Syndicate of Sound

Last updated
Syndicate of Sound
Syndicate of Sound 1964.jpg
Syndicate of Sound, circa 1965
Background information
Origin San Jose, California, U.S.
Genres Garage rock, proto-punk, psychedelic rock
Years active1965-1970, 1990-present
LabelsHush, Bell Records, Buddah Records, Sundazed Music
MembersBob Gonzalez
John Duckworth
Jim Sawyers
Past membersDon Baskin
Larry Ray
John Sharkey
Carl Scott
Ned Torney
Website www.syndicateofsoundband.com

The Syndicate of Sound are an American garage rock band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1964 to 1970. Through their national hit "Little Girl", the band developed a raw sound, and became forerunners in the psychedelic rock genre. The group managed to produce two other charting singles and, after their initial breakup in 1970, have since reformed with a new lineup. [1]

Contents

History

The line-up formed in 1964, when Don Baskin (October 9, 1946October 22, 2019; vocalist, guitar) and Bob Gonzalez (bass guitar), both originally from the outfit Lenny Lee and the Nightmen, united with a local group called the Pharaohs. The resulting band, the Syndicate of Sound, which, along with Baskin and Gonzalez, included John Sharkey (keyboards), Larry Ray (lead guitar), and John Duckworth (drums). Several other stand-ins performed with the band, most notably Dr. Kelly E. Hejtmancik Sr. (bass guitar) of Galveston TX during the band's Galveston filming of "Little Girl". In the beginning stages of the band's existence, the group was influenced by R&B music, specifically the early musical styles of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. After the group won a Bay Area "Battle of the Bands" against 100 other competing bands, the Syndicate of Sound earned a recording contract with Del-Fi Records. The band released the single "Prepare for Love", which received local airplay, but ultimately failed to make an impact. [2] [3] Though the record was unsuccessful, it established the band's sound, combining striking vocal harmonies and innovative psychedelic instrumentals. [1]

Baskin, Gonzalez and Sharkey continued to write new material and came up with "Little Girl" and "You" which the band recorded for Hush Records in San Francisco, on January 9, 1966. "Little Girl" became a regional hit after San Jose radio station KLIV latched onto it. From there it attracted the attention of Bill Gavin's tip sheet and then executives at Bell Records in New York. Bell released it nationally and offered the group a contract for an album. Replacing Larry Ray with lead guitarist Jim Sawyers, they wrote and recorded the LP in three weeks. They then began a national tour appearing with other hit acts such as: Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Young Rascals, and the Yardbirds. "Little Girl" peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 9–16 July 1966 and #5 on Cashbox. The follow-up "Rumors" also hit the Hot 100 and peaked at #55 on 1 October 1966. [4]

In an attempt to sustain their success, the band released two more singles, "Keep It Up" and "Mary", but none of them charted. By this time John Duckworth had been drafted into the U.S. Army for the Vietnam war and was replaced by Carl Scott on drums, and John Sharkey had left the group soon after "Mary" was released. Another single, "Brown Paper Bag" reached #73 on the Hot 100, on 25 April 1970. [4] Afterward Baskin and Gonzalez made a failed attempt to record another album for Capitol Records in 1970. They disbanded shortly after. [5]

In 1990, Baskin, Gonzalez and Duckworth reformed the band, adding Jim Sawyers on guitar, which performed occasionally. They recorded another non-charting single in 1995, a cover of a Kinks composition "Who Will be the Next in Line?". In 2005, Larry Ray rejoined the band. [6]

In 2006, the Syndicate of Sound was in the first class of inductees into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame. [7]

Don Baskin died on October 22, 2019, aged 73. [8] John Duckworth's death was reported on August 29, 2022. [9]

Little Girl

"Little Girl" later was recorded by other artists, including Dwight Yoakam and English punk group The Banned, an offshoot of prog-rock band Gryphon, which reached the UK charts in 1977. The American punk group the Dead Boys included a live version on their 1977 debut album Young, Loud and Snotty . "Hey Little Girl", renamed "Hey Little Boy", was also covered by Australian band Divinyls in 1988 on their Temperamental album. R.E.M. played the song as part of its early live sets. The San Francisco Bay Area band CHOC'D also covers the song in their live sets, featuring "Sexy Rexy" on vocals.

The song "Little Girl" was recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio since the day it was opened, where it is on permanent rotation in the one-hit Wonder section.

Discography

Album

YearTitleUS
Billboard 200
Label
1966 Little Girl --Bell LP6001

Singles

YearTitleUS
Hot 100
US
Cash Box
Label
1966"Little Girl"
"You"
85Hush G-228, Bell 640
1966"Rumors"
"The Upper Hand"
55--Bell 646
1967"Keep It Up"
"Good Time Music"
----Bell 655
1967"That Kind of Man"
"Mary"
----Bell 666
1970"Brown Paper Bag"
"Reverb Beat"
73-- Buddah Records BDA 156
1970"Mexico"
"First to Love You"
----Buddah Records BDA 183
1995"Who'll Be the Next in Line?"
"The Spider & the Fly"
----Sundazed Music S 116
Various artist compilation appearances (selective)
ReleaseCatalogueYearTrackNotes #
Gary Stevens Presents 22 More Good Guy Goldies
Volume II
Lost Nite Records LP-1231966"Little Girl"LP
San Jose Todaze YesterdaySouth Bay Records 40811996"Shakin' All Over", "My Lonely Sad Eyes", "I Ain't Got You"CD
The Hush Records Story Big Beat Records CDWIKD 1541997"Little Girl", "Get Outta My Life", "Looking for the Good Times (The Robot)"
"That Kind of Man", "Rumors", "Say I Love You"
"Mary (Marrie)", "Games", "Saturday Night"
CD [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rascals</span> American rock/blue-eyed soul band

The Rascals were an American rock band, formed in Garfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Troggs</span> English band

The Troggs are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all of which sold over 1 million copies and were awarded gold discs. "Wild Thing" is ranked No. 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was an influence on garage rock and punk rock.

