The Five Blobs were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

group of studio musicians put together in 1958 by session leader

Bernie Knee Bernie Knee (Feb. 14, 1924, New York City – Nov. 20, 1994, Fort Lauderdale) was an actor and singer/musician. While his birth name was Bernard Knee, most music industry magazines spelled his name Bernie Nee, which was also how his name was spell ...

. While his birth name was Bernard Knee, most music industry magazines spelled his name Bernie Nee, and that is also how his name is spelled on all the recordings he made during the 1950s. The ensemble that became The Five Blobs was assembled in

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' ...

, California for the express purpose of recording "The Blob", the title song for the

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

film ''

The Blob ''The Blob'' is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe a ...

''. Written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

and Mack David ( Hal David's brother), the tune featured a prominent

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

part. The single was released on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

and became a hit, peaking at No. 33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1958. It also hit the Top Ten on the regional LA charts. The single's B side consisted of a song entitled "Saturday Night in Tiajuana" credited to Bacharach. The song is featured on many

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

-themed compilations. Bernie Nee was not listed on any of the promotional materials for the film or the record. To protest this oversight, Nee released an advertisement in the music industry trade publications, showcasing his name, whereupon he was terminated from Columbia. Nee signed onto Joy Records, where The Five Blobs released two 45s in 1959: "From the Top of Your Guggle (to the Bottom of Your Zooch)" backed with "Rockin' Pow Wow," and "Juliet" b/w "Young and Wild."

References

The Blob (film series) Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1958 Columbia Records artists 1958 establishments in the United States {{US-band-stub