Karen and the Starliners came from Plainfield, Connecticut, but recorded at Planet Studios in Providence, Rhode Island. “I Can Count the Times” has a good garage backing, the flip “Storm in My Heart” is a more typical ballad.
Fred Richards wrote both songs, published by Planet’s in-house company Ranford Music Co., and registered with the Library of Congress in October, 1966.
This seems to be their only release. I don’t have any other band members’ names.
The Lost and Found originated in San Clemente, California as the Nuts & Bolts. Relocating to Phoenix Arizona, they became the Lost and Found and cut this single on the one-off Pins label. They were about 16 or 17 years old at the time of the session.
The band members were:
Jim Jeffers – lead guitar
Mike Ingram – rhythm guitar and vocals
Al Manfredi – bass and vocals
Mike Ryer – drums and vocals
Mike Ingram wrote the fast-paced “Don’t Move Girl”, while Al Mandredi wrote the introspective “To Catch the Sun”, both songs published by Debra, BMI.
The Library of Congress shows the songs registered on November 14, 1966, listing their full names, with their mothers’ names as publishers: John Michael Ingram and Ruby P. Ingram; and Albert T. Manfredi and Wanda Manfredi.
The single is a Wakefield Pressing with the code SJW-8937. It was recorded at Loy Clingman’s Viv Studio.
The group had a tragic streak, as Mike Ingram died soon after the group returned to California in early 1967. After a year’s hiatus, Al Manfredi reformed the group with drummer Mike Ryer, only to have tragedy strike again, as Ryer died of cancer. Certainly this was a talented group that deserved a better fate.
Al Manfredi gave music lessons while continuing to write and record demos of songs. In 1973 he brought a band into a studio to cut some of his original songs, and had a small number of copies pressed by Band ‘n Vocal Mobile Recording Service. Al passed away in 1995, but Now-Again Records has issued his album and other recordings as Blue Gold.
I don’t have much info on the Coming Generation who released one single in 1969 on the King Town label. Jim Du Bois wrote “Tell Me Now”, and Ed Barnhart wrote “This Troubled Life”.
The band seems to have been a quintet or sextet, with organ and smooth harmony vocals. They were indeed from Kingston, New York, as noted on several ads for shows in the Kingston Daily Freeman beginning in 1967 and ending in 1970.
A sample of their shows include:
1967 – Sportsmen’s Park, Rosendale and the Viking Lounge on Glasco Turnpike, High Woods
1969 – 1970 – the Pleasure Yacht, Eddyville
December 31, 1969 – the Creamery at Wiltwyck Village, Esopus with Jay and the Techniques
1970 – Thunderbird Inn, Route 9W, Saugerties
March, 1970 – Thunderbird Inn with Fire and Ice (could this be Auggie Bucci’s group, with singles on Capitol and Crazy Horse?)
Runout vinyl has no markings other than 0024-A/B, but this numbering and the label design indicates it was recorded at Kennett Sound Studio in Kinderhook, NY.
Despite the labels saying copyright ’69, I haven’t found any registration for these songs.
In November 1967 a single by the Riders of the Mark came out on 20th Century Fox Records 45-6694. One side is the very accessible “Gotta Find Somebody”; the flip is the wild two minutes of “The Electronic Insides and Metal Complexion That Make Up Herr Doktor Krieg”.
Teen Beat Mayhem lists locations of Moorestown, New Jersey which is east of Philadelphia, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, over an hour’s drive to the west.
The Riders of the Mark may have been a real group, but the credits on their 20th Century Fox single don’t support that idea, and instead point to John Hill, Don Cochrane and their associates.
John Hill wrote “Gotta Find Somebody”; John Hill and Don Cochrane wrote “The Electronic Insides and Metal Complexion That Make Up Herr Doktor Krieg”. Blackwood Music published both songs, and the Blackwood connection features in the lead for news items on the recording in Cash Box and Record World. Tony Luis and John Hill produced both sides, and Hill arranged “… Herr Doktor Krieg”.
John Hill and Don Cochrane composed “Love, Love, Love, Love, Love” for the Nite People, also done by Wool, and John Hill released it under his own name on a Columbia 45 backed with “I’m a Bear”.
Hill produced and played guitar on Margo Guryan’s 1968 LP Take a Picture, and produced the sessions that would be released as Susan Christie’s Paint a Lady. Studio musicians included Kirk Hamilton on bass and Jim Valerio on drums. These were done at Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios, but since that studio opened in 1968, I have to assume the Riders of the Mark single was recorded elsewhere.
In 2009, Finders Keepers Records released some of his 1970 sessions at Sigma Sound as John Hill’s 6 Moons of Jupiter.
