about my voice that day since I had a cold (stuffy nose, scratchy throat, etc.), but it didn’t seem to bother me. Eddy and I were grinning from ear to ear or laughing out loud the whole time.
Something most people do not know is that “Time Won’t Change My Mind” was really written by Eddy and me. The original song by Roy and Eddy never quite suited us, but after Eddy and I rewrote it, we never bothered to change the credits. It’s still mine and Eddy’s favorite song by the Voxmen.
We came up with the idea for the guitar and harmonies at the end of “Good Things” the night before going up to record in Charlotte. Hearing it play back the next day in the studio was a trip. We were never quite happy with the horns on “Good Things,” but had a lot of fun doing both songs. I sing lead vocal except on “Good Things”, which is sung by Roy Thompson. Eddy, David Westmoreland, and I sang background harmonies.
About where we played live. I mentioned the Chicken Shack in Seneca. It was owned by a fellow named Charlie B. Stancil (he and a friend went in together to convert an old chicken shed into a place the young people could hear live music and dance, but the friend took his share and pulled out) who later went on to give a few live outdoor concerts on his farm in the country with groups like Edgar Winter and White Trash, Cactus, Fleetwood Mac, Marshall Tucker Band, and REO Speedwagon to name a few. Charlie’s house burned down years ago and when he rebuilt his house, he finished the basement in a smaller replica of the old Chicken Shack. Charlie brought a lot of bands to this area who would never have come otherwise. All of the young people liked Charlie B. when I was coming up.

The Voxmen with the Dave Clark Five, at the Greenville Auditorium

We played places like the Chicken Shack, youth centers (like the Hut in Toccoa) throughout SC and GA, and, at our peak, opened for the Dave Clark Five at the Greenville Auditorium in Greenville, SC. An article in the Greenville paper made a big deal of our Beatle cover song, “A Day in the Life”. We heard from several sources that we outshone the Dave Clark Five that night. I still have some photographs of the two groups backstage. (Would you believe my future wife was in the audience and managed to get my autograph that night?)
It was during this phase of the band that we discovered a group in California already had legal use of the name Voxmen. We lost Roy Thompson, our lead guitar, so, Eddy and I made a trip to Jacksonville, Florida to try and recruit an old friend of Eddy’s. We brought Karl Hague back to Toccoa with us and formed the group Fredrick Haze. Internal problems (Karl was married and his wife was expecting) broke up a pretty good sound that never saw maturity. I got a job and married Deborah while the band was fizzling and never attempted to re-enter the field of music.
The keyboardist and harmonica player on “Time Won’t Change My Mind,” Sam Camp, has continued to play music over the duration of his life. He is primarily a saxophone player. He threw a big jam at his place ten years ago when he turned fifty. He’s doing it again this October for his sixtieth and it’s going to be the best yet. We’re trying to get all the old band members to attend.

George Dilworth drumming at the Greenville Auditorium. Eddy Jordan on bass in foreground.

Special thanks to George for taking the time to answer my questions and for sending the photos of the band, and to Sam Camp for the photo of the Frederick Haze poster. Sam tells me the reunion was a great success, with the band playing for over three hours. I hope to add his story on the band, along with some photos in the near future. Check out the Avalons, Sam Camp’s band before joining the Voxmen.

Categories: Hanna, Ken-Del Studios, New Jersey, Penns Grove, Scope, South Jersey Recording Service

The Friedles

October 29, 2007 Chris Bishop 26 Comments

The Friedles were the four Fried brothers from Penns Grove in southwestern New Jersey: Mike and Herman Fried on guitars, Simon Fried on bass and Milton Fried (just 14 years old at the time of their first record!) on drums.They went across the river to Ken-Del Studio in Wilmington, Delaware to make their first record “I Lost Her” / “I’m So Glad” with Milt singing lead vocals. Released as the Fried Brothers on Scope, it was mastered louder and issued again on the Hanna label. The sound may come off as somewhat crude, but there’s no denying the energy and spirit in the brothers’ delivery. “I Lost Her” was written by Mike and Milt, “I’m So Glad” by Herm and Milt.

The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I Do Love Her

“I Lost Her” entered Wilmington, DE station WAMS Top 30 survey the week of September 11, 1965 at #30. In the following weeks it rose to #24, #17, #13 (this time listed with it’s flip side, “I’m So Glad”), #11 and finally reached #10, its highest point, on October 23.

