The Sons of Adam (earlier
the Fender IV
The Fender IV were an American surf rock band of the 1960s.
The Fender IV were started up in Baltimore, by guitarist Randy Holden. Although almost prevented by a bumble bee, he successfully moved the band to Southern California in 1963, in ord ...
) 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 ...
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 ...
band. Originally from
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, they relocated to Los Angeles and became a regular fixture on the
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
music scene during the mid-1960s.
The band released several singles for the
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
and Alamo labels, which included the songs "Saturday's Son", "Feathered Fish" (written by
Arthur Lee) and "Baby Show the World". They included guitarist
Randy Holden
Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...
, later of
The Other Half and
Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock or acid rock style, and ...
, and drummer Michael Stuart, later of
Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
.
Although the band, with Randy Holden, played "Feathered Fish" in clubs before it was recorded, Craig Tarwater played the guitar on the studio recording since Holden had left by then.
History
Origins
The band, from
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, was founded in 1962 as The Iridescents, by guitarist Randy Holden, who had previously played in other local rock and roll bands, and bassist Mike Port.
By 1963, they had enlisted Sonny Lombardo on drums, then adding Joe Kooken (later known as Jac Ttanna) on guitar, to complete the original lineup.
They were originally a
surf rock
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is in ...
and
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 ...
group. Holden, then a fan of
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel- ...
,
stated:
::My band was more rock or hard rock-oriented. To define that, you’d have to say Duane Eddy was ‘hard rock’ back then... I wanted to do surf music, because—well, actually it wasn’t called surf music yet. I liked the instrumental vein...”
By the end of 1963, the band's repertoire had become completely dominated by surf influences. They changed their name to The Fendermen, and made arrangements to relocate to
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, in hopes of riding the crest of the then-current surf rock craze to find success 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' ...
, which was becoming a center of the recording industry.
The band departed in a Volkswagen bus and drove to California, and arrived there in November 1963, shortly before John F. Kennedy's assassination.
[Martin Ruddock, "Never Turn Down!", ''Shindig!'', Issue 130, August 2022, pp.46-51]
The Fender IV: California
As drummer Sonny Lombardo was unable to accompany them to California, the band recruited a new drummer, Bruce Miller.
Unlike in Maryland, the drinking age in California was 21, so the band members went to Tijuana, Mexico and had fake IDs made in order to be able to play gigs at nightclubs and bars.
They were eventually able to get steady work playing gigs at the popular night-spot, Gazzarri’s.
In 1964 they changed their name to The Fender-Menn IV,
[ and later ]The Fender IV
The Fender IV were an American surf rock band of the 1960s.
The Fender IV were started up in Baltimore, by guitarist Randy Holden. Although almost prevented by a bumble bee, he successfully moved the band to Southern California in 1963, in ord ...
, a move partially motivated by a deal they made with Fender to provide the group with free equipment, and to avoid confusion with another group called Irridescents, from Santa Barbara, who would later become Thee Sixpence and eventually Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 with origins in Glendale, California, a city about ten miles north of downtown Los Angeles. They are best known for their 1967 hit single "Incense and Peppermints". Categorized as ...
.
They signed with managers Bill Doane and Ozzie Schmidt who were familiar with surf and the West Coast scene. Doane and Schmidt knew music biz mogul Russ Regan, who arranged for the group to be signed to the Imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
label. In the summer of 1964, they recorded two singles (as The Fender IV) at Los Angeles' Gold Star Studios
Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Los Angeles, California, United States. For more than thirty years, from 1950 to 1984, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world.
Founded ...
, the home of many of Phil Spector’s recordings at the time. Several months before they recorded this first single, The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the British Invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on b ...
had swept the music industry. So the flip side of the record, "You Better Tell Me Now", would be a Mersey-inspired vocal track, which would point to the direction of their later work as the Sons of Adam. With the British Invasion in full effect, the band members of The Fender IV began to feel the pull, but at least initially Randy Holden was reluctant to make the full switch away from instrumental music. However, after having a chance to meet and "jam" with Brian Jones and Bill Wyman a while before The Rolling Stones' performance on the ''Hollywood Palace'' TV show, and getting to know members of other L.A. rock acts such as The Turtles
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, Holden's reluctance to embrace vocal rock subsided. He and the group began to favor R&B-flavored rock and started including covers of Stones' songs in their sets.
In 1964 drummer Bruce Miller was drafted into the Army, so they found Keith Kester to take his place.[ Perhaps as a result of their previous time as an instrumental band, they became highly respected amongst L.A. bands for their musical prowess, and were considered one of the better live acts in town.] They became a frequent attraction at clubs on the Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...
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' ...
, and were able to land a residency at Ciro’s. By 1965, the band's musical direction had shifted dramatically to a Beat group orientation. The popularity of surf music
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...
waned, and their style changed to vocal-based R&B and 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 ...
songs.[A history of the "Sons of Adam" is published in ]Ugly Things
''Ugly Things'' (''UT'') is a music magazine established in 1983, based in La Mesa, California. The editor is Mike Stax (born 1962 in England). The magazine covers mainly 1960s Beat, garage rock, and psychedelic music ("Wild Sounds From Past D ...
Music Magazine, No. 26 (2008) They were seen by Dewey Martin, who had been performing as the leader of Sir Raleigh & The Coupons, and recruited the band to back him at shows in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...
