1910 Fruitgum Company | |
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 The 1910 Fruitgum Company performing live on November 17, 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Linden, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1965–1970, 1999–present |
| Labels | Buddah |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's Billboard Hot 100 hits were "Simon Says", "May I Take a Giant Step", "1, 2, 3, Red Light", "Goody Goody Gumdrops", "Indian Giver", "Special Delivery", and "The Train". [1]
Bubblegum pop was marketed to preteens as the evolving genre of rock music was beginning to target older adolescents and adults with darker lyrics and heavier rhythms. [2] The simple structure of the songs and non-political content of bubblegum pop appealed to a younger audience. [3] Many of the songs in the bubblegum pop genre like "1,2,3 Red Light" were intended to be singles within the budget of that younger preteen audience. "1,2, 3 Red Light" became one of the biggest hits of the genre. [2]
The band began as Jeckell and The Hydes in New Jersey in 1966. The original members were Frank Jeckell, Mark Gutkowski, Floyd Marcus, Pat Karwan and Steve Mortkowitz – all from Linden, New Jersey. [4] [5]
During 1967, they were signed to Buddah Records, where they released five LPs under their own name and a variety of singles, as well as appearing on the LP The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus.[ citation needed ] Their first hit single, "Simon Says", reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart. [6]
The band started touring, opening for major acts such as The Beach Boys. [7] They also released these other chart hits: "May I Take a Giant Step" (U.S. #63), "1, 2, 3, Red Light" (U.S. #5), "Special Delivery" (U.S. #38), "Goody, Goody Gumdrops" (U.S. #37), "Indian Giver" (U.S. #5) and "The Train" (U.S. #57). [8]
The original group disbanded in 1970. [9]
In 1999, original member Frank Jeckell and Mick Mansueto put the act back together. [9] As of 2019, Fruitgum currently performs its own hits, in addition to other songs from the 1960s. [10]
"Simon Says" sold three and a half million. "1, 2, 3, Red Light" and "Indian Giver" each sold over one million copies. All three were awarded gold discs. [4]
 |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side From same album as A-side except where indicated | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | AUS | CAN | |||||
| 1967 | "Simon Says" | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Buddah Records | "Reflections from the Looking Glass" (Non-LP track) | Simon Says |
| 1968 | "May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart)" | 63 | – | 42 | 21 | "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" | ||
| "1, 2, 3, Red Light" | 5 | – | 8 | 1 | "Sticky, Sticky" (Non-LP track) | 1, 2, 3, Red Light | ||
| "Goody Goody Gumdrops" | 37 | – | 29 | 26 | "Candy Kisses" (Non-LP track) | Goody Goody Gumdrops | ||
| 1969 | "Indian Giver" | 5 | – | 5 | 1 | "Pow Wow" (Non-LP track) | Indian Giver | |
| "Special Delivery" | 38 | – | 47 | 17 | "No Good Annie" | |||
| "The Train" | 57 | – | 68 | 34 | "Eternal Light" (Non-LP track) | Hard Ride | ||
| "When We Get Married" | 118 | – | 76 | – | "Baby Bret" (Non-LP track) | Juiciest Fruitgum | ||
| 1970 | "Go Away" | – | – | 77 | – | Super K Records | "The Track" | Non-LP tracks |
| Year | Album | Billboard 200 | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Simon Says | 162 | Buddah Records |
| 1, 2, 3, Red Light | 163 | ||
| Goody Goody Gumdrops | – | ||
| 1969 | Indian Giver | 147 | |
| Hard Ride | – | ||
| 1970 | Juiciest Fruitgum | – | |
| 1993 | Juiciest Hits | – | |
| 1994 | Bubblegum Goodies | – | Victor Entertainment |
| A Golden Classics Edition | – | Collectables Records | |
| 2001 | The Best of the 1910 Fruitgum Company: Simon Says | – | Buddah Records |
| 2007 | Bubblegum Christmas | – | Collectables Records |
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