Music...
Candy Givens & Zephyr
Candy Givens of Boulder band Zephyr. This 1982 video is an excellent example of early
analog computer graphics. Caution, some parts are a bit ’steamy’. Givens died in 1984.
September 10th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Tommy Bolin & Zephyr
Friday photo of guitar great Tommy Bolin.
Formed in Boulder 1968, Zephyr was Colorado’s big contribution to hard rock
in the late-1960s. They played at Led Zeppelin’s US debut (Dec. 26, 1968 at
the Denver Coliseum) and at the last show by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
(June 28-29, 1969 at the Denver Pop Festival).
And though he died in 1976, Tommy Bolin’s guitar prowess is still studied
to this day (as these videos on YouTube will attest to).
From left to right: Robbie Chamberlin, David Givens, John Faris,
Tommy Bolin, plus Candy Givens in front.
September 10th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Maul and The Cutups
“The Cutups do not maintain a false cool on stage”
From left to right: Tom Uharriet, Bob Pickett, Bill Martinez & John Maul.
Maul and The Cutups… one of Denver’s mile-high-hair bands from the 1960s, along with Johnny Green and the Greenmen (green high hair), Aurora’s The Flames (red high hair) and Denver’s most-famous high-hair act The Fantabulous Jags.
Maul and the Cutups were a show-band going on 6 years when these pictures were taken in 1966!
September 2nd, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Rossonian Hotel
The Rossonian, Denver’s historical jazz hotel, located on Welton in Five Points.
The Rossonian was one of the few jazz stops west of the Mississippi and east of California to host black performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole from the 1930s through the 1950s, at least until the Cotton Club opened in Colorado Springs.
As you can see in the photo above, the building was originally the Baxter Hotel which opened in 1912. It became the Rossonian in 1929.
It is also well-known as one of Jack Kerouac’s Denver haunts of the 1940s and was a primary film location for the 1995 all-star film Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead.
August 25th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Mando and The Chili Peppers!
While technically a San Antonio band, Mando and The Chili Peppers played Denver so much that many fans thought they were from here. All-Hispanic rock and roll bands weren’t the norm back in the ’50s, and for the band to put an album out, and it’s a great album, in 1957 no less, seems like a miracle! And just look at that album cover!
Golden Crest’s head honcho Clark Galehouse discovered the band in Denver while stuck here in a snowstorm. He also released local jazz-tenor great Phil Urso’s album The Philosophy of Urso shortly after the Chili Peppers LP, so he must have spotted Phil around the same time.
Listen to one of the great traveling rock & roll bands of the 1950s:
Mando and The Chili Peppers – South of The Border
August 24th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Trolls
The Trolls… “the Rock ‘Nest Band West of Chicago”.
The picture above is from The Trolls 2nd 45 from 1966. Members from left to right were Richard Gonzales, Phil Head, Monty Baker and Doug Rymerson.
The Trolls were probably the best Colorado Rolling Stones-style group of the 1960s. When they came up from Pueblo to play Denver, they would play the The Galaxy on Alameda (the building is still there!) or the Peppermint Lounge in the Olin Hotel on Logan near Colfax (The Olin Apartments are still there as well).
Stupid Girl is a cover of a Rolling Stones song, but the real gem here is the flipside I Don’t Recall. Here is a snippet:
Trolls – I Don’t Recall
You can hear the full version in much better sound if you track down a copy of the recent double CD: Psychedelic State – Colorado in the ’60s.
(Sleeve art borrowed from Garage Hangover)
August 9th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Dean Reed – American Rebel
A follow-up to my previous post on singer Dean Reed.
Reed was a Colorado boy who went on to become an enormous pop star in South America and Eastern Europe! He was very controversial as he embraced socialism! Do yourself a favor and make an effort to see the 2007 documentary, Dean Reed – The Red Elvis. While almost unknown in the U.S. it may astonish you to know that many consider him the most famous American in the world!
