The Hangmen (Washington, D.C. band)

Last updated
The Hangmen
The Hangmen (Washington, DC band).jpg
Background information
Origin Rockville, Maryland, and Monument, Maryland, Washington, D.C., United States
Genres
Years active1964 (1964)-1967 (1967)
Labels
Past members
  • Dave Ottley
  • Tom Guernsey
  • George Daly
  • Mike West
  • Paul Dowell
  • Bob Berberich

The Hangmen were an American rock band from Rockville, Maryland, who were active in the 1960s. In an effort to distinguish themselves from other American groups and establish a closer affiliation with the popular British Invasion, they lured Scottish vocalist Dave Ottley to join the group. Eventually they became the most popular band in the Washington, D.C., area, having a huge regional hit with "What a Girl Can't Do", that appeared on Monument Records, but was recorded by an earlier local group, the Reekers, whose membership included two future Hangmen, Tom Guernsey and Bob Berberich. The single was nonetheless credited to the Hangmen.

Contents

The song became so popular in the region in that on one occasion the band was greeted with near "Beatlemanic" adoration from fans, whose enthusiasm on one occasion erupted into a near riot. The group followed-up with the single "Faces", which featured a more aggressive sound. Ottley shortly thereafter departed from the band and was replaced by Tony Taylor.

Now with Taylor, the group traveled to Nashville to record the album Bittersweet, which displayed a more eclectic and relaxed approach, despite its closing song, a raucous version of Van Morrison's' Gloria". The album's opening cut, a sitar-embellished version of "Dream Baby", was simultaneously released as a single. After subsequent lineup changes, the Hangmen changed their name to the Button. As the Button, they taped an unreleased set of songs for RCA Records in New York, but changed their name to Graffiti and recorded briefly for ABC Records.

History

Origins

The Hangmen were founded in 1964 by bassist Mike West and rhythm guitarist George Daly at Montgomery Junior College in Rockville, Maryland. [2] [3] [4] In 1965 they recruited fellow Montgomery students guitarist Tom Guernsey and drummer Bob Berberich previously from a band called the Reekers, who were on indefinite hold after two members Joe Triplett and Mike Henley departed for college. [2] [3] [4] Guernsey, who had been the Reekers' leader and principal songwriter, was reluctant at first to leave his former band for The Hangmen, but later changed his mind and joined. [2] [4] The Hangmen now needed a vocalist and, wishing to project an image that would be in line with the British Invasion, guitarist George Daly contacted the British Embassy asking for a British singer. [2] [3] He was first referred to a female vocalist, but she, in turn, introduced the group to Dave Ottley, a hairdresser for Vincent Hair Stylists, who had been in the United States for two years. [2] [3] Ottley was from Glasgow, Scotland, though some newspaper articles covering the band at the time suggested that he was from Liverpool, a town popularly noted for its being the hometown of The Beatles. [2] The first news story about the band appeared in the Washington Evening Star on April 3, 1965, mentioning their appearance in a battle of the bands at the Shirlington Shopping Center in which they lost to the local band the Shadows. [2] In

Contract with Monument Records

In early summer of 1965, the Hangmen's managers, Larry Sealfon and Mike Klavens, played a track to Fred Foster of Washington, D.C.'s Monument label that had been recorded by the Reekers and written by Guernsey called "What a Girl Can't Do". [2] The Reekers' manager Lillian Claiborne released Guernsey from his former band's contract, and Foster signed him. [2] Monument released the Reekers’ recording of "What a Girl Can't Do", as well as "The Girl Who Faded Away", which is also generally understood to be recorded by the Reekers, both under the Hangmen's name. [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] Though some accounts attribute the recording of "The Girl Who Faded Away" to the Hangmen, Chris Bishop of Garage Hangover asserts that those viewpoints are likely mistaken—pointing out that the released version of the song is likely the same recorded performance as the Reekers' acetate that was earlier recorded at Rodel Studio in Georgetown, but with only a shorter faded-out ending on the Hangmen's release (in 1966 the Hangmen recorded a substantially different version of the song for their LP, Bittersweet). [2] [4] Under the assumption that both recordings preceded the Hangmen, Guernsey and Berberich were the only two members of the Reekers that played on the cuts as the Edgewood sessions were done after Triplett and Henley left that group. [2]

