Dean Kohler | |
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Origin | Portsmouth, Virginia, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1962–present |
Labels | Elko |
Dean Ellis Kohler is an American rock musician from Portsmouth, Virginia who has been active in various groups and as a solo artist since 1962. That year he formed Dean & the Mustangs, who later changed their name and recorded demos as the Satellites. In 1966 Kohler was drafted into the army as an MP in the Vietnam War. While stationed in Qui Nhơn, he formed the group, the Electrical Banana, who recorded several songs in an army tent, amongst which a version of Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again" and Kohler's original, "She's Gone" were pressed into a limited number of 45RPM records and came to the attention of garage rock enthusiasts. In 1968, when he returned from duty to Portsmouth, he assembled a backing band and recorded the single "Gooseberry Pie". Later in 1968, he formed the band, the Soft Light, who appeared weekly on a local TV show . and by the end of the decade the hard rock group, Mad Wax, who remained active into the 1970s. He chronicled his Vietnam War experiences in Rock 'N' Roll Soldier: A Memoir, published in 2009. Kohler's recordings with the Satellites and the Electrical Banana are included on the compilation, Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume 1, and "Gooseberry Pie" on Essential Pebbles, Volume 2.
Musician Dean Kohler is from Portsmouth, Virginia and got his start in 1962 as the founder and leader of a combo, Dean & the Mustangs. The other members in the group were Joe Spear on rhythm guitar, Cecil Baines on bass, Billy Watson on drums, and Roger Thacker added as singer. [1] In 1964 Roger Thacker left and Dean became the lead singer and still the lead guitarist. In late 1964 Billy left the group and was replaced by Lynde Gilliam on drums. In early 1965 Joe Spear left the group, and they added Cliff Eaton on keyboards and changed their name to the Satellites. [1] At this time the group came under the influence of the British Invasion. [1] In 1965, they recorded an acetate of the songs "Will You Stay?", which displayed the influence of the Kinks, and "The Next Boy". [1] These were the Satellites' only recordings. [1]
Their plans were interrupted in 1966, when Kohler was drafted into the army to serve in the Vietnam War [2] [1] as part of the 127th MP Company in Qui Nhơn, Vietnam. With the permission and support of his commander, Captain Richard Leadbetter, Kohler assembled band, the Electrical Banana. [3] [1] The moniker was chosen partially in reference to the front cover of the Velvet Underground's first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico , a lyric in Donovan's "Mellow Yellow", and influenced by the book Fuzz, Acid and Flowers. [1] The group practiced and performed at military bases, sometimes wearing banana outfits. [1] In 1967, they recorded several songs in an army tent in Qui Nhon including two that were included on a limited number of 45 RPM records single—a version of Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again" along with the Kohler original, "She's Gone". [1] One of the records came into the hands of the compilers of the Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume 1 CD, which was released in 2000 and contained both songs. [1] [4]
Upon returning to Portsmouth in late 1967, Kohler assembled a new group with the backing lineup of George Newsome on bass, Robert Craig on organ, and Johnny Johnston on drums to record his only official single in 1968, "Gooseberry Pie", for the Elko label, [1] [5] which was later included on Essential Pebbles, Volume 2 in 1998. [6] That year he formed the group the Soft light, who recorded several songs, including "Out-of-Sight", and appeared the television programs, Disc-O-Ten in 1968 and Saturday Session in 1969. In 1974 he created and produced a one-hour TV special that aired on the local NBC affiliate WAVY-TV called "Rock Me" featuring his band, Mad Wax, and other local bands.
During the 1970s, he fronted Mad Wax, Dean on lead guitar and lead vocals, George Newsome on bass and vocals, and Tom Ryan on drums, a power trio that recorded an unreleased album. [1] The band's name at first was Spectrum but after four months was changed to Mad Wax. In the 1980s and 1990s, he formed and led the 1950s/1960s tribute showband Big Bubba & the Blockbusters. [1] He chronicled his Vietnam War experiences in the book, Rock 'N' Roll Soldier: A Memoir, published by Harper Collins in 2009. [1]
Garage rock 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 style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional.
