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{{short description|American rock band}} | |||
] | |||
{{other uses|Beau Brummell (disambiguation)}} | |||
The '''Beau Brummels''' was a successful ] ] ] band. The group formed in ] in ]. Their sound was influenced by ] and other ]. Named after a 19th Century English ], they also wore British-influenced “]” clothes. As a result of their sound and look they were often mistaken for an English band. The Beau Brummels had three Top 40 hit singles: “Laugh Laugh", “Just A Little” and "You Tell Me Why.” The also recorded several albums. "Laugh, Laugh" is listed in the ] as one of the 500 most influential in shaping ]. Their sound influenced ] groups like ] and later San Francisco groups including the ] and the ]. | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}} | |||
{{Infobox musical artist | |||
| name = The Beau Brummels | |||
| image = The Beau Brummels trade ad.png | |||
| caption = The Beau Brummels in 1965. Top row: ], ]. Bottom row: ], ], ] | |||
| image_size = | |||
| alt = | |||
| background = group_or_band | |||
| alias = | |||
| origin = San Francisco, California, United States | |||
| instrument = | |||
| genre = {{Hlist|]|]}} | |||
| occupation = | |||
| years_active = 1964–1969, 1974–1975, 2000, 2002, 2013 | |||
| label = ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| associated_acts = | |||
| website = | |||
| current_members = | |||
| past_members = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
}} | |||
'''The Beau Brummels''' were an American rock band. Formed in ] in 1964, the band's original lineup included ] (lead vocals), ] (lead guitar), ] (bass guitar), ] (rhythm guitar, bass, harmonica), and ] (drums).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whiting |first=Sam |date=November 11, 2021 |title=Original Beau Brummels member Declan Mulligan, who helped shape San Francisco sound, dies at 83 |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Declan-Mulligan-original-member-of-the-Beau-16613940.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207140930/https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Declan-Mulligan-original-member-of-the-Beau-16613940.php |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |access-date=March 18, 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}</ref> They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, ], where Sylvester Stewart—later known as ]—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended ] and ] and typically drew comparisons to ], while their later work incorporated other ]s such as ] and ]. | |||
] played guitar on the Beau Brummels song "Down To The Bottom". | |||
The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, "]", for which they would later be credited with setting one of the aesthetic foundations for the ], along with other bands such as ]; the song is in the ] list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/exhibits/one-hit-wonders-songs-that-shaped-rock-and-roll/ |title=Experience The Music: One Hit Wonders and The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |publisher=Rockhall.com |date=April 15, 2013 |access-date=22 August 2014}}</ref> The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's '']'', and the Top 10 single "]". The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by ]. After recording an album of ], '']'', the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: '']'' in 1967 and '']'' in 1968. | |||
The Beau Brummels appeared (as the Beau Brummelstones) on an episode of ]. | |||
The band underwent several personnel changes, beginning with Mulligan's departure in 1965. Guitarist ] joined the band in late 1965 when Elliott began to suffer seizures resulting from a diabetic condition, leaving him unable to tour with the band. Shortly after the release of '']'', Irving left the group when he was inducted into the ]. Petersen left to join ], reducing the Beau Brummels to a trio for the recording of ''Triangle''. Meagher was ] for military service in 1968, leaving Valentino and Elliott as the only remaining band members. The duo worked with prominent ] ]s to record ''Bradley's Barn'' before parting ways in 1969 to focus on solo material and participate in projects by other artists. Four of the original Beau Brummels re-formed in 1974 with one new member, and the band released a ] the following year. | |||
==History== | |||
===Formation (1964)=== | |||
Sal Valentino grew up in the ] section of San Francisco.<ref name="echoes"> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last1=March | |||