. As Sir Raleigh & The Coupons, they recorded a single, "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day", on the Jerden label.[
]
The Sons of Adam
Back in Los Angeles, they resisted Martin's attempts to replace Holden with Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
, and continued to perform as The Fender IV, with Kester, whose personality and image differed from that of other group members, being replaced by drummer Michael Stuart (later Stuart-Ware).[ It was during this time that they changed their name to the Sons of Adam, which was suggested by ]record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
and impresario Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...
. They replaced The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an United States, American pop music, pop musical ensemble, group of the 1960s and 1970s which included Noel Scott Engel (eventually known professionally as Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker), John Walker (musician), Jo ...
as resident band at Gazzarri's, and became noted for their loud volume, Holden repeating the mantra "Never turn down".[ Holden later claimed he was approached around this time to replace ]Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
in The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
.[
After auditioning for producer ]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 ...
, they secured a recording contract with Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
.[ They made a brief appearance playing in a nightclub scene in the 1965 movie '']The Slender Thread
''The Slender Thread'' is a 1965 American drama film starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. It was the first feature-length film directed by future Oscar-winning director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack.
Poitier portrays Alan, a college s ...
'' starring Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...
, though the music was later overdubbed by session musicians.[ The group recorded their first single with Gary Usher producing, "Take My Hand", released in mid-October 1965.] The song failed to gain any traction on the charts.
By the end of the year, disappointed in lack of record sales, the band broke off connections with Bill Doane and Ozzie Schmidt. They entered into an unwritten agreement with Dick St John (of Dick & Dee Dee) and Mike Post. In 1966 they returned to the studio with producer Gary Usher and 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 ...
to record "Saturday's Son," an anthem of alienation, featuring Randy Holden on lead guitar and vocals; it appeared on a single, along with their version of "You're a Better Man Than I," previously recorded by The Yardbirds, as the flipside. The band believed that they had a strong record that had a chance to break them in the charts, but the single failed to catch on. Around this time the band hired a new manager, Howard Wolf, to conduct their affairs.
As the year progressed, Holden's behavior, and emphasis on volume,[ became increasingly erratic, and his relationship with the other band members became strained. The band pushed him out, a decision they later regretted, and replaced him with Craig Tarwater (aka John Simmons), on lead guitar. Holden joined The Other Half. The Sons of Adam continued to play and record, releasing another single on Alamo records, featuring "Feathered Fish", written by Arthur Lee of ]Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
, who was attempting to convince drummer Michael Stuart to join his band, and the flip side "Baby Show the World."[A. Palao in liner notes to ''Where the Action Is: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968.'' Rhino, 2009] However, without Randy Holden the band lost much of its former musical chemistry. Michael Stuart, after Arthur Lee's constant requests, finally decided to join Love as their drummer just in time for the recording of the seminal ''Forever Changes
''Forever Changes'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released by Elektra Records in November 1967. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-oriented sound and orchestration, while primary songwriter Arthur Lee expl ...
''; he was replaced in the Sons of Adam by Randy Carlisle from The Yellow Payges.[ Craig Tarwater soon left to join ]The Daily Flash
The Daily Flash are an American folk rock and psychedelic bandMike Stax, liner notes, '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' (1998 CD), p. 63. founded in 1965, active until 1968 and reformed in 2002.Nick War ...
.
By June 1967, the Sons of Adam had disbanded. After the band broke up, Kooken and Port formed a new band, Genesis, but it soon collapsed and Port left the music industry. He experienced homelessness and drug problems before his death in 2014.[ Kooken, later known as Jac Ttanna, died in Thailand in 2022.
]
Band members
* Randy Holden
Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...
- guitar, vocals (1965-1966)
* Joe Kooken (aka Jac Ttanna) - guitar (1965-1967; died 2022)
* Mike Port - bass (1965-1967; died 2014)
* Michael Stuart - drums (1965-1967)
* Craig Tarwater - guitar, vocals (1966-1967)
* Randy Carlisle - drums (1967)
Discography
Singles
* "Take My Hand" / "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" (Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
, Dec 1965) - produced by 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 ...
* "You're a Better Man Than I" (written by Mike Hugg
Michael John Hugg (born 11 August 1940) is a British musician who achieved fame as a founding member of the 1960s group Manfred Mann.
Biography
Hugg was born in Gosport, Hampshire in 1940. His parents condoned his jazz drumming as long as he ...
, Brian Hugg) / "Saturday’s Son" (Decca, Jul 1966) - produced by Gary Usher
*"Feathered Fish" (written by Arthur Lee) / "Baby Show the World" (Alamo, 1966) - also recorded by The Other Half
CDs
*''Randy Holden: Early Works 64-66'' (including ' Fender IV' and 'The Sons of Adam' material) --- Released on Captain Trip Records
Captain Trip Records is a Japanese music label founded and run by musician Ken Matsutani. The label specializes in experimental music and various subgenres of rock, particularly psychedelic rock and progressive rock. In addition to the publication ...
in 1997. Re-mastered and later released as ''The Sons of Adam: Bytes'' (including 'Fender IV' material) on Guitar God Records in 2007.
*''Saturday's Sons: The Complete Recordings 1964–1966'' --- 2022 compilation on High Moon Records of all known 'Fender IV' and 'The Sons of Adam' studio recordings, plus a live 1966 'TSOA' show.
References
External links
Randyholden.com
by Bruno Ceriotti
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sons Of Adam
Rock music groups from Maryland
Musical groups from Baltimore
American garage rock groups
Musical groups established in 1965
Musical groups disestablished in 1967