The Volcanoes and Freddie & the Freeloaders

Freddie and the Freeloaders, from left: Jamie Montana, Bobby Dennis, Fred Prue, Al Roberts, and Dennis Broadbelt
The Volcanoes, Fred Prue at right, the others are unidentified

Updated March, 2022

Left-handed guitarist Fred Prue came from Newport, Vermont, the eldest of thirteen children. His father Frederick Adelbert Prue was also a guitarist, with a record as Fred Prue with Roy Baxter & His Combo – “Don’t Wink at Me” / “Lookin for Joe” (both songs by Prue & George Zorich) on Arctic 45-100 in 1957.

Fred Prue started the Volcanoes, but I am not sure who was in the early lineups of the band. Al Roberts, who had been with the Thunderbolts from Plattsburgh, NY joined sometime around 1964. Prue and Roberts would be constants in the lineups of Freddie & the Freeloaders over the next couple years.

Volcanos B and J 45 Someone Like YouThe 1965 lineup of the Volcanoes or Freddie & the Freeloaders seems to have included:

Fred Prue – guitar and vocals
Al Roberts – organ
Bob Dennis – guitar
Joe Seta – bass
Dennis Broadbelt – drums

Volcanoes B&J 45 Someone Like YouThe Volcanoes met Johnny Baylor, probably in New York City while touring. The Volcanoes were among Baylor’s first record productions, their single released on his B&J Records 100 in early 1965.

“Two of a Kind” is a slow weeper with a long dramatic introduction. I prefer the flip, “Someone Like You”, a rocker with swirling organ, a couple good shouts, decent guitar solo and a solid rhythm section. Frederick C. Prue wrote both songs, though Amy Prue told me her grandfather wrote the original version of “Someone Like You”. The red-label stock copy has a different logo at top, and oddly, a second vocal track on “Someone Like You”.

Also in early 1965, the Volcanoes changed their name to Freddie and the Freeloaders, based out of Burlington, VT, but touring constantly. They made another single with Johnny Baylor producing, “Shindig Dance” (Betty Newsome, Eddie Silvers) b/w “Two of a Kind” (written by Fred C. Prue), arranged & conducted by Eddie Silvers.

The only other artist Baylor produced on B and J Records and Baylor Records was Little Dooley and the Fabulous Tears. Baylor would relocate his operations to Memphis, Tennessee, where he started the Koko label in 1966, and would eventually become involved with Stax Records.

Willie Mitchell’s band with Freddie and the Freeloaders in Memphis, circa 1966. From left (kneeling): Willie Mitchell, unidentified, Freddie Prue, and Don Bryant. Top row from left: James Mitchell, six unidentified people, Dennis Broadbelt, and unidentified

The connection with Baylor may have brought Freddie & the Freeloaders to Memphis, where they would cut their next single at Sun Studios. The rockin’ “Patty” is credited to Fred Prue and Gene Simmons, Arkmil Pub. Co., and “The Octopus Song” is by James Mitchell & John Franzese. The initial release was on Crossroad 103/4 out of West Memphis, Arkansas in March, 1966.

Laurie Records immediately picked it up for national distribution as Laurie LR 3334. The single even saw release in Germany on Ariola 18 880 AT.

Freddie and the Freeloaders promotional photo
Freddie and the Freeloaders, from left: Jamie Montana, Bobby Dennis, Fred Prue, Al Roberts, and Dennis Broadbelt

An article in the Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire, not far from Boston) on December 31, 1966 lists the members as:

Fred Prue – lead guitar
Al Roberts – rhythm guitar
Joe Seta – bass
Robert Allen – organ
Bob Bennet – drums

Freddie and the Freeloaders from Burlington, VT … have made many records such as “The Octopus Song” and “That’s the Kind of Man I Am.” They were recording in Memphis, Tenn for Laurie Records and came from there [via] the Fred Petty Agency.

Some of their college dates have been at Tufts, Rensselaer and Princeton.

Ranging in age from 20 to 23, the boys, Fred Prue, lead guitar; Al Robert, rhythm guitar; Joe Seta, base guitar; Robert Allen, organ and Bob Bennet, drums, have a style of Rock and Roll combined with rhythm and blues … very much their own.

Freddie and the Freeloaders later promotional photo
I could use help identifying the musicians in this photo. Fred Pruce is center.
Ad for an engagement at Pal Joey’s Lounge in Somerville, MA, Feb. 13-25, 1967, the band includes Fred Prue, Al Roberts, Joe Seta and Dennis Broadbelt, with an unidentified drummer

A photo from an ad for February, 1967 shows in Somerville, MA includes:

Fred Prue – lead guitar
Al Roberts – rhythm guitar
Joe Seta – bass
Dennis Broadbelt – drums
unknown – ?

I am not sure when Freddie & the Freeloaders split up. Fred Prue continued playing music, including Prues Blues. He passed away on February 15, 2020.

Thank you to Amy Prue for the photos & information on her father’s bands.

Thanks also to James for the scan of “Someone Like You”.

Sources include: The Story Of The Thunderbolts by Will Shade.

