The Will-O-Bees were an American folk rock and sunshine pop trio in the 1960s comprising Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, and Robert Merchanthouse (born c.1946, Indiana, died 2019).

Career

Blossom and Merchanthouse both attended Richmond High School, Indiana. The trio initially performed in a style similar to Peter, Paul and Mary. Recording in New York City, they released their first single, "Why Can't They Accept Us" – written and produced by Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico, co-writers of the Animals' hit " It's My Life" – on

Date Records Date Records was a sub-label of Columbia Records which had two different incarnations. The first incarnation was a short-lived rockabilly label in 1958 which included a release by Billy "Crash" Craddock. The more significant incarnation was relau ...

in July 1966. The group was associated with the

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...

publishing company. Their second single, " Shades of Gray", was written by the company's staff writers

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...

and

Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1940) is an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Life and career Weil was born in New York City, and was raised in a Conservative Jewish family. Her father was Morris Wei ...

, and produced by Bill Traut of

Dunwich Productions Dunwich Records was an independent American record label started by Bill Traut, Eddie Higgins and George Badonsky in Chicago in 1965. Dunwich was also a production company which licensed recordings to other labels, including Atlantic, Atco, Co ...

; the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, "If You're Ready", had originally been recorded by

the Del-Vetts The Del-Vetts were an American garage rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1963. They released five singles and obtained regional success in the Midwest. Band The first lineup of the band consisted of Jim Lauer ( lead vocals, lead guitar), ...

, another group managed by Traut. "Shades of Gray" was later recorded by the Monkees in 1967 on their album ''

Headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

''. The Will-O-Bees' third single, "It's Not Easy", another Mann-Weil composition produced by Traut, was their only chart success, reaching #95 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

in February 1968. Randy Watts, David Edwards, Mike Callahan and Patrice Eyries, "Date Album Discography", 2010
Retrieved 11 August 2017. The Will-O-Bees, ''45cat.com''
Retrieved 11 August 2017. "It's Not Easy" was originally written for the Righteous Brothers, and had first been recorded in London in 1966 by Australian pop singer Normie Rowe; his version was a chart hit in Australia and New Zealand. In 1968, the Will-O-Bees transferred to Screen Gems' own SGC label, and released three further singles, again produced by Traut. These included the Mann-Weil songs " Make Your Own Kind of Music" and "

It's Getting Better "It's Getting Better" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was a sunshine pop hit single in 1969 for Mama Cass. Overview The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than ex ...

", which were both later recorded more successfully by

Mama 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 ...

. The Will-O-Bees also recorded and released the theme song of the unsuccessful TV sitcom '' The Ugliest Girl in Town'', written by Howard Greenfield and

Helen Miller Helen Miller may refer to: * Helen Miller (cricketer) (1915–1972), New Zealand cricketer * Helen Miller (politician) (born 1945), American politician * Helen Miller (songwriter) (1925–2006), American songwriter * Helen Hill Miller (1899–1995 ...

. "The Ugliest Girl In Town", ''Television Obscurities''
Retrieved 11 August 2017 However, none of the group's SGC recordings made the charts, and the group made no further recordings after early 1969.

Discography

* "Why Can't They Accept Us?" / "The World I Used To Know" ( Date, 1966) * " Shades of Gray" / "If You're Ready" (Date, 1966) * "It's Not Easy" / "Looking Glass" (Date, 1967) * " Make Your Own Kind of Music" / "Listen To The Music" ( SGC, 1968) * "The Ugliest Girl In Town" / "I Can't Quit Lovin' You Baby" (SGC, 1968) * "November Monday" / "

" (SGC, 1969)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Will-O-Bees American folk rock groups American musical trios Musical groups from New York City