YOUR FRIENDS - "Sun-Burned Idol" b/w "Rustic Patterns" (Sola, 14 — 1968)

by Achille Brunet

Your Friends was a garage/psych rock band from Phoenix, Arizona. Members were Michael Roe (bass and songwriter), Stephen Lewis (drums), Gary Gilbert (Vox organ), John Jeffords (vocals), and Tom Jonas (lead guitar).

Members attended Camelback High School in Phoenix. Stephen Lewis came from Scottsdale and graduated Judson School and Mesa Community College. John Jeffords came from Phoenix.

John Jeffords in 1962.

(the only sixties pic of a band member I found)

Your Friends probably formed sometime around 1966. The earliest gig of I found was in October. The band played on the grounds of St. Joseph Hospital for the Country Fair in company of other local High School rock combos.

In February 1967, the band played at the VIP in presence of label owner and promoter Jack Curtis, owner of Mascot and mostly remembered for producing the first sessions of pre-Alice Cooper band the Spiders.

Your Friends then opened in March 1967 for The Turtles at the agricultural building with the Spiders, the Bittersweets (of "In The Night") and the Young Men (of "Go!" that recently had a noticiable local success thanks to the A side "Two Many Times").

(The Arizona Republic - March 11, 1967)

(The Arizona Republic - Sept 23, 1967)

The band played a show hosted by KRUX in Sept 1967, where they shared the bill with Bobby Vee, the Spiders that had just changed their name to Nazz, Violet Wing (more HERE) and Superfine Dandelion—among others.

Armed with this success, the band was sponsored along with Floyd And Jerry by Vox at the Totem Department Store in Nov 1967.

(The Arizona Republic - Nov 2, 1967)

The band recorded their single at Loy Clingman's record studio in Phoenix probably in late 1967/early 1968. Clingman produced quantity of Phoenix artists at Viv-Debra Recording Studios, including the first Floyd & Jerry songs with the Door Knobs, and later set up his own studio. He also recorded Nazz's single "Lay Down And Die, Goodbye" in 1967.

Loy also penned the A side of the single, "Sun-Burned Idol", a decent garage pop track with a religious theme.

But Garage/Psych fans will be more drawn to "Rustic Patterns", a fine original penned by Mike Roe which is rather dark number with a cool organ break by Gary Gilbert.

The single was pressed by Phoenix custom pressing plant Wakefield Manufacturing established by Sydney Wakefield and released as the last single on the Sola label that also put out the great single "People" by The Outcasts. 

The single most likely came out in early 1968 and the band seemingly disbanded around that time, a member started to sell his guitars in February and April that year.

Gary Gilbert joined the Generation Gap (of "Too Far Gone", more HERE) in November 1968 in replacement of ex-leader and organist Glenn Rosner (aka Gage Garnier) that had left "to get into his own thing".

John Jeffords was later in Phoenix band Jett Back in the 1970s and the band later relocated to Detroit.

Michael Roe (1970s?)

AD GALLERY:

(The Arizona Republic - Oct 14, 1966)

(The Arizona Republic - Feb 4, 1967)

(The Arizona Republic - Feb 24, 1968)

(The Arizona Republic - April 1, 1968)

(The Arizona Republic - Nov 1968)

MARTY KENNEDY AND THE MONARCHS - "Getting To Know You Better" (Lovett — 45-LV-69714, 1969)

by Achille Brunet

Marty Kennedy And The Monarchs was formed by Marty and Randy Kennedy, two brothers from Tucker, Georgia just Northeast outside Atlanta. 

Marty sung lead vocals and Randy was on drums (and possibly backing vocals). I'd appreciate info on the other members. The band was discovered by Atlanta producer and songwriter Tim McCabe who produced their single on Lovett in 1969. 

Both sides are fine teen soul songs but the real standout is "Getting To Know You Better", the A side, because of its most outstanding fuzz. The song was written by Tim McCabe.

James Timothy McCabe is a prolific singer, musician, songwriter, producer and label owner. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, he moved to Atlanta to study medecine.

He started to record singles under his own name in 1968, also recording over 800 commercials and hosted a TV musical contest on Channel 11 in 1968. He published over 75 songs and produced or recorded 15 albums over the years.

One of Tim's earliest contribution was songwriting and arrangements for the A-Side of the single by The Solid Soul, a band that evolved out of the cult classic garage band from Atlanta The Fly-By-Nites, universally known by 60s punk aficionados for "Found Love". The Solid Soul single was issued on the "123" label in 1968.

Tim McCabe - March 1972.

That year, Bill Lovett, a 22-year-old South Georgian who was a graduate in agriculture at the Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Ga. decided to establish a record company. 

Bill Lovett: "I chose the music-recording field after I met Tim McCabe from Nashville, Tenn. (one of the recording capitals) who is a fine singer. I like music but I don't know anything about it much—I don't sing or play any instrument—but he does. Although it's strictly a business venture with me, I feel that both Tim and I know what makes people laugh or cry, what stirs their emotions, and that's what song hits are made of. That's what we are looking for. Tim can write and arrange music, as well as sing it, but we also brought in Carlton Palmer, considered one of Atlanta's best arrangers, to put the music and musicians together for songs we accept." (The Atlanta Journal - Jan 23, 1969)

Tim also scouted talents in the area. The single by The Solid Soul was also picked by the label. On the dozen of singles released by Lovett Records Inc. between 1968 and 1970, four were by Tim, plus the one by the Monarchs he produced.

—

Thanks to Archive of Obscure Music 

for making this demo available.

— 

Tim McCabe wrote the A side for the Monarchs. The song has great horn arrangements and fine harmonies. Kee Kennedy (Marty's wife at the time) remembers a professional guitar guy was brought in for the fuzz track and it added much to the production.

A publisher's demo of the song was recently found, most likely played and sung by Tim himself with session musicians. As you can hear above, the demo differs from the version recorded by Marty and Randy, and is interpreted in a more traditional country/folk rock way.

The B-side was co-written by the two brothers. Although "I Love You Baby" doesn't feature fuzz guitar, it's just as catchy and lively as the A-side, sung with beautiful two-part harmony throughout the song (by Marty and Randy, I assume).

I found no real trace of concerts or release announcement in the press. I assume the single was sold locally and at venues.

In the early 1970s, the Kennedy brothers moved on to work in real estate. "Marty Kennedy & Associates" was established and handled real estate in Northeast Atlanta. It was a prosperous business for several decades. 

It seems Randy Kennedy later became a Reverand in Lawrenceville, Ga. and Marty Kennedy practised as a Doctor in Dalton, Ga.

____________

Many thanks to Kee Kennedy, BooBerry and Tim McCabe for precious info on this record. Other sources include my own research in the press and online. 

Lyrics sheet found with the publisher's demo.