Old Melodies ...
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King Richard & The Knights - Precision! (Plus Other 60's Albuquerque Groups)
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 03:46 AM PST
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/02/king-richard-knights-precision-plus.html
The Knights (a.k.a. King Richard and the Knights) had its beginnings in
1961 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (U.S.A.), during a time when instrumental
rock ruled the world with The Ventures and The Fireballs leading the way.
Thus, the band (or combo as it was called back then) became a
Ventures/Fireballs-style band, playing 40 to 50 instrumental guitar songs
per gig with no vocals other than a Chuck Berry tune here and there to
break the monotony.
By 1964, the band finally developed an identity and released "Precision" on
a little label called Red Feather Records. This guitar instrumental with a
classical piano accompaniment performed by the studio engineer, Dave
Bonham, became a regional hit (chiefly due to the unique combination of
these two music genres) and set the record for the most time at number one
for a local release on the then ruling Albuquerque, New Mexico
rock-and-roll AM radio station, KQEO. But when the Beatles invaded the U.S.
in Feb. of 1964, it was a bad omen for The Knights. As many other bands at
the time followed Ken Fisher in his "Learn it, Do it, and Profit from it"
mantra the Knights just couldn't give up their beloved rock instrumental
efforts. After a few notable vocals on John Wagner Studios' Delta Records,
the band disbanded in 1967.
King Richard (Dick Stewart), however, jumped on the psychedelic-rock
bandwagon, not as a guitarist, but as a fanzine publisher (The Lance
Newsletter), a record label owner (Lance Records), and a record distributor
and promoter for other local labels. Although Stewart had a successful
two-year-run with those companies that included a number of psychedelic and
R&B 45- rpm releases by Albuque rque artists, who became well known in the
Southwest U.S. during the mid-'60s, he, nevertheless, turned his back
temporarily on rock and roll and directed his attention to another music
genre: Mexican-American rancheras and tr aditional Latin music of Central
and South America. Thus, Dick replaced Lance Records with another label
(Casanova Rec ords), releasing an impressive number of vinyl albums and
singles from 1968 to 1972. Many were hits in the Latin market throughout
the U.S. and Mexico, including so me guitar instrumental efforts by Stewart
himself, who was also a Casanova artist.
After two decades of performing with his two sons (Jason and Richard) in
groups Dick named, Knee Deep, The Mountain Riff-Raff, and The Jyck Monkey
Band (pronounced "jick"), the boys burned out on their dad's genre of music
and moved to Austin, Texas in 1994 to further their own music careers.
Shortly thereafter, Dick Stewart contacted one of the original bass players
of the early Knights (Gary Snow) and asked him if he would be into taking a
trip back to their '60s guitar instrumental roots. Gary jumped at the
chance and beginning in late 1997, they both dedicated a year of intense on
e-on-one practices relearning early '60s Ventures' and Fireballs' covers.
From 1998 to the present, Dick Stewart has written more than 40
instrumentals and created a number of guitar instrumental arrangements with
covers of standout melodious songs of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, many of
which were originally released as vocals. At the close of 1998, Stewart and
Snow scored big with a very talented Albuquerque drummer (Steve Hudgins)
who owns a garage sound studio (literally). Although he was only two years
old when The Knights originally formed, he picked up on the early '60s
guitar instrumental style with ease and great interest.