Friedles at #30 WAMS Top 30 survey, September 11, 1965

Two other songs from their early sessions at Ken Del went unissued, “I Do Love Her”, with lead vocals by Si Fried, and “The Joke’s on You”, which I haven’t heard. Both of these were written by the Fried brothers, as were the two songs on their next record.

Issued in a cool bat-themed sleeve for some reason, “She Can Go” is kind of a cross between the Searchers’ “Needles and Pins” and the Zombies’ “Tell Her No”. “Don’t Tell Me What to Do” on the flip sounds more natural, with fine punk attitude and great harmonies. The song opens with a great bass line, and Mike and Herm Fried’s guitar playing is excellent throughout. This record credits Norris Austin on organ, and the drumming by Milt is excellent.

The Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm The Jokes On You

Fried Brothers (Friedles) South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love

By 1968 their sound had become psychedelic, even as their image stayed fairly conservative. The band went to Jim Hanna’s South Jersey Recording Service in Woodstown, NJ to cut a couple songs that weren’t issued at the time. Bassist Si Fried sings “When Love”. One of the great unissued songs of the ’60s, it didn’t see the light of day until 1984, when it was released on the classic and long out-of-print Attack of the Jersey Teens compilation, which I also have to thank for the photo of the band.

The other song from this session is also excellent, “Love the Way You Love Me”, sung by Milt.

Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 When Love

The band seems to have dissolved soon after. Milton Fried started referring to himself as Charlie, or Charlie Bumm. He and Mike Fried went back to South Jersey in 1971 to cut Mike’s song “Early in the Morning”. With the band credited as ‘Charlie Bum’, Mike plays guitar and takes the first lead vocal, Charlie played drums and sings the second lead (with the high-pitched wails), and Tom Fanty played bass. Two other songs recorded at South Jersey in ’71 feature Charlie playing all instruments and vocals: a slower version of their ’65 song “I Do Love Her” and a cover of the Marmalade’s “Reflections of My Life”. For some reason, these songs are in mono on the acetates.

Simon Fried passed away in 1999. Thank you to Charlie Fried for sending me additional songs, information about the sessions and photocopies of the acetate label scans.

Thanks also to Joe Mullin for the scan of his Scope 45.

Update: Mike Fried passed away on March 15, 2013.

Charlie Bum South Jersey Recording Service demo 45 I Do Love Her

Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I'm So Glad — Fried Brothers (Friedles) Ken-Del demo 45 rpm I’m So Glad

Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 1 — Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 1

Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 2 — Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 2

Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 3 — Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 3

Milton Fried notes on the Friedles Charlie Bum 4 — Milton Fried’s notes on the songs of the Friedles and Charlie Bum 4

Categories: Louisiana, Monroe, N-Joy, Paula, Robin Hood Studios (Tyler), Ruston

The Spectres

October 13, 2007 Chris Bishop 14 Comments

The Spectres formed at Louisiana Tech in Ruston, and then based themselves in Monroe, which is about halfway between Shreveport, LA and Jackson, Mississippi. Band members included Daniel Gilbert on lead guitar, Jim Steele on vocals, Sidney Boone on keyboards and vocals and Woodie Bardin on keyboards.

Their repertoire leaned heavily on soul songs, and they often played at the Dynasty in West Monroe.

Monroe was also the base for the N-Joy label, run by Rocky Robbins. Both sides of the Spectres 45 were written by Ron Gray and J.L. Carraway. Gray did A&R for the label and had his own group, the Countdowns, with whom he released three earlier 45s on the N-Joy label, some of which I hope to feature soon. I’d be interested to know why he had the Spectres record these songs instead of his own group.

“No Good, No Where World” has a neat keyboard riff, and a heavy beat. It’s well produced with a nice pop sensibility, while “High Stepper” is a bit of a throwaway, maybe closer to their live sound. My copy of the record has some serious Katrina/Rita water damage on the labels.