There were most certainly not the Volcanoes from Canada, who made “Sympathize” / “Listen to the Clouds” on Sound Inc (and picked up by Sparton in Canada), two songs written by Ron Allan Neilson & Harry Olsen and produced by Getz-Powers.

Also, there were three other Freddie and the Freeloaders acts with records. None of these are related to Fred Prue’s group:

Freddie and the Freeloaders with Fred Halls from Danville, Illinois who recorded on Redd Hedd.

Freddie and the Freeloaders – “Say It” (Freddie W.) / Little Prince & the Freeloaders – “Nursery Love” on M and M 1263 in 1963

Freddie and The Freeloaders from the Baltimore area – “Little One” / “You’re Gone” on Dome SR 4014

1967 lineup, from bottom right: Dennis Broadbelt, Fred Prue, Al Roberts, Joe Seta, and unidentified
Freddie and the Freeloaders color photo
Fred Prue at left

14 thoughts on “The Volcanoes and Freddie & the Freeloaders”

  1. The late Johnny Baylor was a black entrepreneur who later had the KoKo label, which had some big hits in the seventies with the soul singer Luther Ingram (“If Loving You Is Wrong I Don’t Want To Be Right”). KoKo and Baylor were associated with Stax Records, and he seems to have had a major hand in the financial improprieties which famously led to Stax’s spectacular bankruptcy in 1975. A classic strong-arm man by all accounts – a hustler of the type familiar from the history of the R&B record industry.

    There’s a whole lot on Baylor in Rob Bowman’s wonderfully well researched 1997 book on Stax, “Soulsville U.S.A.”, as well as Peter Guralnick’s classic 1986 book on sixties soul, “Sweet Soul Music”.

    1. My father was the lead singer of The Valcaones. He was also lead singer of Freedoe and the Freeloaders on your YouTube page. He was a left handed guitarist playing from a child till the day he passed in 2022.

    2. Fredrick Prue grew up in NEK, Newport Vt. He lived all his life in New England. As an adult he played alone and w his brother as PrUes Blues. Recording 20+ albums of cover tracks and original songs wrote by his family or himself. And yes, my father sang both side of this 45. Two of a Kind was fine tuned w my mother on her mothers piano.

  2. Hi there,

    The “other” Volcanoes you mention that did “Sympathize”, etc. were from Sarnia, ON, Canada, just across the border from Michigan. The band was made up of Brad Dudley (drums), Harry Olsen (bass), Wayne Dennis (guitar) and Ron Neilson (guitar and lead vocals- whose middle name is Thomas, not Allen) Ron is my Dad 🙂

    If you flick me an email, I’ll put you in touch. He has heaps of photos and memorabilia from those days and I’m sure would be happy to share it with you.

    Tami

    1. I have been trying to locate information on Ron Neilson for many years — my folk/bluegrass cover band played opposite Gary Holmberg and him at the Mantiki East on University Avenue in Minneapolis circa 1965.

      Any update information you can provide (via above-cited E-mail address) would be very appreciated.

      Best regards.
      Bob

    2. Hey Tami…Gret to hear that you have a connection to the Volcanoes from Sarnia. We used to book them for our high school dances in Forest. Was just wondering if you could tell me if they were the band that was playing at the Ipperwash Casino, the night it burned down. would love to have any more relevant photos etc.

      Thanks in Advance….Brian

    3. Tami, I’m a serious Canadian artists’ record collector who only just this past weekend found out about your father’s band. I would sure like to find out more! Do you have photos you could share? Did the 45 chart at any of the local radio stations? I’d like to hear and see more about this band.

    4. Hi Tami,

      I would like to ad your dad’s record to my site, Canuckistan Music. Could you drop me a line at contact [at] canuckistanmusic [dot] com and I could ask you a few questions about the band. Thanks a lot!! 🙂

  3. Hi,I haven’t talked with anyone from Ron’s family for a very long time,sorry. My wife,Carol wants to make me a scrap book of my like as a VOLCANOE and I just don’t have very much in the way of pictures,if you could help me out I would be very greatful,Thankyou ,Harry.

  4. Hi Chris, i have just picked up what appears to be a stock copy of this 45, but with more production on the vocals.there is a second vocal(presumably the same singer) and the overall production seems a bit clearer. i`ve attached a link to the track below aswell as a scan….great song,and guitar break. has any info on the whereabouts of the band appeared? the flip very much reminds me of something offa The Gables LP.

    all the best,

    James.

  5. Hey James,
    Thanks for alerting me to this, there’s definitely a second vocal track on your copy. Very strange, especially for a b-side! Haven’t found anything really new about the group yet. I’ll add your label scan to the post.

  6. We were big fans of the (Sarnia) Volcanoes…they played many time at the Glencoe pavilion and we never missed…I was a big fan of Harry and when I could scape together enough cash, I bought a Hofner, a ’67 that I still have and play…we’re actually starting a ’60’s band …and the topic of the Volcanoes from back in the day always comes up…would like to know more…what they’re doing now, pics etc

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