GROUP MEMBERS
(1961 to 1964) GUITAR ROCK INSTRO PERIOD: (During a time when the band
specialized in guitar-rock instrumentals, a genre now referred to as surf
rock) Dick Stewart - lead guitar; Larry Longmire - rhythm and second lead
guitarist; Gary Butler - bass (1961 - 1962); Gary Snow – bass (1963 -
1964); William "Corky" Anderson - percussions
(1965 to 1967) FRAT ROCK VOCAL PERIOD: (During a time when the band was
known as King Richard and The Knights) Dick Stewart - lead guitar and
vocalist; Jack Paden and Les Bigby - percussions; John Milligan followed
later by Dick Miller - rhythm and second lead guitars; Jerry "Toad"
Hutchins - bass; Larry Reid - sax and lead vocalist; Mike Celenze -
keyboards
45 RELEASES FROM 1964 THROUGH 1966
1. 1964 - "Precision" b/w "Cut Out" (Red Feather 18401) guitar rock
instrumentals
2. 1965 - "Lonely by The Sea" b/w "Moonbeam" (Red Feather) - guitar rock
instrumentals
3. 1965 - "Those Things You Do" b/w "I Want to Love You" (Delta R-2048) -
frat rock vocals
4. 1965 - "Why" b/w "That's the Way it Goes" (Delta R-2115) - frat rock
vocals
5. 1966 - "I Don't Need You" b/w "How About Now" (Delta R-2143) - frat rock
vocals
6. 1966 - "Work Out Sally" b/w "The Weatherman's Song" (Lomas R-2133) frat
rock vocal and children's novelty song
CD AND VINYL RELEASES SINCE 19961. 1996 - "Precision" (Collectables 0684) A
nineteen-track CD reissue compilation of early to mid-'60's 45 releases by
New Mexico artists out of which twelve are Knights' efforts.2. 1999 - "I
Don't Need You" (Lance 2000) A fourteen-track 12" vinyl reissue compilation
of The Knights '60's 45s plus two ‘80s tracks.3. 1999 - "Surfin' the Web"
(Lance 2001) A ten-track CD album of newly recorded surf guitar
instrumentals in the early '60s traditional style.
http://www.lancerecords.com/bio.htmhttp://www.lancerecords.com/history.htm
King Richard & The Knights - Precision! (Plus Other 60's Albuquerque Groups)
1 King Richard & The Knights – I Don't Need You 2 King Richard & The
Knights – How About Now 3 King Richard & The Knights – Why 4 King Richard
& The Knights – That's The Way It Goes 5 Plague, The – Go Away 6 Era Of
Sound – Girl In The Mini Skirt 7 Kreeg, The – Impressin' 8 Sidewinders,
The – Tears From Laughing 9 Sidewinders, The – Charley Aikens 10
Saliens, The – Travel Lightly 11 Saliens, The – Baby Says 12 King Richard
& The Knights – Those Things You Do 13 King Richard & The Knights - I
Want To Love You 14 King Richard & The Knights – Precision 15 King
Richard & The Knights – Cut Out 16 King Richard & The Knights – Moon Beam
17 King Richard & The Knights – Lonely By The Sea 18 Jason Stewart – The
Calm And The Storm 19 King Richard & The Knights – Moonbeam (with vocals)
This Albuquerque, NM outfit, also known as the Knights, outlasted most of
its contemporaries, albeit with a 30-year hiatus in the middle, mostly by
virtue of the quality of their singles, which turned them into local stars.
King Richard & the Knights started out in 1961 as a Ventures-type
instrumental outfit, playing surf instrumentals and throwing in the
occasional Chuck Berry-authored vocal number for variety. By 1964, they'd
evolved sufficiently to rate a recording contract with Red Feather, who
scored with the Knights' first release, "Precision," which became a
regional hit in the southwest and rode the number one spot on Albuquerque's
top radio station for weeks. The band's classic lineup consisted of Dick
Stewart (aka "King Richard") on lead guitar and vocals, Larry Longmire on
lead and rhythm guitar, and Corky Anderson (later succeeded by Jack Paden)
on drums, and Larry Reid on saxophone and some vocals. The group's bassists
included Gary Butler and Gary Snow.
The advent of the British Invasion took the wind out of the band's sails.
The group tried to compete by switching to vocals, and began playing frat
rock standards. They recorded a trio of singles for the Delta label,
displaying a fairly diverse sound, encompassing elements of country and
harmony vocals that showed the heavy influence of the Everly Brothers, but
after "I Don't Need You" b/w &"How About Now" in 1966, their recording
career was over. By the end of 1966, the Knights were history -- Dick
Stewart went on to produce the Kreeg, while Anderson and Paden remained
active for years after in local music circles, and the former still plays.
