Category Archives: Groove

The Hazards

 Sonny Salisbury and Stan Bernstein of the Hazards
Sonny Salisbury and Stan Bernstein of the Hazards

The Hazards "Hey Joe", Groove 45-502
The Hazards “Hey Joe”, Groove 45-502
Here’s one of the all-time great versions of “Hey Joe”, cut by a group of high-schoolers in Richmond, Virginia.

Band members were Andy Hrabovsky vocals, Sonny Salisbury lead guitar, Alan Sidenburg guitar, Greg Ellison bass, Stanley Bernstein organ, and David Moore on drums.

Andy Hrabovsky added some specifics about the band members in a comment below:

David Moore and Stanley Bernstein went to Thomas Jefferson High, Greg Ellison and Alan Sidenburg went to Douglas Freeman, and Sonny Salsbury and myself went to John Randolph Tucker High.

Stanley left the band not long after the release of “Hey Joe”, and was replaced by Steve Bassett from Freeman, who has gone on to some degree of notoriety. He and Robbin Thompson [of the Tasmanians] did “Sweet Virginia Breeze”.

Sonny Salisbury really distinguishes their take on “Hey Joe” by alternating staccato picking high up on the frets with fuzz riffs on the bass strings. Hrabovsky delivers some of the best shouting on vinyl and the rest of the band is solid as well.

The flip is the milder “Will You Be My Girl” by Stan Bernstein and Andy Hrabovsky. The record was produced by Martin Gary.

My copy seems to be from a radio station, dated June of ’67, and though both sides have “keep in regular play” written on them, “Hey Joe” is also marked to be played only after 6 PM!

The Groove label was owned by Marty Gary. Radio play on local WLEE led to a second pressing on a blue label. I’ve seen the band referred to as the Hazzards, with two ‘z’s, but on the label it’s just Hazards.

Thank you to Stan for the photo at top.