History
The early Kings were a late-1970s recreation of a mid-1960s garage band sound. Their self-released first single was a cover of The Brogues' 1965 "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" b/w The Heard's 1967 "Exit 9". [2] In a deliberate effort to create their own rare garage-band collectible singles, only 100 copies were pressed.
Their first broader public exposure came when a track on Greg Shaw's 1981 Bomp! Records compilation Battle of the Garage netted them a series of dates at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City. They continued with this 1960s garage sound through the mid-1980s, releasing two albums—Here are the Chesterfield Kings (1982) which contained entirely cover songs, and Stop! (1985) which introduced their first originals. They then turned to a harder-edged rock sound for Don't Open Till Doomsday (1987) and Berlin Wall of Sound (1989) featuring the blues guitar work of new band member Paul Rocco. The group's next album was an acoustic blues record Drunk On Muddy Water (1990).
Their Let's Go Get Stoned (1994) was a mix of slightly post- Aftermath Stones covers and originals in the Stones' style. Surfin' Rampage (1997) featured pop harmonies; Where the Action Is (1999) was a return to garage band roots, a mix of covers and 1960s-styled originals.
The Mindbending Sounds of the Chesterfield Kings (2003) pays tribute to the more baroque side of the 1960s underground, evoking at times the sound of the Electric Prunes ("Transparent Life", "Disconnection"), and featuring appearances by Jorma Kaukonen on two tracks. In 2004 the band briefly appeared performing two songs from the album, "I Don't Understand" and "Mystery Trip", on stage in a rock club scene in the fifth season episode of HBO's The Sopranos , "Irregular Around the Margins". [3]
Their Psychedelic Sunrise (2008) was an extension of sorts of the group's previous album. Got Live…If You Want It (2009) was a dual live recording and DVD set, as well as the group's final release.
The Kings' full-length feature film Where is the Chesterfield King? (2000) is described on their web site as "A comedy/drama in the vein of The Bowery Boys, Batman , The Monkees Show , A Hard Day's Night , Hawaiian Eye , and The Munsters , with a little Three Stooges slapstick to boot…"
In 2009, Prevost left the band and took the solo route releasing a 45 "Mr. Charlie" b/w "Rolling Stone Blues" in 2012, and in 2013 releasing the blues-rock album "Mississippi Murderer".
In 2013 Andy Babiuk formed The Empty Hearts featuring a roster of founding members including Blondie drummer Clem Burke, The Cars guitarist Elliot Easton, and The Romantics guitarist and vocalist Wally Palmar. They released two albums, their self titled debut album The Empty Hearts [4] and it's followup The Second Album [5]
In 2024, the Chesterfield Kings returned after a 15 year hiatus, starting off their return with a west coast tour. [6] Four longtime members of the band are carrying its music forward, namely, Andy Babiuk, Mike Boise, Jeff Okolowicz, Ted Okolowicz and newcomer John Cammarosano. [7] They released a brand new single on Wicked Cool Records "Meet You After Midnight". [8]
The Chocolate Watchband is an American garage rock band that formed in 1965 in Los Altos, California. The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by David Aguilar's lead vocals, songwriting, as well as proto-punk musical arrangements. The band's rebellious musical posture made them one of the harder-edged groups of the period with many critics labeling them as America's answer to the Rolling Stones.
"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly and his band, the Crickets.
The Rolling Stones is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released by Decca Records in the UK on 17 April 1964. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 29 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.
"I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song first recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles for their second studio album With the Beatles. The song was primarily written by Paul McCartney, and finished by Lennon and McCartney in the corner of a Richmond, London club while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were talking.
"Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was recorded in the late summer of 1966 during early sessions for what would become their Between the Buttons album. It was the first Stones single to be released simultaneously in both the UK and the US, and reached number five and number nine on those countries' charts, respectively.
