The Banshees were an American

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 formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1966. The group is best remembered for its sole

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, featuring the dissonant

proto-punk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wit ...

anthem, "Project Blue". The song has become a classic of the musical genre of garage rock and is featured prominently on several

compilation albums A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

. The group's origins trace back to the Fugitives, which were configured in 1962. By 1965, after some personnel changes, the band was known as the Prophets, and had begun recording promos for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, along with demos of "Project Blue" and its eventual

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 ...

"Free". The line-up consisted of Frank Bucaro (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

), Ron Rouse ( lead guitar), Rick Notolini ( bass guitar), Tom Leetzow (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), and John Smead (

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), with Bucaro and Rouse being the leaders of the Prophets. Record producer Bill Traut just happened to be listening to the group recording their demo of "Project Blue" and immediately signed the band to a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

. Traut renamed the Prophets to the Banshees, and replaced the inexperienced Notolini with local Chicago musician, Peter Sheldon. The resulting officially-released version of "Project Blue" is a surprisingly raw and cathartic exercise in primal blues-based proto-punk, featuring a distorted three-note guitar riff its center, that is repeated relentlessly throughout the song and set to a pounding beat, punctuated by agonizing yelps and screams supplied by vocalist Bucaro. SC11010 - liner notes to compilation The lesser-known flip-side "Free" was a soothing ballad, which stands in marked contrast to the relative "shock therapy" of its A-side predecessor. "Project Blue" was released in June 1966 on

Dunwich Records 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, Colum ...

. Although both Rouse and Bucaro co-wrote its two sides, only Rouse's name is featured on the single because he was the only one who was 21 years-old. The song became a popular fixture in the Banshees' live repertoire as they regularly performed in Illinois venues the New Place, the Alamo, and the Cellar, among others. It was the only surviving recording by the group as they disbanded in early 1967. Since its initial release, "Project Blue" has been recognized as a garage rock classic. Among the compilation albums it has been featured on, include ''

Oh Yeah! The Best of Dunwich Records ''Oh Yeah! The Best of Dunwich Records'' is a garage rock compilation issued by Sundazed Records featuring music made by acts who recorded for Dunwich Records in Chicago during the 1960s. SC11010 - liner notes to compilation Dunwich quickly bec ...

'', '' Pebbles, Volume 9'', and '' Mindrocker, Volume 2''. However, "Free" has yet to be reissued on any album. According to the liner notes of ''Oh Yeah!'', Bucaro, who supplied the "lead scream" to "Project Blue", later became a Catholic priest.

Members

* Frank Bucaro -

* Ron Rouse - lead guitar * Rick Notolini - bass guitar * Tom Leetzow -

* John Smead -

* Peter Sheldon - bass guitar

Discography

* "Project Blue" b/w "Free" -

(D-129), 1966

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banshees Garage rock groups from Illinois Musical groups from Chicago Musical groups established in 1966