The Vibrators came from Pike County in eastern Kentucky, including the towns of Pikeville and Phyllis. Circa 1968 they cut the fine single “Bad Girl”, written by Stevie Justice. There’s a lot to like about the song, including a good guitar solo, excellent drum fills and lyrics like “I’ll get even with you before I die”.
The single came out on Graco Records 45-507, with deadwax markings repeated on the labels, 5650/1. The Vibrators would have traveled some distance to find a pressing plant for the singles. Lexington, Kentucky was 140 miles away, and Charleston or Huntington, West Virginia were not much closer. Max Waller suggests the 5650 code indicates Southern Plastics / United Record Pressing in Nashville, which is likely, though there is no etched “SO” or Nashville Matrix stamp in the deadwax. If the 45 is from Southern Plastics, the code would indicate a January, 1969 release.
Richard Hunt produced both sides. The labels indicate BMI for both songs but I can find no evidence of copyright registration for either song.
I only know of two band members’ names, Steve Justice and Fonso Fields. Fonso Fields wrote the flip, the bluesy instrumental “Keep a Dreamin’”.
The Classics came from Paintsville, Kentucky, a town about 110 miles east of Lexington, KY. Members included:
Richard Titlow – lead vocals and guitar Bill (Fats) Garland – organ Bill Osborne – lead guitar Pat Donohue – bass Frank Hughes – drums
The Classics played at the Teen Town in Paintsville, where two of the photos here were taken. Tim Warren writes “Other local combos included The Midnighters, The Shadows of Infinity, Johnny Reb & the Rebels, XLs, the Chessmen, the Crabs, the Invaders (from Prestonburg), the Mag Seven (from Lexington) and the Saxons (from Pikesville) who released one 45, “She’s All Wrong” / “I’ll Go Wandering” on REM.”
With no local studios to record in, the band started looking farther afield. When the Classics traveled to Louisville to be in Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars, Bill Garland’s father set up a deal to pay for them to record in Indiana for the Amway label.
The Classics on stage, possibly in Louisville from left: Bill Garland, Frank Hughes (on drums), Pat Donohue, Richard Titlow and Bill Osborne
John wrote to me:
I remember Richard telling me that the 45 was recorded in someone’s house and that they all were in different rooms but it was a live take. He said the guy that was going to record them asked about the b side and they quickly had to throw an original song together.
Drummer Frank Hughes wrote the A-side “Trisha” for his girlfriend, with help from Billy Garland, Richard Titlow and Bill Osborne. It features a partly spoken vocal aswirl in the echoing organ. The flip is what makes the single legendary now, the intense “I’m Hurtin’” written by Garland, Titlow and Donahue. Playridge Music published both songs, the codes 825M-4956, T4KM-4956, indicate a custom RCA pressing from the first half of 1966.
It’s likely the draft broke the group up. John writes that the four members he knows are all still alive and well.
Special thanks to John Chaney, a guitarist who sat in with most of the band’s members at annual reunions at the area’s country club, for the photos and some of the info. More of the info comes from Tim Warren’s notes to Back from the Grave volume 9 – but you’ll have to read Tim’s notes for the raucous stories.
The Classics at Teen Town in PaintsvilleJohn Chaney, left with members of the ClassicsJohn Chaney with Bill Garland of the Classics
Ed Commons started Chetwyd Records in Lexington, Kentucky in 1966. Ed wrote to me with some info about the label:
Walt Harper Quintet LP on the Encore Custom label, recorded at Encore Electrical Recording Co. Pittsburgh, 1962
I had a label and recording service in Pittsburgh PA, (Encore Electrical Recording Company, label Encore Custom) before coming to Kentucky in the summer of 1965. Chetwyd preceded House of Commons. HOC began in in 1972, I believe, and the label was by then no longer in production. Currently I am the Producer/Director of Red Barn Radio, just getting ready to finish our 14th season.
Pepper and the Shakers were a Lexington group, not the one that recorded in New York [the Westland, Michigan group who cut “Semi-Psychedelic (It Is)” / “I’ll Always Love You” on Coral 62523]. There are pix of all artists, and some press and release materials.
CW-45008/9 numbers were held for sessions of the Iris Bell Trio, and were never released.
You show 45010 with a yellow label, there was a re-release with a purple label, the masters were –re eq’d, and re-mastered. The yellow actually has the better sound, and would be preferred.
45001-45007 were release as standard mono 45’s. CW-45007 was released in Compatible Stereo as were both versions of CW-45010.
