(Disclaimer: This is about the Houston band, not to be confused with the band of the same name from San Angelo, TX that made "Painted Air".)
So I decided then to do
Like a cat who's name's Hey Joe
But I couldn't raise the money
For my trip and I fell so low
The Remaining Few was formed in 1965-66 in Houston, Texas by Mike "Cadillac" Johnson, Ralph Nance, Keith "Keke" McCullough, Al Bettis and Bill Boatman.
All the members grew up in Houston and were around 15-16. Keith "Keke" McCullough was a young prodigy from Austin, Tx and had come to Houston in 1965 when he was 13 to study trumpet at the Houston Symphony. A self-taught multi-instrumentist from an early age, Keke could play guitar, bass, flute, and trumpet. Mercury Records had even offered him a contract when he was only 12.
The band played in the vicinity of the 13th Floor Elevator, to which they are often compared, but less known is the decisive influence the Moving Sidewalks had on them. Ralph Nance, the organist of the band and co-writer of the songs, shared some info on my Youtube channel:
Indeed, though "Wait A While" is often compared to the 13th Floor Elevator especially for its use of the electric jug, the song rather borrowed the intro and chords to "99th Floor". Still, The Remaining Few made something very different from the Moving Sidewalks song. The intro and chorus changed to minor, the cried out vocals and musical arrangement deliver a darker mood, absent from the tough rocker they borrowed from.
Sometimes I get so worried
I can hardly sleep at night
Seems some things that have been happening here
won't make me feel right
Cause then my baby came over
Said she had some new for me
She said "wait a little while
Then I'm sure you'll see"
Yeah, I did all she said
To be to her advice
But I sound found out, yeah
She was selling for a price
So I decided then to do like a cat
who's name's Hey Joe
But I couldn't raise the money for my trip
And I fell so low
Come on, be alright
Anything you say, you'll be fine for me tonight
Come on, wait and see
Come on baby, just for me
Wait a little while, then you'll see
I got a cure to end your misery
Woah, yeah!
So I decided then to do like a cat
who's name's Hey Joe
But I couldn't raise the money for my trip
And I fell so low
Come on, be alright
Anything you say, you'll be fine for me tonight
Alright, come on, let me see your soul
The single was reportedly recorded in 1966. The date is significant as the version of "99th Floor" we know, released in Feb 1967, had not made it on single yet. The Remaining Few certainly heard the song live, possibly closer to the unreleased recording by pre-Moving Sidewalks band the Coachmen V that is slightly more similar sounding to "Wait A While":
"Wait A While" was co-written by Ralph Nance, Mike Johnson and Keke McCullough. With that song ready, the band went to record at ACA Recording Studios, Inc. on Westheimer Road in Houston.
The session was engineered by Bill Holford, who owned and opperated the place since 1949 and had recorded many great Houston blues artists over the years like Bobby Bland, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins and many others. The studio later moved to Westpark in 1972 in place of Jimmy Duncan's Soundville Studios that closed under financial duress that year.
Some sights of ACA Studios in the 1960s.
Of all mysteries, the use of the electric jug here is the most persistant. We can always dream Tommy Hall walked in during the session. (Ralph, please let the cat out of the bag! We'd love to hear more.)
The flip side is quite different. “Boogie Blues” is an instrumental garage blues track that is less structured and will appeal much less to fans of garage/psych rock. This side was actually improvised in the studio.
Ralph Nance: "We didn't have a B side and sort of faked Boogie with something by Steve Winwood in the back of our addled brains. I also idolized Jimmy Smith."
Ralph possibly meant Jimmy Reed, since one "Reed" was co-credited on the label along with him and Al Bettis. Despite the song being improvised, Ralph's organ playing is still impressive in its speed and mastery.
Ralph Nance: "We ardently dreamt that 'Wait A While' would be our ticket to fame and fortune. Nope. BUT, we did get a kick down the line when 'Boogie Blues' became the lead-in to the news on Houston's radio station KYOK: the main Black broadcast of the city. Every hour on the hour for quite some time. We'd drive around purposefully at the house, approached and laughed like first graders as the DJ's praised our 'blue-eyed Soul!' We had arrived!"
The single was issued in May 1967. It went pretty much under the radar and the band probably broke up later in 1967.
Keke McCullough joined Booker T. & The M.G.'s that year and learned bass from Donald "Duck" Dunn. He went on to become a reknown musician on the Austin scene and played on Carl Perkins' last album in 1996 as well as with many famous names like Paul Simon, John Fogerty and Les Paul. He also founded the KLBJ All-Stars in Austin and owned the audio equipment company KM Audio. He passed away in 2013.
Ralph Nance became elementary music and choir teacher at Nazareth Academy in Victoria, TX, winning several prizes, and is now retired.
Al Bettis, later going by the name of Big Al Bettis, moved to Austin and was part of the 1970s musical scene. He was a member of Mother Of Pearl, winner of the Critics’ Choice award at the Texas Music Awards. Big Al founded and hosted the monthly "Night of the Living Guitars" show at Birraporetti’s in Houston. He was also the band leader for the Sober Bowl Super Fest in 2017 and 2018.
If I'm not mistaken about the person, William "Bill" Boatman became an active sportsman in the early 1970s. He was employed with Weiner's Department Store in Houston from 1975 after completing school at the University of Texas in Austin. He was also co-president of the Robert E. Lee High School Booster Club until he passed away in 1998.
As I wasn't able to find anything on Mike "Cadillac" Johnson, I'd be glad to hear about him. Don't hesitate to get in touch.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}