Mouse and the Traps is the name of an American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band from

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...

, United States, that released numerous singles between 1965 and 1969, two of which, " A Public Execution" and "Sometimes You Just Can't Win", became large regional hits. The leader of the band, nicknamed "Mouse", was Ronny Weiss. Two of their best known songs, "A Public Execution" and a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of "

Psychotic Reaction "Psychotic Reaction" is a song by the American garage rock band Count Five, released in June 1966 on their Psychotic Reaction (album), debut studio album of the same name. Background "Psychotic Reaction" was born out of an instrumental that Count ...

", are not actually credited to this band but, respectively, to simply Mouse and Positively 13 O'Clock instead. Their tangled history also included one single that was released anonymously under the name Chris St. John. The band are not to be confused with the girl group Mousie and The Traps who recorded for Toddlin' Town records around the same time.

Early history

Ronny (Mouse) Weiss ''(né'' Ronald Lon Weiss; born 1942) and Dave Stanley ''(né'' Samuel David Stanley; born 1946) were members of a local band named Jerry Vee and the Catalinas (or simply the Catalinas) in 1964. Weiss had also performed on a regional hit single "Lucky Lips" by Steve Wright and The Catalinas that was later released nationally by Dot Records. In this time period, they met

Bugs Henderson Buddy Henderson ''(né'' Harry Fisher Henderson; October 20, 1943 – March 9, 2012), better known as "Bugs" Henderson, was an American blues guitarist. He was popular in Europe and from the 1970s, was based in Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dall ...

(or Buggs Henderson), lead guitarist for a local instrumental band, the Sensors. Weiss and Knox Henderson – no relation to Buddy (Bugs) Henderson - co-wrote "A Public Execution" and brought the song to Robin Hood Brians, who manages Robin Hood Studios that is still in operation in

today. This song – which strongly resembles

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's music in the mid-1960s – was released as the band's first single in 1966 under the name ''Mouse''. Jerry Howell (who was also in Jerry Vee and the Catalinas) and Ken (Nardo) Murray joined the group shortly thereafter, and most of their remaining music was released under the name ''Mouse and the Traps''. Besides Brians, other musicians that have played in various incarnations of the band over the years include Bobby Delk, Don (Levi) Garrett and Tim Gillespie. After releasing several singles on the Fraternity Records label, Mouse and the Traps also recorded two singles for

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny ...

that were produced by Dale Hawkins. The band also performed on two of Hawkins' singles and contributed toward his 1966 album on the label, ''L.A., Memphis and Tyler, Texas''. The band broke up in 1969, but all members remained in music except Jerry Howell (who became a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister). By 1966, the members of Mouse and the Traps – along with Robin Hood Brians and Doug Rhone – were working with singer Jimmy Rabbitt, who was attempting to launch a band under the name, Positively 13 O'Clock. Continuing their Dylan connection, the name is an obvious play on Dylan's hit in the same time period, " Positively 4th Street". A

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

studio session at

Hanna-Barbera Records Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

in September 1966 resulted in their only recorded single, that included a frantic version of

Count Five Count Five was an American garage rock band, formed in San Jose, California in 1964, known for their hit single "Psychotic Reaction". Background The band was founded in 1964 by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio) ...

's "

". However, a planned album for the band never materialized.

Musical highlights

The first single by Mouse, "A Public Execution" was much more

Dylanesque ''Dylanesque'' is the twelfth studio album by English singer Bryan Ferry, released on 5 March 2007 by Virgin Records. The album consists of cover versions of ten Bob Dylan songs and one traditional song that Dylan himself covered on his first ...

than any of their later music and reached No. 121 on ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under the Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. The single was released on REO Records in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as well and became a regional hit in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, where many local bands frequently covered the song. In the original

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of the

Nuggets Nuggets may refer to: Music * ''Nuggets'' (series), a series of compilation albums by Elektra Records, continued by Rhino * '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' * '' Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper Ma ...

states of this song: "There are some who say that Mouse does Dylan's '' Highway 61'' period better than the Master himself". Another reviewer remarked: " A Public Execution'is to Dylan what the Knickerbockers' 'Lies' is to

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

: one of the few rip-offs so utterly accurate that it could easily fool listeners into mistaking it for the original article". Their second, punkier single, "Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice", is regarded by many as being their best recording ,but did not repeat their earlier chart success. The next single was a novelty song that went in a completely different direction. Titled "Would You Believe", it was a take-off on the running gag of that name by Don Adams on the television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Get Smart''. A promo exists that shows the artist of this third single as only Mouse. However, a more subdued, later single "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" spent one week at No. 125 and was a regional hit in Tyler, Texas,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

and

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. ''AllMusic'' describes Mouse and the Traps as "a fine band who was probably too chameleon-like to find their niche in the national market". By 1968, Bugs Henderson had formed another band called "The Dream" and was playing night club venues around Dallas.