Thirty years later, Dick Stewart and Gary Snow re-formed King Richard & the
Knights, cutting a new album with drummer Steve Hudgins, its release
accompanying the reissue of the group's classic sides on Collectables, and
even vinyl reissues of their early sides in Europe. The re-formed group
remains active on the Lancer label.
http://www.60sgaragebands.com/scenesthings/lancerecords.html
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Routers - Play The Chuck Berry Song Book
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 03:10 AM PST
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-routers-play-chuck-berry-song-book.html
Although the Routers started off as a real band, by the time the quintet
had garnered their solitary charting single, "Let's Go!" in 1963, Warner
Brothers staff producer Joe Saraceno had replaced them with various and
sundry members of the all-star recording studio heavyweights known as the
Wrecking Crew. This A list included the respective talents of Hal Blaine
(drums), Leon Russell (keyboards), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), and Carol Kaye
(bass). Most notably featured was Plas Johnson (sax), whose yakety brass
was often at the musical center of the material . The fairly
self-explanatory Play the Chuck Berry Song Book (1965) was the combo's
final long-player for the label. This was not because of sales, but rather
a conflict of interest with rival Liberty Records -- who Saraceno was
contractually obligated to -- and their own highly successful instrumental
band, the Ventures. The early '60s were not necessarily the best of times
for Chuck Berry -- who had spent five years (1959-1964) incarcerated for
violation of the Mann Act. However, his musical legacy remained vibrant
through the constant reworkings of his classic back catalog. This title
features a dozen instrumental interpretations of Berry's seminal sides and
rambunctious rockers. Both genre-defining platters such as "Rock and Roll
Music,""Sweet Little Sixteen," and "Johnny B. Goode" as well as the
lesser-known "Wee Wee Hours" are given strong workouts. The concurrently
modern surf rock style drives the bluesy "School Days" and the chooglin'
rhythm of "Maybelline" and "No Particular Place to Go." While obviously no
substitute for the originals, the Routers deftly reinvent these Berry
standards with their own propulsive flair and compulsive beat. Indeed,
mid-'60s dance-crazed teens could easily do the Mashed Potato, Frug, and
Pony to these seminal rockin' rhythms. In 2003, Collectors' Choice Music
reissued Play the Chuck Berry Song Book as the final installment in their
CD restoration of the Routers' Warner Brothers catalog. Let's dance on!
///////////////////////////////////////////
King Richard & The Knights - Precision! (Plus Other 60's Albuquerque Groups)
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 03:46 AM PST
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/02/king-richard-knights-precision-plus.html
The Knights (a.k.a. King Richard and the Knights) had its beginnings in
1961 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (U.S.A.), during a time when instrumental
rock ruled the world with The Ventures and The Fireballs leading the way.
Thus, the band (or combo as it was called back then) became a
Ventures/Fireballs-style band, playing 40 to 50 instrumental guitar songs
per gig with no vocals other than a Chuck Berry tune here and there to
break the monotony.
By 1964, the band finally developed an identity and released "Precision" on
a little label called Red Feather Records. This guitar instrumental with a
classical piano accompaniment performed by the studio engineer, Dave
Bonham, became a regional hit (chiefly due to the unique combination of
these two music genres) and set the record for the most time at number one
for a local release on the then ruling Albuquerque, New Mexico
rock-and-roll AM radio station, KQEO. But when the Beatles invaded the U.S.
in Feb. of 1964, it was a bad omen for The Knights. As many other bands at
the time followed Ken Fisher in his "Learn it, Do it, and Profit from it"
mantra the Knights just couldn't give up their beloved rock instrumental
efforts. After a few notable vocals on John Wagner Studios' Delta Records,
the band disbanded in 1967.
King Richard (Dick Stewart), however, jumped on the psychedelic-rock
bandwagon, not as a guitarist, but as a fanzine publisher (The Lance
Newsletter), a record label owner (Lance Records), and a record distributor
and promoter for other local labels. Although Stewart had a successful
two-year-run with those companies that included a number of psychedelic and
R&B 45- rpm releases by Albuque rque artists, who became well known in the
Southwest U.S. during the mid-'60s, he, nevertheless, turned his back
temporarily on rock and roll and directed his attention to another music
genre: Mexican-American rancheras and tr aditional Latin music of Central
and South America. Thus, Dick replaced Lance Records with another label
(Casanova Rec ords), releasing an impressive number of vinyl albums and
singles from 1968 to 1972. Many were hits in the Latin market throughout
the U.S. and Mexico, including so me guitar instrumental efforts by Stewart
himself, who was also a Casanova artist.
