The Challenger’s came from Puerto Rico. I’ve seen the band name also listed as The Challengers without the apostrophe.

I know very little about the group, but members included Reno Haliff (aka Moreno Habif – lead vocals), Alex Rodriguez (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Jorge Casas (aka George Casas – bass) as well as a few I only know by anglicized first names: Eric, Joe, Kenny and Jose.

For this release (Mariel 5012) I prefer the b-side, “Emily” written by Reno Haliff. It’s an interesting mix of psychedelic, soul and latin influences, and dates to either 1968 or 1969.

The softer A-side “Martha Does” was written by Alex Rodriguez.

They had at least one earlier 45 (Mariel 5009): a version of Lennon-McCartney’s “It’s For You” that sounds nothing like the original, along with a more pedestrian version of “Needles and Pins”. Like “Martha Does” / “Emily”, both sides are also on their LP. Their album has other good songs with a similar jamming style as these, along with an excruciatingly long version of “Blowing in the Wind”!

Some additional info on the band is available at Tony Alicea’s site.

Were any other rock groups on the Mariel label?