The Barbarians were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mon ...

that were active from 1964 to 1967. They were known for their song " Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl", and an album of the same name.

History

The Barbarians were formed in the summer of 1964 in

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Province ...

, by original members Victor "Moulty" Moulton, Bruce Benson, Ronnie Enos, and Jerry Causi. The band was quickly assembled by Moulton, who had agreed to do a gig at The Rumpus Room, an ex-jazz club where his cousin worked. After packing the house for their opening performance, they were asked to come back numerous times throughout the season. By the end of the summer, record companies had heard about them and they were taken to New York to start their careers. While their first single, "Hey Little Bird" produced by Al Ham (on Joy Records (New York)) was unsuccessful, two of their next three singles (on Laurie) charted on ''

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 adverti ...

'', (with "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?," peaking at No. 55) and also made the

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

charts. "Are You a Boy" was produced by Doug Morris, who went on to head Universal Music Group. They received their biggest break when featured on '' The T.A.M.I. Show'' (performing "Hey Little Bird") alongside other artists such as

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, and

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. Their "pirates on the beach" look—leather sandals, open necked/bloused sleeved shirts (sometimes a vest as well), black jeans, longer-than-usual hair—was distinctive, topped by the sight of drummer Moulton's hook-shaped prosthetic left hand, which he would use to hold his left drumstick during performances. Having lost the hand in an explosion when he was fourteen, Moulton had enabled his drumming by modifying the prosthesis to hold a drumstick. At the height of their popularity, the band was touted as an American counterpart of

. During their tenure, the Barbarians produced two nationally charting hits, including the novelty single, " Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?". A later, minor hit, entitled " Moulty", was a humorous and melodramatic autobiographical song chronicling the drummer's life and the loss of his hand. Moulton sang lead on the track, but instead of the original members, he was backed by New York session musicians including members of Levon & the Hawks, later to be known as The Band. Although it barely scraped the Billboard charts, the song would gain a cult following when it was included on

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's '' Nuggets'' compilation in 1972. In 1965, Boston guitarist Geoffrey Morris replaced Ronnie Enos on lead guitar, providing the arrangement of "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?," a song parodying the trend towards long hair popularized by British Invasion rock acts, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, which was regarded at the time by parents as a bad influence on young males. The song would be released as a single in 1966. In 1967, Benson, Morris, and Causi left The Barbarians to form

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. One year later, having become a version of the group incorporating Denny Romans aka Demian Bell (from Maypole) as the lead guitarist and lead singer, and Walter Parks as Bass player, the Barbarians disbanded. They had evolved to combine martial arts and music by rigorously rehearsing nearly every day at a Karate

dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

owned by Moulton's brother-in-law. They briefly re-formed in 1973 to cut an album under a different lineup.

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United St ...

' song, " Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?," which appears as the opening cut on their ''End of the Century'' album, includes "Moulty" in the litany of rock and roll figures and institutions name-dropped in its lyrics.

Members

* Ronnie Enos - guitar (1964-1965) * Bruce Benson - guitar (1964-1967) * Geoffrey Morris - guitar (1965-1967) * Jerry Causi - vocals, bass guitar (1964-1967) * Victor "Moulty" Moulton - drums (1964-1967)

Timeline

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Discography

*"Hey Little Bird" b/w "You've Got to Understand": Joy J-290 (1964) *" Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl": Laurie L-3308 (1965) *"What the New Breed Say" b/w "Susie-Q": Laurie LR 3321 (1965) *" Moulty" b/w "I'll Keep on Seeing You": Laurie 3326 (1966)

Filmography

National chart appearances

Billboard

*" Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl." Debuted on September 25, 1965, peaked at No. 55, stayed on charts 6 weeks *"What the New Breed Say." Debuted on Bubbling Under charts on November 20, 1965, peaked at No. 102, stayed on Bubbling under charts 6 weeks. Did not proceed to Hot 100 Chart. *" Moulty." Debuted on February 26, 1966, peaked at No. 90, stayed on charts 4 weeks.

Cash Box

*" Are You a Boy Or Are You a Girl." Debuted on September 18, 1965, peaked at No. 62, and stayed on the charts for 7 weeks. *" Moulty." Debuted on March 5, 1966, peaked at No. 97, stayed on charts 1 week.

References

External links

Allmusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the datab ...

Contains an excerpt from a 1998 interview with Victor Moulton where he confirms The Band's participation in the "Moulty" recording session

Bruce Benson, "The Barbarians Are Coming!"
Music Museum of New England {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbarians, The Garage rock groups from Massachusetts Musical groups established in 1964 Laurie Records artists