45s:
CW-45001 – One of Hours – “It’s Best” (Foreman – Bogliole) / “Trifolia” (Foreman – Flynn -Bogliole) 1966, both songs pub. by Chetwyd BMI CW-45002 – Pepper and the Shakers – “For My Babe” (Oliver Pepper Burdett) / “Need Your Love” (Clarence Scott, Joe Baltimore), 1967. both songs pub. by Chetwyd BMI CW-45003 – Marshall Jones and the 4th Dimension “It’s Not Unusual” (Reed) / “Maryland Farmer” (Clements) CW-45004 – Pat and Barbara – “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” / “Noah” 1967 CW-45005 – One of Hours – “Feel The Pain” (Foreman – Flynn – Bogliele) / “Psychedelic Illusion” (Foreman – Willcutt) both pub. by Chetwyd, BMI (RI 2392D/E) Spring 1967 CW-45006 – Maltese – “You Better Stop” / “I Want To Talk To You” both by Akers for Chetwyd BMI 1967 CW-45007 – Universal Sound – “What Now?” / “Keep On Running” 1967 CW-45008 – no release CW-45009 – no release CW-45010 – Intimate Cyrcle, lead Cal Settles – “Someday (You’ll Be Breaking My Heart)” by Lisa Palas, Gene Deaton / “A World of Love” prod. by Ed Commons
7″ EP:
CWCM 1001 – “The Real Meaning of Christmas” written and narrated by William Rowe (Children’s Series – 33 1/3 RPM, mono only)
LPs:
CWM 66003 – Jack Bailey – When Your Lover Has Gone (mono) CWS 99003 – Jack Bailey – When Your Lover Has Gone (stereo) CWM 66004 – Pat and Barbara – There Is A Time (mono, 1967) CWS 99004 – Pat and Barbara – There Is A Time (stereo, 1967)
Although some singles note publishing by Chetwyd BMI, I can find no record of Chetwyd songs in the Library of Congress listings. See the entries on this site for more info on the One of Hours and the Maltese.
Thank you to Ed Commons for his help, and to Max Waller.
The Maltese, February 1967, photo courtesy of Ed Commons
The Maltese came from the Winchester, Kentucky area, about 20 miles east of downtown Lexington. They cut one single for Chetwyd Records of Lexington, “You Better Stop” / “I Want To Talk To You” both written by Akers for Chetwyd BMI, released on Chetwyd CW-45006 in 1967.
“You Better Stop” has sustained fuzz notes and sounds something like the Who’s “Out in the Street”. “I Want to Talk to You” is more like the Stones doing Solomon Burke. There’s nightclub noise running in the background but it’s not quite Got Live If You Want It.
Hear excerpts of both sides. I’m not sure where I found this clip, probably from a record auction.
A few months ago I posted about another group called the Maltese, based out of northern Kentucky communities like Covington, Elsmere and Erlanger, but that was an unrelated group.
Thank you to Ed Commons for sending in the photo of the band and clearing up my confusion of the two Maltese, and to Barry Wickham for the scan of the Maltese 45 label.
The Bad Seeds featured on January 14, 1967. From left to right, top row: Jerry Foster, Gene Clarke and Ernie Bands; bottom: John Reynolds and Donald Hodge
The Bad Seeds came from northern Kentucky, in the greater metropolitan Cincinnati area. The Enquirer featured the band in its Teenager section on January 14, 1967. At the time the members were John Reynolds, Donald Hodge, Jerry Foster, Gene Clarke and Ernie Bands [sic – should probably read Ernie Banks]. The article notes the Bad Seeds appeared at Granny’s teen club in Elsmere, that the group would have an album in addition to the single, and also that “all except Ernie hail from Northern Kentucky”.
As far as I know, the album never materialized, but nine months earlier a different version of the group traveled to New York to cut a single for Columbia Records featuring two original songs by the band, the Dylanesque “King of the Soap Box” (written by John Reynolds) and the fine 12-string song “He’s Lying”, written by Jerry Foster, both songs published by Red Brick Music, Inc BMI. Robert Mersey conducted and produced the single, released on Columbia 4-43670 in May, 1966
According to a comment by Lloyd McGlasson, the band’s members on the single were:
Jerry Foster – six string guitar and backing vocals Lloyd McGlasson – 12 string guitar and backing vocals John Reynolds – bass and lead vocals Earnie Banks – drums (Ernie Banks?)
Other sources list additional members, including Vicki Spencer on backing vocals on the single, and even Charlie Brown. Vicki Spencer would sing with The Bubble Gum Machine on their 1967 LP for Senate Records.
These Bad Seeds were not the Texas group who had three singles on J-Beck, nor the group from Oxnard, California with a single “Why Oh Why” / “Hearts of Stone” on TVA.
The One of Hours, September 1966, photo courtesy of Ed Commons
One of Hours came from Lexington, Kentucky and released two singles on the local Chetwyd Records label.
The band members on their first single were:
Shawn Foreman – keyboards David Flynn – guitar, vocals Dave Bogliole – bass, vocals Robert Nelson – drums Carol Craig – vocals
The band has the very first release on Chetwyd, CW-45001 featuring “It’s Best (by Foreman – Bogliole), a gentle ballad featuring the band’s vocal harmonies, accompanied by what sounds like autoharp and even whistling.
Ed Commons ran a studio in Lexington and also the Chetwyd label.
“Trifolia” (by Foreman – Flynn – Bogliole) is more rocking but the production gives it a distant sound. The release date was 1966, and like all their songs the labels list publishing by Chetwyd, though there’s no listing for them in the Library of Congress.
In April 1967 the One of Hours released their second single on Chetwyd CW-45005. The production is so much better, and the band more energetic and tighter. “Feel The Pain” (written by Foreman – Flynn – Bogliole) is a stand-out rocker with blistering lead guitar, some fuzz blasts, good lead and backing vocals, and a solid rhythm section behind it all.
