The Blues Magoos are an American

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 ...

group from

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, a borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, United States. They were at the forefront of the psychedelic music trend, beginning in 1966. They are best known for the hit song " (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet".

History

1964–1971

The band was formed in 1964 as The Trenchcoats. The original members were Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm "Peppy" Castro (vocals and guitar), Dennis LePore (lead guitar), Ralph Scala (organ and vocals), Ron Gilbert (bass) and Jon Finnegan (drums). The band made a name for itself in various clubs in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. The band changed its name first to the Bloos Magoos and by 1966 to the Blues Magoos. Mike Esposito joined as lead guitarist and Geoff Daking as drummer. The band's single "So I'm Wrong and You Are Right" b/w "The People Had No Faces" on

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

(both Rick Shorter compositions) did not gain the band much recognition. In late 1966,

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

signed the band to a record deal and the group's debut album, ''

Psychedelic Lollipop '' Psychedelic Lollipop'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Blues Magoos, and is one of the first records to have the word “psychedelic” on the sleeve. Their single “(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet” was their most successful eff ...

'', was released shortly thereafter – following the 1966 trend to include the word "psychedelic" on the sleeve (after the

13th Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, ...

' ''

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators ''The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators'' is the debut studio album by the 13th Floor Elevators. The album's sound, featuring elements of psychedelia, hard rock, garage rock, folk, and blues, is notable for its use of the electric ...

'', and The Deep's '' Psychedelic Moods'', both also from 1966). They played often at the Chess Mate Coffeehouse, a mostly folk venue in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

owned by Morrie Widenbaum that also hosted bands such as Southbound Freeway and Siegel-Schwall Blues Band. In a tour of the US in 1967 the Blues Magoos were the opening act, followed by

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

and the headliners Herman's Hermits. The group's most successful song was " (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," which reached number 5 on the U.S. charts, and number 4 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 ...

. The next single by the Blues Magoos was "There's A Chance We Can Make It". By 1967, they appeared on several network television programs including two

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

–produced series, ''

Where The Action Is ''Where the Action Is'' is a music-based television variety show that aired in the United States from 1965 to 1967. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of '' American Bandstan ...

'' and '' American Bandstand''. They also made visits to ''The

Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sched ...

'', performing "Pipe Dream," and a '' Kraft Music Hall'' hosted by

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

. "One by One" was the band's last single to make the charts. The two albums released after ''Psychedelic Lollipop'' ('' Electric Comic Book'' and '' Basic Blues Magoos'') were not successful. By 1968, the band split up. The band was signed to ABC Records, but only Castro agreed to continue and started up a revamped Blues Magoos, with

Eric Kaz Eric Justin Kaz (born January 21, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter born in Brooklyn, New York. Besides his solo work, Kaz was a member of Blues Magoos for their fourth and fifth albums, ''Never Goin' Back to Georgia'' and ''Gulf Coast Bound ...

, Richie Dickon, John Leillo and Roger Eaton. The other Blues Magoos moved to the west coast, enlisted Ted Munda, and released the "Let Your Love Ride" b/w "Who Do You Love" single on Ganim Records in 1969 before replacing Munda with Joey Stec, formerly of The Millennium, and then eventually going their separate ways. Ralph Scala and Joey Stec later played in The Dependables. In 1969, the Castro-led band completed ''Never Goin' Back To Georgia''. Eaton left the band, and the other Blues Magoos used session musicians for the follow-up ''Gulf Coast Bound''. After two further years the band was dissolved.

1972–present

After a stint with the rock musical '' Hair'' and recording with Mercury label mate

Exuma Exuma is a district of The Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays. The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma, by a small bridge. The capital ...

(Tony McKay), Peppy Castro formed

Barnaby Bye Barnaby Bye was an American band formed in 1973. Peppy Castro, ex-Blues Magoos, formed Barnaby Bye with Long Island musicians the Alessi Brothers, Billy and Bobby, and Mike Ricciardella of The Illusion. They recorded for Ahmet Ertegun's Atlantic R ...

with fellow cast members Bobby and Billy Alessi. The group released two albums on Atlantic Records, ''Room to Grow'' (1972) and ''Touch'' (1973). In 1981, Castro resurfaced again with the group

Balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

whose song "Breaking Away" reached No. 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. In July 2008, the Blues Magoos with original members Ralph Scala, Castro and Geoff Daking reunited for the first time in years for two concerts, including one with

The Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, 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 chart-topper, hit in 1964 with "She's Not ...

at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza in New York City. In December 2009 they traveled to Spain for the Purple Weekend festival. In 2014, The Blues Magoos released their first new album in 43 years, titled ''Psychedelic Resurrection''. The Blues Magoos toured in 2015.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' (1966) (#15 Can.) *'' Electric Comic Book'' (1967) (#14 Can.) *'' Basic Blues Magoos'' (1968) *''Never Goin' Back to Georgia'' (1969) *''Gulf Coast Bound'' (1970) *''Psychedelic Resurrection'' (2014)

Singles

Re-releases on CD

The original group's output on CD is now complete.

Repertoire Records Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 1960s and 1970s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen. See also * List of record labels File:Alvin ...

has released their three albums in deluxe digi-packages with detailed liner notes. Each CD has bonus tracks which include mono versions of single releases, fan club exclusives, and obscure early recordings. Additionally,

Collectables Records Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Jerry Greene formed Lost Nite and Crimson record labels. Soul Survivors gained the hit "Expressway to Your Heart" (1967) while on Crimson Records. History It maintains a ca ...

still has the doubled-up ''Psychedelic Lollipop/Electric Comic Book'' CD for sale and Mercury's ''Kaleidoscopic Compendium'' anthology is still available as well. The post-1969 group's output has not been released on CD to date. In 2011

Sundazed Records Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio ...

reissued ''Psychedelic Lollipop'' and ''Electric Comic Book'' on limited edition (1000 copies) vinyl and CD from the first generation Mercury master tapes with greatly improved sound quality compared to earlier reissues.

Line-ups

References

External links

Official website

Official band MySpace

Official 2012 Blues Magoos PSYCHEDELIC RESURRECTION Facebook page

The Dependables - Cherry Red Records page

* Blues Magoos on allmusic.com* {{Authority control Acid rock music groups Garage rock groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1964 Psychedelic rock music groups from New York (state) Mercury Records artists Musical groups from the Bronx