The names of the band are well-known: they put them on the labels of their 45s. Other information is not easy to come by and I don't find them mentioned in any detail in my usual sources.

Arnie DeClark - rhythm guitar
Dave Fermstrom - organ
Bill Montgomery - bass
Tim Shea - lead
Chip Steiner - drums

All their releases have excellent songs. "Here to Stay" is an amazingly mature ballad, with a great nasal lead vocal, written by Tim Shea and Chip Steiner. The flip "Teen World" is their most basic song, sounding much like "California Sun" with new lyrics, but it's a fine party song of the mid-60s and probably their rarest release. It was written by C. Shermetaro.

The Detroit Sound Recording Co. was located at 12730 E. Warren. I've read that Chip Steiner's father Irv Steiner owned the Detroit Sound label, which usually featured soul acts.

The label changed the graphics and re-released "Here to Stay", backed with a good version of "In the Midnight Hour" that reached #1 on WKNR in Detroit & Dearborn in March of '67, and #3 on CKLW in Windsor, Ontario. They appeared on Robin Seymour's TV show Swingin' Time, probably several times. I don't know which song was originally featured in the clip below as the audio is dubbed in.

A&M picked this up for national release in April, 1967 and bought a full page ad in Billboard for it with a neat watch graphic. As I can tell, the furthest it reached in the national charts was "bubbling under" at #128, with Michael & the Messengers version of the song on the U.S.A. label at #121.Too many competing versions kept these from breaking out nationally, although each has a distinct style.

They had one further release on A&M, a fine pop number with horns called "Big Town Girl" backed with another I haven't heard, "Don't Worry Baby". Despite being a Detroit Sound production I believe this single was only released on A&M.

Their next single was the tough "Lots More Where You Came From", with the lyric "girl I'm picking up on your bad vibrations"! It was written and produced by Dugg Brown (aka Doug Brown of the Omens and producer of Bob Seger, Del Shannon, Southwind, etc), backed with a version of "Knock on Wood" that I haven't heard. Their last on the Detroit Sound label was a good take on Bob Seger's "East Side Story" backed "Sad Situation", which is simply "Lots More Where You Came From" with a different title.

An email from a friend of the band was the inspiration for this post:

My name is Michael Surarez Thompson. In the 60's I was a close friend of the Detroit garage band The Wanted. The guys all came from the Gross Point area. Chip Steiners dad Irvin bought an old Detroit city bus and had it converted to a motor home if you will. The bus took us to gigs in and around Detroit and came with a chauffeur I believe his name was Walker.

I was a bit older then the boys and I left to serve in the Marine Corps. Through the years we lost contact. I have been searching for my former friends but they seem to have vanished from face of earth. I am from Port Huron, Michigan, retired Marriott executiove chef living in Eugene, Oregon.

I will be home in Michigan in September or early October and looking forward to having dinner with my guys.

Discography:

The Detroit Sound 222 (plain red label) - Here to Stay (Shea - Steiner) / Teen World (C. Shermetaro)
The Detroit Sound 222A/223A (red and blue label with instrument graphics) - Here to Stay / In the Midnight Hour (February, 1967)
The Detroit Sound 230 - Lots More Where You Came From (Dugg Brown) / Knock On Wood
The Detroit Sound 232 - East Side Story / Sad Situation

A&M 844 - Here to Stay / Midnight Hour (March, 1967)
A&M 856 - Big Town Girl (Dugg Brown) / Don't Worry Baby (produced by Doug Brown) (May, 1967)

Source: WKNR chart info from ARSA.

Though overshadowed by "Come On Baby", the flip "Stick Around" is excellent bluesy r&b. The label for "Stick Around" has "Douglas" in parentheses, referring to Dick Douglas on lead vocals.

There were actually two different groups on Hunt Records called the Untouchables. The first group consisted of Al Huntziner (drums), Larry Fountain (guitar), Ernie Dvorak (saxophone), Ron Hamad (guitar), Bob Keith (keyboards), Bill Alley (bass), Mel Winder (guitar), Frank Glaser (guitar) and Bob Gaston. Al & the Untouchables released one 45 on Hunt, "Church Key" / "Danny Boy" that I haven't heard.

