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The Castells
The Castells were a male vocal quartet from Santa Rosa, California best remembered for their hits "Sacred" (No. 20 in 1961) and "So This Is Love" (No. 21 in 1962), both released on Era Records. Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000 Their sound blended light rock with elements of collegiate vocal harmony and jazz. History The Castells were formed at Santa Rosa High School around 1959. They were booked for a performance at a local teenage "canteen". They did not have a name and their pianist, Jeff Bush, suggested one. It had no meaning other than they thought that it sounded good, and the intent was to be more thoughtful and change it later. Through a Santa Rosa KJAX disc jockey who went by the name of Dan Dillon, they got Hollywood contacts. Chuck Girard's mother financed a demo for a hundred dollars, which was recorded in a San Francisco studio. They took their demo and went door-to-door in Hollywood, first to Crystalette Records, which seemed to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and Redwood Empire, Redwood Coast. It is the fifth most populous city in the Bay Area after San Jose, California, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, California, Oakland, and Fremont, California, Fremont; and the List of largest California cities by population, 25th most populous city in California. History Early history Before the arrival of Europeans, what became known as the Santa Rosa Plain was occupied by a strong and populous tribe of Pomo natives known as the Bitakomtara. The Bitakomtara controlled the area closely, barring passage to others until permission was arranged. Those who entered without permission were subject t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surf Rock
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys. Dick Dale developed the surf sound from instrumental rock, where he added Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern and Mexican music, Mexican influences, a spring reverb, and rapid alternate guitar picking, picking characteristics. His regional hit "Let's Go Trippin', in 1961, launched the surf music craze, inspiring many others to take up the approach. The genre reached national exposure when it was represented by vocal groups such as the Beach Boys and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Crowd" in 1965 and "Drift Away", which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, has sold over one million copies and remains a staple of radio airplay. Background Gray was born in Simonton, Texas. His birth name was most likely Lawrence Darrow Brown, listed in Fort Bend County birth records as being born in 1940 to Jane and Jethro C. Brown. Other sources suggest he may have been born Leonard Victor Ainsworth, a name he used on some early recordings. His family sharecropped. He discovered gospel music through his grandfather, a Baptist minister. Career In the early 1960s Gray moved to Los Angeles, intending to pursue an acting career while also singing to make money. He recorded for several local labels under the names Leonard Ainsworth, Larry Curtis, and Larry D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donnie Brooks
Donnie Brooks (born John Dee Abohosh; February 6, 1936 – February 23, 2007) was an American pop music singer. Brooks is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Early life Born in Dallas, Texas, Abohosh moved to Ventura, California in his teens, where he was adopted by his stepfather and took the name John D. Faircloth. He discovered a singing voice at a young age and recorded a few minor hits with several small record labels under the stage names Johnny Jordan, Dick Bush (which sole single "Hollywood Party" was his first for Era), and Johnny Faire, the latter gaining some sales with " Bertha Lou" in early 1959, while a cover version by Clint Miller charted nationally. Success In 1958, on Vine Street north of Hollywood Boulevard, across the street from the Capitol Records building and above the Ontra Cafeteria, were the offices of Hal Zeiger – World Wide Attractions, which produced The Borscht Capades starring Mickey Katz (father of Joel Grey) and several Southern Califo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Rivingtons
The Rivingtons were a 1960s doo-wop band, known for their 1962 novelty hit "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The members were lead vocalist Carl White (June 21, 1932 - January 7, 1980), tenor Al Frazier (d. November 13, 2005), baritone Sonny Harris, and bassist Turner "Rocky" Wilson, Jr. Frazier was replaced by Madero White for a period in the late 1970s. History The Rivingtons had originally been known as The Sharps and had had success in the charts with Thurston Harris's "Little Bitty Pretty One" in 1957. They then appeared on Duane Eddy's 1958 hit "Rebel Rouser", providing handclaps and rebel yells. They also recorded on Warner Brothers Records as The Crenshaws in 1961. Their first hit as the Rivingtons was "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" (Liberty #55427, 1962). Like many such songs, it began with the bass chanting nonsense syllables (in this case the title), followed by the tenor singing over repetitions of it. "Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow", an even more baroque rewrite of the theme, failed to sell, but