Post breakup

The band reformed briefly in 1972 but had a genuine reunion in 1986 with the original members during the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration, with a performance at Flag Pole Hill in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

before an estimated 7000 people. A videotape of the 1986 reunion concert is reportedly available from Marc Hood Productions. Weiss formed the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

band Rio Grande, which released a self-titled LP for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in 1971; music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

called it "a perfectly competent-plus mod-country band which has gone virtually unacknowledged in print". Weiss continues to tour and perform regularly, and often with his former bandmates; he is also a writer and is in demand as a session player. Bugs Henderson had a renowned career as an influential blues/rock

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

with eight albums to his credit. His 2004 release on No Guru Records, ''Stormy Love'' includes a version of "Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice". He died from complications of liver cancer on March 8, 2012, four days after a benefit concert in his name. Dave Stanley and Ken (Nardo) Murray, together with Larry Stanley founded the Lone Star Ramblers. They were featured performers at

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, Dollywood from 1988 to 1996, and also appear annually at the Texas State Fair. They have released 10 albums and several video productions and also perform as the Stanley Murray Stanley Band and (at

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

time) the Strolling Santas.

Jimmy Rabbitt Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

has had a long and varied career as a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

musician. He is also a celebrated

and

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

who has had an internationally syndicated

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

, ''The Rabbitt Report'' since 1971. (Although the vocalist's name for Positively 13 O'Clock is sometimes spelled as "Jimmy Rabbit", he was evidently not a member of an obscure 1960's

band, Jimmy Rabbit and the Karats). Rabbitt was signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

as Jimmy Rabbitt and Renegade. An album was produced by

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

and the band consisted of former

Sweathog (band) Sweathog was an American rock band. Group members Lenny Goldsmith and David Leonard Johnson first met in 1967 while Johnson was playing in a group called The Persuaders at the Wayne Manor nightclub in Sunnyvale, California. After Johnson did a s ...

bass player, David L. Johnson. 54 years after releasing "A Public Execution," and three years after Dylan became the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, the dream of an entire Mouse And The Traps album devoted to the music of Bob Dylan came to fruition. "As a producer and songwriter, when you first start a recording session, you are never sure if you have a hit or not. That's not the case when you start an album of Dylan songs. You know the material is good," producer Robin Hood Brians says. "We felt the responsibility of introducing a new generation to Dylan. Our greatest hope is they will appreciate his music as much as we do," Mouse explains. Their new album, ''Walking in Dylan's Shoes,'' was released on December 20, 2020. It contains fourteen songs written by Bob Dylan, performed by the current members of the band, which includes three original members, Ronny "Mouse" Weiss, Dave Stanley on bass and harmonica, and Ken (Nardo) Murray on drums. Replacing Henderson is Dave's brother, Larry Stanley and Gary Don Freeman plays organ and keyboards. Their producer, Robin Hood Brians, also plays piano on this new album, which was recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas. Coinciding with the release of ''Walking in Dylan's Shoes,'' a feature-length documentary about the band has been produced by Allen Morris. The documentary includes six songs from the band's early recordings and includes studio performances of five songs from the new album.

Retrospective albums

The music by Mouse and the Traps and the other associated bands has been assembled by two European

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

s on retrospective albums. The first was an LP called '' Public Execution'' that was released in 1982 (on

Eva Records Absolute is the brand of a long-running series of compilation albums owned by the Swedish record company EVA Records. Initially, the only albums in the series were called ''Absolute Music'', but starting in 1990 there have been other themed album ...

