THE BACKGROUNDS - "Day Breaks At Dawn" b/w "Oh Baby Please Take Me" (Cenco – 110, 1967)

by Achille Brunet

Buried in the depths of time, the case of The Backgrounds had remained an unfathomable mystery. Only a couple of copies surfaced and soon became highly sought-after collector items mostly for the A side, "Day Breaks At Dawn", the mind-blowing fuzz riff of which had more than one head spinning. Drummer, vocalist and songwriter SY GORAIEB finally provides the story of the band.

The Backgrounds was formed as The Four Aces in 1965, first as a four-piece, by teens from Saint John the Baptist Catholic Elementary School in Norwalk, California when one of their teachers suggested they become a band.

Sy Goraieb: "The four of us were already friends, especially Johnny and me, so we did. I was the drummer and lead vocalist for the band. The others were Roland Bautista (guitar), Bobby Torres (bass) and Johnny Graveline (keys). For all of us, it was our first band, and like so many others at that time, it was the result of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show on February 9, 1964. It changed everything! On the block where we rehearsed, on Saturdays, you would find six other bands doing the same thing! Our first performance was for our student body. So much fun! It was a great time!"

THE BACKGROUNDS

From left to right: Sy Goraieb, Johnny Graveline, Bobby Torres, 

Roland Bautista and on the floor is Dick Harris (Courtesy of Sy Goraieb).

At some point, the band changed name to The Backgrounds. A year or so later, the members went to different High Schools in Gardena, Lawndale and Los Angeles, CA but kept playing together. It was then that Richard "Dick" Harris came into the picture.

SG: "Roland went to Serra High School, Johnny to Loyola High School and that’s funny, I can’t remember where Bobby went. Dick and I were Leuzinger High School students and he and I were involved in the music department. When he heard our band, he asked if he could join. He was incredibly talented. When he joined he and I shared the lead vocals. He was with us for one year in 1966-'67."

The band played at dances, parties, and private functions, but were too young to play clubs. They also shared a few concerts with other bands and participated in Battle of the Bands. The band was interested in different music styles, ranging from British Invasion material to Soul music and Rhythm & Blues.

SG: "Because of Dick and my very different styles of singing, we could cover a lot. Johnny was an incredible pianist, especially for his age, and that gave us much freedom to do songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Motown and so much more."

In late 1966/early '67, The Backgrounds recorded two songs at an unidentified studio in Los Angeles: "Day Breaks At Dawn", a great fuzz rocker written by Richard Harris, and "Oh Baby Please Take Me", a catchy soul ballad written by Sy. The pair was released on the Hollywood label Cenco, owned by Mike Gradney.

SG: "I learned how to play guitar at that time for one reason, to write songs. 'Oh Baby…' was the first song I ever wrote. Dick was a great songwriter, I learned a lot from him! Cenco was a label that a friend’s dad started and when he heard us, he wanted to record us. Normally I sang on my songs and Dick as well but we decided for the record to have one vocalist. Dick sang both songs. But we shared the vocals on all of the other material. Nothing came from it and the record slipped into oblivion. This was the only recording we did."

The single was released in February 1967 and never went anywhere. It was so rare Sy wasn't even sure the record existed. Shortly after a benefit concert at Leuzinger High in May 1967, The Backgrounds broke up.

(The Daily Breeze - May 25, 1967)

SG: "After Dick graduated from High School, he got more serious about acting and pursued it. At that time, he was an incredible actor."

In High School in 1965-'66, Dick Harris had sung in "Oklahoma" and "My Fair Lady". While in his senior year at Leuzinger, he won the role of the king in the musical play 'The King And I'. He also directed the comedy and held the romantic lead in "You Can't Take It With You" while attending rehearsals of "Guys And Dolls" at El Camino College. At 17, Harris was the first person to win a leading role at the College while still a student at Leuzinger. Sy lost touch with Dick Harris so it's not know what became of him afterward. (He's not to be confused with prolific movie actor Richard Harris, born in 1930.)

SG: "Bobby, I believe, continued in teaching guitar (although I’m exactly sure what he's been up to)."

In the following months, Roland Bautista stepped in in replacement of guitarist Dewayne Russell in The Velvet Illusions, a band from the Washington state that had relocated to Hollywood, CA. Roland's blistering lead guitar can be heard with certainty on "Lazy", "The Stereo Song" and "Minny Shimmy", and possibly "Hippy Town", all released in Nov 1967. Though his guitar tracks are less prominent in the mix than with the blasting fuzz of "Day Breaks At Dawn", his style is unmistakable.