Jim Steele contacted me and also sent in the two songs from the later 45:

The writers Ron & Jerry were disc jockeys in Sherveport where we cut those two sides on N-joy at Sound on Sound Studios, which burned down many years ago. Other band members besides Daniel, Sidney, and Woodard were Terry Montgomery on bass – his brother the late Vince Mongomery played bass in the very popular band from Mississippi, The Gants, and our crazy drummer Billy Bass…he’s still crazy after all these years.
You’re right about “High Stepper” it should have been thrown away! The lyrics were handed to me as I was singing them. Sidney did the harmony. He did all the soul stuff. The band even changed to gold jackets for that part of the show. I sang on the Brit Invasion and pop stuff. Unfortuately Sidney died years ago..a very talented man. We all miss him.
For some reason Daniel didn’t play guitar on Stepper, Bobby Stampley, who played in The Uniques with his brother Joe played on it. We cut two more sides in the the fall of 66.
I got drafted in the Army in Aug of that year, but came home on leave and we went to Robin Hood Brians studio in Texas to record two songs that Daniel had written. “I Cried” and “Psychodelic Situation”. Their new singer also sang, but I forgot his name. They came out on Paula, Stan Lewis’ label in Shreveport. I recently found “I Cried” on an Aussie compilation, Wyld Sydes Vol5. Did you get your royalities Daniel? Since I got out of the Army, I’ve played in a few bands and worked in radio. I currently DJ at Classic Hits LA105.3 in Monroe, Louisiana.

“Psychodelic Situation” is not very mind-bending, but it’s a solid song, and “I Cried” is even better. Both sides were produced by Rocky Robin. Thank you Jim for your comments and for sending in these two songs.

Anyone have a photo of the band?

Categories: Blacknight, Dallas, Empire, In Records, Sellers Company Recording Studio (Dallas), Texas

Kit and the Outlaws “Don’t Tread on Me”

October 5, 2007 Chris Bishop 64 Comments

Kit and the Outlaws, 1967
l-r: Kit Massengill, Joe Jessmer on drums, Jerry Colwell at the mic and Alan Ravkind

Kit and the Outlaws evolved from the Outlaws, the Dallas group led by Kit Massengill. As the Outlaws, they had a great early Texas garage 45 on the In label, produced by Tommy Allsup. Both sides, “Worlds Apart” / “Fun, Fame & Fortune” were written by Kit.

With a change of members, the group hit the big time with their second 45, a fuzzed-up version of “Midnight Hour”. It was picked up by Philips for national distribution in late 1966, mainly on the strength of the a-side. That’s a fine cover version, but it’s the b-side, Kit’s original “Don’t Tread on Me”, that gets the attention nowadays.

The first BlacKnight pressings list the band as “The Outlaws”, later pressings read “Kit and the Outlaws”. Philips licensed the single through its subsidiary Mercury Records, from San-Lin Corporation on November 23, 1966.

Members included:

Kit Massengill – lead vocals and rhythm guitar
Dennis Lowe – lead guitar
Jerry Colwell – keyboards
Alan Ravkind – bass
Joe Jessmer – drums

There is also one further 45 as Kit and the Outlaws, “Now Doubt About It” / “Mama’s Gone” on the Empire label, another of Bob Sanders’ labels. Both sides written by Kit Massengill and published by Tall Pine Music, Black Knight Production. I don’t know the date of this one, or where it fits in to the chronology of their releases, but it seems to be a rare 45.

Alan Ravkind - bass

I recently heard from keyboardist and occasional vocalist Jerry Colwell, and asked him about Kit and recording “Don’t Tread on Me”:

I met Kit in late ’65, he was working with the owner of the Cotton Club, a topless bar on Lemmon Ave. He had a bass player named Alan Rafkin [actually Alan Ravkind], and drummer named Joe Jesmer [Joe Jessmer seems to be correct spelling], but needed a keyboard player and lead guitar. I was on my way out of a band called the Gobyzurks, we were a college and night club band in North Texas.
Dennis Lowe was the lead guitar and I was the organ player. Dennis and I went to high school together and were fairly good friends. Kit told us we had 2 weeks to learn about 50 songs and play nightly at this club.

Kit & the Outlaws, recording Midnight Hour at Sellers Recording Studio, Dallas — Recording Midnight Hour at Sellers Recording Studio, Dallas

After about a year of playing night clubs in Dallas we recorded the record Midnight Hour/ Don’t Tread on Me. The Sellers Studio was close to downtown [2102 Jackson Street]. I sang on the song Don’t Tread on Me, as background.We had it pressed on the Black Knight Label. Frank Jolly at KBOX really liked us and would play the song every night, Finally all the DJ’s at KBOX started playing the song and it went up the charts. [It reached #1 on KBOX on December 2, 1966.] We were shocked that it was doing so good. KLIF wouldn’t play it cause we wern’t with a major record label.
Thanks to Bob Sanders, the recording engineer for the Sellers studio and our manager, we got signed to a 5 year contract with Philips. And changed our name to Kit and the Outlaws.

