The Piltdown Men were an American rock and roll instrumental studio group from Hollywood, California, United States, featuring two lead saxophones.
They were the brainchild of Ed Cobb and pianist Lincoln Mayorga of the Four Preps, and their records were issued on the Capitol label. [1] Their name was inspired by the Piltdown Man hoax. [2] In 1960, their tune "Brontosaurus Stomp", featuring saxophonists Scott Gordon and Jackie Kelso, guitarist Bob Bain, bassist Tommy Tedesco, drummer Alan Brenmanen, and Mayorga on piano, reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. [2] Helped in large part by The Flintstones premiering that same year.
They were most successful in the UK, where their hits were, beginning in 1960, "McDonald's Cave" (based on "Old McDonald Had a Farm", and originally the B-side of "Brontosaurus Stomp"), "Piltdown Rides Again" (based on Rossini's "William Tell Overture"), and (in celebration of the coincidental start of The Flintstones cartoon series on television) "Goodnight Mrs. Flintstone" (based on "Good Night Ladies" by E. P. Christy). [1] They released no more records after "Night Surfin'" in 1962, produced by Nick Venet. [2]
A compilation LP called The Piltdown Men was released in the Netherlands on Capitol in 1981, and has been reissued several times. A CD compilation album was released on Ace in 1998, entitled The Piltdown Men Ride Again.
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two different lead vocalists, Paul Jones from 1962 to 1966 and Mike d'Abo from 1966 to 1969.
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment.
Surfin' Safari is the debut album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released October 1, 1962 on Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who contributed substantially to the album's production; Brian also wrote or co-wrote nine of its 12 tracks. The album reached number 32 in the US during a chart stay of 37 weeks.
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles ", "Big Man", "Lazy Summer Night", and "Down by the Station".
"I Feel Fine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in November 1964 as the A-side of their eighth single. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The recording includes one of the earliest uses of guitar feedback in popular music.
The Honeys were an American girl group, formed in Los Angeles in 1958, that initially comprised sisters Marilyn, Diane, and Barbara Rovell. Barbara was later replaced by their cousin, Ginger Blake. After 1962, the Rovell Sisters were rechristened "the Honeys" by the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, who envisioned the group as a female counterpart to his band. Wilson served as the Honeys' record producer and chief songwriter, and later married Marilyn in late 1964.
"Tequila" is a 1958 Latin-inspired surf instrumental written by Chuck Rio and recorded by the Champs. "Tequila" became a No. 1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts at the time of its release and continues to be strongly referenced in pop culture to this day.
Lost & Found (1961–62) is a Beach Boys compilation album which was released in 1991 under DCC Compact Classics record company. The album contains all of the early recordings of the band before they were signed to their first major record label, Capitol Records. This release is notable to collectors as it uses the original master tapes, where as many countless gray market issues of the same material use inferior sources. This release was compiled and mastered by Steve Hoffman. Original recordings were produced by Hite Morgan in 1961 & 1962.
"Surfin' Safari" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Released as a single with "409" in June 1962, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also appeared on the 1962 album of the same name.
"Shut Down" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian for the American rock band the Beach Boys. The primary melody is a twelve-bar blues. On March 4, 1963, it was released as the B-side of the single "Surfin' U.S.A.", three weeks ahead of the album of the same name on which both tracks appeared. Capitol Records released it again later that year on the album Little Deuce Coupe. The single peaked at number 23 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 34 in the UK.
Edward C. "Ed" Cobb was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most notably during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for writing the song "Tainted Love" for Gloria Jones, which later became a hit worldwide when it was covered by Soft Cell.
Plas John Johnson Jr. is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sax as well as various flutes and clarinets.
Ketty Lester is an American singer and actress known for her 1961 hit single "Love Letters", which reached the top 5 of the charts in the U.S. and the UK. She is also known for her role as Hester-Sue Terhune on the American television series Little House on the Prairie.
John Theodore Kongos is a South African-born singer and songwriter of Greek ancestry, best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", on which Happy Mondays based their hit "Step On". His other big hit was "Tokoloshe Man", which was featured on the TV show Life on Mars and the CD soundtrack. His second album, Kongos, made the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart; but his subsequent singles, "Great White Lady" (1972), "Ride the Lightning" (1975) and "Higher than God's Hat" (1975) did not chart.
Tommy Hunt is an American soul/northern soul singer, and a 2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee as a member of famed R&B group The Flamingos.
Made in U.S.A. is a 1986 double vinyl album compilation of some of The Beach Boys' biggest successes. Released by their original record label, Capitol Records, it marked a brief return to the label, with whom The Beach Boys released one further album, 1989's Still Cruisin'.
Lincoln Mayorga was an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music.
The Astronauts was an American rock and roll band, which had a minor hit in 1963 with "Baja" and remained successful for several years, especially in Japan. They have been described as being, "along with...(the) Trashmen, the premier landlocked Midwestern surf group of the '60s." For most of their career, the band members were Rich Fifield, Jon "Storm" Patterson, Bob Demmon, Dennis Lindsey, and Jim Gallagher.
The Journeymen were an American folk music trio in the early 1960s, comprising John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, and Dick Weissman.