SG: "In 1967, Johnny and I joined Al McKay and The Turbans, a ten-piece soul band with friends from our neighborhood. Al asked us both to join after Roland had left. We all remained friends. That was a great band also!"

Al McKay and The Turbans had made two records in 1966, including one on Cenco. Al McKay and drummer Ralph Johnson would later become key members of Earth, Wind and Fire. Lester Smith, leader of the Turbans, was a nephew of Louis Armstrong. More about it HERE.

SG: "Johnny and I toured and recorded together up through our late 20’s and are still very close friends to this day. In a latter band called Orion, Johnny and I wrote more and recorded a bunch. This was between 1973-76. Nothing was formally released at that time. Johnny went on to play with various bands and write songs for various projects."

SG: "I later played with different bands, signed with Capitol Records as the drummer and one of two lead vocalists of the group Future Flight, produced and songs written and co-written with Lamont Dozier (the famed Motown writers and producers Holland, Dozier, Holland) for one album in 1981. Since 1984, I’ve been involved in Church music as a worship pastor and songwriter and have written songs for Integrity Music. In 1993, I re-recorded "Oh Baby Please Take Me" for a music library album called "Remember The 50's" that I produced for Sonoton Music. The song has since had some activity in various TV and Film projects."

Roland Bautista went on to record as a not consistent full member of Earth, Wind & Fire in different periods of time. He also collaborated as session man and songwriter for The Crusaders, The Jackson 5, Lamont Dozier, Ramsey Lewis, Randy Crawford, George Duke, Wayne Henderson and Hubert Laws. He passed away in 2012.

__________

Many thanks to Sy Goraieb. More information about Richard "Dick" Harris would be appreciated.

THE BLACK NARCOSIS - "The Land Of Stone" b/w "Everybody's Blind" (Cupid – 1021, 1968)

by Achille Brunet

 

Ever heard of the Black Narcosis? Some name, for sure! And here we are with two singles by this Michigan mystery band. Almost nothing is known about the group itself but a few things can be pieced together. 

Randy Howard Turnbull was from Deckerville, Michigan, roughly 50 miles from Port Huron. He attended Deckerville High School and was in a first band there called The Rebel Rousers around late 1965.

(The Times Herald - Nov 19, 1965)

The band was comprised of Randy Turnbull, Wayne Schmidt, Bob Jacob and Dennis Rich. All members of The Rebel Rousers except Dennis Rich were in the Eagles football team of Deckerville High. Their only known gig was at the annual FFA-FHA party at the School.

In November 1966, a weird thing happened as Randy Turnbull was arrested on the scene of a fire southwest of Deckerville with six quart jars filled with gazoline and six strips of cloth in the trunk of his car. Turnbull had been questioned earlier that evening at the scene of another fire while in another car. He pleaded guilty, was fined and received a 30 day jail sentence that was suspended and he was placed on 90 days probation.

(The Times Herald - Nov 2, 1966)

Most members of The Rebel Rousers graduated around 1966-67 and some left for College. The Black Narcosis was most likely a different band, possibly led by James Clements who was the main songwriter, but not a single trace of them could be found in the press. Maybe they toured under a different name. I could find nothing on James Clements either, but I believe the Clements family was active in the Deckerville industry.

TeenBeat Mayhem bases The Black Narcosis in Port Huron, so maybe the band relocated there at some point. The name was possibly a weird play on words with the Black Narcissus, unless it was a reference to Turnbull's parents' house on Black River Street in Deckerville. Outside of Randy Turnbull and James Clements, the band also included a female vocalist. Other members remain unknown.

Their first single was "I Don't Know" b/w "Kaeom", produced by Daniel T. Lick and released in July 1968. Daniel Lick a.k.a. Larry Lick (real name: Larry Pavlick) was based in Port Huron hosting a radio show on WPHM but worked with the Sound, Inc. label and recording studio in Detroit since 1966. He was certainly related to Johnny Powers (real name: John Pavlick) who founded Sound, Inc. The Black Narcosis were likely recorded there.

Both sides, written by James Clements, are slow trippy numbers, with guitar parts and haunting vocal harmonies. A discrete organ can be heard on "I Don't Know". Both songs are very moody, not to say beautifully depressive, both addressing a lost love with a unique, chilling atmosphere.