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

The Turtles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965 and best known for their 1967 hit song "Happy Together". They charted several other top 40 hits, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby" (1966), "She'd Rather Be With Me" (1967), "Elenore" (1968) and "You Showed Me" (1969).

Thee Midniters were an American rock group, among the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States. They were one of the best known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" that charted in Canada in 1965, and an instrumental track "Whittier Boulevard" in 1965. Thee Midniters were among the first rock acts to openly sing about Chicano themes in songs such as "Chicano Power" and "The Ballad of César Chávez" in the late 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ventures</span> American instrumental band

The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the 1960s. While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains especially revered in Japan, where they have toured regularly. The classic lineup of the band consisted of Wilson, Bogle, Nokie Edwards, and Mel Taylor (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Association</span> American pop band

The Association is an American pop rock band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. They are known for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Miller Band</span> American rock band

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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

The Beau Brummels was an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino, Ron Elliott, Ron Meagher, Declan Mulligan, and John Petersen (drums). They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to the Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.

Lighthouse is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in Toronto, Ontario, whose repertoire included elements of rock music, jazz, classical music, and swing and featured horns, string instruments, and vibraphone. They won Juno Awards for Best Canadian Group of the Year in 1972, 1973, and 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Leadon</span> American musician

Bernard Matthew Leadon III is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of three country rock bands: Hearts & Flowers, Dillard & Clark, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He is a multi-instrumentalist coming from a bluegrass background. He introduced elements of this music to a mainstream audience during his tenure with the Eagles.

Fever Tree is a former American psychedelic rock band of the 1960s, chiefly known for their anthemic 1968 hit, "San Francisco Girls ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People!</span> American music group

People! was a one-hit wonder rock band that was formed in San Jose, California in 1965. Their greatest chart success came with their summer hit single "I Love You". The song, written by The Zombies bass guitarist Chris White, rose to number one in Japan (twice), Israel, Australia, Italy, South Africa, and the Philippines, and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1968. At various times, band members have included Robb Levin, Geoff Levin, Albert Ribisi, John Riolo, David Anderson, Larry Norman, Gene Mason, Denny Fridkin, Tom Tucker, Bruce Thomas Eason, John Tristao, Steve Boatwright, and Rob Thomas. On October 19, 2007, People! was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame.

<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.

Papa Doo Run Run is a band from Cupertino, California, United States, that specializes in covers of songs from the heyday of surf music in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Girl (Syndicate of Sound song)</span> 1966 single by Syndicate of Sound

"Little Girl" is a song recorded by the California garage rock group the Syndicate of Sound, and written by Don Baskin and Bob Gonzalez of the band. It reached the US national pop charts in June 1966, peaking at #5 on Cash Box and #8 on Billboard.

Seatrain was an American roots fusion band based initially in Marin County, California, and later in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Seatrain was formed in 1969, subsequently drawing some members from the Blues Project when it broke up. Seatrain recorded four albums and disbanded in 1973.

The Serendipity Singers were a 1960s American folk group, similar to The New Christy Minstrels. Their debut single "Don't Let the Rain Come Down " was a Top Ten hit and received the group's only Grammy nomination in 1965. The majority of the group's recording sales took place in a two-year period of 1964 and 1965. The group's name was sold in the 1970s resulting in entirely new lineups of group members performing under the name The Serendipity Singers into the early 21st Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Morning, School Girl</span> Blues standard first recorded by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson

"Good Morning, School Girl" is a blues standard that has been identified as an influential part of the blues canon. Pre-war Chicago blues vocalist and harmonica pioneer John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson first recorded it in 1937. Subsequently, a variety of artists have recorded versions of the song, usually calling it "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl".

<i>Little Girl</i> (Syndicate of Sound album) 1966 studio album by Syndicate of Sound

Little Girl is the debut album by American garage rock band Syndicate of Sound, and was released in 1966 on Bell Records, BELL 6001. It blended both garage and psychedelic rock influences. The album was preceded by the single, "Little Girl".

Garrie Emory Thompson was a record label owner, producer and band manager. He ran the Hush and Duane Record labels. he was the producer of "Little Girl" for Syndicate of Sound.

References

  1. 1 2 Little Girl -The History of the Syndicate of Sound 1995 CD liner notes.
  2. "Something Else! Interview: Bob Gonzalez and Don Baskin of the Syndicate of Sound". Somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  3. "Syndicate of Sound". Syndicateofsoundband.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "The Syndicate of Sound - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard.com.
  5. Skelly, Richard. "The Syndicate of Sound". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  6. "Syndicate Of Sound". Syndicateofsound.com.
  7. "San Jose Rocks". Sanjoserocks.org.
  8. "Don Baskin of Syndicate of Sound—Singer of 1966 Hit “Little Girl”—Dies", BestClassicBands.com, October 24, 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019
  9. Discogs - Syndicate of Sound, Discography, Compilations