The French Church

The French Church poster photo
l-r: John Spratto, Gordon MacDonald, Mike Cleary (seated), and Warren MacDonald.

The French Church were a band from Marquette, Michigan, a small town on Lake Superior about 180 miles north of Green Bay. Members were Mike Cleary singing lead vocals, John Spratto on guitar, Gordon MacDonald on bass, and his brother Warren MacDonald on drums.

I asked John Spratto how the band was named: “A good friend of the band, Floyd Maki, suggested we name it the French Church which is what St. John’s Catholic Church in Marquette was known as amongst the old timers. We were a little rebellious and figured that might get a rise out of certain people which would bring notoriety to the band. Some people, my mother actually, didn’t care for the name at first, but it was OK after a while, didn’t cause too much consternation.”

A sign for Slapneck inspired Gordon MacDonald and John to write a song imagining life in a small community in the woods. The band paid Princeton label owner Fred Krook to release the song, recorded in a studio located in the basement of a Marquette lumber company in early 1968.

Harry Walker, he’s the milkman there,
No bills are paid, ah, he’s not well
Slapneck, come on along with me yeah,
Come on along with me,
Yeah if you want to be free

Mrs. R.J. Green, she runs a restaurant there
The tables they’re clean and the manners they’re clear
Slapneck, come on along with me,
Come on along with me,
Yeah if you want to be free

The lyrics are quaint, but the playing is ferocious. From the sliding chords that open the song, John Spratto lays down some of the heaviest distortion ever put to vinyl.

The flip is a more conventional number, Without Crying, written by MacDonald and Mike Cleary.

John Spratto: “I am all grown up now and a Managing Partner in a CPA firm. Gordon recently retired as a music teacher and his brother Warren still owns MacDonald’s Music Store in Marquette.

“We got together about 5 years ago and recorded a dozen original songs that we wrote together and individually over the last 42 years. We got together again a couple of years ago with our boys who also play and recorded another 6 original songs. They are all very good songs. (My opinion anyway). One of the ones with our boys was a remake of Slapneck 1943.”

Sources: My correspondence with John Spratto, and Steve Seymour’s blog on Upper Peninsula music, Rock n Roll Graffiti.

25 thoughts on “The French Church”

  1. I’ve played in lots of garage rock bands myself, trying to emulate the sounds you guys made in the 60’s. But nothing beats the real thing!

  2. Thanks again for the compliment. Myself and the rest of the guys in the original band would not even know about this website, and the other website that has an article on the French Church, if I hadn’t Googled my name two weeks ago. Every couple of years I do that to see what pops up.

    As far as that sound goes: back in 1967, the MacDonald brothers who were in the band with me were the sons of the owner of MacDonald’s Music Store in Marquette. Any new accessory that came along we got to try out. Around that time Vox had come out with treble and distortion boosters. These things were stainless steel about the size of a harmonica. There was a male jack on one end and a female on the other. You just plugged it into your guitar jack and the chord into it. Well, by the time I found the sound I was looking for, I had three or four of these things plugged together hanging off my guitar. I haven’t really seen anything like them since.

    Not sure what Mike the lead singer is doing now. Last I heard he was a teacher in Alaska. Gordon, Warren, and myself have gotten together over the last 5 years a couple of times at a recording studio. We currently have 16 original songs that were written over the last 42 on a CD and are looking to record more. Gordy just retired from teaching; Warren now owns and runs the music store; and I am a Managing Partner in a CPA firm. I plan on retiring young enough that we can get back together and get the band going again. We may even have enough equity between us to get a recording contract, or at least our collective foots in the door. Our songs are very good if I do say so myself.

    Being able to hear our 45 on the web is really cool!!!!!!!!!!

    I recently sent in a photo from one of our posters to the fella who runs this website and he said he is going to put it on the site. I am the good-looking guy on the left.

    1. Yea, well this pretty cool. Hadn’t heard of this site before now. Sounds like the French Church should get together and do a revival. I’m in; where is everyone else? I’m in Alaska teaching school, Tech Director for the new POW Voc Tech Center, building rentals and custom furniture. Rock’n Roll. MCleary

  3. Hi Ian. How’s married life treating you? Been talking with your dad lately and it sounds like we are going to be heading back up to do some more recording. Maybe we’ll see you up there.