“Psychedelic Illusion” (by Foreman – Willcutt) has the cloudier production of the first single, but has beautiful guitar picking and a melancholy feel to go with lyrics like “the sounds and the colors start to sway / the sounds and the colors are starting to fade / I feel my life slip away”. An organ, barely heard on the flip side, plays the instrumental break.
After speaking to Ed Commons, Lee Bryant reported to me that Carol Craig left, and the band added Bob Willcut on lead guitar for “Feel the Pain”. Lee sent in the news clip, below, of this lineup of the band:One of Hours in the Herald-Leader, May 7, 1967, from left: Shawn Foreman, David Flynn, Bob Willcutt, Robert Nelson (at drum kit), Dave Bogliole
Dave Baldwin spoke to a couple members of the band in the 1990s and said that Bob Willcutt played a Mosrite electric 12-string on “Psychedelic Illusion”.
Most intriguingly, Dave learned the group signed to Liberty Records with the group name changed to “Dandelion Wine”, and recorded and mixed an entire album only to have it cancelled by the label. Finally this LP has come to light courtesy of Bob Willcutt, and is definitely worth a listen, plus there are many photos within the videos for the twelve songs.
Lee Bryant reports that the lineup changed when they became Dandelion Wine, and included singer Vance Arnett and drummer Davie Rudolf (who could also be drumming on “Feel the Pain”).
Lee reports that the band began travelling to Washington, DC in the fall of 1968, trying to establish a foothold in the area’s music scene. In Lexington they were mostly a studio group, so it would be interesting to see some gig ads or news clips of their activity in DC.
The Maltese at Granny’s Club in Elsmere, KY, November, 1966. Top photo shows John Hyland and Donny Hutcherson of Boone County High, Mike Mahoney of Covington Catholic and Carol Dodd of St. Henry High. Bottom photo shows the Maltese in the background with dancers Sharon Riley, Charleen Riley, Brenda Clayton and Lindy Agner.
The Maltese came from northern Kentucky communities such as Covington, Park Hills and Erlanger, all part of the greater Cincinnati area.
An article in the Enquirer’s Teen-Ager section on Granny’s club in nearby Elsmere, KY shows a band called the Maltese. The article calls Granny’s teen club the “Home of the Dingos”, a band who played often in the area and who often appear in the local listings, unlike the Maltese.
Two members of the Maltese are identified in the article, John Hyland with the bass, and Mike Mahoney on guitar. Both songs on the single are credited to Akers.
There is some confusion about the early lineups of the group.
Dave Willis wrote to me:
Steve Marcum and I were learning to play chords and simple guitar riffs. We learned ‘Walk, Don’t Run’ and realized we needed a drummer. Steve Belew’s family had moved in a few doors from my family and somehow I learned he was a drummer and the three of us became the original Maltese. We tried out a couple of potential bassists but settled for another voice with a six-string and Tommy Angel joined the band.
It appears the Maltese from northern Kentucky never recorded. I had thought this was the same group who recorded on the Chetwyd label of Lexington, KY, which would have been about an hour’s drive to the south, but it turns out that group was from the Winchester area. I cover that group in a recent post.
The Cincinnati Enquirer profiled many local bands, including The De’ Blu or De Blus, as they appeared in ads for the Mod Room at the Cabana restaurant in Erlanger, Kentucky.
De’ Blu was comprised of three students of Covington Catholic High in Park Hills, plus one member each from St. Xavier and the University of Kentucky.
Members were: Mike White – organ Greg Barker – lead guitar Tom Bertke – rhythm guitar Jim Nordmeyer – harmonica Mark Gehring – drums.
“One of the most popular local bands appearing regularly at “Granny’s” these days is “The De’ Blu.” All of the boys live in Northern Kentucky and just recently they were offered a recording contract with Capitol Records.”
I have to wonder if anything ever became of the recording contract.
The Marc IV of Fort Thomas, Kentucky got a profile in the Enquirer on January 28, 1967. Members were:
Mike Reilly – lead singer and bass Rick Schmidt – organ Ken Steggeman – drums Steve Schiller – lead guitar
The news clipping says the group “banded together six months ago … have appeared at Granny’s, WSAI hops, school dances and every Sunday afternoon at the Avenue Club in Bellevue, Kentucky.”
I’ve also found an ad for the group from June of ’67 for an appearance at Capt. Al’s Ballroom in the Trolley Tavern at Anderson Fery Road with the Rambunctions.
Although the article continues “the boys have copyrighted several songs and plan to record them this spring in Lexington”, so far I haven’t found any record or copyrights by the group.
The Collection from Fort Mitchell, KentuckyThe Collection came from Dixie Heights High School in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. A profile by Tom Lutes in the Cincinnati Enquirer from November, 1965 lists the members as Don Brewer, David Conover, Chris Comer and Tom Ramsey.
“Their manager Jeff Goode says they play any kind of music, from rock ‘n’ roll to classical, including Mozart’s First Concerto.”
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