), which included nearly all of their singles, including the Positively 13 O'Clock record. The LP was re-released on CD by New Rose Blues Records in 1995 with four bonus tracks, including both sides of the 45 that was released under the name of Chris St. John. Out of the 25 recordings on their various singles, the only un-reissued tracks are on their final Bell Records single, "Knock on My Door" and "Where's the Little Girl". (The reason that there is an odd number of recordings is that "Cryin' Inside" was released as the "B" side of a 1968 single after its original release in 1967). Also, in 1997, a CD was released on Ace Records/ Big Beat Records with seven previously unreleased songs that is still in print. Both retrospective albums are comprehensive overviews of the band's career, although the two albums have several tracks that are not in common. Their recordings are also widely available on numerous

s of

music.

Band members

Mouse ("A Public Execution")

* Ronnie (Mouse) Weiss, ''12-String Guitar and Vocals.'' * Dave Stanley, ''Bass Guitar.'' * Bugs Henderson, ''Guitar.'' * Don (Levi) Garrett, ''Drums.'' * Randy Fouts, ''Piano.'' * Robin Hood Brians, ''Farfisa Organ.''

Mouse and the Traps (Original line-up)

* Ronnie (Mouse) Weiss, ''Guitar and Vocals.'' * Dave Stanley, ''Bass Guitar.'' * Bugs Henderson, ''Lead Guitar.'' * Jerry Howell, ''Keyboardist.'' * Ken (Nardo) Murray, ''Drummer.''

Mouse and the Traps (1972 Reunion line-up)

* Ronnie (Mouse) Weiss, ''Guitar and Vocals.'' * Dave Stanley, ''Bass Guitar.'' * Bobby Delk, ''Keyboards.'' * Ken (Nardo) Murray, ''Drums''. * Ron Spier (Lead Guitar)

Mouse and the Traps (1980 - 1981 line-up)

* Ronnie (Mouse) Weiss, ''Guitar and Vocals.'' * Dave Stanley, ''Bass Guitar.'' * Brady Mosher, ''Guitar and Vocals.'' * Ron Mason, ''Keyboards.'' * Ken (Nardo) Murray, ''Drums''.

Mouse and the Traps (Occasional reunion line-up)

* Ronnie (Mouse) Weiss, ''Guitar and Vocals.'' * Dave Stanley, ''Bass Guitar.'' * Larry Stanley, ''Lead Guitar.'' * Ken (Nardo) Murray, ''Drums''.

Positively 13 O'Clock

Positively 13 O'Clock was a project by Jimmy Rabbitt, backed by members of Mouse and the Traps. Only the one single "Psychotic Reaction" was released * Jimmy Rabbitt, guitar and vocals * Ronny (Mouse) Weiss, guitar and vocals * Dave Stanley, bass guitar * Bugs Henderson, lead guitar * Doug Rhone, guitar * Robin Hood Brians, keyboards * Ken (Nardo) Murray, drums * James SK Wān, bamboo flute

''Walking in Dylan's Shoes''

The line-up of musicians on this album, released December 20, 2020, includes: * Ronny (Mouse) Weiss, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, steel and gut guitar, and vocals * Dave Stanley, bass guitar, harmonica * Larry Stanley, 12-string guitar, gut guitar, electric guitar, banjo * Ken (Nardo) Murray, drums and percussion * Robin Hood Brians, piano and backup vocals * Suzzan Briand, backup vocals * Gary Don Freeman, organ, keyboards, accordion * Curtis Fox, trombone

Discography

Retrospective albums

* '' Public Execution''; Eva Records (#EV-12001); 1982 release on LP * '' Public Execution''; New Rose Blues Records (#4015); 1995 re-release on CD (with 4 bonus tracks) * '' The Fraternity Years''; Ace/Big Beat Records (#CDWIKD 171); 1997 release on CD

Singles

As Mouse

* " A Public Execution" b/w "All for You"; Fraternity Records (#F-956) – Dec. 1965 * "A Public Execution" b/w "All for You"; REO Records (#8912X) – 1966 (Canadian release) * "Would You Believe?" b/w "Like I Know You Do"; Fraternity Records (#F-971) – 1966 (promo only)

