The Royale Monarchs were a Southern California surf band of the late 1960s, signed by radio personality

Bob Eubanks Robert Leland Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show '' The Newlywed Game'' on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version o ...

as house band at his Cinnamon Cinder night clubs, regulars on his ''Hollywood Dance Time'' and ''The Cinnamon Cinder'' television shows.

History

The original group included founder,

Dan Anthony Dan Anthony (formerly Dan Jaramillo) is an American recording artist, songwriter and musician. He played with the surf-rock guitarist Dick Dale, and was the founder of the late 1960s California surf band Royale Monarchs. He also played in the ...

, (formerly Jaramillo) vocals and lead guitar, Roger Stafford lead vocal and rhythm guitar, Wilson Smith later replaced by George Haraksin on drums, with Jack Schaeffer on tenor saxophone and Ed Loewe rounding out the group on bass guitar. While playing the

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal sponsored dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. History Sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American J ...

s they often performed as backup band for touring recording artist,

Jan and Dean Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles ...

The Hondells The Hondells were an American surf rock band. Their cover of the Beach Boys' " Little Honda" went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. History The Hondells were a band manufactured by Gary Usher, originally consisting of session music ...

The Honeys The Honeys (originally the Rovell Sisters) were an American girl group, formed in Los Angeles in 1958, that initially comprised sisters Marilyn, Diane, and Barbara Rovell. Barbara was later replaced by their cousin, Ginger Blake. After 1962, ...

. While at the Cinnamon Cinder they backed up weekly such acts as

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songw ...

, Dick and Dede,

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. ...

Little Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

The Rivingtons The Rivingtons were a 1960s doo-wop band, known for their 1962 novelty hit " Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The members were lead vocalist Carl White (June 21, 1932 - January 7, 1980), tenor Al Frazier (d. November 13, 2005), baritone Sonny Harris, and ba ...

and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

. Producer

Gary Usher Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fict ...

signed the newly reformed group, The Forte' Four 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 ...

MCA/Universal MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

and released several singles on

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

Ernie Earnshaw Ernie Earnshaw is a musician and recording artist. He began playing drums with the Royale Monarchs. The Monarchs were a popular surf-band of the 1960s, at the Bob Eubanks Cinnamon Cinder night clubs, in Los Angeles and performed on Sam Riddell' ...

, of

Love Song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

took over on drums and Guy Watson on bass in the new group. Guitarist

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

joined as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

on recordings adding back up harmony along with Usher. The group's first single under the Royale Monarchs name was "Sombrero Stomp", featuring Schaeffer on tenor sax. Roger Stafford died on January 27, 2012, in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, following complications after kidney failure. He was aged 69.

Discography

Royale Monarchs

*''Whole Lot of Shakin Going On'' (1962) (Dell) *''Sombrero Stomp'' (1962) (Dell) *''The Cinnamon Cinder Show'' / Bob Eubanks (1963–65) (TV) *''My Babe'' (1964) (Dell) *''(Hey) Surfs Up'' (1964) (Dell) *''Great Balls of Fire'' (1964) (Dell) *''Teen Scene'' (1964) (Dell) *''Cinnamon Cinder Show Christmas Special'' / Bob Eubanks (1965) (TV) Collector-oriented compilation albums containing their tracks *''At The Rockhouse, vol 11'' (Eagle) *''Red Hot Rock 'N' Roll'' (Red Hot) *''High School Favorites'' (Teen) *''I Want Rock'' (White Label)

The Forte Four

*''Can't You See I'm Trying'' (1966) (Decca) *''Don't Let The Sun Shine On Me'' (1966) (Decca) *''I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight'' (1966) (Decca) *''The Climb'' (1966) (Decca) *''Viva Las Vegas, Original Soundtrack'' / "The Climb" (1964) (MGM) *''The Cool Ones, Original Soundtrack'' (1967) (Warner Bros)

References

External links

* * *
Royale Monarchs Discography Group Photo from "Surf's Up"
Musical groups from Los Angeles Rock music groups from California Surf music groups {{US-rock-band-stub