The Incidentals with Bill Ervin on Ford Records

Incidentals Ford 45 All Night

I cannot find much information on the Incidentals, who were primarily an instrumental band. They released three singles on the Ford Records label out of New York.

The first is the excellent “All Night”, a band original, backed with a version of the Ventures “Driving Guitars” (including drum solo), on Ford Records 134. Cash Box reviewed the single in October, 1964, giving the sides B+ and B grades. These instrumentals are primarily guitar-driven melodies, but the group did have a pianist. The entire band plays very well.

Rest-A-While Music Company (ASCAP) published “All Night”. Rest-a-While Music appears on other Ford and Merry-Go-Round releases, including Ford 117, The Gallant Men’s “Lost Romance” by Foti and O’Donnell, and Dolores Rodell “Go For Broke” written by Vin Roddie, on Ford 132. The company had a New York City address.

Incidentals 1st single reviewed in Cash Box, October 10, 1964

Incidentals Ford 45 Driving GuitarsI haven’t heard or seen their second single as the Incidentals, two more instrumentals, “Fireside” / “Lucille” on Ford 138. Cash Box reviewed it in January 1965, awarding the same B+/B grades as their first single.

A third 45 “Walkin’ the Dog” / “If You Go” on Ford 143 is credited to Bill Ervin & the Incidentals. The Library of Congress has a May 1965 registration for “If You Go” written by William Ervin, published by Merry-Go-Round Melody Co. I’d like to hear these, and would like to know if Bill Ervin was an added vocalist or if he played an instrument on the earlier records.

Billboard listed Sherman Ford Jr as the Incidentals personal manager, he was also president of Ford Records and Merry-Go-Round.

This Incidentals almost certainly was not the group from Ocala, Florida with a single on Paris Tower “baby I Want You Back Again” / “It’s All in Your Mind”. Members of that Incidentals were Ed Barnett, vocals; John Winter on guitar; Steve Fordyce on bass; Tony Cummings and Biff Ruff on organ; and Mike Barnett on drums.

Nor were they the group who cut “Baby Shake” / “Till the Ending of Time” on Gold Standard.

3 thoughts on “The Incidentals with Bill Ervin on Ford Records”

  1. The Incidentals were all students atending Choate Rosemary Hall, a private boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut. I’ve met a few people who also confirmed this, as they also went to Choate circa 1963-64.

  2. I have If You Go which is on home comp posted on Garage Tapes blog. Not sure if the link is good anymore. The song is a beautiful ballad with great lead and back up vocals. It should have been a hit.

  3. I had a Bill Ervin as a neighbor and he was the boys coach at Underwood! I’d since him at social gatherings once in awhile! He died, btw! Does anyone know about that? He was 64! All the best!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.