Bones was an American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band that combined

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

with

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, charting in 1972 with their cover of

Huey "Piano" Smith Huey Pierce Smith, known as Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934) is an American rhythm-and-blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. His piano playing incorporated the boogie-woogie styles of Pete John ...

's song, "Roberta". Bones was the continuation of the band

Peppermint Trolley Company The Peppermint Trolley Company was an American sunshine pop band known for their 1968 single "Baby You Come Rollin' 'Cross My Mind" as well as their performances on '' Mannix'', ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and their arrangement and performance of ...

, which renamed itself and chose a new musical direction, after the group walked away from their recording contract with

Acta Records Acta or ACTA may refer to: Institutions * Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, an intellectual property trade agreement * Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments, a standards organization for terminal equipment such as registered jacks * A ...

in 1969. Bones released two

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

, one on Signpost Records and another on

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

, as well as releasing three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

. The original line-up included Jimmy Faragher (vocals, bass, guitar),

Danny Faragher Danny Owen Faragher (born May 15, 1947 in Long Beach, California) is an American rock/soul musician and singer and founding member of the bands: The Peppermint Trolley Company, The Faragher Brothers, Bones and The Mark Five. Early years Danny ...

(vocals, keyboards, brass, harmonica), Casey Cunningham (drums) and Greg Tornquist (guitar, flute, harmonica) Patrick McClure (guitar, vocals) joined the band for the second album in 1973.

History

In 1969, the Peppermint Trolley Company walked away from their contract for a variety of reasons, both financial and creative. They moved to

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

and changed their name to "Bones". According to Danny Faragher, the name was chosen as it was the furthest thing away from the name Peppermint Trolley Company, derived from an

Earl Stanley Gardner Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889 – March 11, 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, but he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces and also a series of nonfiction boo ...

murder mystery novel. After touring the fraternity circuit (

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

), band manager Steve Hauser, landed them an interview at two prominent

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

nightclubs,

Gazzarri's Gazzarri's was a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. The Doors and Van Halen were featured house bands there before being signed to major record labels. It was the backdrop for Huey Lewis and the News' shor ...

and the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

, with them ultimately signing up as Gazzarri's house band for a three-month run before later playing the Whisky a Go Go, as well as going on to play

The Roxy Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to: People * Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places in the United States * Roxie, Mississippi, a town * Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Music * Roxy ...

. In July 1971, after playing the club circuit, including the Topanga Corral, Bones was signed to Signpost Records by Artie Mogul with

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

as their producer. They went on to tour the Midwest, opening for

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob ...

and

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

The band's self-titled album, ''Bones'', was released in the spring of 1972. The album featured photography and artwork by the late comedian

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

. The single "Roberta", written by

, was released shortly after, charting at number 94 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A second single, "Good Luck" was also released in 1973. The same year, Signpost Records owner Artie Mogul sold the company to

. The second album, ''Waitin' Here'', was released in September 1973, produced by

Vini Poncia Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr. (born April 29, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Life and career The 1960s In the 1960s, Poncia formed a songwriting team with Peter Anders (née Peter Andreoli). An album of songs co-writt ...

. A single, "Undenied" was released shortly after. The album featured a more soul and R&B sound though was not pushed by the MCA label in the transitional confusion. In October 1973, Bones disbanded. Brothers Danny and Jimmy Faragher went on to form the

blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...

group,

the Faragher Brothers The Faragher Brothers is a blue-eyed soul family band from Redlands, California. It initially consisted of brothers Tommy Faragher, Davey Faragher, Jimmy Faragher and Danny Faragher. Siblings Marty Faragher and Pammy Faragher joined the group in ...

Members

* Jimmy Faragher – lead vocals, bass, occasional guitar (1969–1973) *

– keyboards, lead vocals, harmonica (1969–1973) * Patrick McClure – guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (1972–1973; died 2014) * Greg Tornquist – guitar, backing vocals (1969–1973) * Casey Cunningham – drums (1969–1973) Timeline

Album discography

* 1972: ''Bones (album)'' * 1973: '' Waitin' Here''

References

External links

Super Oldies biography on Peppermint Trolley Company
* {{Authority control American pop music groups Musical groups established in 1969 Musical groups disestablished in 1973 Musical groups from California MCA Records artists