See for yourself:
German fan page: http://www.deanreed.de/
Russian fan page: http://www.deanreed.ru/
(check out the photo gallery to see loving photos like this one of his headstone in Boulder: headstone)
August 4th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Dean Reed, The Red Elvis
The mysterious Dean Reed, “The Red Elvis”, motorcycles through Moscow.
Denver-born Dean Reed graduated Wheatridge High in 1956.
In 1958 he took off for Hollywood, but suddenly became a huge star in South American
countries Chili, Peru & Argentina, where he heavily embraced Marxism!
He later moved to Europe where he became a socialist singing sensation in the U.S.S.R.
and East Germany. He became fluent in Spanish, German and Russian!
Reed’s body was discovered in a lake outside near Berlin in 1986. There is still
speculation on his cause of death. Was he murdered by the Russians, the Germans,
maybe even the Americans, or is was it suicide?
Reed is buried in Green Mountain Cemetary in Boulder.
Dean Reed was also a TV star and an actor, starring in many spaghetti westerns
like Adios Sabata and this odd film below:
July 22nd, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Fuzz
(from left to right: Don Yamamoto, Don Sterkel, Pete Taylor, Gary Seastone)
Denver teen band Fuzz, from 1966.
Fuzz came in the top ten at the 1965 KIMN Radio Battle of the Bands
at Denver’s Whisky A Go Go.
Like most pictures on this site, click on the photos to make them larger.
June 28th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Phil Urso
Denver jazz great, Phil Urso, enjoys a day in the sun, 1956.
This LP is Chet Baker at his peak! From left to right is: Jimmy Bond (bass), Chet Baker (trumpet), Peter Littman (drums), Bobby Timmons (piano) and Phil Urso (tenor saxophone).
Here is a snippet of the first Phil Urso solo from the LP: To Mickey’s Memory
June 17th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Jay Wieder Orchestra
This 1976 big band lp by the Jay Weider Orchestra gives us an opportunity to view
the historic Denver skyline. (You can click these photos to enlarge)
Here you can see some of the contributions of architects I.M. Pei, James Sudler (who co-designed the Denver Art Museum with Gio Ponti), Charles Strong (designer of Denver’s Art Deco Poet’s Row), Raymond Harry Ervin (note the original “W” on the Western Federal building) and Minoru Yamasaki (designer of NY’s World Trade Center twin towers).
Across the street from the Denver Public Library, you can see the construction site for the Colorado Judicial Building and the Colorado History Building, both currently being torn down.
Jay Wieder was a famous local orchestra leader who often played at the Trocadero Ballroom (Elitch Gardens) and the El Patio Ballroom (Lakeside Amusement Park). Wieder and his orchestra portrayed the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1953 film The Glenn Miller Story.
June 8th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Rainy Daze
Denver 1966, The Rainy Daze
While their recording career with Phil Spector didn’t work out as planned, Tim Gilbert did have success when he co-wrote the famous ’60s song Incense and Peppermints. (click on the picture to enlarge)
Here is a little bit of their song Discount City:
And here are some photos of what remains of Discount City today: Discount City
May 22nd, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Crypt Kickers
A solemn 1966 photo of Boulder band The Crypt Kickers, named after
the fabled band in Boris Pickett’s Monster Mash.
They played The Cody Inn up on Lookout Mountain in Golden.
As with almost all pictures on this site, click on photos to enlarge.
April 28th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
University of Denver Jazz Band
Great cover on this University of Denver Jazz Band record Big Band Sound from 1966.
April 19th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Paul Quinichette
Paul Quinichette, “Little Pres”, “The Kid From Denver”
One of Denver’s greatest contributions to jazz, Quinichette would replace Lester Young
in the Count Basie Orchestra.
Picture borrowed from Gokudo.
March 29th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Soothsayers
Greeley greats, 1966!