For some reason, the single was not pressed on the Sound, Inc. label, but under a one-shot spin-off of the label called Raido, though the catalog number (SI-198) definitely included it in the Sound Records catalog. I suspect Raido was in fact misspelled from another Sound subsidiary called Radio that had a couple of releases. Not many copies must have been made as the single is impossibly rare today.

Their second single was not long to come. This time, Johnny Powers took over production along with his long-time fellow producer Michael Valvano. While Clements was still the songwriter of the B side, Turnbull co-wrote the top side with him. The association resulted in the fantastic fuzz/organ monster "The Land Of Stone".

The flip side, "Everybody's Blind", is not too far behind, with slower parts but great drum breaks and fuzz/organ background. The female vocalist apparently left between the two singles.

The single was again released on another Sound, Inc. subsidiary called Cupid (this one, at least, would have a dozen of releases until the mid-70s) as SI-214, though this catalog number is identical to another Sound Inc single by The Conn Sisters. 

This last Black Narcosis single was apparently issued in the second half of 1968, but probably not too late as other Sound releases close to that catalog number date from July/August. Unfortunately, the band wouldn't enjoy their recording career very long as Randy Turnbull was drafted in Oct 1968. 

With Turnbull gone (and possibly Rebel Rousers member Dennis Rich too if he had followed Turnbull in The Black Narcosis, as he volunteered in the Navy in July 1968), the band likely disbanded around that time.

Turnbull left for Vietnam in April 1969. He was a sergeant while stationed near Tay Ninh and stayed in Vietnam until at least March 1970. Back from the war, he was employed at the A.C.C.O. Corp in Warren, Michigan where he worked in the engineering and design department. He was also certified a professional scuba diver in 1975. I believe he later moved to Florida.

More information about this band would be greatly appreciated.

Randy Turnbull 

(Deckerville High, mid-60s)

CLIPPING GALLERY:

(The Times Herald - Oct 9, 1965)

(The Times Herald - Nov 2, 1966)

(The Times Herald - April 13, 1969)

(The Times Herald - June 5, 1969)

(The Times Herald - March 17, 1970)

(The Times Herald - Aug 22, 1975)

THE GENERATION GAP from Phoenix, AZ - "He'll Make A Fool Out Of You" b/w "Too Far Gone" (Plush, 215 — 1968)

by Achille Brunet

This really cool and rare single with a Beverly Hills, Calif. address got collectors confused for a while. Though indeed having definite ties with California as we'll see, The Generation Gap were in fact based in Phoenix, Arizona and moreover only took up that name with the release.

Let's start at the beginning with lead singer Greg Aitken from Needles. Needles is indeed a California city, but stands right on the Arizona border, placing it almost at exact distance from Phoenix, AZ and Los Angeles, CA.

Born in Chicago, Greg Aitken moved to Needles when he was 8 and attended Needles High School in the early sixties. In 1963, he was part of the saxophone section in the High School band The Bluenotes and toured other Eastern Arizona high schools in St. Johns and Holbrook playing proms. He won the John Philip Souza award on clarinet in 1964, also playing solo perfomances on sax, and kept up with the Bluenotes until mid-1965 when they recorded a souvenir LP "Blue Note '65" that was sold at local venues (but no copy seems to have surfaced).

(Needles Desert Star - Oct 27, 1966)

In Sept 1965, Greg relocated to Phoenix to attend the ASU. In 1966, he joined the In-Turns, a band formed by Central High student Glenn Rosner that was looking for a lead singer. The band included Greg's cousin Charlie Moss who also attended the ASU and introduced him to the band.

Glenn Rosner aka Gage Garnier hailed from Beverly Hills, CA and had probably moved to Phoenix with his father George who was a music director at the Phoenix Country Club. It's not shown on the picture but Glenn played organ. By 1967, he was considered one of the best organist in town at only 17.

Greg joined on lead vocals, sax and tambourine. Charlie Moss hailed from Las Vegas and played bass (but could also play a variety of wind intruments including trumpet). 

(1967 Central High School Yearbook)

Aside from Greg, Glen and Charlie, the band included two other members. One of them might be Alex Witzerman, who likely left the band quickly as he's no longer with the band by Nov 1967. Still he had the time to co-write the A-side of their future single, even if he was out of the band by the time of the recordings.

The other member should be either Brian Garno or John Bryant who were both members by Nov 1967. Brian Garno, the son Vic Caesar's saxman Lou Garno, was on drums but could play bass, guitar and other things as well. John Bryant took care of the lead guitar. Both attended Central High School with Glen.