We played at a daily televised venue called “Something Else” [Sump’N Else] hosted by Ron Chapman, as well as opening for Sonny & Cher, The Hollies, Herman Hermitts, Noel Harrison, and The Byrds. We toured and had some great stories, like me and Kit putting a huge dead fish in the Galvez hotel swimming pool one night at three in the morning. Had pictures of Graham Nash and the Hollies drinking about 14 cases of beer before they went on at Will Rodgers in Fort Worth.By 1968 was almost 20 and still hadn’t completed high school, somehow lost interest due to work and touring. Can you imagine going to high school and having a #1 record. Needless to say I dated just about anyone, and I did!

Early days:

The Malibus, 1964

Started playing bass guitar and got with some older guys called the Centurys in Mesquite. Later [1964] formed my first band “The Malibus” with Don Doss, Gary Stultz, & Glen Milsap. Started playing in old bars down on Grand and Haskel Ave. These places had dirt floors, we used to put a hat down and play Jimmy Reed stuff. Thats how I learned blues harp.

The Kavemen backing Chuck Berry at Surfers a Go go

Later joined the #1 Dallas band The Cavemen and played battle of the bands against Jimmy Vaughan and his band, and the Royals and others. In 1965 the Cavemen was the home band for a Night club “Surfers A Go Go” in Dallas, where we played with Chuck Berry, Roy Head, The original Drifters, Jimmy Velvet and Johnny Green and the Greenmen. We played at clubs all over Texas, my favorites were the “Bamboo Hut” in Galveston, and “Panther Hall” in Fort Worth, a televised event every week. We were also played at Louanns many times.

The Kavemen, Dallas 1965
from left to right: Roland Allen, Jimmy Allen, Rodney Vinyard, Tommy Fonseca, Bill Walden & Jerry Colwell

In 1965 my favorite club was the Purple Orchard in downtown were my buddy Little Anthony was the host. I could go in just about any night club in Dallas and get a drink for free when I was just 16. Had a great time one night with Fats Domino.

The Gobezerks at the Sugar Shack in Mesquite

In 1966 played with “The Gobezurks” a college and night club band, I dressed in drag for some of the songs and would fall off the stage as if I was drunk.The Outlaws broke up in spring of 1968 and I went on to form the Jerry Layne Orchestra with 10 various horns and a stand up bass with Teresa Morrision on vocals.
I still play a B-3 and have recorded and produced 3 live CD’s in Austin.

Jerry Colwell with Kit & the Outlaws — Special thanks to Jerry Colwell for his history of the band and photos.

Update, February 2021:

March 1966 demo tape of Kit & the Outlaws from Sellers Recording

George Gimarc sent this image of an early demo tape of Kit & the Outlaws from March, 1966. “Fame, Fun and Fortune” is a different version than the In single. The other three songs are “Wanted”, “You Are My Sunshine” and “Lonely Avenue”. None have been released. The tape was found in the storage of the Sellers Company Recording Studio.

Update, September 2021:

Ron Lansing wrote to me about early days with the Outlaws:

I started playing with Kit when he joined my band Revelee’ in early 1965. We had met when my band was playing Louanns. Kit played with my band at a Mardis Gras party in February of 1966.
He and I both played with other bands from time to time. Band members came and went just like many of my high school buds who I played with at the time. Ultimately I ended up playing lead guitar with Kit when he and I along with Joe Jesmer and Tommy Johnson (I think that is correct last name) formed The Outlaws.

I am not positive, but I think our trip to Odessa with our ‘Outlaw’ band was in April 1966 to record the two songs Kit and Joe Jesmer came up with.

Categories: Alabama, Birmingham, Cougar, Ed Boutwell Studios, Vaughn Ltd

The Bassmen and the Candy Store Prophets

October 2, 2007 Chris Bishop 4 Comments

The Church Keys (Bassmen) playing live in Birmingham circa 1965

The Bassmen have the very first 45 released on the Vaughn-Ltd label, the excellent original song “I Need You”.

The Bassmen originally formed as the Church Keys in 1962 while in the ninth grade in Birmingham. Original members were Rob Hackney guitar, Chuck Butterworth keyboards, Mike Easter on bass and Tom Allison on drums. Over the next year they added Charlie Feldman as lead singer and Vaughn Rives on rhythm guitar, and Steve Gilmer replaced Butterworth on keyboards.

By 1965 they had changed their name to the Bassmen, and they went into Ed Boutwell’s studio in English Village to record their 45, “I Need You” / “Leigh Anne”, the first release on the Vaughn-Ltd label. Both songs are credited to B. Van Santte, perhaps a fictitious name as it doesn’t match any of the band members.

