The Rockin’ Gibralters came out of Montgomery, Alabama, making four singles between 1966 and 1968.
Members were:
Sonny Grier – vocals
Rusty Crumpton – lead guitar
Ed Sanford – keyboards
Keith Brewer – bass guitar
Bobby DuPree – drums
Ronnie Monroe – trumpet (and roadie?)
I haven’t been able to find details about their history yet.
I’m not sure which was their first single but it may have been “Go With Me” / “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” on Morgan HV-9040 from 1966. Sonny Grier and Keith Brewer wrote “Go With Me”, with publishing by Granny Music. The band’s name is spelled Rockin’ Gibraltars on the labels.
This is their most “garage” single, with harmonica but no trumpet, and some great screams from Sonny Grier on “Signed, Sealed and Delivered”.
The Rockin’ Gibralters next single was probably “It Will Stand” / “I Can’t Help Myself (For Loving You)” on Empire 447. The B-side is another original by Brewer and Grier, which I haven’t heard yet.
The Gibralters released their next two singles on their own RG Records label, fashioning a fine soul sound on each. The different label designs and numbering suggest different studios or pressing plants.
“Bug of Soul” is an original by Rusty Crumpton and Ed Sanford, on RG Records 480. The trumpet plays an important part in the sound of the band by this time. I’m not sure if “It Will Stand” is the same version as the Empire single or a new take. Release date was about November 1966.
“What’s Your Hurry” is their most produced single, with what sounds like vibraphone as well as piano. Crumpton, Sanford, and Grier wrote that side, while Crumpton, Sanford and Brewer wrote “The Bare Essential”, the ostensible A-side, though I haven’t yet heard it. Lowery Music Inc. published both songs. Release was December, 1968.
In 1968, Ed Sanford, Keith Brewer and Bobby DuPree would form a group called Heart, with Johnny Townsend and Tippy Armstrong of Tuscaloosa’s Magnificent Seven / Rubber Band. Heart would play the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles and cut one single on Reprise Records 0772, “The Train” (J. Townsend) / “Heartbeat” (Brewer-Sanford-Townsend-Dupree-Crumpton), both Hollytex Music Co. and produced by Bob Hinkle.
I’m not sure what Sonny Grier, Rusty Crumpton or Ronnie Monroe did after the breakup of the Rockin’ Gibralters.
Rockin’ Gibralters discography:
Morgan HV-9040 – “Go With Me” (S. Grier, K. Brewer) / “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” (TK4M-2418/9) 1966
Empire 447 – “It Will Stand” / “I Can’t Help Myself (For Loving You)” (Brewer, Grier, pub Fame Pub. Co BMI) SO 3338/9
RG Records 480 – “Bug of Soul” (Crumpton, Sanford) / “It Will Stand” November 1966
RG Records 1118 – “The Bare Essential” (Crumpton, Sanford, Brewer) / “What’s Your Hurry” (Crumpton, Sanford, Grier) both Lowery Music Inc., BMI
The photo at top came from the very interesting Tuscaloosa Beach Music site which is now unfortunately defunct but available, in part, on the Internet Archive.
The Hey Baby Days site has a few more photos of the Rockin’ Gibralters, including on stage at the City Auditorium.
Sonny was my 7th grade teacher at Cloverdale Jr. High in Montgomery. He later becomes a Principal, and still sings around Montgomery, AL. He is also an art dealer.
Rusty Crumpton was a vocational rehabilitation counselor for Easter Seals in Montgomery when my son Craig Horne, attended there around 1996-97.
I booked the Rockin Gibralters for the Meridian (Mississippi) Senior High School graduation dance held June 5, 1967. They were great. Don’t recall my contact with the band, but I do recall offering him $400.00 and 20% of the door. He declined opting for a flat $800.00. This was the first MHS graduation dance not held at or affiliated with the high school. The school board had decided to get the Meridian public schools out of the dance business. My friend Alex Harris and I put down deposits on the three suitable venues for dances a year earlier. I was in the 1967 senior class and caught hell when several social clubs (not affiliated with the high school) began jockeying around trying to see which one would put on the 1967 graduation dance and eventually figured out Alex and I had all of the venues booked for the night of June 5th 1967. They got over it because if they were going to a dance the night we graduated…they only had one choice. Well…things don’t always go exactly as planned. My Rockin Gibralters contact would never send me a contract so I had to sit in the football stadium at the graduation ceremony with my 450 plus senior classmates wondering if the band would show up. As soon as the graduation ceremony was over I sped down to the “Shrine Mosque”, the top dance venue of the day. Lucky for me I found the doors open, a bunch of equipment and a guy with the band on guard. The rest of the band had gone to eat. Whew! One worry down…the band was there. Next worry…I had to take in enough money at the door to pay them…but I had until intermission. We had arranged for a local businessman and big supporter of youth activities, Sammie Davidson, to man the door and collect the admission … $5.00 stag or drag.
As an aside…The Magnificent 7/Rubber Band had been the most popular band playing for high school dances in Meridian for the past 3 years or so and they would have played that night….but they had broken up.
Somehow through our Tuscaloosa band connections we had met Fred Styles. He was a big guy so we paid him to come over and be at the door with Mr. Sammie. When time was nearing the break where I had to settle up, I checked the take with Mr. Sammie. He had so much money he had to get a ice chest out of his car to hold it all. They ran out of change and rather than dig through the ice chest Fred was charging $10.00-$20.00 a couple and nobody cared. The Shrine Mosque was packed. At the break we paid the band and I put the ice chest in the trunk of my car. The next afternoon I finally got out of bed and looked in the ice chest…it was filled of $5,$10 and $20 bills! We had done quite well.
Even though the Magnificent 7 had been our favorite band…I recall between 1965-1967 the band stand at Meridian’s Shrine Mosque had seen The Tropics, The Greek Fountains, The Basement Wall, The Sandpipers (Pensacola girl group…their parents chaperoned) backed by the Allman Joys, the Allman Joys. the Preachers ( David Keller), The Gentrys, Randy and the Radiants, Dan Penn and the Pallbearers and many others. The Rockin Gibralters’ performance was a fitting conclusion to our high years.
Great post, Ken. I grew up on the east coast of Florida, but really enjoyed reading the story as it brought back a lot of memories of the days local and regional bands were hot. I’d even forgotten about stag and drag. Haven’t heard that phrase in a while.
$800 plus venue rental was a pretty fair amount of money for high school kids to come up with back then. You took a risk! And you had to be sweating the night of, with no contract. Great move booking all options. I grew up where the Allman Joys were a local band. They weren’t great yet and weren’t nearly as popular as The Nightcrawlers (maybe you remember “Little Black Egg”) or the Rockin’ Roadrunners, who were tight and knew what was hot. They did a killer version of the Rascal’s B-Side/album track “Love Is A Beautiful Thing”.
Again, great story!
Your commentary was a very interesting read for this longtime R.G. follower.
Great detective work thank you!
PS Sonny Grier is on fb. And still in the music industry
I was good friends with Pat Brewer (Keith’s younger brother) and we used to go watch some of the band (including Sonny and Keith) at jam sessions in the early 1980s. They were still awesome! Played a lot of MoTown and doo-wop songs.
Ed Sanford moved to LA to continue his music career after college at Auburn University. Was in Sanford Townsend Band that recorded Smoke from a Distant Fire in 1976. Sonny Grier is still in Montgomery and does some gigs now and then. Still has that wonderful voice.
All those wonderful early rock and roll bands playing 60s music.
I miss it. Google “I’ve Been Hurt” by the Sensational Epics.
Great tune.