(The Arizona Republic - May 7, 1967)

The In-Turns appeared mostly at the ASU, billing their sound as "semi-psychedelic" and playing many fraternity dances. The band rapidly achieved a regular following on the campus as one of the most popular band around. Greg also kept ties with Needles and brought the band back with him to play at the 1966 Homecoming Dance at Needles High in October.

In 1967, the band had the oportunity to audition for the Red Dog club in Scottsdale, thanks to Nooney Rickett whom they had befriended and who was a regular at J.D.'s. The club signed them for two months but the manager suggested they change name for Gage Garnier & the Filly Five. Even if Greg was the lead singer and that most articles put his name forward as most were published in his hometown, Gage Garnier was really the leader of the band so it makes sense that the band should take his name.

(The Arizona Republic - May 27, 1967)

It's under that name that the band started to play at the Red Dog from April 1967, often sharing the bill with Stan Devereaux and the Trendsetters until June, then playing a Halloween party at the Safari Hotel in Scottsdale. The sound of the band, originally more rock'n'roll, turned to Rhythm & Blues to fit the club audience.

Their popularity kept increasing and after a month of break, the band started to play Mondays at Mr. Lucky in West Phoenix from November, now playing as the Gage Garnier V. It seems Mr. Lucky had a habbit to shorten band names, i.e. Stephen McGlaughlin and Themselves (dedicated article HERE) that became Steph and Themselves because the name wouldn't fit on the marquee! The reason was probably the same here.

(The Arizona Republic - Nov 12, 1967)

At Mr. Lucky, the band started to hit the big time, playing on the revolving stage (or "musical carrousel") downstairs to the club six nights a week for a couple of weeks until December, probably when Steph and Themselves were out of town since they usually had the job. The band also played all Manzanita-sponsored dances at the ASU, the College Inn, and regularly at the Memorial Union campus in Tempe.

Before leaving Beverly Hills, Glenn Rosner had become friends with Frank Kavelin (the son of legendary musician and record executive Al Kavelin) who had since become producer and arranger himself. 

When the growing local reputation of the band reached his ear, Frank travelled to Phoenix in January 1968 to get the Gage Garnier V on tape. To note only the A side was produced by Frank. Glenn Rosner produced "Too Far Gone" and the song does sound like it was recorded a little later at a different session.

(The Arizona Republic - Jan 20, 1968)

On Jan 20, the band announced "He'll Make A Fool Out Of You" should be out soon, yet pointing out it was "nothing like their club act" but rather "along the line of Paul Revere and the Raiders", then coming back to their original own sound with the In-Turns.

Frank likely drove back to California with the tapes. He may have tried to place them on labels there but the songs weren't picked up, leading to producing the single themselves on their own Plush Records.

The Generation Gap (the S is a typo)

(Needles Desert Star - May, 2 1968)

The timing of the release is a bit unclear. The master numbers date the pressing as late March but the release was only announced as "released this month" on May 2. The band took the opportunity of the release to change their name to the Generation Gap, planning it in advance, maybe keeping it secret until the actual announcement in May.

To add to the confusion, the guys weren't too sure about the new name at first. I take it that they still played as the Gage Garnier V in May 7 when opening for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys at Borphy Prep gym. 

The band started announcing the name change during their performances, then backed up and published an ad on May 19 asking for better suggestions. But anyway, the name was already printed on the disc for at least a month. 

(The Arizona Republic - May 19, 1968)

Both originals were written in early/mid-1967. "He'll Make A Fool Out Of You", the A side, was co-written by Glenn Rosner and Alex Witzerman, who as mentioned had left by the time of the release.

For once, the fast track is on the A side. The song is cool, fast paced garage track. Some harp seems to be heard in the intro. Glen's voice is accompanied by vocal harmonies throughout the song. The organ bridge is also a great demonstration of Glenn's impressive play. The papers weren't lying when they said he was good! 

Here we have a young guy who despite honestly working and paying his taxes, has to give a piece of his mind to an older guy who constantly bothers and mocks him because of his clothes and hair and anti-war position.

...I own a barber shop

Pay my taxes too

Why don't you take what I give?

I can't understand you

[...]

Wear your hair too long

He'll put you on a spot

If you sing your own song

You're the man that you stop...

"Too Far Gone", the B side, was co-written by Greg Aitken and John Bryant. By the time of the release, John too had already left the band and been replaced Doug Irvine, a native from Santa Monica, CA who first played drums before a leg injury prompted him to turn to guitar. Doug would join Phoenix Junior College in September.