Don Faulk and Harrel Baker wrote the A-side of the Nite Liters excellent single on Sounds International 631, “Set Me Free”. D’Arcy Sounds Studios‘ publishing company Twenty Grand Music belatedly registered copyright on over 20 songs including “Set Me Free” on April 3, 1968. Since this seems to be the earliest release on Sounds International, the single likely dates a year or two earlier.
Danny Kelly of the Nite Liters wrote to me about the group and sent the photo seen above:
I did play trumpet with the Nite Liters along with George Resto and Harrel Baker on sax and also rhythm guitar. Bobby Schnell on drums, Joe Fromel on keyboards and vocals, Donnie Faulk on bass and vocals, and Steve Keith on lead guitar filled out the rest of the band.
We all went to Hampton High School. Danny and the Del Notes went to Newport News High School which was a real rivalry in every sense.
We recorded an original titled “Set Me Free” and covered “The Harlem Shuffle” in D’Arcy Studio around the time Danny and the Del Notes did their record. We were both on the Sounds International label. Our 45 aired locally on AM and played on a few juke boxes. We only had 500 copies made.
Before George and I were recruited into the band, the Nite Liters played in the battle of the bands at the Peninsula Auditorium.
I remember playing with Dennis and the Times at the Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach. The best times were when we were the house band at the Hullabaloo Club in Newport News, Va. We even tried getting into some psychedelic music there. That was really crazy.
There were other good times like when a couple of members including myself went down to North Carolina to get a dj Russ Spooner to play a demo tape on the air. We recorded that also at D’Arcy studio.
As of right now, we’re all still alive and kicking. Steve, Bobby and myself are the only ones still in the area. George and Joe are up in northern Va., Donnie’s somewhere out west and Harrel is music director with a group in Hawaii. He was a surfer back when we were at Hampton High School. I’m retired from the USPS.
Danny Kelly, March 2019
Less than two weeks ago The Shades Of Depression were a complete unknown band in the garage rock 45 rpm community, one of those iconic bands that recorded a stunning and highly collectible record and disappeared into the lore of history to be debated on late night chat rooms and podcasts 40 plus years later. When I first started collecting local records a couple years ago Trail TSRC-1712 released in 1967 was at the top of my want list. “Time For Love” backed with “I’m A Fool” by The Shades Of Depression doesn’t sound like a record made in the hills of East Tennessee and the band name oozes West Coast coolness.
Frustrated that I’ve never even seen a copy of this gem recorded less then 3 miles from Big Lon’s clandestine lair, I posted pictures of one I’d found grossly over priced on eBay asking if anyone knew anything about the band and within an hour had made contact with a band member and the widow of a band member. By this past Saturday, I was standing outside The Down Home getting a hug from Anne Hammonds, the widow of one of the band members with a near mint un-played original copy in my hand and a story to share.
Turns out The Shades Of Depression were not from an exotic far-off land, they hailed from God’s country, Church Hill, TN just a few miles down Bloody 11-W from the Tri-State studio in Kingsport. This band formed in 1967 consisted of Church Hill High School students Joe Johnson (vocals, guitar, song writer), Chuck Leamon (guitar, vocals), George “Rocky” Hammonds (bass, vocals) and Ronnie Slemp (drums).
They performed together 2-3 years while in high school mostly playing local sock hops and dance parties. Rocky and Chuck would sit up late night with a tape recorder and AM radio to catch the newest Beatles or Doors songs on Chicago radio stations and then learn them for the next weekend gig as new records released in major markets didn’t make it to small towns like Kingsport until two or three weeks later giving The Shades Of Depression a leg up on other local bands.
Their biggest rival band for local shows was The Odds’n’Ends from Surgoinsville, TN which featured Benny Wilson (Passenger, Janie Fricke Band, Benny Wilson Band) and Billy Greer (Passenger, Bishop, Kansas) who had just recorded TSRC-1709 “Record Shop Song” at Tri-State.
The band had 500 copies of the record pressed. They sold them mostly to friends and family with a few available at the local Woolworths and Joseph’s Music Center in Kingsport.
As with most garage bands life happens and they broke up as Chuck went to college, Rocky joined the Air Force and Joe started a successful real estate business. Chuck said he doesn’t know what happened to Ronnie as they drifted apart as school, jobs, wives and children rearing became the priorities. Rocky passed away in 2007. Chuck and Joe still live in the area.
Anne and Chuck were surprised by the clamor about this record released over 50 years ago and were appreciative I wanted to do a story about the band and that this treasured 7” piece of vinyl means so much to those of us trying to preserve the musical legacy of Southern Appalachia. Chuck said he tossed 50 or 60 of these away a few years ago with no thought that one day people around the world would clamor for a copy. As Anne’s note says ”it’s all about the music”. Thanks to The Shades Of Depression for preserving a piece of the local 1960’s history through a timeless 45.
