The Astronauts was an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

band, which had a minor hit in 1963 with "Baja" and remained successful for several years, especially in Japan. They have been described as being, "along with...(the) Trashmen, the premier landlocked Midwestern surf group of the '60s."Biography by Richie Unterberger at Allmusic.com
Accessed 22 April 2011 For most of their career, the band members were Rich Fifield, Jon "Storm" Patterson, Bob Demmon, Dennis Lindsey, and Jim Gallagher.

Career

The Astronauts developed out of a group, The Stormtroupers, which was originally formed at Boulder High School,

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

in 1956 by Jon "Storm" Patterson (vocals, guitar), Robert Graham "Bob" Demmon (guitar; born February 11, 1939), and Brad Leach (drums). In 1961, they became The Astronauts after adding Richard Otis "Rich" Fifield (vocals, guitar) and Dick Sellars (guitar), the change of band name recognising the fascist connotations of the previous name (despite the different spelling) and to pay tribute to local hero,

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

Scott Carpenter Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, and aquanaut. He was one of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury ...

.Mel Fenson, ''When The Astronauts Played Tulagi'', Colorado Magazine Online
Accessed 22 April 2011G. Brown, ''Colorado Rocks!: A Half-Century of Music in Colorado'', p.1959
Accessed 22 April 2011 Patterson switched to bass, Leech was replaced on drums by Jim Gallagher, and soon afterwards Sellars left to join the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, being replaced by Dennis Lindsey.www.WangDangDula.com: The Astronauts: discography and information
Accessed 22 April 2011 With a line-up of Demmon, Patterson, Fifield, Lindsey and Gallagher, the band gained a strong local reputation, toured as far as

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, and released their first single, "Come Along Baby", in 1962, on the small Palladium label. They were signed to

RCA Records 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 A ...

after a record company executive was impressed by their performance at a local

night club A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

, the Tulagi.Boulder Daily Camera: Obituary, Robert Graham Demmon
Accessed 22 April 2011 Their first single on RCA was "Baja", an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

written by

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

originally for his friend, guitarist Al Casey. Released by The Astronauts in early 1963, the track was described as "a typical surf instrumental with a reverberation-heavy twangy guitar and driving drumbeat", and reached # 94 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

for just one week, the pinnacle of their US chart career. However, they released a succession of further singles on RCA, in an attempt by the record company to emulate the success of

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 frie ...

and other surf music-related groups in the charts at the time. According to reviewer

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

, "the group shone brightest on their instrumentals, which used mounds of Fender reverb and two rhythm guitars; when they sang, the results were much less successful." Patterson and Fifield shared lead vocals, and the band recorded songs by Roger Christian,

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 fict ...

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting with reverb eff ...

and

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

, among others. Fifield, the lead guitarist, used a

Fender Jazzmaster The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as a more expensive sibling of the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed to jazz guitarists, but found ...

on the recordings, with an early prototype reverb unit personally loaned to the group by

Leo Fender Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 – March 21, 1991) was an American inventor known for designing the Fender Stratocaster. He also founded the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In January 1965, he sold Fender to CBS, and later foun ...

.Seymour Duncan Q&A, No. 82
Accessed 22 April 2011 Their 1965 song " Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" was covered by

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

in 1966. As well as a succession of singles and EPs, the band released four LPs over nine months, starting in May 1963: ''Surfin' with The Astronauts'' – which reached # 61 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart – ''Everything Is A-OK!'' (recorded live at the Club Baja in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

), ''Competition Coupe'', and ''The Astronauts Orbit Campus'' (recorded live in Boulder). They appeared several times on the '' Hullabaloo'' TV show, and have the distinction of appearing in more beach party movies than any other surf band: '' Surf Party,'' ''

Wild on the Beach ''Wild on the Beach'' is a 1965 beach party film directed by Maury Dexter and starring Frankie Randall, Sherry Jackson, Gayle Caldwell, and Jackie Miller. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, being the film debut of Sonny & ...

,'' ''

Wild Wild Winter ''Wild Wild Winter'' is a 1966 Universal Pictures beach party comedy film directed by standup comedian Lennie Weinrib and starring Gary Clarke and Chris Noel. It was produced by Bart Patton and is notable for featuring Jay and the Americans a ...

'' and ''

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...