As Mouse and the Traps

* "Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice" b/w "I Am the One"; Fraternity Records (#F-966) – 1966 * "Would You Believe?" b/w "Like I Know You Do"; Fraternity Records (#F-971) – 1966 * "Do the Best You Can" b/w "Promises Promises"; Fraternity Records (#F-973) – 1967 * "Cryin' Inside" b/w "Ya Ya"; Fraternity Records (#F-989) – 1967 * "L.O.V.E. Love" b/w "L.O.V.E. Love"; Fraternity Records (#F-1000) – 1967 (promo only) * "L.O.V.E. Love" b/w "Lie, Beg, Borrow and Steal"; Fraternity Records (#F-1000) – 1967 * "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" b/w "Cryin' Inside"; Fraternity Records (#F-1005) – 1968 * "I Satisfy" (long version) b/w "I Satisfy" (short version); Fraternity Records (#F-1011) – 1968 (promo only) * "I Satisfy" b/w "Good Times"; Fraternity Records (#F-1011) – 1968 * "Requiem For Sarah" b/w "Look At The Sun"; Fraternity Records (#F-1015) – 1968 * "Wicker Vine" b/w "And I Believe Her"; Bell Records (#850) – 1969

As Positively 13 O'Clock

* "Psychotic Reaction" b/w "13 O'Clock Theme For Psychotics"; Hanna-Barbera Records (#HBR-500) – 1967

As Chris St. John

* "I've Got Her Love" b/w "As Far As The Sea"; Fraternity Records (#F-983) – 1967 The singles "Where's The Little Girl" b/w "Knock On My Door" (Bell #870, April 1970) and "Woman Or A Girl" b/w "I Can Only Touch You With My Eyes" (Bell #918, September 1970), both credited to "M.O.U.S.E.", are sometimes mistakenly thought to be by Mouse and the Traps; they are in fact by a group from Jacksonville, Florida, who also recorded as Mouse and the Boys.

Compilation albums

"A Public Execution" #'' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968'' (LP) #'' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968'' (CD box set) #'' Excerpts from Nuggets'' (CD) #'' More Nuggets'' (CD) #'' Nuggets, Volume 6'' (LP) #'' Texas Music, Volume 3'' (CD) "Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice" #'' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968'' (CD box set) #'' Nuggets, Volume 12'' (LP) #'' Acid Dreams Testament'' (CD) #'' The Complete Acid Dreams'' (CD box set) #'' Glimpses, Volume 1'' (LP) #'' Glimpses, Volumes 1 and 2'' (CD) #'' Uptight Tonight'' (CD) "Lie, Beg, Borrow & Steal" #''

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson l ...

'' (CD) #'' Ace 30th Birthday Celebration: Garage, Beat & Punk Rock'' (CD) "Good Times" #'' Sixties Archives, Volume 2'' (CD) #'' Texas Punk Groups in the Sixties, Volume 1'' (LP) #'' Zona de Obros Especial, Volume 3'' (CD) "I Satisfy" #'' Sixties Archives, Volume 2'' (CD) #'' Texas Punk Groups in the Sixties, Volume 1'' (LP) #'' Psychedelic Unknowns, Volume 4'' (LP) #'' Psychedelic Unknowns, Volume 4'' (CD) "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" #'' Instant Garage'' (CD) "Psychotic Reaction" #'' Pebbles, Volume 1'' (LP, CD) #''

Pebbles Box ''The Pebbles Box'' is a 5-LP box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. Several years later, a similar 5-CD box set was released that was called the ''Trash Box''. The Pebbles Box purports to c ...

'' (LP box set) #'' Great Pebbles'' (CD) #''

Trash Box ''Trash Box'' is a 5-CD box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. This box set is similar to the earlier ''Pebbles Box'' (a 5-LP box set) and includes almost all of the same recordings in tha ...

'' (CD box set) #''

Songs We Taught The Fuzztones The Fuzztones are an American garage rock revival band formed in 1982. History Founded by singer-guitarist Rudi Protrudi in New York City, the band has gone through several member changes but is currently active in Europe. Dismissed by some cri ...

'' (LP, CD) #'' Psychedelic Archives USA Garage, Volume 1'' (cassette)

References

External links

The History of Robin Hood StudiosAce RecordsL.S.B.K. Music (Home of the Lone Star Ramblers)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouse And The Traps Garage rock groups from Texas American folk rock groups Musical groups established in 1965 Bell Records artists