Music...
Ma and Pa Snortblaster!
Bob & Sylvia were comedian-songsters who had long engagements throughout the 1960s
at places like the King Cole Showroom and the 400 Club. Here is their long player under
the guise of Ma and Pa Snortblaster on Denver’s Spicy Records.
Give it a listen:
Links fixed, thanks Readers!!
March 16th, 2013 / 4 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Galaxies
The Galaxies, circa 1965. Still available by contact through the RUG-ged room, I am sure. ;<)
March 9th, 2013 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Tiny Tim visits Denver, 1969
Tiny Tim entertains a large crowd with his ukelele in the Denver Dry Goods book
department 1969.
While on the subject of The Denver, here is the 400 foot main lobby of Denver Dry Goods Co.
February 23rd, 2013 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
1966 Denver ads
I have had this photo for many years and always assumed it was
the Shangri-Las, renamed just for this ad for some legal reason,
but it is not! The Pretty Kittens were a real group and here
is their story. One of the best band publicity shots of the ’60s!
KIMN radio jocks getting ready to do a parachute promotion!
Denver’s only 1966 Vox dealer on E. Colfax over by Capitol Liquors.
Boulder’s Tulagi’s! Lists the big local bands of the day, the Astronauts, the Moonrakers, Böenzee Cryque and the mighty King Louie and The Laymen! (there is an unreleased
Laymen lp hiding in the tape vaults of a Denver studio, hope it sees the light of day sometime!)
’70s shot of Tulagi’s
January 11th, 2013 / 3 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Rainy Daze
Not sure what to make of the result of Colorado voters… good, bad, not sure.
But this clip of The Rainy Daze – Acapulco Gold with their big hit out of
Denver in 1967 now seems somewhat relevant.
Here is another track that more typifies the sound of The Rainy Daze.
Daze songwriters John Carter and Tim Gilbert promptly moved to L.A.
where they wrote another hit, this time for The Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Incense and Peppermints.
The Rainy Daze even wrote a song about Discount City. A photo was posted
of this concrete-shell marvel in the last post.
November 7th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Astronauts sing Speedy Gonzales
Excellent video-quality clip of local heros The Astronauts from the beach
party film Wild On The Beach from 1965.
Speedy Gonzales was a ’50s/’60s-era cartoon character, “The Fastest Mouse
in all Mexico”. It is no longer broadcast on U.S. television due to it’s mildly
racist ethnic stereotype. Oddly enough, it is still quite popular in Mexico and
the rest of Latin America, where it remains on the air.
Wild On The Beach also featured Sonny & Cher in their first film appearance,
backed by the Astronauts, though this the video quality of this clip is not as high:
August 17th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Adios, Sabata!
Adios, Sabata!, one of the few English language films available by Denver’s own Dean Reed.
Dean Reed was a singer, actor and possibly the biggest star of Eastern Europe and South America during the 1960s & ’70s, though completely unknown in the States. An avowed Marxist, he never joined the communist party and never renounced his U.S. citizenship. He even continued to pay his U.S. taxes during his 25 years overseas.
Dean was found dead in Zeuthener Lake, East Berlin in 1986, shortly after announcing a desire to return to Colorado. Was it an accidental drowning, a suicide, or was it murder at the hands of the KGB as many believe? Was Dean Reed really a double-agent working for the CIA to spy on the Stasi and KGB?
Dean Reed is buried in Boulder where his many Eastern-European fans decorate his grave with gifts daily!
More on Dean Reed.
August 2nd, 2012 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Dragonfly
The album Dragonfly is probably the best ’60s-era Colorado LP, yet there has been much confusion about this monstrously-heavy hard rock/psychedelic record. For one, there was a Dutch ’60s psychedelic band going by the same name, and two, Dragonfly never played under this name ever. So let me set the story straight…
Gerry Jimerfield, Barry Davis, Jack Duncan, Ernie McElwaine and Randy Russ formed The Lords of London in Durango and in early 1967 played under this name in Ft. Collins, Boulder and in Denver at The Family Dog, often playing with Tommy Bolin’s early band American Standard. (There was also a Canadian ’60s beat band called The Lords of London, so don’t get lost searching YouTube just yet.)
(This poster can be seen on Steve McQueen’s wall at about the 7:30 mark in the 1968 film Bullitt!)
The Lords of London went to Los Angeles to record and while there changed their name to The Jimerfield Legend. A poor management decision led them to record an album of mostly-mediocre cover versions of pop hits of the day, under the shortened name The Legend. Studio musicians from the infamous L.A. Wrecking Crew were used to fill out the sound.
The Jimerfield Legend returned to Colorado in 1969 and were then finally seen by one of their L.A. managers on their home turf at The Family Dog, now with full psychedelic light show, an enthusiastic local audience and playing their own killer original material. The manager sent them back to L.A. to record an album that was released under the name Dragonfly in 1970 on Megaphone Records. But despite the evident excellence of this LP, it did not sell well, and the band broke up shortly after that.
Today, an original copy of the Dragonfly album sells for about $250!
(Photo of Dragonfly borrowed from the CD reissue of this album in 2004 on Gear Fab Records.
The liner notes are by former Dragonfly and current Denver-ite Jack Duncan!)
July 8th, 2012 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Choosey Mothers reunion
Denver’s Choosey Mother’s reunion show playing their Broadway street anthem at the
Lion’s Lair last weekend. First show in 18 years!
Choosey Mothers 18 years ago, same angle, same faces in the crowd!
(Almost, I ducked out of the video!)
I am hoping the smoke clears out this weekend so I can get that classic Denver blue sky
into some new photos!
[video from the the Denco83 YouTube Channel. Photo by Joe Dallenbach from the
second Choosey Mother's 45]
June 29th, 2012 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