In 1965 Arnold Stahl, a local an attorney, and Mike Klavans of WTTG formed 427 Enterprises and took over as the band's management team, helping to further promote the Hangmen. [2] [4] Their connections landed gigs for the group in embassies and even attracted a mention of the group in Newsweek. [2] At the request of Ethel Kennedy, they played at a party for Robert F. Kennedy's family while they were still living at Hickory Hill in McLean, Virginia, and Tom Guernsey recounts that he and several other members of the band drank heavily and became inebriated that night. [2] [4] Despite these connections, the Hangmen remained primarily a suburban band, playing for young people at parties and at shopping malls. [2] The group had not yet matriculated to the club scene in Washington, D.C., frequented by other acts such as the British Walkers and the Chartbusters. [2] As "What a Girl Can't Do" climbed up the local charts, this situation changed. Eventually, the song reached #1 on the local charts, [2] and the Hangmen became the most popular group in Washington DC. [2]

Regional success

Their precipitous rise in local popularly did not come without its share of notoriey. [2] [3] The February 19, 1966, edition of Billboard reported a "Beatlemania"-style incident that took place at the Giant Record Shop in Falls Church, Virginia, in which a crowd of teenagers convened to hear the Hangmen play a show there, but after the first fifteen minutes of the performance, police had to disperse the excessively large queue, which had caused a traffic jam outside, in fear of possible violations to fire codes. [2] The band was instructed to stop playing and they were whisked into a nearby patrol car and escorted away from the scene. [3] A near riot erupted. [2] [3] In the ensuing melee, angry fans smashed browser bins and display cases. [2] Jack Shaver, the store's owner told Billboard that the store sold 2,500 copies "What a Girl Can't Do". [2] According to Shaver, a nearby high school was let out that day because of snow, and that the store began filling up at noon in anticipation of the scheduled 4 p.m. performance. [2] He estimated that approximately 400 were "jammed and packed" inside, and that as many as 1,500 were clustered outside pressing to get in. [2] Tom Guernsey has recollected that there were up to 500 in the store and 300 outside. [3] Shaver, who did not have insurance to cover the damage costs, went on to comment in Billboard that he previously let well-known stars such as Johnny Rivers, Johnny Tillotson, Peter and Gordon, and Ramsey Lewis perform at his store, but "...they never created anything like this." [2]

By February 1966, "What a Girl Can't Do" displaced the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" b/w "Day Tripper" from the top slot on Arlington's WEAM charts. [2] [8] However, Monument records did not promote "What a Girl Can't Do" beyond the Washington, D.C., area, so the song failed to catch on nationally, although anticipations were high. [2] [4] In late 1966 Guernsey made a decision to quit college, when a scheduled performance on the Jerry Blavat TV show coincided with his final exams. [2] [3] On the show, the Hangmen played "What a Girl Can't Do" and later came on to back the Impressions in their version of Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford's "Money"; Jerry Butler also appeared on the show. [2] [3] The Hangmen played up and down the East coast from New York to Florida. [2] They opened for the Animals, Martha Reeves, the Yardbirds, Count Five, the Dave Clark Five, as well as the Shangri-Las. [2] Guernsey recalls Link Wray borrowing a guitar and coming up on stage to join the Hangmen during one of their shows, launching into a long version of Jack the Ripper. [2] On May 8, 1966, the Hangmen were profiled in the Sunday magazine of the Washington Evening Star . [2] The Hangmen landed a deal to endorse Mosrite guitars and amplifiers even though, according to Guernsey, they preferred using other brands. [3]

Mike West left the band and was replaced by the mustachioed Paul Dowell. [2] The Hangmen then proceeded to recorded a more aggressive sounding follow-up single, "Faces", produced by Fred Foster, which featured a sneering vocal from Ottley and a razor-like fuzz guitar riff, backed with "Bad Goodbye", in which noted session musician Charlie McCoy made a cameo appearance on harmonica. [2] [3] [5] [9] This time around, Monument put a sizable investment into the song's promotion, even taking out full page ads in various national trade magazines. [2]

Bittersweet LP

After the single's release, lead singer Ottley moved to London and was replaced by Tony Taylor. [2] [3] In late 1966, the Hangmen went to Monument Studios in Nashville to record their album Bittersweet produced by Buzz Cason. [2] [3] [10] [11] According to Guernsey:

Buzz was very methodical and hands on. He had us demo up all the possible songs for the album in a smaller studio in Nashville with him and we experimented with various things—chords, bridges, harmonies, different instruments, etc. Then we took the best songs in to Monuments mains studios and recorded them. It still amazes me that we did the album on a three-track machine! At any rate, we cranked the tunes out in a couple of weeks and that was it. [3]

The album included noticeably more low-key renditions of "What a Girl Can't Do" and "Faces". [2] Monument convinced the group to do a sitar and fuzz-laden version of "Dream Baby", which would appear as the A-side of their November 1966 single and on the ensuing album. [2] [5] [11] [12] The Bittersweet album showed a gentler and more folk-influenced side of the band, as they were beginning to explore more eclectic stylings in-keeping with the psychedelic mood of the. [2] However, the album ends with one of the more raucous versions of Van Morrison's oft-recorded garage-anthem "Gloria". [2] [11] Guernsey feels that they group could have made a better album, admitting that they did not take the album or Nashville seriously enough. [3] According to Guernsey, "I think we spent more time in Nashville bars than the studio. Oh well, it was fun." [3] Bittersweet came adorned with an eerie front cover photograph of the band taken at Tom Guernsey's apartment. [11]

Later configurations and post-history

Paul Dowell and George Daly left the group and Dowell was replaced Alan Flower, previously the bassist for the Mad Hatters, and George Strunz replaced Daly. [2] The May 17, 1967, edition of the Star Ledger reported that the Hangmen had changed their name to the Button and would further pursue a psychedelic direction. [2] [3] By June 1967, Tom Guernsey had left the band and was replaced by John Sears. [2] The Button re-located to New York and recorded an unreleased session for RCA and played at Steve Paul's club the Scene on West 46th Street and at the Cafe Au Go Go on Bleeker. [2] Bob Berberich departed soon after, leaving Tony Taylor as the only remaining member of the Hangmen still in the group. [2] Once again the band changed its name—this time to Graffiti, and signed and recorded with ABC. [2]

Tom Guernsey produced a single for the Washington, D.C., band the Piece Kor, featuring the song, "All I Want Is My Baby". [2] [8] He also wrote, produced and played on a single by a band from Montgomery County, the Omegas, "I Can't Believe", where he played guitar and piano. [2] [8] Guernsey produced records for several United Artists acts, as well as for artists on other labels. He later persuaded a career writing and scoring for advertising and television and worked on projects for TK Records out of Florida, which included involvement with K.C. and the Sunshine Band and other R&B acts. [3] Bob Berberich 

joined George Daly and Paul Dowell in Dolphin, Nils Lofgren's group. [2]  [8]   Berberich stayed with Lofgren, playing in Grin, while Paul Dowell became equipment manager for Jefferson Airplane. [2]  [8]   George Daly went on to become a music executive and A&R-man with Elektra Records. [2]

Tom Guernsey (born on July 5, 1944, in Chicago) died on October 3, 2012, in Portland, Oregon, at age 68. [13]

Two months later, David Ottley passed on November 27, 2012. [2]

Membership

Early- to mid-1965

Mid-1965 to mid-1966

Late 1966 to mid-1967

Mid-1966 to late 1967

Discography

Singles

Long playing

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nils Lofgren</span> American rock musician (born 1951)

Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a member of Crazy Horse, and founder/frontman of the band Grin. Lofgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.

<i>Joes Garage</i> 1979 studio album by Frank Zappa

Joe's Garage is a three-part rock opera released by American musician Frank Zappa in September and November 1979. Originally released as two separate albums on Zappa Records, the project was later remastered and reissued as a triple album box set, Joe's Garage, Acts I, II & III, in 1987. The story is told by a character identified as the "Central Scrutinizer" narrating the story of Joe, an average adolescent male, from Canoga Park, Los Angeles, who forms a garage rock band, has unsatisfying relationships with women, gives all of his money to a government-assisted and insincere religion, explores sexual activities with appliances, and is imprisoned. After being released from prison into a dystopian society in which music itself has been criminalized, he lapses into insanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Left Banke</span> American rock band

The Left Banke was an American baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". The band often used what the music press referred to as "baroque" string arrangements, which led to their music being variously termed as "Bach-rock", "baroque rock" or "baroque pop". The band's vocal harmonies borrowed from contemporaries such as the Beatles, the Zombies and other British Invasion groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Stahl</span> American guitarist

Franz Kenneth Stahl is an American guitarist, best known for being a member of the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Scream alongside his brother Pete Stahl. Stahl was also an early member of the rock band Foo Fighters from 1997 to 1999.

