The Leaves 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

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States, in 1964. They are best known for their version of the song "

Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooti ...

", which was a hit in 1966. Theirs is the earliest release of this song, which became a rock standard.

History

The band was founded by

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

player Jim Pons and guitarist Robert Lee Reiner, who were inspired by hearing

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

while students at

Cal State Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest u ...

(then known as San Fernando Valley State College) in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. Originally called The Rockwells, they were

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternit ...

brothers who formed a group and then taught themselves how to play. Besides Pons and Reiner, the original line-up included John Beck (vocals), Bill Rinehart (lead guitar), and Jimmy Kern (drums); in early 1965, Kern was replaced by drummer Tom Ray. They began by playing surf and dance music at parties. In 1965,

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

left their residency at

Ciro's Ciro's (later known as Ciro's Le Disc) was a nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California owned by William Wilkerson. Opened in 1940, Ciro's became a popular nightspot for celebrities. The nightclub closed in 1957 and was reope ...

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverl ...

after making their first hit, and The Leaves (as they were by now known) were chosen to replace them. It was there they were discovered by popular singer and actor

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

, who got them their first record contract, with Mira Records. Their first single, "Too Many People", was a local hit in

. The Leaves released "

" in November 1965, and dissatisfied with the sound, pulled it. They released a second version in early 1966, which flopped. Original guitarist Bill Rinehart left, and The Leaves redid the song again with a fuzztone by new guitarist Bobby Arlin. This version of the song became a hit, and debuted on both ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' on May 21, 1966. It peaked at No. 31 on ''Billboard'' and No. 29 on the Canadian ''

RPM Magazine ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''R ...

'' charts, while showing a humbler peak position of No. 43 on ''Cash Box''. The song ran nine weeks on both national charts. Their debut album ''Hey Joe'' followed. It took a run on the Billboard charts for five weeks, beginning on July 30, 1966, peaking at No. 127. The album did not make it onto the ''Cash Box'' charts. The band appeared on TV shows – ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

'', ''Shivaree'', ''Shebang'' – and briefly in a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

film, ''

The Cool Ones ''The Cool Ones'' (aka ''Cool, Baby Cool'') is a 1967 film starring Roddy McDowall and directed by Gene Nelson. The 1960s novelty singer known as Mrs. Miller performs in a cameo role, and the film features performances by the bands the Leaves an ...

'' (1967). One more album, ''All the Good That's Happening'', was released before the band broke up in 1967 when Pons left to join the pop group The Turtles; in the early 1970s, Pons played bass with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

. Arlin went on to form heavy psychedelic band The Hook and The Robert Savage Group. The band reunited in 1970 before Pons became a member of Zappa's band. The reunited lineup included Jim Pons on rhythm guitar, John Beck on lead guitar, Buddy Sklar, lead singer from The Hook and The Spencer Davis Group, Al Nichols on bass from the Turtles, and Bob "Bullet" Bailey on drums. The band did some touring and performed at local Los Angeles based nightclubs before disbanding in 1971. A new generation of music fans discovered the band when their version of "Hey Joe" was included in the classic 1972

compilation, '' Nuggets''. According to the ''Nuggets'' liner notes, the as yet unnamed band was hanging around a tree-shaded pool, smoking, when a newcomer gave the traditional 1960s greeting, "What's happening?" "The leaves are happening", came the answer, which struck them all as a good name for a band. Bobby Arlin (born March 7, 1940 in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 according to the 2020 census. Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village na ...

) died on February 4, 2010, at age 69.

Members

1960s

* Jim Pons – bass guitar, vocals, double bass * John Beck – vocals, tambourine, harmonica * Bill Rinehart – lead guitar, replaced by Bobby Arlin * Tom Ray – drums * Robert Lee Reiner – rhythm guitar

1970s

* Jim Pons – rhythm guitar * John Beck – lead guitar * Buddy Sklar – lead vocals * Al Nichol – bass * Bob "Bullet" Bailey – drums

Discography

US singles

*" Love Minus Zero" / "Too Many People" : Mira 202 (1965) *" Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go" / "Be with You" : Mira 207 (Nov. 1965) *"You Better Move On" / "A Different Story" : Mira 213 (1965?) *"Be with You" / "Funny Little Word" : Mira 220 (1966) *"Hey Joe" / "Girl from the East" : Mira 222 (1966) *"Hey Joe" / "Funny Little World" : Mira 222 (1966) (Mira 222 was issued with two different B-sides) *"Too Many People" / "Girl from the East" : Mira 227 (1966) *" Get Out of My Life Woman" / "Girl from the East" : Mira 231 (1966) *"Be with You" / "You Better Move On" : Mira 234 (1967?) *"Lemmon Princess" / "Twilight Sanctuary" : Capitol 5799 (Dec. 1966)

Albums

*''Hey Joe'' (1966) Mira LP 3005 (mono)/LPS 3005 (stereo) *''All The Good That's Happening'' (1967) Capitol T 2638 (mono)/ST 2638 (stereo) *''The Leaves 1966'' (1982) Panda PA003

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leaves, The Garage rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1963 1963 establishments in California Mira Records artists