After two decades of performing with his two sons (Jason and Richard) in
groups Dick named, Knee Deep, The Mountain Riff-Raff, and The Jyck Monkey
Band (pronounced "jick"), the boys burned out on their dad's genre of music
and moved to Austin, Texas in 1994 to further their own music careers.
Shortly thereafter, Dick Stewart contacted one of the original bass players
of the early Knights (Gary Snow) and asked him if he would be into taking a
trip back to their '60s guitar instrumental roots. Gary jumped at the
chance and beginning in late 1997, they both dedicated a year of intense on
e-on-one practices relearning early '60s Ventures' and Fireballs' covers.
From 1998 to the present, Dick Stewart has written more than 40
instrumentals and created a number of guitar instrumental arrangements with
covers of standout melodious songs of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, many of
which were originally released as vocals. At the close of 1998, Stewart and
Snow scored big with a very talented Albuquerque drummer (Steve Hudgins)
who owns a garage sound studio (literally). Although he was only two years
old when The Knights originally formed, he picked up on the early '60s
guitar instrumental style with ease and great interest.
GROUP MEMBERS
(1961 to 1964) GUITAR ROCK INSTRO PERIOD: (During a time when the band
specialized in guitar-rock instrumentals, a genre now referred to as surf
rock) Dick Stewart - lead guitar; Larry Longmire - rhythm and second lead
guitarist; Gary Butler - bass (1961 - 1962); Gary Snow – bass (1963 -
1964); William "Corky" Anderson - percussions
(1965 to 1967) FRAT ROCK VOCAL PERIOD: (During a time when the band was
known as King Richard and The Knights) Dick Stewart - lead guitar and
vocalist; Jack Paden and Les Bigby - percussions; John Milligan followed
later by Dick Miller - rhythm and second lead guitars; Jerry "Toad"
Hutchins - bass; Larry Reid - sax and lead vocalist; Mike Celenze -
keyboards
45 RELEASES FROM 1964 THROUGH 1966
1. 1964 - "Precision" b/w "Cut Out" (Red Feather 18401) guitar rock
instrumentals
2. 1965 - "Lonely by The Sea" b/w "Moonbeam" (Red Feather) - guitar rock
instrumentals
3. 1965 - "Those Things You Do" b/w "I Want to Love You" (Delta R-2048) -
frat rock vocals
4. 1965 - "Why" b/w "That's the Way it Goes" (Delta R-2115) - frat rock
vocals
5. 1966 - "I Don't Need You" b/w "How About Now" (Delta R-2143) - frat rock
vocals
6. 1966 - "Work Out Sally" b/w "The Weatherman's Song" (Lomas R-2133) frat
rock vocal and children's novelty song
CD AND VINYL RELEASES SINCE 19961. 1996 - "Precision" (Collectables 0684) A
nineteen-track CD reissue compilation of early to mid-'60's 45 releases by
New Mexico artists out of which twelve are Knights' efforts.2. 1999 - "I
Don't Need You" (Lance 2000) A fourteen-track 12" vinyl reissue compilation
of The Knights '60's 45s plus two ‘80s tracks.3. 1999 - "Surfin' the Web"
(Lance 2001) A ten-track CD album of newly recorded surf guitar
instrumentals in the early '60s traditional style.
http://www.lancerecords.com/bio.htmhttp://www.lancerecords.com/history.htm
King Richard & The Knights - Precision! (Plus Other 60's Albuquerque Groups)
1 King Richard & The Knights – I Don't Need You 2 King Richard & The
Knights – How About Now 3 King Richard & The Knights – Why 4 King Richard
& The Knights – That's The Way It Goes 5 Plague, The – Go Away 6 Era Of
Sound – Girl In The Mini Skirt 7 Kreeg, The – Impressin' 8 Sidewinders,
The – Tears From Laughing 9 Sidewinders, The – Charley Aikens 10
Saliens, The – Travel Lightly 11 Saliens, The – Baby Says 12 King Richard
& The Knights – Those Things You Do 13 King Richard & The Knights - I
Want To Love You 14 King Richard & The Knights – Precision 15 King
Richard & The Knights – Cut Out 16 King Richard & The Knights – Moon Beam
17 King Richard & The Knights – Lonely By The Sea 18 Jason Stewart – The
Calm And The Storm 19 King Richard & The Knights – Moonbeam (with vocals)
This Albuquerque, NM outfit, also known as the Knights, outlasted most of
its contemporaries, albeit with a 30-year hiatus in the middle, mostly by
virtue of the quality of their singles, which turned them into local stars.