Then came an all-new Untouchables - but that story is best told by bassist and vocalist Tom Hankins. Tom also sent in the photos seen here:

In 1962, 14 year old Tom Hankins (bass and vocals) started a rock band with Scott Bascom (guitar and vocals), Mike Sexton (guitar and vocals) and Mike Curley (drums). The band was formed in Cedar Rapids, IA and named themselves The Belvederes.

Personnel changes were made at various points and the final version was Hankins on bass, keyboards, guitar and vocals, Dick Douglas on lead guitar and vocals, Bruce Nunamaker on rhythm guitar, Eddy Hood on 12 string guitar, bass and rhythm guitars and vocals and Ron Bressler on drums.

They were having moderate success when area manager Al Huntzinger called Tom and asked him if his band would become Al’s Untouchables, as Al’s band of that name had all quit over money issues with Al. Hankins accepted and The Untouchables were born. Al still insisted on putting his name on the band, but they were just known to their fans as The Untouchables and Al no longer performed with them, as Hankins made that part of the deal [which is why "Hankin's" is included in parentheses underneath the band's name on the second Hunt single - ed.].

They quickly became Iowa’s top group with the backing of Darlowe Olsen, owner of Danceland Ballroom in Cedar Rapids, where The Untouchables became the house band and backing band for touring acts like Sam The Sham, Ike & Tina Turner, The Hullaballoos and dozens more top national and British Invasion acts. They also toured on Olsen’s circuit of venues in the Midwest with Chuck Berry, The Dave Clark Five, The Animals, Johnny Tillotson and others.

In 1965 The Untouchables recorded what turned out to be a double-sided hit in the upper Midwest in 1966 with the songs “Come On Baby” and “Stick Around”, both penned by Hankins and Douglas writing under the name of Thomas Richards.

“Come on Baby” is now being called “The Holy Grail of Garage Punk”. This was recorded in Chicago at Sound Studios, the same studio used by The Stones and also with their engineer Stu Black. Hankins and Douglas produced the songs, but manager Huntzinger listed himself as producer when the record was pressed.

They began drawing packed venues. In 1966 the entire band was kicked out of high school because the school board deemed their hair as “unfit”, as it covered the top of their ears and almost went over their collars.

It turned out that Jefferson Senior High School principal William Paxton found out that the boys in the band were making more money than he was and he developed a grudge against them, doing his best to make sure the boys wouldn’t get their diplomas, but he failed. This put The Untouchable’s name in the headlines nationwide and they drew record crowds at all of the big ballrooms in the Midwest.

Once they were out of school they immediately headed to Hollywood. They had been there during Spring Break when Liberty Records asked them to come out and sign a contract. Liberty, however, wanted The Untouchables to clean up their image and cut their hair, to which the band refused, ripped up the contract and walked out the door.

They dumped their manager Huntzinger and changed the band name to The Orphans at this point after finding out he had been pocketing up to 80% of the band’s pay before dividing the rest up with the musicians.

Famed producer Phil Spector listened to “Come On Baby” and “Stick Around” and helped them get a production deal with producer Marshall Leib. Herb Alpert was just starting A&M records with Jerry Moss and he wanted to sign The Orphans, but they lacked enough original material and Alpert needed someone immediately.

They met The Doors and toured California with them. This was before The Doors were known outside California and were not even signed yet. Dissension broke The Orphans up.

The band returned to Iowa where Hankins and Douglas took over the operation of Danceland Ballroom from Olsen and ran it until it was closed for good, to be ripped down to make room for a parking garage and events center. They also put The Orphans back together. The duo also promoted concerts in The Midwest with The Orphans generally headlining, but other groups like The Byrds and Beau Brummels headlined some of these shows.

Douglas and Hankins returned to Hollywood and formed a new group with vocalist Aaron Brownstone and world-famous drummer Sandy Konikoff, who also played with Taj Mahal and George Harrison, among others. They record a 12 song album of original material for ABC Records, but upon completion of the LP, Brownstone was killed in a motorcycle accident, thus negating the contract.