.'' Regarding the band's performance in 1964's ''Surf Party,'' the book ''Pop Surf Culture'' states “The Astronauts bang out a thick, reverb-laden instrumental called ‘Firewater,’ and their theme song ‘Surf Party’ happens to be one of the best surf instrumentals ever recorded.” ''(See

Filmography A filmography is a list of films related by some criteria. For example, an actor's career filmography is the list of films they have appeared in; a director's comedy filmography is the list of comedy films directed by a particular director. The t ...

, below)'' In 1964, their record company discovered that they had a growing fan base in Japan, where they outsold The Beach Boys and toured with

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

. Five albums and three singles made the top 10 there, with "Movin'" – retitled as "Over The Sun" – reaching number one in the country. In all, they recorded nine albums. Gallagher and Lindsey were drafted for the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

before the last album, ''Travelin' Men'' in 1967, and were replaced by Mark Bretz and Rod Jenkins respectively. Demmon also left, being replaced by Robert Carl McLerran, before Fifield and Patterson finally decided to end the band name after a tour of Asia in 1968.

Associated acts

For a while, the same band – Fifield, Patterson, McLerran, Bretz and Jenkins – performed in the US under the name SunshineWard, who released one single, " Sally Go Around The Roses", in 1967. Patterson then left the band and music business, and Fifield and McLerran formed a new band, Hardwater, with Tony Murillo and Peter M. Wyant. In 1968, the band released two singles and an album, ''Hardwater'', on

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 ...

, produced by David Axelrod. Fifield also had a role in assisting Axelrod and record engineer

David Hassinger Walter David "Dave" Hassinger (March 31, 1927 – August 15, 2007) was an American Grammy award-winning recording engineer and record producer. Biography Early years Born in Los Angeles, California, he joined the U.S. Navy aged 17, and was o ...

, who owned the rights to the group name of

The Electric Prunes The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." T ...

, to find a new group of musicians to take on that group's name for their record, ''

Mass in F Minor ''Mass in F Minor'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Electric Prunes, released in 1968. It consists of a musical setting of the mass sung in Latin and Greek and arranged in the psychedelic style of the band, and was written ...

''. Fifield contacted fellow Colorado musicians, Richard Whetstone, John Herron and Mark Kincaid, who then agreed to form one of the final line-ups of The Electric Prunes.

Reunion

The Astronauts reunited temporarily to perform in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974, 1988 and 1989.

Later years

A four-CD box set of the group's recordings, ''The Complete Astronauts Collection'', was issued on the Collectables label in 1997. Dennis Lindsey died in Boulder, Colorado, on May 4, 1992. Mark Bretz died August 15, 1999, aged 54. Robert "Bob" Demmon worked as a teacher in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

, whose students included George Sanger. He died of cardiac arrest on December 18, 2010, at the age of 71. Rich Fifield died on November 18, 2021. Jim Gallagher died on November 20, 2021, at the age of 78.

Members

Discography

Singles (US releases)

The Astronauts

* "Come Along Baby" / "Tryin' To Get To You" (Palladium, 1962) * "Baja" / "Kuk" (RCA Victor, 1963) #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 * "Hot-Doggin'" / "Every One But Me" (RCA Victor, 1963) * "Competition Coupe" / "Surf Party" (RCA Victor, 1963) * "Swim, Little Mermaid" / "Go Fight For Her" (RCA Victor, 1964) * "Main Title From 'Ride The Wild Surf'" / "Around And Around" (RCA Victor, 1964) * "I'm A Fool" / "Can't You See I Do?" (RCA Victor, 1964) * "Almost Grown" / "My Sin Is Pride" (RCA Victor, 1965) * "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" / "Razzamatazz" (RCA Victor, 1965) * "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" / "The La La Song" (RCA Victor, 1965) * "Main Street" / "In My Car" (RCA Victor, 1966) * "I Know You, Rider" / "Better Things" (RCA Victor, 1967)

SunshineWard

* "Sally Go Around The Roses" / "Pay The Price" (RCA Victor, 1968)

Hardwater

* "City Sidewalks" / "Not So Hard" (Capitol, 1968) * "Plate Of My Fare" / "Good Old Friends" (Capitol, 1969)

EPs (US Releases)

* ''The Astronauts'' (Wurlitzer Disco EP Vol I WLP-9-100) 33 Stereo Jukebox EP * ''The Astronauts'' (Wurlitzer Disco EP Vol II WLP-10-100) 33 Stereo Jukebox EP