King Richard & the Knights started out in 1961 as a Ventures-type
instrumental outfit, playing surf instrumentals and throwing in the
occasional Chuck Berry-authored vocal number for variety. By 1964, they'd
evolved sufficiently to rate a recording contract with Red Feather, who
scored with the Knights' first release, "Precision," which became a
regional hit in the southwest and rode the number one spot on Albuquerque's
top radio station for weeks. The band's classic lineup consisted of Dick
Stewart (aka "King Richard") on lead guitar and vocals, Larry Longmire on
lead and rhythm guitar, and Corky Anderson (later succeeded by Jack Paden)
on drums, and Larry Reid on saxophone and some vocals. The group's bassists
included Gary Butler and Gary Snow.
The advent of the British Invasion took the wind out of the band's sails.
The group tried to compete by switching to vocals, and began playing frat
rock standards. They recorded a trio of singles for the Delta label,
displaying a fairly diverse sound, encompassing elements of country and
harmony vocals that showed the heavy influence of the Everly Brothers, but
after "I Don't Need You" b/w &"How About Now" in 1966, their recording
career was over. By the end of 1966, the Knights were history -- Dick
Stewart went on to produce the Kreeg, while Anderson and Paden remained
active for years after in local music circles, and the former still plays.
Thirty years later, Dick Stewart and Gary Snow re-formed King Richard & the
Knights, cutting a new album with drummer Steve Hudgins, its release
accompanying the reissue of the group's classic sides on Collectables, and
even vinyl reissues of their early sides in Europe. The re-formed group
remains active on the Lancer label.
http://www.60sgaragebands.com/scenesthings/lancerecords.html
///////////////////////////////////////////
The Routers - Play The Chuck Berry Song Book
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 03:10 AM PST
http://allmusic-wingsofdream.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-routers-play-chuck-berry-song-book.html
Although the Routers started off as a real band, by the time the quintet
had garnered their solitary charting single, "Let's Go!" in 1963, Warner
Brothers staff producer Joe Saraceno had replaced them with various and
sundry members of the all-star recording studio heavyweights known as the
Wrecking Crew. This A list included the respective talents of Hal Blaine
(drums), Leon Russell (keyboards), Tommy Tedesco (guitar), and Carol Kaye
(bass). Most notably featured was Plas Johnson (sax), whose yakety brass
was often at the musical center of the material . The fairly
self-explanatory Play the Chuck Berry Song Book (1965) was the combo's
final long-player for the label. This was not because of sales, but rather
a conflict of interest with rival Liberty Records -- who Saraceno was
contractually obligated to -- and their own highly successful instrumental
band, the Ventures. The early '60s were not necessarily the best of times
for Chuck Berry -- who had spent five years (1959-1964) incarcerated for
violation of the Mann Act. However, his musical legacy remained vibrant
through the constant reworkings of his classic back catalog. This title
features a dozen instrumental interpretations of Berry's seminal sides and
rambunctious rockers. Both genre-defining platters such as "Rock and Roll
Music,""Sweet Little Sixteen," and "Johnny B. Goode" as well as the
lesser-known "Wee Wee Hours" are given strong workouts. The concurrently
modern surf rock style drives the bluesy "School Days" and the chooglin'
rhythm of "Maybelline" and "No Particular Place to Go." While obviously no
substitute for the originals, the Routers deftly reinvent these Berry
standards with their own propulsive flair and compulsive beat. Indeed,
mid-'60s dance-crazed teens could easily do the Mashed Potato, Frug, and
Pony to these seminal rockin' rhythms. In 2003, Collectors' Choice Music
reissued Play the Chuck Berry Song Book as the final installment in their
CD restoration of the Routers' Warner Brothers catalog. Let's dance on!