Douglas and Hankins returned to Iowa where Douglas formed Enoch Smokey and they became one of the top Eastern Iowa groups. Hankins former a power blues trio with Dan Daniels and became the house band at the all-African American club called The Cougar Lounge in Cedar Rapids. In 1969 both Hankins and Daniels started training to become professional wrestlers and became known nationwide as “The World’s Most Dangerous Wrestlers”.

During this period they were both offered a berth playing with Charlie Daniels after participating in a jam session in Nashville, where they happened to be wrestling, but they had to turn him down as their wrestling career was just taking off.

Dick Douglas still plays in Iowa and is recording a new CD as this is being written. Coincidentally, Hankins is currently recording and producing a new CD with The Powerhouse Blues Band in Los Angeles. Nunamaker lives in Colorado and continues to be one of the state’s top guitarists. Bressler left the music business completely and Eddy Hood is currently an artist living in Northern California, and still plays with his own group around the San Francisco area.

The band was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, with Douglas and Nunamaker accepting the awards for the band, while Hood and Hankins went to San Francisco for a musical reunion of their own and jammed for two days.

The Legends were the top drawing band in Cedar Rapids until The Untouchables hired Douglas out from under them. They did release a song that Eddy Hood and I wrote called "Sunshine Daydream" and the flip side was a cover of "Back in the USSR". It received airplay in Cedar Rapids only however and their popularity was mainly around Cedar Rapids itself.

Q. Is that you playing organ on "Come On Baby"?

Yes, I'm playing organ on both sides of the single and Eddy Hood played bass.

Q. Do you remember where the show with the Left Banke took place?

The Left Banke show was at Danceland Ballroom when Dick Douglas & I were running it and was the last major act to play there in 1967. They no-showed twice and this third time when they finally did show, the fans didn't and they drew less than 200 people.

Q. The Orphans was at least pressed to vinyl - what happened to all the copies of the 45?

"Without You", written by Dick Douglas and me and recorded as The Orphans in 1966 in Hollywood at Gold Star Studios. It was never released as the, engineering, production, mixing and mastering was so terrible and the quality of the recording is so bad that we refused to let them release it. This is what broke up The Orphans.

The flip side of "Without You" was "Hey Gyp". written by Donovan and obtained from him for The Orphans to record before anyone else did. The Animals did a much better version.

Our "manager" and all-around thief Al Huntzinger stole the 45's when we quit, even though we'd paid for them and for the recording session ourselves, and he must have destroyed them. I only have two myself.

I run into Eric Burdon at times as he lives here in Los Angeles too. He remembered Cedar Rapids and being hungover badly while playing there. We had just come off the road and were really hung over too.

Tom Hankins
May 2012

Despite the muddy sound, the Orphans' "Without You" is an excellent cut and deserves to be heard. As far as I can tell it's never been comped or featured before now. Norman Goodman engineered it and Larry Herbst and Dick Michaels are listed as producers. I can't find much further info about Herbst or Michaels as far as the music biz goes.

The Orphans - Without You

Any additional info would be appreciated

Hunt 450 - Al and the Untouchables - Church Key / Danny Boy
Hunt 1401 - Al's Untouchables - Come On Baby / Stick Around
Hunt 1201 - Corruption, Inc - She's Gone (Logel - McCleary) / Somewhere (produced by Jim Logel)
Hunt 270 - Uncle 'na Anteaters - Kathy Ran Around / I Can't Go On (formerly the Countdowns)

Pharaoh discography:

Any help with this would be appreciated

LP:
1001 - Ray Wray Quartet - Yes Indeed!

45s:

101 - Ray Wray Quartet - A Song Is Born / When Your Love Has Gone (with picture sleeve - see above)
102 - Robert Burnie - My Twistin' Mexicali Baby / ?
103 - Johnny Jay & the Pompadors - You Drive Me Crazy (You Drive Me Wild) (Johnny Mendez) / I Feel So Lonely (Benny Mendez)
104 - Billy Myers Combo - Oso / Ten Little Indians (red vinyl)
105 - Johnny Jay & The Pompadors - She's Gone And I’m All Alone / I Want You So I Need You So
106 ?
107 ?
108 ?
109 - Don Blackey - Mona Lisa / ?
110 - Marvin Nash and the "K" Sisters - I'll Cry / ?
111 ?
112 ?
113 - Davis Brothers - I Don't Hear You / ?
114 ?
115 ?
116 ?
117 ?
118 - Noe Pro and the Blue Valiants - I Know / Reina de mi Vida
119 - Little Joe Parker and the Vikings - Straight Jacket / Feed the Chickens (both by Joe Gonzales)
120 ?
121 ?
122 ?
123 - Ronnie Dale - You've Learned How To Cry
124 - Noe Pro and the Semitones - I Know What's Been Going On / I Love You My Darling
125 - The Cruisers - An Angel Like You / The Lonely
126 - Jeanne Hatfield - My Babe / Summertime
127 ?
128 - The Cruisers - Another Lonely Night / Please Let Me Be (The One For You) (with picture sleeve)
129 - Simon Reyes & the Outerlimits - My Baby Hurts Me / Mistake Number Three
130 ?
131 - Billy D. Nash - This Little Light Of Mine / There Is A Balm In Gilead (with picture sleeve)
132 ?
133 - George and the Lion's Den Trio - Here's George / Crazy Ideas
134 - Arturo & Pat with the Invaders - Oh Yes Tonight / So Tenderly & Faithfully
135 - Jim Roberts - Jukebox for Company
136 - George and the Lion's Den Trio - Tequila Sour / Como Prima
137 - The Cavaliers - Pride (Billy Rowe) / Sea Weed
138 ?
139 - The Cruisers - My Place (E.J. Ledesma) / ?
140 ?
141 - The Playboys of Edinburg - Wish You Had A Heart (James Williams) / Understand Me
142 - The Playboys of Edinburg - Look at Me Girl / News Sure Travels Fast (James Williams)
143 - Simon Reyes - Broken Hearted Fool / What Now My Love
144 ?
145 ?
146 - The Cavaliers - That Hurts / Symbol of Sin
147 - The Headstones - 24 Hours (Everyday) / Wish She Were Mine (both composed by Dave Williams)
148 - The Cruisers - The Fire's Gone / Oh! Sweetness
149 ?
150 - The Cavaliers - The Last Four Words / Ballad Of Thee Kavaliers
151 - Christopher & the Souls - Diamonds, Rats and Gum / Broken Hearted Lady (both composed by Chris Voss)
152 - The Headstones - Bad Day Blues (Williams-Palmer) / My Kind of Girl (Dave Williams)
153 - Brother & Sister - See What Tomorrow Brings (Arturo Longoria) / The Answer Is Love [square flower-power folk - yikes!]
154 - Thee Kavaliers (Cavaliers) - Congregation for Anti-Flirts, Inc / Back to You
155 - The Cruisers - Celina / Baby Doll

I had erroneously listed 141 and 142 as by the Playboys of Edinburgh, but they were not named after the Scottish city, but rather after Edinburg, TX, a small town northeast of McAllen.

See individual entries on The Cruisers, Christopher & the Souls, Simon Reyes and Noe Pro & the Semi-tones for more info on those bands.

There were other Pharaoh labels, including one from Chicago (releases by Hot Coke), and another on a green label that released

Chicago:
Pharaoh Records 7707 - Hot Coke - Make This Love Last / All By My Self

Unknown location (pressed either in NY or Hollywood):
Pharaoh SA-327 - Roy Victor - Hot Dog / You Are My Wish (ZTSP-94713, arranged and cond. by Fran Devino, Harvest Hill publishing, ASCAP)

Thank you to Gilbert Rodriguez for his help with this discography and to Ed Nadorozny for the Ron Wray sleeve scan. Thank's also to Bob and Drunken Hobo for the additional entries.

I had previously included a shorter version of this discography in the entry on Simon Reyes.

The A-side is the very moody "Wait and See", written by Jerry Walker and Sam Lott.

The flip is "The Lynching", a fascinating original by Jerry Walker with an upbeat rhythm and a catchy six-note guitar line, plus good soloing on the outro. The harmonies are cheery, but the words are most definitely not!

What is the matter in the street,
I hear the clattering of feet,
Here comes an angry bunch,
They've had a little too much,
You'd better not get in their way.