Cosmic Psychos are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. Founding members included Ross Knight on bass guitar and vocals; Robbie Addington on guitar and vocals; and Steve Morrow on vocals. Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, described their music as "arty kind of punk noise, somewhere between The Birthday Party and a more narcotic sounding Ramones". Late in 1984 the group was renamed as Cosmic Psychos. They issued their debut album, Down on the Farm, in December 1985. Several albums have followed and were backed by national tours and international tours to Europe and North America including festivals with Mudhoney, Nirvana, L7, Helmet and Motörhead. In 1990 Jones was replaced by Robbie Watts on guitar and vocals. By 2005 Walsh was replaced by Dean Muller on drums. On 1 July 2006 Watts died of a heart attack, aged 47, and the band continued with John McKeering joining.
The Choir was a garage rock band largely active in the greater Cleveland area from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Originally called The Mods, their largest commercial success came with the release of their first single "It's Cold Outside" in December 1966. The song, considered to be a classic of the garage rock era, was featured on Pebbles, Volume 2, one of the earlier garage rock compilation LPs. The flipside, "I'm Going Home" was included as a bonus track when the Pebbles album was reissued as a CD, and it can also be found on a garage rock compilation LP on Ohio bands, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9. The Choir is well known for containing three of the four original members of Raspberries.
Milan Radenkovich, who was always credited mononymously as Milan, was an American record producer, songwriter and recording artist on numerous songs made throughout the 1960s, mostly though not exclusively in the garage rock genre. He released an LP and numerous singles for seven different national record labels and other independent labels under a variety of names, including Milan with His Orchestra, Milan, The World of Milan, Milan , and The Leather Boy, and also worked under the name Rick Rodell. As a producer, arranger and/or songwriter, Milan oversaw many other releases by a variety of artists ranging from the pop singer Lou Christie to the psychedelic rock band the Head Shop.
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The Gentlemen were an American garage rock band from Dallas, Texas, who were active from 1964 to 1968. They are best known for their 1966 song, "It's a Cry'n Shame", which has been recognized as one of the greatest songs in garage rock. The band is noted for the contributions of guitarist and songwriter, Seab Meador. Jimmie Vaughan, later a member the Fabulous Thunderbirds and brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, served a brief stint for several months in the Gentlemen in late 1965 and early 1966, but did not appear on any of their recordings. He went on to play in another Dallas garage rock band, the Chessmen.
"It's a Cry'n Shame" is a song written by Seab Meador and Mike Kelley and was recorded in 1966 by the Gentlemen, an American garage rock band from Dallas, Texas who were active between 1964-1968. It was originally released as the B-side to "You Can't Be True" but has become by far the better-known song. "It's a Cry'n Shame" has been included in several garage rock compilations and is now recognized as one of the greatest songs in the genre.
Teenage Shutdown! is a series of garage rock compilation albums assembled by Tim Warren of Crypt Records, best known for his Back from the Grave series. Most of the volumes in the Teenage Shutdown! series, gravitate towards the more raw and aggressive examples of the genre, but some volumes also reflect different aspects of garage rock, such as frat rock, soul-influenced rock, as well as folk rock and psychedelic. The series currently consists of fifteen LP's and CD's, which unlike the Back from the Grave series, are identical in both formats. The first ten installments were released in 1998 and the remainder in 1999 and 2000. The first volume Jump, Jive and Harmonize, was culled from the collection of 45-rpm singles owned by Mike Markesich. The series tends to follow the packaging format employed by other garage compilation series such as Pebbles and Back from the Grave: each volume includes detailed liner notes, for this series written by Mike Markesich, which include basic information about each song and group, such as origin and recording date. The information that they present reflects thorough research, including information about the circumstances of the recordings and brief biographical sketches of the groups. The various albums in the series occasionally include photographs of groups not actually included on the track listings, sometimes even going as far as to have such bands pictured on the front sleeves. Currently, there are fifteen volumes in the series.
The Mad Hatters were an American garage rock band from Annapolis, Maryland who were active in the 1960s and had a following in the Washington DC and Baltimore area. They enjoyed brief local and regional success with their first single, "I Need Love," released in 1965, later recorded by the Time Stoppers. Though they failed to reach a wider audience, in the intervening years since their breakup they have become known amongst garage rock collectors and enthusiasts. Their 1966 song "I'll Come Running" has also become a song highly regarded amongst enthusiasts.