The single garnered the Bassmen appearances at shows produced by local DJs Papa Don Schroeder and Duke Rumore, and the band toured colleges in the area as well.

At the start of college in 1966, singer Charlie Feldman, bassist Mike Easter and drummer Tom Allison found new members Jamie Grant and Tommy Johnson. They renamed the band the Candystore Prophets and released one very fine Beatles-esque 45 on Andy Anderson’s Cougar label of Jackson, Mississippi, “The Time of Day” b/w “You’re a Teaser” (both written by Jamie Grant).

Note, this is not the same Candy Store Prophets led by Boyce and Hart who wrote and recorded the backing tracks for all the early songs of the Monkees.

Source: Info for this story and the photo at top are taken from the Bassmen’s site. Check it to see more photos and updates on the band.

Categories: Edgewood Recording Studio (DC), Maryland, United Artists

The Omegas

September 28, 2007 Chris Bishop 27 Comments

The Omegas, spring 1966, from left: Mike Sarigumba, Art Brueggeman, A.T. Ryder, Mike McKeller and Steve CallahanThe Omegas were a Montgomery County group who had gone through considerable personnel changes by the time they recorded their record on United Artists.

The original group cut two songs at Edgewood Recording Studio, a good slow number with dirge-like organ called “Mean Old Man Day”, and “Mud” (aka “Mississippi Mud”), a catchy pop number with acoustic guitar, harmonies and underwater sound effects. These never saw release and I’ve only heard clips from a 2008 auction, which I didn’t win.

Art Brueggeman wrote to me about the group in 2012:

I was the original bass player and joint founding member along with Mike McKeller (drummer) and Steve Callahan (rhythm guitarist). We were high school buddies. We quickly brought in a lead guitarist and a keyboard player.
Here’s a band picture taken in the spring of 1966. That’s me with the Jazz Bass, Steve with the Gibson ES335, and Mike on drums. The other two are A.T. Ryder on Strat and Mike “Pineapple” Sarigumba on keyboard.
We were playing fraternity parties, debutante events, and dances. In early summer we ended up going to Ocean City and landing a gig at The Paddock on 17th street. It was really the only bonafide night club in OC at the time. We played 6 nights a week, and a jam session Saturday afternoon. As I recall, we were there until mid-August or so.
It was a time of the Vietnam war and the draft. Mike and Steve left the band in the Spring of 1967 to join the Air Force Reserves. I ended up joining after the end of the summer. We had a replacement drummer and rhythm guitarist for that summer. Then we returned in the summer of 1967 with the two replacements. I ended up getting married in April 1968 when I got back from active duty, and never returned to the band.
Mike returned to the band and the personnel changed. Don’t remember what Steve did exactly, but he was married by that time as well. It was the original five Omegas though who recorded the three cuts at Edgewood. As I recall, that was done in the fall of 1966, but I may be off there.
Mike and I sang “Mean Old Man Day”, and Steve and Pineapple sang “Mississippi Mud”. We did not write those songs. We did no original writing. I really do not remember who wrote them. I just remember it was two guys who we were put in touch with.

Steve Callahan wrote:

I have the original master from Edgewood studio’s which I found just recently….metal center coated with acetate. I also have the original United Artists release of the other 2 songs.

The UA record is largely the work of Tom Guernsey of the Reekers and the Hangmen. Tom wrote and arranged both sides of the record, played guitar and piano, and co-produced it with Larry Sealfon.

The vocalist on “I Can’t Believe” is Joe Triplett, who was in the Reekers with Tom and was also the vocalist on the first Hangmen 45, “What a Girl Can’t Do”. Leroy Otis played drums on the track and backing vocals were by the Jewels.

A catchy and danceable record, it was released in early 1968 and had some local chart success. With its crossover appeal I’m surprised it’s not better known these days. The flip was a ballad by Tom Guernsey, “Mr. Yates”. He told me it was one of the songs he was proudest of writing.

Categories: Planet, Planet Studios (Providence), Providence, Rhode Island, Unknown

Shawkey Se’au and the Muffins

September 13, 2007 Chris Bishop 5 Comments

Shawkey Se'au and the Muffins Planet 45 Just One More Time Shawkey Se’au and the Muffins are thought to be from Rhode Island.

They wail away on the crude and repetitive “Just One More Time”, released on the Planet label. The flip is a dense weeper by John Broughton and the Muffins called “Walk Alone”.