I hear a bandit's on the loose,
They meant to fit him with a noose,
They are looking for a man,
He has gotten out of hand,
And they are going to string him up.

Looks like it's lynching time again,
And there's no mercy to be shown,
You'd better hide your head from the electric wind, (?)
Destruction marks where where it has blown,

Sundown has set the scene for hate,
Come 'round let's all participate,
Don't be late for a party tonight,
Celebrate for a triumph of right,
The lynching mob knows where it's at.

Look out, here they come your way,
Watch out, you may hear them say,
We are looking for a man,
He has gotten out of hand,
This man we're looking for is you!

Looks like it's lynching time again,
And there's no mercy to be shown,
You'd better hide your head from the electric wind, (?)
Destruction marks where where it has blown.

I have to wonder what inspired this song - perhaps the photos of lynchings that took place in the 40s and 50s where the crowd looks ebullient.

Boths songs were published by Linjo Music. BMI's database lists the song as one of Jerry Jeff Walker's compositions, but I wonder if that's correct, as his usual publisher is Grouper Music, and by the time the Solid State released their 45 in October, 1968 Jerry Jeff was part of Circus Maximus and hadn't made a name for himself as a songwriter yet. Though from upstate New York, Jerry Jeff busked through Texas in the mid-60s, so it is possible he was a member of this group or gave some songs to them.

Over the next four years, Cliff worked the UK club scene with a series of backing groups – The New Generation, The Sound System, The Shakedown Sound and The Wynder K Frog Band, playing a mixture of soul and R&B.

Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation (November 1965-February 1966)

Jimmy Cliff – lead vocals
Dave Pegg – lead guitar
Graham Gallery – bass
Dave Brown – organ
Frank Devine – drums
Ayshea Brough – vocals
Pete Hodge(s) – vocals

Cliff’s first band, The New Generation, was a Birmingham group known as Roy Everett’s Blueshounds, whose most notable member was future Fairport Convention bass player Dave Pegg. The Blueshounds were good mates of The Spencer Davis Group, who put in a good word for the band when Chris Blackwell was looking for musicians to support Cliff on the road. In November 1965, Blackwell released The Spencer Davis Group’s “Keep on Running”, the band’s first number one single.

Around the same time, Blackwell signed The Blueshounds to the agency he co-ran, West End Promotions Ltd, which also represented The Steampacket, Hedgehoppers Anonymous, The Alex Harvey Go Soul Show, Millie Small, Ayshea Brough and the newly arrived Jimmy Cliff. With Pete Hodge(s) taking over from Roy Everett, The Blueshounds attended an “audition” recording session at Cecil Sharpe House in London on 23 November 1965 with promoter George Webb (The Spencer Davis Group’s agent) and DJ Alan Freeman. Also in attendance that day were Jimmy Cliff and Ayshea Brough, a young singer that George Webb was trying to launch on the scene, who’d been working with future Hedgehoppers Anonymous drummer Glenn Martin.

Passing the audition, The Blueshounds were renamed The New Generation and Cliff travelled up to Birmingham to stay with Dave Pegg’s family for about two weeks while rehearsals took place to ready the band for the road. Singers Ayshea Brough and Pete Hodge(s) were also added to the touring band and had their own vocal spots in the show.

The (incomplete) gig listing below, which is taken from Dave Pegg’s scrap book, shows that the band’s debut took place at the Ritz Ballroom in King’s Heath, West Midlands in mid-December. For most of these gigs, the band was billed as The New Generation, although the Marquee gigs list them as The Jimmy Cliff Big Sound. The only exception is a show at the Cue Club in Paddington, West London on 28 January where the band was billed as The Sound System, which may originally have been assigned for Cliff’s second support group (see below), although Dave Pegg’s version did honour this gig.

