The Tidal Waves were an American garage rock band formed in

Roseville, Michigan Roseville is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a part of the Metro Detroit area. The population was 47,299 at the 2010 census. Until 1958, Roseville was a part of Erin Township. History The first permanent post ...

, in 1964. Despite the young ages of the group members, the Tidal Waves were one of the more accomplished musical acts in the bustling Michigan garage band scene. They are best remembered for their regional hit, a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of " Farmer John", which managed to reach the Top 10 of several radio station charts around Detroit. Inspired by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' momentous appearance on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'' in February 1964, high school students Tom Wearing (drums, vocals), Mark Karpinski (lead guitar, vocals), and Vic Witkowski (rhythm guitar, vocals) formed the Tidal Waves. Early on, the group performed at local teen dances, high schools, and battle of the bands. In 1965, two additions were made to complete the lineup: Bob Slap (bass guitar, vocals) and Jon Wearing (percussion, vocals). As their popularity grew, the group performed alongside their Michigan contemporaries

the Unrelated Segments The Unrelated Segments were an American garage rock band from Taylor, Michigan, that were active between 1966 and 1969. The group was a popular musical act in Michigan, achieving regional acclaim for their song, "Story of My Life". History The n ...

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

, and SRC, among others. Tom and Jon Wearing arranged an audition with record producer John Chekaway, a relative of the two band members. Chekaway was impressed by the Tidal Waves and signed the group to his Detroit-based record label, SVR Records. The Tidal Waves raised the $200 required to record at the

United Sound Systems United Sound Systems is a recording studio and locally designated historic district in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Many popular music artists over the last seventy years have recorded at the facility, including blues musicians like John ...

Studios on January 7, 1966, cutting a

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's tune, " Farmer John", and the original song by Witkowski, "She Left Me All Alone", on a Scully 4-track for their debut single. The records were co-produced by Chekaway and Richard Cioffari. Originally, 1,000 copies of "Farmer John" were pressed, and charted in several Michigan radio station charts, including number five on WXYZ, number six on WKNR, and number one on

WTRX WTRX (1330 AM, "Sports XTRA 1330") is an American radio station broadcasting a sports format in Flint, Michigan. It is the Flint affiliate for Michigan Wolverines football and men's basketball, and CBS Sports Radio. Its studios are located in ...

. Chekaway could not afford to keep issuing more copies of the single, so he signed the Tidal Waves' recording contract over to Hanna-Barbera Records, who distributed 50,000 copies of "Farmer John" across the US and the UK. It managed to reach number 79 on '' Cashbox''. Dennis Mills replaced Slap on bass, and penned the group's second single,

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 ...

-influenced "I Don't Need Love". Released in September 1966, the tune included complex arrangements performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and reached number 19 on WKNR Radio thanks to DJ Paul Cannon promoting it as his "Song of the Week". The Tidal Waves' popularity grew to a degree that they began touring nationally with

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

and

the Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...

, while appearing on numerous regional television programs. However, for the group's third and final single, "Actions (Speaker Louder Than Words)"—often credited as their most artistically accomplished recording—they were almost completely unsupported by Hanna-Barbera, as the company was transitioning away from promoting music releases. In early 1967, the Tidal Waves disbanded after issues regarding the group's royalties from their record sales. They are not to be confused with the South African band of the same name.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tidal Waves, The Garage rock groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1964 Musical groups disestablished in 1967