The Groovie Ghoulies 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 ...

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

band from

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was taken from the 1970s

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

Groovie Goolies ''Groovie Goolies'' is an American animated television show that had its original run Saturday mornings on CBS between 1970 and 1971. It was rebroadcast the following season on Sunday mornings. Set at a decrepit castle, the show focused on its mo ...

'', a spinoff of ''

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared ...

''.

History

Though the group's lineup fluctuated significantly throughout their career,

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Jeff Alexander (under the punk name "Kepi Ghoulie") remained a constant fixture.Kevin Prested, ''Punk USA: The Rise and Fall of Lookout Records.'' Portland, OR: Microcosm Publishing, 2014; pg. 117. Guitarist Rochelle "Roach" Sparman (lead singer Kepi's wife) was also a longtime member. The Groovie Ghoulies' music is best classified as

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

and is heavily influenced by early punk groups such as the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, the Misfits, and

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

, 1960s

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 ...

and bubblegum artists such as

The Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all o ...

and

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 ...

, and 1950s

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 ...

artists such as

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

and

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

. Throughout their career the Groovie Ghoulies recorded cover versions of songs by several of these artists as well as other influences including

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

and

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

. The Groovie Ghoulies announced their breakup on May 9, 2007, just days prior to the release of their ninth studio album ''99 Lives''. The main reason for the breakup was the difficulty of having kept the band together after Kepi and Roach had divorced. In 2008, two tribute albums were released. ''Let's Go Ghoulie'' from US-based Knowhere Records and ''When The Kids Go Go Go Crazy'' on German label Kamikaze Records each featured artists from Europe and North America. Lead singer Jeff (Kepi) Alexander has recorded cover versions of Groovie Ghoulies songs on various releases since the band's breakup. ''Fun In The Dark'' with The Accelerators was released in 2015; ''Re-Animation Festival'', with The Copyrights, was released in 2019.

Former band members

* Jeff (Kepi) Alexander – bass, lead vocals (original and final line up) * Rochelle (Roach) Sparman –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, backing vocals (final line up) * Nora (Scampi) Fasano –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, backing vocals (final line up) * John (Rudge) Rudgers – guitar (original line up) * Geolyn Carvin – guitar, backing vocals (original line up) * John (Vetty) Vetter – bass (original line up) * John Phillip (Johny) Sosa – drums (original line up) * John Harris – drums * Dan (Panic) Sullivan – drums * Wendy Powell – drums, backing vocals * B-Face Rat – bass * Matt K. Shrugg – drums * Jaz Brown – drums * Dan Reynoso (Danny Secretion) – drums * Jason Patrone – bass (quit after 2 weeks) * Skid Jones – guitar * Amy – Drums * Brian – Drums * Dave – Drums * Andrew Phillips – guitar

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Splits

Compilation albums

* ''Tantrum'' – 1990 LP/CD * '' Gabba Gabba Hey'' – 1991 CD * ''Groin Thunder'' – 1992 CD * ''Heide Sez'' – 1996 CD * ''Team Mint'' – 1996 CD * ''Back Asswards'' – 1996 CD * ''More Bounce to the Ounce'' – 1997 CD * ''The Last Great Thing You Did'' – 1997 CD * ''Psycho Sisters'' – 1998 CD * ''Forward Til Death'' – 1999 CD * ''Built For Speed'' – 1999 CD * ''

Short Music For Short People ''Short Music for Short People'' is a 1999 compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It features 101 bands playing songs averaging approximately 30 seconds in length. With a few exceptions, most of the album's tracks wer ...

'' – 1999 CD * ''Runnin' On Fumes'' – 2000 CD * ''Lookout! Freakout'' – 2000 CD * ''3 Chord Rocket Science'' – 2001 CD * ''A Tribute to NOFX'' – 2002 CD * ''A Punk Tribute to AC/DC'' – 2002 CD * ''Third Strike Punk Rock Strike Volume Three'' – 2002 CD * ''A Fistful of Rock N Roll Vol. No. 10'' – 2002 CD * ''Pop Punk Loves You'' – 2002 CD * ''

The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show ''The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show'' is an album featuring the soundtrack of the 1975 cult film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' as performed by modern punk rock bands. The album was released in 2003 on Springman Records. Background The alb ...

'' – 2003 CD * ''Punk Rock High School Int.'' – 2004 CD * ''MolokoPlus No. 26'' – 2004 CD * ''Volume 4: Pop Punk'' – 2005 CD * ''Backyard City Rockers 3'' – 2005 CD

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groovie Ghoulies Horror punk groups Musical groups from Sacramento, California Pop punk groups from California Musical groups established in 1983 1983 establishments in California Musical groups disestablished in 2007 2007 disestablishments in California