    Take care………..John

  4. Holy crap, my Dad’s on the internet! At least it’s not a porn site.

    Just as a note about the treble boosters, schematics for them are readily available on the internet or e-mail me and I’ll send you one along with just about any vintage gear you want (I’m an electrical engineer).

    Growing up hearing these songs was pretty cool, even cooler was playing “my Dad’s record” for friends when I was a kid.

    Even better was spending two summer vacations with my Dad, his old bandmates and thier kids recording the songs that I’ve known sence I was born.

    If you want to check out the younger MacDonald’s band go to http://www.myspace.com/theoryxlive and check out my bands stuff.

    Thanks Dad, Uncle Warren and John for making my childhood a musical one!

    Ian MacDonald

  5. Hello Kip:

    Yes, I do remember getting a call from you all those years ago and how surprised I was at the interest in our record.

    I would love to get a copy of the remake by the Cyril Lords. You can send it to me at 475 Water Street, Manistee, MI 49660. You can send me Gordy’s copy too as we will be getting together next month for a Tiger game at Comerica Park.

    I still have a pretty good copy of your magazine featuring the French Church that you sent to me and I take it out and read it from time to time.

    Thanks…………John Spratto

  6. Hi John,

    My name is Kip Brown, and I interviewed you and Gordon McDonald years ago for my Michigan garage band fan magazine called “12 O’Clock July”. The French Church were featured in my first issue which was published in 1989. The magazine sold out quickly and I saw one a few years ago sell on Ebay for $50!

    I have been meaning to get ahold of you, as I have a 45rpm record by a contemporary Detroit garage punk band called The Cyril Lords covering “Slapneck 1943”. The band gave me a couple extra copies to give to you and the other band members but I put them off to the side and forgot about it! Seeing this reminded me of them. Perhaps I can send my email address to Chas and he can forward it on to you so I can get these to you.

    Take Care!

    Kip Brown

  7. Slapneck is one of my favourite garage band tracks. Please let me know what guitar and amp you were using. I already know about the Vox plugins, which were basically passive filters.

    Regards
    Ian

  8. What a great punky song. Ok, the lyrics aren’t classic but they say what you’re trying to achieve. The main thing is that fantastically overdriven guitar, and the new chord sequence. The voice harmonies are also spot on. Good on you guys for doing this in a time when I wasn’t even walking. It’s a classic. You should be proud.

  9. Hi,

    I have been absolutely fascinated by this song, “Slapneck 1943”, since I first heard it, (embarrassingly) only about 25 years ago. This is one of the greatest songs of ANY of the 60’s comps that have been out since the late 70’s! The lyrics are fabulous!
    One immediately wants to know what the hell the singer is going on about, but then, who cares?!?! Absolutely a classic!!

  10. So cool to see this! My brother is Mike Cleary! We were talking about the band not too long ago. Let me know if you want to get in touch with Mike. He can still sing! 517-529-9012

  11. Vox treble booster

    Thanks Chas for posting those pictures. My memory of those things is that the plugs were on the ends and I don’t remember a switch on them, however, the top picture is definitely what they looked like.That was over 41 years ago that we recorded those songs so I guess I could be wrong.

    Again, this is one of the most awesome websites I know of. I have been going thru listening to all the songs and it is amazing that I am able to do that.

  12. I’ve been down the Slapneck road on my snowmobile, wondered if there really was a restaurant there at one time.

    I’ve been thinking of parting with my original 45 rpm
    Anybody remember how many copies were pressed?

    Thanks,
    Bob

    1. 1,000 copies were pressed. We sent out many to radio stations and each kept 100 copies. Stayed up all night for many days listening to WLS Chicago and sure enough, they did finally play it. Ha! The big time. Got a check for
      $12.68 for royalties and that was it. Sure was fun though! . . John

  13. Just had to point out that while there is a Marquette, WI, these guys are all from Marquette, MI. They were all neighbors of mine. Great fun to see this, guys. And John, I always thought there was a CPA lurking there. 🙂

    1. Sorry, that was a dumb typo on my part, I’ve known they were a Michigan band since picking up Highs in the Mid-60s vol. 19, Michigan part 3 twenty years ago! I’ve made the correction above.

  14. The French Church I am sure were an inspiration for the Ramones. Listen! You know they heard slapneck. Punk before Punk. Only in the U.P. Your a shredder John. The McDonald’s could always keep the back beat, even in the Bantams. Great vocals Mike . Reunion. Age is only a number.

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