Notable gigs:

15 December 1965 – The Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands
17 December 1965 – The Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Steampacket and Graham Bond
17 December 1965 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with Steampacket and Graham Bond
23 December 1965 – Marquee, London with Steampacket (billed as Jimmy Cliff Big Sound)
27 January 1966 – Marquee, London with The Steampacket
28 January 1966 – The Cue Club, Paddington (billed as Jimmy Cliff, Owen Gray, Ayshea and The Sound System)
29 January 1966 – The Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire
4 February 1966 – Bluesville R&B Club, Manor House, Finsbury Park (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation featuring Ayesha and Pete Hodge)
5 February 1966 – Chelsea College, London with The Spencer Davis Group

It’s not entirely clear why Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation went their separate ways in early February 1966. Dave Pegg’s diary shows that a gig planned for 6 February was cancelled and on 13 February he was back in Birmingham working with a new band – The Uglys.

The decision to find a second band to back Cliff on the road was probably made in mid-late January and Chris Blackwell already knew who he wanted for the job.

Jimmy Cliff & The Sound System/New Generation (February-July 1966)

Jimmy Cliff – lead vocals
Tony Sinclair – lead guitar
Ron Thomas – bass
Mick Fletcher – organ
John Droy – trumpet
Mel Wayne – sax
Dave Mahoney – sax
Pete Hodges – vocals
Ayshea Brough – vocals
Phil Wainman – drums

The next group to back Jimmy Cliff on the road was also, somewhat confusingly, initially billed as The New Generation, although they also used the name The Sound System. Promoters added to the confusion by sometimes billing the band as The Jimmy Cliff Big Sound and The Jimmy Cliff Sound.

The Sound System, as they became around early January, had originally been called The Phil Wainman Band/Set. Phil Wainman, who years later found fame as a noted producer among other things, had first started out as a drummer in the early 1960s, working with The Hi Grades in Sweden and The Paramounts before linking up with the remnants of West London band, The All-Nite Workers around October 1965.

Ron Thomas, Mel Wayne and Dave Mahoney had all been members of this group, which had morphed out of Mike Dee & The Prophets in early-mid 1965. Mick Fletcher joined when it became The Phil Wainman Band/Set around October 1965 after playing in The Herd while Tony Sinclair and John Droy came in soon after, the former from Johnny Halliday’s band in France.

According to David Katz’s excellent book, “Jimmy Cliff – An Unauthorised Biography”, The Phil Wainman Band/Set secured a residency at Dolly’s Club in Jermyn Street in central London around November of that year. One night Chris Blackwell dropped in and introduced himself. After be-friending Wainman, he kept the musicians in mind as a support band for the Jamaican acts on Island Records’ roster, including Jackie Edwards, Millie Small and Owen Gray. Changing name to The Sound System, Wainman’s band started rehearsing with these acts in late January and one early gig, backing Owen Gray, took place at the New All Star Club in Artillery Passage near Liverpool Street station, London on 5 February 1966.

Around this time, it became clear that Cliff and the original New Generation would be separating so Wainman’s band started rehearsing with the singer when he wasn’t gigging with Dave Pegg’s group. After a few weeks’ rehearsals, Jimmy Cliff & The Sound System/New Generation debuted at the Marquee on 10 February, billed as The Jimmy Cliff Big Sound.

Over the next four and half months, Wainman’s band backed Cliff on the road, which included a package tour with The Who and The Spencer Davis Group in April 1966. It was during this time that Keith Moon spotted Wainman’s Red Sparkle Premier drum kit with two bass drums and decided to switch to the same set up two months later.

According to Wainman, Jimmy Cliff & The Sound System/New Generation were particularly popular in Grimsby and played there at least once a month. They also played four nights at the Penthouse. However, shortly after the California Ballroom gig in Dunstable on 1 July, Jimmy Cliff and The Sound System/New Generation went their separate ways.

It’s not clear who backed Jimmy Cliff for a series of gigs that took place at London’s Whisky A Go Go on 9, 16 and 23 August as no support band is listed in Melody Maker. By early September, however, Cliff had joined forces with his next group, The Shakedown Sound.

As for The Sound System, the musicians joined forces with singer Gary Hamilton who was putting together a new version of Hamilton & The Movement (see future entry).