The song has great lyrics. It's a slower but solid number with a noticeable pounding bassline. Charlie Moss explained using a special speaker for extra treble boost and a muted board which allowed him to get a sound by touching the strings with one hand.

Try to sweep out the brain fog

Extricate your thoughts from the mind ball

But you can't even see

You're drowning in the sea of [agony?]

You lost your dynamic health

When you fell into the river of wealth

And you were finally pulled under

In the shame of your colonial plunder

You're too far gone

The fire of defiance is torn

So no other revolution will be born

And I can see on your face

There is no place for disgrace

As I look through the door of my tomb

I can laugh at the other's doom

I have experienced it all but seems unreal

A picture on the wall

You're too far gone

It seems to relate the dark thoughts of a man who lost touch with the world, having become wealthy and powerful by exploiting others, and whose answer to the people's protest is a violent repression. The narrator seems to be the laughing spirit of one of his dead workers. The dark imagery that emanates from the lyrics and its precise construction makes it a very good song.

The song is livened up with an irregular bip (to evoke the sound of a sputnik lost in space?) Not sure what the goal is but it's original.

(Needles Desert Star - May 2, 1968)

The band had brand new bright and colorful stage clothes made by a designer in Scottsdale to accompany the change of sound and name. By that point, the band was managed by George Laibe (also manager of Stan Devereaux, and Eclectic Mouse-a project of ex-Topsy Turbys' Steve Forman-a little later), who announced touring plans for the summer throughout the Midwest and in Alaska.

At the end of May, the band (billed again Gage Garnier V for whatever reason) rented two planes they filled with equipment and flew for a two-night engagement in Midland, Texas. They were back at Mr. Lucky six nights a week at the beginning of June, filling the gap left by Steph And Themselves who were starting to get national attention and were only a few months away from becoming the successful Cornerstone pop band.

(The Arizona Republic - July 21, 1968)

After seven weeks at Mr. Lucky, the band finally made up their mind and announed they were becoming the Generation Gap for good. Greg explained then that the new name fitted best their new style they billed as "musical rock", a restyled rock'n'roll with vocal harmonies and a wider variety of instruments like horns (that aren't in fact heard on the record). With many multi-instrumentists in the band, the aim was to be able to turn between instruments during the shows.

The band left again and toured in New Mexico and on the West Coast, ending the summer in Lake Tahoe on the Calif/Nevada border.

The release of the single had placed great hopes, and the band members had declared its success would define the future of the band. Unfortunately, maybe bummed because the single had not leveled to expectations, the band started to discompose. 

Some members likely refocused on studies and by October, the Generation Gap had regressed into a trio, playing around Scottsdale and Camelback, including once at a Benefit Celebration at Mr. Lucky. Greg took up leadership, having even lost former leader and once namesake Glen Rosner that was "supposedly trying to get into his own thing". That's the last we heard of him in the press.

(Needles Desert Star - Oct 31, 1968)

Having likely lost the job at Mr. Lucky, the trio started to appear more regularly at the Roc-Inn back in Needles. The band also hired ex-YOUR FRIENDS organist Gary Gilbert in November and started to perk up again, announcing working on a third recording.

In February 1969, keeping up with a good popularity in the Needles and Phoenix area, the band signed a four-week playing contract in Hawaii for the summer. One of the crowd's favorite was their arrangement of the Rascals' "People Gotta Be Free" among other popular songs.

An amusing fact is that in March, Greg Aitken attended a lecture of the Needles Marathon Association, not as a singer, but gave a speach to the teenagers on the actual concept of generation gap.

(Needles Desert Star - May 22, 1969)

The band appeared occasionally at the Roc-Inn and Needles High until May 1969, after what they left to Hollywood for recording, then presumably leaving for Hawaii from there.

That's the last we heard of the Generation Gap. The band likely disbanded after returning from Hawaii and the aforementioned recordings never surfaced.

Drummer Brian Garno joined a 10-piece band called Calliope in Dec 1969. He drummed on a dozen of LPs in the 1980s for several Arizona artists. He passed away in 2001.

Greg Aitken

Greg Aitken later released a power pop single in the early 1980s as "Greg Aitken & 360". He worked for the Sedona school district for the past 18 years, teaching music, weight lifting and special education until he passed away in 2011 at his home in Sedona, Arizona. He was buried in Needles.

Glenn Rosner stayed in the area and now lives (I think) in Cottonwood.