Lonnie Salyer writes about eastern Tennessee music at Big Lon’s Crateful Dig on Facebook. Each week, Big Lon spins obscure original local 45rpm and 78rpm records on Radio Bristol at WBCM 100.1 FM and online.
The New Diablos came from East Baltimore, Maryland, making two excellent psychedelic singles during their time together.
The band went through many lineup changes but included as many as eight people at one point:
Bub Deskin – lead vocals
Bill Bell – lead guitar
Bobby Peter – rhythm guitar
Wayne Smith – bass
George Dobash Jr. – drums
Dave Smith – keyboards
Norm Snyder – saxophone
Tim Cech – saxophone
Their first single contained vocal and instrumental versions of “Land of Love”, song writing credits to Serpents Inc., Edw. E. Medcaff (or Ed Metcalffe). It seems Bob Deskin brought this song with him from his prior band, the Serpents. Saxophones are absent from both their singles, but this one has flute to accompany the lead vocal.
The New Diablos released “Land of Love” on Littlefields Records RI 2759, with Alfred L. Cullen credited for production and publishing “at White Marsh, MD”. George Dobash, Sr at 823 Lannerton Road in Baltimore has arrangement credit.
Their next single may have come as late as 1970. “Tangerine Guides” and “I’m Fake” have touches of psychedelia and soul. Bill Bell and George Dobash wrote both songs (Dodash on the label is a typo). I’m still trying to puzzle out the lyrics to “I’m Fake”.
It was recorded at Virtue Recording Studios at 1618 N. Broad St., Philadelphia and released on Frank Virtue’s Fayette label, F-9370. D. Hutch gets producer credit.
The band continued into the ’70s with some lineup changes.
The Royal Coachmen cut two fine, fratty rockers for their own Coachmen label in June of 1966. “Lollipop” sounds like it could be an original, while “Bama-Lama” is a rewrite of Little Richard’s “Bama Lama Bama Loo”.
A friend of the band commented on social media that Joe Labontee sang and played rhythm guitar, Alan Parker played bass, and John “Pudgy” Alosa played drums. They were students at Bishop Brady High School, class of 1967, in Concord, New Hampshire. He added that “the lead guitar player on those recordings was a hired gun named Dick Clark, I believe”.
A. Parker is credited for both songs. ASCAP has both songs listed in their database, but mixed in with the compositions of British soundtrack composer Alan Frederick Parker.
The numbers 200,914 and 200,915 on the labels refer to the Decca custom pressing code, often used for New England records, but there were pressings for groups from Pennsylvania and beyond. The Sea Music Pub. (ASCAP) was located at 1 Boylston Place in Boston, MA.
1 Boylston Place was also address of Ace Recording Studios, owned by Milton and Herbert Yakus, with William F. Ferruzzi chief engineer.
Thank you to Jim M. for forwarding info on the group to me.
The Incrowd came from Hillsboro, Ohio, close to 60 miles east of Cincinnati. Members were:
Larry Zuggs – vocals
Randy Applegate – guitar
Paul “Bud” Long – guitar
Charles Murphy – organ
Mike Waddell – bass
Jay Cooper – drums
Circa 1965 they traveled to Dayton’s Mega Sound Studio (distinct from Mega-City Studio) to record their only single, featuring an intensely wrought soul ballad “Keep It” on the A-side. On the flip is the frantic and distorted “Set Me Free”. Both songs were supposedly written at the recording session!
Instead of release on Mega Sound’s standard Prism label, they were given the plain b&w Prism package plan for their pressing of 500 copies. Other bands on this 3000 custom series included the Senators and the Warbucks.
Anyone have a photo of the band?
Info from Buckeye Beat, with help from Matthew Baker in distinguishing Mega Sound and Mega-City studios.
Here’s an excerpt of an alternate version of Baker Knight’s original “Are You Satisfied Now”.
The Reprise single version of “Are You Satisfied Now” has horns, a female chorus, a completely different band and a smoother vocal from Baker. It was the b-side of “The Verge Of Success”, Knight’s seventh and last release on Reprise Records from April, 1968. That version was produced by Jimmy Bowen.
This demo definitely comes from an earlier session, I’d guess around 1966 given the folk-rock backing and grittier vocal. Although this demo lists Hill & Range publishing, by the time Knight registered the song in 1968 that had changed to Smooth Music / Noma Music as it is on the single. In fact I don’t find any evidence of Baker publishing through Hill & Range during the mid-60s.
I only wish Knight would stop singing long enough for a guitar break, but he had plenty of lyrics to get through.
This 8″ lacquer was cut at Stereo Masters Co. on Melrose.