The Liberty Bell was an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Corpus Christi, Texas who were active in the 1960s. They specialized in a blues-based brand of proto-punk influenced by British groups such as the Yardbirds. The band failed to reach wider audience in the time, but have come to the attention of garage rock collectors and enthusiasts in the intervening years since their breakup, with their work appearing on several compilations.
The Groupies were an American garage rock-psychedelic rock band from New York City who were active in the 1960s and are known for an innovative approach to primal blues-based rock exemplified in such songs as "Primitive". They were a popular fixture in the New York club scene and recorded for Atco Records, later venturing to Los Angeles. Due to their uncompromising stance the Groupies failed to attract a wider audience outside of their local enclaves. In recent years they have come to the attention of garage rock and psychedelic enthusiasts and their work has been included on various compilations such as the 1998 Nuggets four-CD box set, which was released on Rhino Records. In recent years their material has been re-issued on various garage rock and psychedelic compilations such as the Pebbles, Volume 10 LP and the 1998 Nuggets four-CD box set.
T.C. Atlantic was an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota who were active in the 1960s. They were one of the most popular groups in the Twin Cities, but failed to break nationally. In the intervening years since their breakup, their recordings have attracted the interest of '60s music collectors and enthusiasts, and they are particularly remembered for their 1966 fuzz-tinged song, "Faces", which has been mentioned as one of the earliest garage rock songs to display psychedelic characteristics.
The David was an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, in southern California who were active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They are known for songs such as "40 Miles," which became a minor hit in Bakersfield. They began with a basic garage approach but later expanded their creative palette to incorporate esoteric and baroque elements on the 1967 album, Another Day, Another Lifetime. They continued for a few more years but disbanded in the early 1970s.
Sir Winston and the Commons were an American garage rock band formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1963. The group released two highly regarded singles, which, upon release, earned the band a regional following, and resulted in reinterest in their music over the years. At the height of their popularity, Sir Winston and the Commons were regulars at the teen dance club the Cellar, in Chicago.
The Invictas are an American garage rock band from Rochester, New York who were active in the 1960s, but re-formed in 2004 and have been intermittently active since. They were one of the most popular local bands in the Rochester scene during the 1960s, scoring a regional hit with "The Hump" in 1965.
The Escapades were an American garage rock band from Memphis, Tennessee who were active in the 1960s. They became one of the most popular groups in the Memphis area during the mid-1960s and recorded two singles. "I Tell No Lies", the A-side of their debut single, became a big hit in Memphis and around the South. They were signed to Verve Records, who released their follow-up, "Mad, Mad, Mad", which featured a fuzz-toned guitar line. Their work is highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts and collectors and has appeared on various compilations.
The Wilde Knights were an American garage rock band from Longview, Washington who active in the 1960s. They emerged from a group known as the Furys and later the Pipers VI, who recorded several frat rock records. After becoming the Wilde Knights, they wrote and recorded two songs in 1965 which were both released as singles that year and are now recognized as garage rock classics, "Beaver Patrol" and "Just Like Me", the latter of which later provided a huge hit for Paul Revere & the Raiders. In the late 1960s they evolved into Genesis, the King Biscuit Entertainers, and American Cheese, and issued records under those various names.
The Humans were an American garage rock band from Albion, New York who were active in the 1960s. They were popular in the region, touring throughout the Northeast, and enjoyed a regional hit, with the single "Take a Taxi" b/w "Warning", that received airplay in other markets around the country. "Warning" has become especially valued amongst garage rock enthusiasts and was included on the Back from the Grave compilation series.
Danny and the Counts were an American garage rock band from El Paso, Texas, who were active in the 1960s. They were one of the most popular bands in the thriving Latino rock scene in El Paso. They had a local hit with their 1965 R&B-flavored debut single, "For Your Love", but afterward switched their approach to reflect British Invasion influence. In 1966 they released a single on Coronado Records featuring the two songs for which they have become best-known, "You Need Love" and "Ode to the Wind". In the intervening years their work has come to be highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts.
The Tamrons were an American garage rock band from Concord, North Carolina, near Charlotte who were active in the 1960s. They became one of the most popular bands in Concord and the Charlotte area during the mid-1960s and enjoyed a regional hit with their single, "Wild Man" backed with "Stop, Look, Listen" recorded at Arthur Smith's studio in Charlotte and released on his Pyramid label. They broke up in 1968. In the intervening years their work has become highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts and has appeared on several compilations.