Many is the time I’ve had a lead on a band that is obscure to me, which then gets forgotten in the avalanche of emails and comments I received from this site over time. I apologize for not following up in a timely manner.

Steven S. wrote to me a long time ago, 2008, about the Wild Kingdom, and though I corresponded with him, I neglected to post about the band, probably because they didn’t have any records to their name. Only recently have I noticed the connections to other bands such as the Mustangs and the Back Door, so I’ll add the photo and info he sent to me so long ago.

The Wild Kingdom were from the Peninsula (Hampton, Newport News) and used to play on the Southside at all the usual teen clubs.

The band personnel were: John Etheridge (drums), Glen (Robbie) Robertson (bass), Bruce West (vocals), and Mike Johnstone (guitar). Johnstone was an extremely gifted player who enjoyed considerable acclaim among area musicians.  Etheridge and Robertson wove a tightly solid sound, more like an R&B rhythm section than one might have expected from a hippie band in those days.  West was a versatile singer and quite the showman. 

At one point, they hooked up with Keith (of “98.6” fame) and toured as his backup band for awhile.  They later morphed into “The Back Door” and continued playing at local clubs until they scattered to join various other local groups.  They were the great unknowns in those days, being somewhat eclipsed by Swingin’ Machine. However, they were outstanding players and didn’t pay lip service at all to the “blue-eyed soul” genre that ruled the area back then. Their manager, Jim Tatum, also handled Bill Deal & the Rhondells – go figure!

Wild Kingdom and Back Door were a huge influence on many of us Southside garage punks.  We ranked them above Swingin’ Machine, partly because they didn’t cover any radio hits, but mostly because they were the better band.

I don’t remember Wild Kingdom/Back Door surviving beyond 1969. At that time, Bruce West injured his leg in a motorcycle mishap and “retired” from the music scene. Robbie Robertson likewise dropped off the radar about then.  Mike Johnstone & John Etheridge continued performing with various other area groups until at least the mid 1970’s. Some of the bands I recall were “Headstone Circus”, “Rooth”, “The Dubonettes”, and “Hot Cakes”.

To my knowledge, there are no recordings of the Wild Kingdom.

Jerry Harden published a brief memoir about Barnie’s in Buckroe Beach, VA that mentioned some of the bands I’ve covered, including Adrian & the Sinsations and Danny and the Delnotes. About the Wild Kingdom, he lists an additional member, Ray Witham, and writes that Robby Robinson [sic]: “was arrested on stage for wearing a sword as part of his costume”!