People! was a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

rock band that was formed in San Jose,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1965. Their greatest chart success came with their summer hit single "I Love You". The song, written by

The Zombies The Zombies are an English rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two fu ...

bass guitarist Chris White, rose to number one in Japan (twice), Israel, Australia, Italy, South Africa, and the Philippines, and peaked at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in June 1968. At various times, band members have included Robb Levin, Geoff Levin, Albert Ribisi, John Riolo, David Anderson,

Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...

, Gene Mason, Denny Fridkin, Tom Tucker, Bruce Thomas Eason (as Scott Eason), John Tristao, Steve Boatwright, and Rob Thomas. On October 19, 2007, People! was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame. After People! broke up, Larry Norman became one of the pioneers of

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

music.Sanford, David
"Farewell, Larry Norman."
''Christianity Today''. June 27, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2007."This World is not My Home"
. Wittenburg Door. Retrieved August 13, 2010. ''People!'' recorded an album which was funded through an Indegogo campaign in May 2018. Current members include Gene Mason, Denny Fridkin, Robb Levin,

Geoff Levin Geoff Levin (born September 14, 1945) is an American rock musician, film/television composer and songwriter. Performing as part of the Black Mountain Boys with Jerry Garcia in the early years of his career, in 1968 his own group, People!, scored ...

, and John Tristao.

Scientology connection

After all of the band members except lead singers Norman and Mason embraced

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data indi ...

, Norman claimed other members of the band issued the ultimatum: Join Scientology or leave the band. Norman and Mason both refused.Denny Fridkin, in Tony Cumming, "People!: Drummer and songwriter Denny Fridkin recounts his life in music", (August 26, 2007)

People Drummer recounts his life in music Some band members indicate that Norman was asked to leave the band because he was seen as a "

Suppressive Person Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP, is a term used in Scientology to describe the "antisocial personalities" who, according to Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, make up about 2.5% of the population. A statement on a Church of Scientolog ...

". Norman claimed that he was harassed by other members of Scientology. On the Jerry Bovino TV show, ''Eye on Aspen'', brothers Robbie and

clarified that they kicked Larry Norman out of the group based on their interpretation of

policy categorizing Larry as an anti-social personality. Levin claimed kicking out members broke up their group.

Discography

Singles (45 rpm)

''Title (A Side/B Side) (Label Number) Year'' * "Organ Grinder"/"Riding High" (Capitol 5920) 1967 * " I Love You"/"Somebody Tell Me My Name" (Capitol 2078) 1968 US No. 14 * "Apple Cider"/Ashes of Me (Capitol 2251) 1968 US No. 111 * "Ulla"/Turnin' Me In (Capitol 2449) 1969 US No. 129* * "Turnin' Me In"/Ulla (Capitol 2499) 1969 * "Love Will Take Us Higher & Higher"/"Living It Up" (Paramount 0005) 1969 * "Sunshine Lady"/"Crosstown Bus" (Paramount 0011) 1969 * "For What It's Worth"/"Maple Street" (Paramount 0019) 1970 * "One Chain Don't Make No Prison"/"Keep It Alive" (Paramount 0028) 1970 * "Chant for Peace"/"I Don't Carry No Guns" (Polydor 14087) 1971 * "I Love You" (re-issue)/" Nobody but Me" (

the Human Beinz The Human Beinz ( ) is an American rock band from Youngstown, Ohio. Originally known as The Human Beingz, the band initially featured John "Dick" Belley (vocals, guitar), Joe "Ting" Markulin (vocals, guitar), Mel Pachuta (vocals, bass), and Gary ...

) (Capitol P4482 and X-6224) US Chart is ''Billboard'' unless otherwise noted. * Record World singles chart.

Albums

* ''I Love You'' (1968) (Capitol ST-2924) CD re-release (1994) (Capitol CDP-29797) * ''Both Sides of People'' (1969) (Capitol ST-151) * ''There Are People and There Are People'' (1970) (Paramount PAS-5013) * ''Larry Norman and People! - The Israel Tapes 1974 A.D.'' (1980) * ''Best of People Vol. 1 - 40 Year Anniversary'' (2006) (Solid Rock CD-SRP-001) * ''Best of People Vol. 2 - 40 Year Anniversary'' (2006) (Solid Rock CD-SRP-002) * ''People! The Reunion Concert 2006'' (2007) (Solid Rock) * ''I Love You Korea'' (2007) (Solid Rock ILY-001)

Video interviews

* "The Jerry Bovino Show - Rock and Roll Brothers with Robbie Levin,

, and Host Jerry Bovino" 2017

References

External links

Collection of People! promo items

{{DEFAULTSORT:People Psychedelic rock music groups from California Musical groups from San Jose, California Larry Norman Scientology-related controversies