_______

Thanks to Mike Markesich and Mikael for additional information on this release.

THE VIOLET WING - "Hey Joe" b/w "Lasting Love" (Sound Gems, SGL-1010 — 1968)

by Achille Brunet

Known for their tremendous but scarce rendition of "Hey Joe", The Violet Wing was a garage/psych band from Phoenix, Arizona seemingly active from 1967 to 1968. Some members hailed from Scottsdale, AZ and possibly Glendale, AZ.

The group was formed by David Frankus (lead guitar and vocals), Larry Cagle (keyboard), Jim Vowell (bass and vocals), and Marc Romero (drums & vocals).

I didn't find much on the band members themselves apart from David Frankus who attended Coronado High School in Scottsdale, AZ in 1962 and 1963.

(The Arizona Republic - Sept 23, 1967)

The first gig I found was a show hosted by KRUX in Sept 1967, where they shared the bill with Bobby Vee, pre-Alice Cooper band the Spiders that had just changed their name to Nazz, Your Friends (discussed HERE) and Superfine Dandelion—among others.

By November, they were managed by Jerry Capp, who was part of the Teens Of Phoenix committee, formed to help Phoenix youth to find entertainment as there was according to them only one Teen Club in the Valley. 

(The Arizona Republic - Nov 11, 1967)

Capp joined forces with Chari Zellman who was the manager of Twentieth Century Zoo, and a Methodist minister and an attorney. The association aimed to help booking big venues and provide the teens in need with legal help.

However I don't know if they kept up with Jerry Capp for long as he's never mentioned again and didn't produce their single in 1968. The band also played after sports events at Washington High School in Glendale, AZ.

(1968 yearbook - Washington High School)

(Audio Recorders in Phoenix, 1964)

In early 1968, the band recorded at Audio Recorders in Phoenix and released one single on Sound Gems, produced by John Collins and Stan Butcher. TeenBeat Mayhem dates it from January but "Lasting Love" was only copyrighted in March so I'm not sure.

Stan Butcher was a local musician, member of the Wanderers from 1964 to 1967 (dedicated article coming soon), a band that played a Battle of the Bands with Floyd & Jerry and The Spectrum, and was also one of the owners of a coffee house on 16th street. I don't know who John Collins was.

Sound Gems had been one one of the labels of Presta Records owner Earl Perrin (with only one single in the mid-60s to my knowledge) but I'm not sure he was still behind the brand for the two 1968 releases. He passed away in October that year.

The A side is a very good cover of the Music Machine version of "Hey Joe" recognizable by its slower pace and parts of the lyrics added by Sean Bonniwells that differs from the usual version. Here the Violet Wing pushed the song to the threshold of Acid rock.

The flip side, "Lasting Love", is reportedly a garage original by the band with a good organ riff by Larry. TeenBeat Mayhem calls it "fast anglo-esque pop beat" but rates it pretty low. (I haven't actually heard that side so I'd appreciate a file)

The last gig I found was in August 1968 for the "113th Annual Roman Orgy" at the Desert Hills, in double bill with the Yellowjackets. The article points out that, unlike most Roman Orgies, ties were mandatory.

The only journalist to mention The Violet Wing seem to be Troy Irvine's section Swing Around The Valley, who kept a minute eye on the local rock scene throughout the 1960s. The Violet Wing possibly disbanded at the end of the summer. 

(The Arizona Republic - Aug 3, 1968)

(The Arizona Republic - Dec 29, 1968)

In December 1968, Larry and David were arrested on narcotic charges in a raid at a house on West Buckeye Road in Phoenix with eleven other people. I guess they were rapidly released as nothing more was printed in the press on that event.

Ironically, their manager Jerry Capp had written a vehement anti-drug piece in the Arizona Republic only a month prior. Drug issues then might have motivated Capp to drop the band earlier, and if the band still existed by that time, the incident was probably enough to end the deal.

(The Arizona Republic - Nov 22, 1968)

[extract, this is only the last paragraph]

Larry Cagle was locally successful in the late 80s/early 90s with the Larry Cagle band in Flagstaff, AZ. Jim Vowell, later going by the name of Edric Aziz, played with Phoenix ethnic music/rock band Traveler in the 2010s.

The Violet Wing reformed in 2015 as a 60s music cover band and played several venues including in Tempe, AZ. Jim Vowell has since passed away.

The reunited Violet Wing in 2015.

(Coronado High School

1963 yearbook)