the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los Angeles area as part of a five-member group called the Paramours, and adopted the name The Righteous Brothers when they became a duo. Their most active recording period was in the 1960s and '70s, and, after several years inactive as a duo, Hatfield and Medley reunited in 1981 and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003. The music they performed is sometimes dubbed " blue-eyed soul". Hatfield and Medley had contrasting vocal ranges, which helped them create a distinctive sound as a duet, also both had a strong vocal talent individually that allowed them to perform as soloists. Medley sang the low parts with his bass-baritone voice, with Hatfield taking the higher-register vocals with his tenor. His voice reached the register of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmony, vocal harmonies, adolescent-themed lyrics, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of traditional pop, older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound. Under Brian's direction, they often incorporated classical music, classical or jazz elements and Recording studio as an instrument, unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. The Beach Boys began as a garage band, managed by the Wilsons' father Murry Wilson, Murry, with Brian serving as composer, arranger, producer, and ''de facto'' leader. In 1963, they enjoyed their first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jan And Dean
Jan and Dean was an American rock music, rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles popularized by the Beach Boys. Among their most successful songs was 1963's "Surf City (song), Surf City", the first surf song ever to reach the #1 spot. Their other charting top 10 singles were "Drag City (song), Drag City" (1963), "Dead Man's Curve (song), Dead Man's Curve" (1964; inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008), and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" (1964). In 1972, Torrence won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, Best Album Cover for the psychedelic rock band Dobie Gray, Pollution's first eponymous 1971 album, and was nominated three other times in the same category for albums of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 2013, Torrence's design contribution of the Surf City Allstars' ''In C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick And Dee Dee
Dick and Dee Dee (or Dick and Deedee) is an American singer-songwriter duo that reached popularity in the early to mid-1960s. The group was founded by California classmates Richard Gosting and Mary Sperling. They eventually changed their names to Dick St. John and Dee Dee Sperling (currently Dee Dee Phelps), respectively. They had their first hit in 1961 when " The Mountain's High" reached No. 2 on the Billboard 100. They toured with the Beach Boys and opened for the Rolling Stones during the Stones' 1964 tour of California. Regulars on the show ''Shindig!'', the duo had multiple hit songs before St. John and Sperling disbanded in 1969. In the 1980s, St. John toured with his wife, Sandy. Dick St. John died on December 27, 2003, after a fall at his home. Dee Dee Phelps began performing with actor/singer Michael Dunn as Dick and Dee Dee in 2008, appearing in large doo wop and rock and roll shows throughout the United States. History Founding Dick St. John and Dee Dee Sperling met ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Rydell
Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell, was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s he was considered a teen idol. His most well-known songs include " Wildwood Days," " Wild One" and " Volare" (cover of an Italian song by Domenico Modugno, " Nel blu, dipinto di blu"); in 1963 he appeared in the musical film ''Bye Bye Birdie''. In the 1980s, he joined a trio called The Golden Boys, with fellow former teen idols Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte. He continued to tour up until his death in 2022. Early life Rydell was born in April 1942 and was the son of Jennie Ridarelli (nee Sapienza) and Adrio "Al" Ridarelli. Both of his parents were of Italian descent. He grew up in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia. As a child, he mimicked the singers he saw on television, and at the age of seven his father took him around the clubs of Philadelphi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Usher
Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fictitious surf groups or hot rod groups, mixing studio session musicians with his own troops (Chuck Girard, Dick Burns and others). These bands included the Super-Stocks, with the hot-rod song "Midnight Run", and the Kickstands. Death Usher died of lung cancer at his home in his hometown of Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 1990 at the age of 51. Selected discography Production *''Go Little Honda'' (1964, The Hondells) *''Hondells'' (1964, The Hondells) *''Hit City '65'' (1965, The Surfaris) *''It Ain't Me, Babe'' (1965, The Surfaris) *''In Action'' (1966, Keith Allison) *''An Esoteric Qabalistic Service'' (1966, Rev. Ann Davies with the Builders of the Adytum Choir) *''Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers'' (1967, Gene Clark) *''Younger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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