The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, "Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s before disbanding, but they re-united in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting of both old and new material. All of their Minneapolis recorded material was produced by Warren Kendrick, who owned the Scotty and Warick and Hexagon labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychotic Reaction</span> 1966 single by Count Five

"Psychotic Reaction" is the debut single by the American garage rock band Count Five, released in June 1966 on their debut studio album of the same name.

"So Sad About Us" is a 1966 song by British rock band the Who, first released on the band's second album A Quick One. Originally written for the Merseys, "So Sad About Us" has likely been covered more frequently than any other song on the album; according to AllMusic, it is "one of the Who's most covered songs". Versions by the Breeders and the Jam are among the best known covers.

Mouse and the Traps is the name of an American garage rock band from Tyler, Texas, United States, that released numerous singles between 1965 and 1969, two of which, "A Public Execution" and "Sometimes You Just Can't Win", became large regional hits. The leader of the band, nicknamed "Mouse", was Ronny Weiss. Two of their best known songs, "A Public Execution" and a cover of "Psychotic Reaction", are not actually credited to this band but, respectively, to simply Mouse and Positively 13 O'Clock instead. Their tangled history also included one single that was released anonymously under the name Chris St. John. The band are not to be confused with the girl group Mousie and The Traps who recorded for Toddlin' Town records around the same time.

<i>Here to Stay</i> (The Slickee Boys album) 1982 compilation album by The Slickee Boys

Here to Stay compiles all five Slickee Boys 7"s from 1976–1981. It was released by the German label Line Records with a catalog number of LLP 5170. It includes cover versions of songs originally recorded by Perry Como, the Rokes, Vince Taylor, the Yardbirds, the Hangmen, The Chocolate Watch Band, as well as the theme from the film Exodus. According to the liner notes for Mersey, Mersey Me, Talking Heads had dropped the song "Girls Want to Be With the Girls" from their repertoire but re-visited it after hearing the Slickees' version, which beat the Talking Heads version to vinyl by months.

<i>Separated Vegetables</i> 1977 studio album by The Slickee Boys

Separated Vegetables is the first full-length album by Washington, D.C.'s Slickee Boys. Self-released on guitarist Kim Kane's Dacoit label, it was pressed in an edition of 100 copies. As well as songs written by the band, it includes cover versions of songs originally by Overkill, Flamin' Groovies, the Road Runners, Johnny Smith, Country Joe and the Fish, the Small Faces, Chuck Berry, and the Hangmen (whose song, "What a Girl Can't Do", the Slickee's had already released on their debut record, 1976's Hot and Cool EP. A mix of studio and live recordings, the album includes a number of tracks taped in front of an appreciative audience at D.C. punk dive the Keg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Daly (music executive)</span> American music executive

George Daly is a music executive, songwriter, musician, video and music producer, multiple award-winning film director and inventor. In his role as a music Industry A&R executive he has worked with artists and groups such as Janis Joplin, Booker T. Jones, The Cars, Tool (band), Huey Lewis, Carlos Santana, and many others. Artists to whose efforts Daly has contributed have sold in excess of 300 million singles and albums in vinyl, tape, CD, and digital download format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grodes</span> American garage rock band

The Grodes, sometimes known as The Tongues of Truth, were an American garage rock band from Tucson, Arizona, that featured lead singer and songwriter Manny Freiser, and were active between 1965 and 1968. They are best remembered for two Manny Freiser written songs, the original version of “Let’s Talk about Girls" and Cry A Little Longer, recorded by The Grodes, the #46 single on the All-Time Garage Rock singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gentlemen (Dallas band)</span> American garage rock band

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 Double Trouble guitarist 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 and 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Montells</span> American garage rock band