Publishing by Planet Studios’ company Ranford Music.

Categories: Des Moines, IGL, IGL (Iowa Great Lakes Recording), Iowa

The Second Half “Forever in Your World” on IGL

September 13, 2007 Chris Bishop 16 Comments

The Second Half were long rumored to have come from southwestern Minnesota, Jasper to be exact – if a rumor could be exact. Actually they were from Des Moines, Iowa, as I learned from Steve Acheson, who put me in touch with his brother David, the bassist for the group.

The IGL label was based out of Milford, Iowa, about two hundred miles from Des Moines. “Forever In Your World” is a really fine uptempo song, written by the band’s vocalist Deni Bell, published by Okoboji Music – Okoboji being a lakeside town in Iowa near Milford.

The flip, “Knight in Armour” is a contrived kind of pop, but the band gives a good performance. It was written by Wes McGlothlen, who turns out to be the group’s friend and manager.

Steve Acheson first gave me some info on the band:

The band was based out of Des Moines, Iowa, not Minnesota. My brother played bass in the band, and they often used to practice in our living room. I’m not sure exactly how long they were together, but it was long enough to get pretty good, and play some local venues. I am several years younger than my brother, and was extremely interested in playing drums at the time, and used to watch them practice for hours.
Their drummer had a set of Ludwig drums, with that classic “60s” color, sort of like the drums Ringo used during the Beatles’ early years. Occasionally, he’d let me play them. (Thanks Bob.) I recently talked with my brother, and between the two of us we remembered some of the details below:
The lineup at the time the record was made was:
Bob Spooner – Drums
David Acheson – Bass Guitar
Deni Bell – Lead Vocals
Dean Arnold – Rhythm Guitar
Fred Shaffer – Lead Guitar
Wes McGlothlen – Manager
When they made the record, I remember there was a lot of “buzz” around our house. They loaded all their equipment into a trailer, and hitched it behind our Mom’s ’63 Ford Falcon, and towed it off to somewhere, which I now find was IGL studios in Milford.
My recollection of the “B” side of the record is that it wasn’t that good a song. Certainly not on a par with Forever In Your World.
When I played this for my brother, he, at first, didn’t recognize it, having not heard it for 40 years. But then, the memories all started coming back.
After the band broke up, and after my brother graduated high school, he joined the Army, and ultimately ended up in Denver, CO. He doesn’t play an instrument any more. The funny thing is, I remember more about the band, and the song than my brother. Even before I found the song again, I knew the opening bass line, the basic melody and the first verse and chorus. For some reason, that stuck with me for all these years. We have no idea of the whereabouts of any of the other members.

David Acheson added:

I don’t remember many specifics about the band. Don’t even remember how I got involved with it. I do remember that I played a red Guliettin bass guitar.
Bob Spooner (drummer) and Dean Arnold (rhythm and keyboards) were out of school. Bob was married. Deni and Fred went to North High School, Fred Scheafer (lead) was a junior, Deni Bell (lead vocals) was a senior, I believe. I went to Roosevelt HS, I was a senior. Wes McGlothlen (manager) was out of school.
Our name came about because Wes and Deni wanted us to be “the second half” of the music revolution that The Beatles began. My mother was very involved … we practiced a lot in the living room of our home, and she drove us to some of our gigs. Two that I remember the best were at Fort Des Moines Roller Rink for a battle of the bands, and at a frat house on the University of Iowa campus for their homecoming. I remember many students at U of I telling us they thought we were the best band on campus that weekend. We also received a very enthusiastic reception at the battle of the bands.
Wes, and especially Deni and Dean, wrote a lot of songs, many of which were incorporated into our playlists. For the most part, the original music was very well received.
I don’t remember much about the studio work, except that the day was very long. The weeks prior to the recording date were spent in constant rehearsal on “Forever in Your World”.
I am not inclined toward music. It was hard work for me to play any instrument, so I didn’t continue my “career” after I graduated (1967). Shortly after I graduated I joined the Army and left everything with my mother. While I was in Germany I learned that she traded or sold it for a sewing machine. I was glad she did as she got much more use out of that than I ever would have with the guitar. It was quite an experience for me at the time. I wish my mother were alive …. she remembered everything, and I am sure she could have provided us with details that have been long forgotten by everyone else. I remembered a few things just talking with my brother the other night … things that I hadn’t thought of in years. When I left Des Moines I didn’t stay in touch with anyone.

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