The Lamp of Childhood was a short-lived American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band formed in

Los Angeles, California 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' ...

in 1966. The band released three singles which failed to chart and disbanded in 1967, but had several notable members.

History

The band was founded by

Jim Hendricks Jim Hendricks was an American actor and former disc jockey best known for his role as movie host Commander USA on USA Network's '' Commander USA's Groovie Movies'' that ran from 1985 to 1989. Hendricks also acted in theater and on television i ...

, former member of The Mugwumps and husband of

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

. Elliot and Hendricks previously performed together in the New York-based folk trio The Big 3 in 1963–4. The lineup of The Lamp of Childhood featured Hendricks on vocals and guitar, lead guitarist Fred Olson, bassist Mike Tani (stage name of Michael Takamatsu), drummer

Billy Mundi Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas, September 25, 1942 in San Francisco – March 29, 2014) was an American drummer best known as a member of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros. He also worked as a session musician. He sometimes used the name To ...

and recording session-only keyboardist

Gabriel Mekler Gabriel Mekler (2 December 1942 – 4 September 1977) was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer who attained fame in the 1960s, helming albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and Janis Joplin. He also collaborated with R&B singer ...

. The band released three singles after signing with

Dunhill Records Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distributed b ...

, beginning with a cover of

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

's " Season of the Witch" in late 1966. Mundi departed the band after the initial release failed to garner sales and joined

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

. The band released additional singles with Marty Tryon on bass. Hendricks left the band just before they appeared in their final performance, at the KFRC

Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and dra ...

, a seminal

rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...

held in

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

at the start of the

Summer of Love The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people, mostly young people sporting hippie fashions of dress and behavior, converged in San Francisco's neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury. ...

. Hendricks was replaced in the group for the June 1967 festival by

John York John C. York (born April 18, 1949) is a retired American cancer research pathologist, married to Marie Denise DeBartolo York, and former co-owner and current co-chairman of the San Francisco 49ers.The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

finishing with "

Light My Fire "Light My Fire" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It was recorded in August 1966 and released in January 1967 on their eponymous debut album. Released as an edited single on April 24, 1967, it spent three weeks at number one on t ...

" on Saturday and

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

ending with " Up, Up and Away" on Sunday. Following the breakup of the band, York went on to join

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

, while Mekler reached fame as producer of hard rock group Steppenwolf's hit albums. Mundi left the Mothers of Invention to join the supergroup

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, and Tryon worked as a studio musician and with the

Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...

. Hendricks eventually established himself as a gospel and country artist based in

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 ...

Recordings

The Lamp of Childhood released three singles: *" Season of the Witch" / "You Can't Blame Me" (October 1966) – Dunhill 4051 *"First Time Last Time" / "Two O'Clock Morning" (March 1967) – Dunhill 4063 *"No More Running Around" / "Two O'Clock Morning" (1967) – Dunhill 4089

References

External links

YouTube: The Lamp of Childhood - No More Running Around, rare original 45
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamp of Childhood, The Musical groups from Los Angeles Dunhill Records artists Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1967 1966 establishments in California