Singles (Japan releases)

* "Che Che Che" (RCA Victor, 45 RPM) * "Unchain My Heart" /Twist and Shout (Victor SS-1568 * "Movin'"/"Unchain My Heart" (Victor spv-12) * "Koi O Surunara"/"Che Che Che" (Victor 1254) * "James Bond Theme"/"Goldfinger" (Victor 1526) * "Taste of Honey"/"Thunderball" (Victor 1647) * "Pipeline"/"Movin'" (VictorSS-3310) * "Heartbreak Hotel"/"A Big Hunk of Love" (Victor SS-1640) * "Swim Little Mermaid"/"Go Fight Fight for Her" (Victor Ss-1547) * "Main Title Theme 'Ride The Wild Surf'" /"Around and Around" (Victor SS-1503) * "El Aguila (The Eagle)"/"Happy Ho-Daddy" (Victor SS-1467) * "Surf Party"/"Kuk" (Written by the Astronauts) Victor SS-1444 * "Let's Play House"/"Movin'" Victor SS1428 * "Pipeline"/"Movin'"(Gold Standard Series) Victor SS-2563 * "What'd I Say"/"Money" Victor SS-1483 * "Movin'"/"Pipeline" RCA SS-3316 * "My Sin Is My Pride"/"Almost Grown Victor" SS1538 * "Pyramid Stomp"/"Little Speedy Gonzales" Victor SS-1697

EPs (Japan releases)

* ''Hit Parade'' Victor SCP-1209 33 Stereo EP * ''Movin (Victor SRS-13) 33 Stereo EP with gatefold cover * ''The Astronauts'' (Victor SCP-1111) 33 Stereo EP * ''Surfin (Victor CP-1128) 33 Stereo EP * ''Go Fight!!'' (Victor SCP 1191) Stereo EP

Albums (US releases)

The Astronauts

* ''Surfin' With The Astronauts'' (1963) **Mono LPM-2760/Stereo LSP-2760 **Producer - Al Schmitt, Recording Engineer - Dave Hassinger **Rating: Week of August 25-31,1963 album reached # 61 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart * ''Everything Is A-OK!'' (1963) (live) * ''Competition Coupe'' (1963) * ''Astronauts Orbit Kampus'' (1964) (live) **Recorded at The Tulagi in Boulder, CO, February 27 - March 1, 1964) **US and UK release. * ''Rockin' With The Astronauts'' (1965) – limited edition promo LP available with

Lipton Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, who fo ...

's Iced Tea (compilation) **Mono PRM-183 (SNRM-3465) * ''Go...Go...Go!!'' (1965) * ''(Favorites) For You, (Our Fans), From Us'' (1965) * ''Down The Line'' (1966) * ''Travelin' Men'' (1967)

Hardwater

* ''Hardwater'' (1968)

CD albums

The Astronauts

* ''Rarities'' (1991, Germany release) * ''The Complete Astronauts Collection'' (1997. US release)www.oldies.com: The Astronauts
4-CD box set, Released: November 18, 1997 - Item Number: COL 2708

Filmography

Appearing as themselves and as soundtrack artists

1964

*'' Surf Party'' (performing "Fire Water," and "Surf Party")

1965

*''

'' (performing "Rock This World," "Little Speedy Gonzalez," "Pyramid Stomp," and "Snap It," also shown as performing back-up for

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

on "It's Gonna Rain")

1966

*''

'' (performing "A Change of Heart," also shown as performing back-up for

Jay and the Americans Jay and the Americans are an American rock group who formed in the late 1950s. Their initial line-up consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard Kane (born Howard Kirschenbaum), Kenny Vance (born Kenneth Rosenberg) and Sandy Deanne (born Sandy Ya ...

' performance of "Two of a Kind," and

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 t ...

's "Heartbeats") *''

'' (performing "Baby, Please Don't Go")

References

Bibliography

*Chidester, Brian & Priore, Domenic (2008). ''Pop Surf Culture: Music, Design, Film, and Fashion from the Bohemian Surf Boom'' US: Santa Monica Press pg 171-172.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Astronauts, The American pop music groups RCA Victor artists Musical groups established in 1961 Musical groups disestablished in 1968 Rock music groups from Colorado Surf music groups 1961 establishments in Colorado 1968 disestablishments in Colorado