Notable gigs:

10 February 1966 – Marquee with Steampacket (billed as Jimmy Cliff Big Sound)
13 February 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation)
19 February 1966 – Klooks Kleek, London (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation, with Ayshea and Pete Hodge)
24 February 1966 – Marquee with Steampacket (billed as Jimmy Cliff Big Sound)
8 March 1966 – Marquee with Spencer Davis Group (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The New Generation)
26 March 1966 – Klooks Kleek, London (billed as Jimmy Ciff & The New Generation and Pete Hodge)
14-30 April 1966 – Package tour with The Who, Spencer Davis Group, Paul Dean & The Soul Savages and others
1 May 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The Sound System)
10 May 1966 – Marquee with Spencer Davis Group (billed as Jimmy Cliff Sound)
14 June 1966 – Marquee with Spencer Davis Group (billed as Jimmy Cliff Sound)
1 July 1966 – California Ballroom, Dunstable (billed as Jimmy Cliff & The Sound System) with Him & The Others

Copyright © Nick Warburton, 2012. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the author.

To contact the author, email: Warchive@aol.com

I’d like to thank the following for their help in piecing this story together: Dave Pegg, David Katz, Laurie Hornsby, Andy Neill, Ron Thomas, Phil Wainman, Mel Wayne and Brian Hosking.

Most of the live gigs above are taken from Melody Maker’s listing. The California Ballroom, Dunstable website also proved useful as did the Nottingham Evening Post. Thanks also to the Manchester Soul site for the Twisted Wheel gig.

The band was actually from Oak Cliff, but this rare single was released on Karry Way Records, with an address of 4339 Jaffee, Dallas, 75216. The RCA custom pressing code, T4KM-9629/30 indicates it was mastered in the first half of 1966. Woodrow Pearson Baker wrote both "Red Cadillac" and the flip "Vibrations" (which I haven't heard yet), published by Rightway Pub., BMI.

Guitarist Richard McDonald sent me a photo of his next group, the De'Vells, based in Irving but with some of the same members as the Tortians. Richard has a full bio on the bands at his site SpiritSteelGuitar.com, but I asked him some specifics about the Tortians and he kindly answered my questions.

My name is Richard (Dicky) McDonald. I was born and raised in a little suburb in Dallas, Texas called Oak Cliff. A lot of fine musicians and bands came from that area of Dallas like the Mystics, Kempy and the Guardians, the Jokers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, B.W. Stevenson, Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Micheal Martin Murphey and others.

The band formed in Adamson High School in Oak Cliff around 1965, our freshman year. I played lead guitar. The Tortians were James King (rhythm guitar), Johnny Congleton (drums), Carl Lowe (bass), Dick McDonald (lead guitar), Gary McDonald (backup vocals) and John Tincher (lead vocals and sax).

We all played what ever was being played on the radio and some older stuff that we grew up with: Ventures, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Fats Domino. Duane Eddy. Most bands in Oak Cliff played pretty much the same stuff. That’s all we had besides country, big band, classical. Whatever band listened to the radio and figured out the songs first was the top band. It was Robert Farris of The Mystics who could figure stuff out fast.

How the record came to be. We were playing a gig at a roller rink I think the Shamrock in Lancastor, TX. Woody P. Baker was out listening to bands and asked if we would record some of his songs and we said yes. Woody set up and paid for the studio time. The Tortians were not signed by Kerry Way Records. I don’t remember the name of the studio but, it was the same studio where "Wine Wine Wine" was recorded by the Night Caps. Woody P. Baker wrote both "Red Cadillac" and "Vibrations".

There are no pictures of the Tortians and I hope someone sees your website and has some.

I also played in a very hot band called the De’vells and I do have a picture of them. Most of the De’Vells played in the Tortians. The De'vells were Joel Reiner (drums), Rick Surratt (lead guitar), Dicky McDonald (lead guitar), John Tincher (lead vocals/sax), Carl Lowe (bass/vocals), and Little David (keyboards/vocals). This band won 2nd place in the 1967 Battle of the Bands at the State Fair of Texas, and got a trophy which We still have. I am surprised that we were not listed in the newspaper clipping on the website [see this page]. We were booked by an booking agency called Showco in Dallas.

Most of the original members still live very close to Oak Cliff. I have a pedal steel guitar shop in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Richard McDonald
Spirit Steel Guitar
Broken Arrow, OK