William Penn Fyve were a

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 ...

group from Palo Alto, California who recorded the

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

classic "Swami". Their membership included Gregg Rolie and

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

Background

The group started out in late 1964 at the College of San Mateo calling themselves The DiscCounts. The original founding lineup was made up of Ron Cox on drums, Mike Dunn on guitar, Neil Holtmann on vocals, and Steve Sweet on bass. The group had a similar visual style to that of Paul Revere & the Raiders revolutionary attire. With the exposure by Radio KYA, KFRC and KLIV, the group was one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most well-known popular groups at the time and were star attractions in their own shows. They opened for some major national as well as international acts. One long term member was Gregg Rolie who would later be in Santana and Journey.

was also a member of the band at one stage. The one single they released, "Swami" is considered a pop / psychedelic classic. They are also referred to as William Penn and His Pals.

Similarly named groups

There may be some confusion over similarly named groups from the same era. There was one group around at the same time with a similar name,

William Penn & the Quakers Len Stark was a Philadelphia-based record label owner, composer and producer. He founded the Melron Records label which acts such as William Penn and the Quakers, Essau, Rocky Brown, Bobby Eli, Pheasants and Colly Williams recorded for. Backgro ...

who had a few singles including "

California Sun "California Sun" is a rock song first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Joe Jones. Henry Glover is credited on the original 45 rpm single as the songwriter, although Roulette Records owner Morris Levy's name sometimes incorrectly app ...

" released on Len Stark's Philadelphia based Melron label. It is apparently a different group. There was also another similarly named band, Wm Penn and the Quakers who recorded for Twilight Records and for the Duane Records label from

Sunnyvale Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the north ...

, California.

Career

In early 1965, with the current line up of Ron Cox, Mike Dunn, Neil Holtmann, and Steve Sweet, they added another member, keyboard player Dave Lovell. A few months after that, there were some changes to their line up and guitarist Mike Shapiro and bassist Steve Leidenthal came on board, replacing Mike Dunn and Steve Sweet. Then they changed their look to the revolutionary style. In 1966 Gregg Rolie came into the group, replacing Dave Lovell. Also that year, they auditioned for Scorpio Records but were unsuccessful in their bid. Neil Holtmann was also fired from the group that year. A song about a guru during a hallucination was written and became the song "Swami". In 1966 or 1967, their single "Swami" / "Blow My Mind" was released on Thunderbird 502. They broke up around 1967 / 1968 after having an argument with Vern Justus over finances. Greg Rollie later joined The Santana Blues Band after

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

caught them at the Longshoremen's Hall in San Francisco and asked him to join the new band he was putting together. A CD album with early recorded material was released in the 2000s which included an alt-version of "Blow My Mind". It is believed that Mickey Hart plays drums on that version. Two of their songs, "Blow My Mind" and "Swami" are included on the '' Trash'' various artists CD compilation.

Line up

Version #1

* Ron Cox ... drums * Mike Dunn ... guitar * Neil Holtmann ... vocals * Dave Lovell ... Keyboards * Steve Sweet ... bass

Following versions

* Ron Cox ... drums *

... drums * Neil Holtmann ... vocals * Dave Lovell ... keyboards * Gregg Rolie ... keyboards, vocals * Mike Shapiro ... guitar * Steve Leidenthal ... bass * Jack Shelton ... guitar ''Fuzz, Acid and Flowers''
''A Comprehensive Guide to American Garage, Psychedelic and Hippie Rock (1964-1975)'', Compiled by Vernon Joynson
,
Page 247
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Discography

References

External links

Cosmic Mind at Play: Classic Singles #96: The William Penn Fyve – Swami / Blow My Mind (1966)

* ttp://thesanfranciscosound.blogspot.com/2010/03/william-penn-and-his-pals-family-tree.html The San Francisco Sound: WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS FAMILY TREE {{DEFAULTSORT:William Penn Fvye Thunderbird Records artists Psychedelic rock music groups from California