March 17th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Astronauts in Boulder
My copy of this 1964 AOK – Astronauts Orbit Kampus LP has a bit of cover wear, but despite considerable time spent, I cannot quite line up where on Flagstaff Mt. this picture was taken.
It would seem that the street on the right is Aurora Ave, but I cannot be sure, maybe it is College Ave. You can see that the foothills up right against the mountains have yet to be filled in with Charles Haertling’s masterpeice designs, though you can spot some new mod houses in the lower right.
The mighty Astronauts ruled over the front range in the years 1963-65.
February 19th, 2010 / 1 Comment » / by Tom Lundin
Beatles play Denver
In August 1964 The Beatles came to Denver to stay at the Brown Palace Hotel and play at Red Rocks Ampitheatre.
Local heros The Astronauts tried to get on the bill and turn it into a battle of the bands, but that didn’t happen. Lucky for the Beatles!
The Beatles were still a new phenomenon, as you can read, some of the Rocky Mountain News headlines are a little bitter.
It would be the only Colorado Beatles appearance!
January 30th, 2010 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Böenzee Cryque
Denver band Böenzee Cryque, standing on a rooftop in downtown Denver 1966. You can faintly make out the Cosmopolitan Hotel sign in the background.
Here is a clip of their 45 on Chicory Records:
Sky Gone Gray
____________
Mike wrote:
Nice article! I found out about Böenzee through the movie “Psych-Out”, they did an amazing take on Jimi Hendrixs “Purple Haze”, i thought that they were they ultimate psych band, but then i listened to the song you put up here, and it didn’t sound like anything like the one on the soundtrack. Do you know anything about their previous 45’s? Are they in the same vein as the one from Psych-Out?
Thanks in advance for any answer,
Mike
Hi Mike,
It’s just a matter of what year they came out. The Beau Brummels-style single above is from early-’66, the more psychedelic material is from 1967. The song in Psych-Out is used for Jack Nicholson’s hysterical fake psychedelic band “Mumblin’ Jim“.
To hear more psychedelic Böenzee Cryque, there is an excellent compilation called Psychedelic States – Colorado In The 60s, a 2-CD set with the Monocles, the Trolls, Böenzee Cryque, the Soothsayers and many more.
-Tom
____________
January 19th, 2010 / 4 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Soul Survivors
Denver’s Soul Survivors early 1966.
Always a big hit at Elitch Garden’s Trocadero Ballroom.
Here is a snippet from one of their 45s:
Can’t Stand To Be In Love With You
December 19th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Taylor’s Supper Club sign
LP cover with a rendering of the sign in front of Taylor’s Supper Club, an entertainment institution on West Colfax in Lakewood from the 1940s through the 1970s. Run by Sammy Toole and starring The Taylors, who put out many local LPs aside from this one.
December 13th, 2009 / 7 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
Moonrakers
Denver band and Tower Records recording artist The Moonrakers circa-1966.
In 1965, the Moonrakers played the El Patio Ballroom at Lakeside Amusement Park,
opening for The Byrds!
December 4th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Monocles
The Monocles, from Greeley, circa-1966
The Monocles were the winner of Denver’s Whisky-a-Go-Go 1965 Battle of the Bands, sponsored by KIMN radio.
November 26th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tom Lundin
King Louie & The Laymen
Denver band, King Louie and the Laymen from 1966.
This is a relatively subdued photo session (though they resemble The Sonics!)
King Louie was more famous in ’60s Denver for wearing a long white wig, shades, knee-high boots and a cape!
Later, Louie (Larry Wilkins) became an excellent in-demand blues guitarist and producer, sadly passing away in 1997.
November 12th, 2009 / 2 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
The Fantabulous Jags
Denver-via-Kansas band, The Fantabulous Jags, circa 1965,
house band at The Pussycat A-Go-Go on Sante Fe.
Here is a snippet of Matilda by The Fantabulous Jags.
November 3rd, 2009 / 5 Comments » / by Tom Lundin