The Montells were an American garage rock band from Miami, Florida who were active in the 1960s. They briefly operated under the name H.M. Subjects and recorded a version of the Pretty Things's "Don't Bring Me Down," which while in the process of becoming a local hit, became embroiled in a controversy involving Morton Downey, Jr., then a disc jockey at Miami's WFUN and later of talk show fame. The song was criticized for its apparently sexually suggestive lyric and the contention that Downey allegedly took payola for the song, an allegation which was never proven. The band went on to record another single, once again as the Montells, featuring an A-side for which they are remembered, "You Can't Make Me." They broke up in 1967, but reunited for a performance in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dearly Beloved (band)</span> American garage rock band

The Dearly Beloved were an American garage rock band from Tucson, Arizona, originally known as the Intruders, who began as an instrumental surf rock combo, but eventually incorporated vocals into their sound after the rise of the British Invasion. After recording their first single as the Intruders, they changed their name to Quinstrels, recording one single under that moniker, but later settling upon the name for which they are best known, the Dearly Beloved. Along with the Grodes, they became one of the top groups in the Tucson area, scoring a #1 hit in there, and were on the cusp of breaking to a wider national audience, even briefly recording with Columbia Records and receiving some airtime on radios stations in other parts of the country, but were unable to maintain the momentum long enough to achieve wider success. Their work is nonetheless highly regarded amongst garage rock and psychedelic enthusiasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Plagues</span> American garage rock band

The Plagues were an American garage rock band from Lansing, Michigan who were active in the 1960s. They were led by bass player, principal songwriter, and vocalist William Malone. The group had a local and regional hit with "I’ve Been Through It Before". Malone left the band in 1966 to join the Frightened Trees, as the remaining members formed a new group out of the ashes of the Plagues, the Plain Brown Wrapper. Malone later became a successful Hollywood movie director, whose 2008 horror thriller Parasomnia included "I’ve Been Through It Before", as well as other songs by the Plagues and other 1960s garage bands. In the intervening years the Plagues work has attracted a following amongst garage rock enthusiasts and collectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Aardvarks (band)</span> American garage rock band

The Aardvarks were an American garage rock band from Muskegon, Michigan who were active between 1964-1968. They recorded three singles, two of which were issued on labels of Dave Kalmback's Fenton Records based in Sparta, Michigan. The group scored a local hit with "I'm Higher than I'm Down", which is now considered a garage rock classic, and several of their songs have been included in garage rock compilations.

The Dantes were an American garage rock band from Worthington, Ohio, a suburb outside of Columbus, who were active from 1964–1969. They became one of the biggest groups in the Columbus area, scoring a #1 hit locally with their 1966 song "Can't Get Enough of Your Love", which has become highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts and collectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphoria's Id</span> American garage rock band

Euphoria's Id was an American garage rock band formed in Saco, Maine, in 1963. Remembered as a popular live attraction in the New England teen scene, the group released two singles in their recording career, including the band's highly regarded cover version of "Hey Joe". A heavily favored inclusion on the New England Teen Scene compilation album series, a retrospective album was released in response to Euphoria's Id's reinterest.

References

  1. ↑ Freed, Benjamin (January 16, 2014). "Windian Records Founder Travis Jackson Killed in Collision". The Washingtonian.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 Bishop, Chris (May 2, 2007). "The Hangmen". Garage Hangover. © Chris Bishop. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Dugo, Mike. "Hangmen". 60s Garage Bands. 60s Garage Bands/Mike Dugo. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bishop, Chris (May 2, 2007). "The Reekers". Garage Hangover. © Chris Bishop. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Markesich, Mike (2012). Teenbeat Mayhem (1st ed.). Branford, Connecticut: Priceless Info Press. p.  125. ISBN   978-0-985-64825-1.
  6. ↑ "What A Girl Can't Do/The Girl Who Faded Away". 45Cat. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  7. ↑ Joeknapp, n/a (February 28, 2012). "New Oldies - What a Girl Can't Do by the Hangmen". MusicMaster Oldies. MusicMaster Oldies.com. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Dugo, Mike. "Reekers". 60s Garage Bands. 60s Garage Bands/Mike Dugo. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Faces/Bad Goodbye". 45Cat. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  10. ↑ "The Hangmen (5) – Bitter Sweet". Discogs. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Part 6, The Hangmen - Bittersweet LP". Opulent Conceptions. July 16, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Dream Baby/Let It Be Me". 45Cat. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  13. ↑ McArdle, Terence (October 20, 2012). "A Local Life: Tom Guernsey, Md. musician who penned regional hit in the 1960s, dies at 68". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.