"Mother's Little Helper" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it is a folk rock song with Eastern influences. Its lyrics deal with the popularity of prescribed tranquilisers like Valium among housewives and the potential hazards of overdose or addiction. Recorded in December 1965, it was first released in the United Kingdom as the opening track of the band's April 1966 album, Aftermath. In the United States, it was omitted from the album and instead issued as a single in July 1966 during the band's fifth American tour. The Rolling Stones' twelfth US single, "Mother's Little Helper" spent nine weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and it reached No. 4 on both Record World and Cash Box's charts.
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour.
Leonardo Gustavo Gimenez, better known by his stage name Oni Logan, is an Argentine American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist of the rock band Lynch Mob. He joined the band in 1990, only to leave after the release of the first album. He rejoined in the late 2000s, then subsequently left and rejoined several times, with his final stint in the band lasting until their 2020 retirement.
"Stupid Girl" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song featured on the band's 1966 album Aftermath. It was also issued as the B-side of the U.S. "Paint It Black" single.
The Urges are a psychedelic garage rock music group from Dublin, Ireland.
We the People was an American garage rock band from Orlando, Florida, that was formed in late 1965 and professionally active between 1966 and 1970. Although none of their singles charted nationally in the U.S., a number of them did reach the Top 10 of the local Orlando charts. The band are perhaps best remembered for their song "Mirror of Your Mind", which reached the Top 10 in a number of regional singles charts across the U.S. during 1966. The song has subsequently been included on several compilation albums over the years.
The Grip Weeds are an American rock band from Highland Park, New Jersey.
"Diddy Wah Diddy" is a song written by Willie Dixon and Ellas McDaniel, known as Bo Diddley, and recorded by the latter in 1956. The song shares only its title with Blind Blake's song "Diddie Wah Diddie" recorded in 1929. Over the years, the Bo Diddley song has been covered by many bands and artists, including the Astronauts, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, the Remains, the Twilights, Taj Mahal, the Sonics, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ty Segall Band, and the Blues Band among others.
1313 Mockingbird Lane is an American garage rock band whose name was inspired by the fictional address of the Munster Mansion in the 1964–1966 television series The Munsters. The group formed in the late 1980s in Albany, New York, touring extensively, and releasing at least nine different 45 rpm records, LP records, and CD recordings. The band had a full-page narrative dedicated to them in Timothy Gassen's book The Knights of Fuzz, about the garage rock and psychedelic music phenomenon of 1980–1995. Of thousands of bands covered in the book, Gassen listed 1313 Mockingbird Lane on his "all time Hot 100" list, which also included The Chesterfield Kings and the Flamin' Groovies.
The Empty Hearts are an American garage rock supergroup band formed in New York City in 2013. which produced its first album and launched its first tour in 2014.
Andy Babiuk is an American musician, author, consultant, and owner of Andy Babiuk's Fab Gear in Fairport, New York. He is a founding member and bassist of the supergroup The Empty Hearts and is also a longtime member and current frontman of The Chesterfield Kings. Babiuk is the author of Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio (2001), The Story of Paul Bigsby (2009), Rolling Stones Gear (2014) and Beatles Gear – The Ultimate Edition (2015). He is a staff consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as to auction houses in New York, London and Los Angeles. Andy also owns and operates the guitar shop Andy Babiuk's Fab Gear which is located in Rochester New York.
The Bad Roads were an American garage rock band formed in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1964. Musically influenced by the Rolling Stones, the group released two singles during their recording career, most notably the fuzz-driven proto-punk record, "Blue Girl." After disbanding in 1967, the group largely faded from view but has more recently experienced a resurgence of interest in their music with release of a 1999 EP on Sundazed Records containing all of their recorded work.
Bohemian Vendetta was an American garage rock and psychedelic band from Long Island, New York, who were active from 1966 to 1968. In addition to recording two officially released singles and several previously unissued demos, they cut a self-titled album, Bohemian Vendetta, released by Mainstream Records in 1968.
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.
Renegade Nation is a music and entertainment company founded by Steven Van Zandt in 1999. The company focuses on artist management, production, live events, and distribution. It is also the parent company of Van Zandt's independent record label, Wicked Cool Records, and distributes Little Steven's Underground Garage.
