The Untouchables are a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

mod revival The mod revival was a subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence lasted for de ...

band from the

Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe in honor of Sir Walter Scott. In 1907, the Los Angeles Water Department built t ...

area. Described by original lead singer Kevin Long as "

mod Mod, MOD or mods may refer to: Places * Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band * M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...

s who played

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

music," The Untouchables are credited with being America's first ska band. They formed in 1981 as part of the embryonic L.A. mod revival, after being inspired by the ska revival/ punk rock band The Boxboys. Since some could not play instruments, they either hastily learned, or became vocalists. The original lineup included: Kevin Long (vocals), Chuck Askerneese (vocals), Terry Ellsworth (rhythm guitar), Clyde Grimes (guitar), Rob Lampron (drums), Herman Askerneese (bass) and Jerry Miller (vocals,

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

). After a shaky start playing at parties, the integrated septet were eventually booked at the O.N. Klub (known as the ''On'' to regulars). The band had guaranteed the club that they would pack the venue, and they did not disappoint. In middle of that year, they released their first (ska-styled) 7" single, copies of which were snapped up by local mods. Late in 1982, the band began a stint as the house band at

the Roxy Theatre The Roxy Theatre (often just the Roxy) is a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, owned by Lou Adler and his son, Nic. History The Roxy was opened on September 23, 1973, by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler, along wi ...

. Terry Ellsworth left the band in the summer of 1983, at the height of the California mod revival. Josh Harris was added on keyboards, Timothy Moynahan on trombone and Will Donato (who became a successful

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

artist) started on sax. Their second single, "The General," became a minor local hit, despite poor distribution. The band performed "The General" in the 1984 comedy '' The Party Animal'', and they appeared as a scooter gang in the movie '' Repo Man''. In early 1984, they were signed to Stiff Records. Concerts with

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

Black Uhuru Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...

Bow Wow Wow Bow Wow Wow are an English new wave band, created by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1980. McLaren recruited members of Adam and the Ants to form the band behind 13-year-old Annabella Lwin on vocals. They released their debut EP '' Your Cassette ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the lat ...

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...

and X all over California gave the group a disparate following of

whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

blacks Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

, mods, Latinos, Asians,

punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture ...

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...

fans, with the local performances drawing up to 1,500 people. The band appeared in the 1984 film '' Surf II'', performing "Dance Beat", and 1987's '' No Man's Land'', performing "What's Gone Wrong" as well as the surf film Beyond Blazing Boards performing four tracks from their Wild Child album. Vocalist Kevin Long (who had named the band) left in 1984. Guitarist Clyde Grimes took on more vocal leads, and in 1984 the band recorded "Free Yourself", which became very popular, especially in the United Kingdom where it was a #26 hit in April 1985. The band has gone through many lineup changes since then, and as of 2006, only vocalist Jerry Miller remains from the original lineup. Original vocalist Chuck Askerneese performs with The Untouchables, as scheduling allows. Original guitarist Clyde Grimes died 5 July 2016

Discography

Singles

* "Twist n Shake" b/w "Dance Beat" (1982) * "Tropical Bird" b/w "The General" (1983) * ''Live and Let Dance'' EP (1984) * ''Dance Party'' EP (1985) (compilation of remixes of earlier singles) * "Free Yourself" ( Stiff Records, 1985) (UK #26)The Untouchables
at Officialcharts.com *"I Spy for the FBI" (1985) (UK #59)

Albums

* ''Wild Child'' (1985) (UK #51) * ''Agent Double O Soul'' (1988) * ''Decade of Dance'' (1991) * ''Cool Beginnings – Rare & Unreleased 1981–1983'' * ''Ghetto Stout'' (2000) * ''Free Yourself - Ska Hits'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Untouchables, The Musical groups from Los Angeles American soul musical groups Second-wave ska groups American ska musical groups Mod revival groups Musical groups established in 1981 Stiff Records artists MCA Records artists