| first1=Jeff | |||
| last2=Childs | |||
| first2=Marti | |||
| title=Echoes of the Sixties | |||
| publisher=] (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) | |||
| pages=136, 141 | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=1999 | |||
| isbn=978-0-8230-8316-9}}</ref> In early 1964, following a string of appearances as a singer on local television, Valentino received an offer to play a regular gig at El Cid, a San Francisco club.<ref name="salbio"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|last1 = Eder | |||
|first1 = Bruce | |||
|last2 = Kergan | |||
|first2 = Wade | |||
| title = Sal Valentino – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p133841|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009 }}</ref> Needing a band, he called childhood friend and songwriter/guitarist Ron Elliott, who recruited drummer John Petersen, rhythm guitarist/singer Declan Mulligan, and bassist Ron Meagher.<ref name="salbio" /> Victor Savant, later to achieve fame in Europe as musical director for schlager singer Roberto Blanco, was in the band for a brief period as a pianist, but never recorded with the band. The gig led to a more lucrative deal at the Morocco Room, a club in nearby ].<ref name="sfweekly"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Farrar | |||
| first=Justin F. | |||
| url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2006-03-01/news/oh-pioneers/ | |||
| title=Oh, Pioneers | |||
| publisher=] (New Times Media) | |||
| date= March 1, 2006 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> Meanwhile, San Francisco disc jockeys ] and Bobby Mitchell were looking for new acts to bring to their fledgling ] label.<ref name="sfweekly" /> Donahue and Mitchell wanted to capitalize on the ] craze that originated the previous year in the UK and was spreading across the U.S. by this time.<ref name="sfweekly" /> Rich Romanello, owner of the Morocco Room and the Brummels' first manager, asked Donahue and Mitchell to see the band perform at the club. Romanello recalled, "There were maybe four people in the place, and they set up and started playing, and that old hair on my arm goes up. And when the hair on your arm goes up, you got something. It was a big change, to go from saxophones and black singers to a white guitar sound, but I hired 'em."<ref>{{cite book | |||
| last=Kaliss | |||
| first=Jeff | |||
| title=I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| page=40 | |||
| location=San Francisco | |||
| year=2008 | |||
| isbn=978-0-87930-934-3}}</ref> | |||
The Beau Brummels signed with Autumn, where house producer Sylvester Stewart—later known as ], of ] fame—produced the group's early ].<ref> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Gulla | |||
| first=Bob | |||
| title=Icons of R&B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists Who Revolutionized Rhythm, Volume 2 | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| page=420 | |||
| location=Westport, Conn | |||
| year=2007 | |||
| isbn=978-0-313-34046-8}}</ref> | |||
The Beau Brummels took their name from the ] ] ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dandyism.net/trivial-pursuit-the-test-of-dandy-knowledge/|title=Trivial Pursuit: The Test of Dandy Knowledge|publisher=Dandyism.net|access-date=31 August 2013}}</ref> The group liked having a British-sounding name, and the legend has been, since it so closely followed The Beatles in the alphabet, the group also knew their records would likely be placed immediately behind those of The Beatles in record-store bins.<ref> | |||
==Album discography== | |||
{{cite book | |||
*''Introducing the Beau Brummels'' (]) | |||
| last=Kelly | |||
*''The Beau Brummels, Vol. 2'' (]) | |||
| first=Michael Bryan | |||
*''Beau Brummels '66'' (]) | |||
| title=The Beatle Myth : The British Invasion of American Popular Music, 1956–1969 | |||
*''Triangle'' (]) | |||
| publisher=] | |||
*''Bradley's Barn'' (]) | |||
| page=183 | |||
| location=Jefferson, N.C | |||
| year=1991 | |||
| isbn=0-89950-579-1}}</ref> | |||
Valentino dismissed this notion in a 2008 interview with '']'' magazine. "That's a total myth", he said. "We just needed a name, and that sounded good. We didn't even know how to spell it. Everybody now has a notion of what people were thinking back then, but we never thought of those kinds of things."<ref name="goldmine">{{cite magazine | |||
| last=Cohen | |||
| first=Elliot Stephen | |||
| url=http://www.goldminemag.com/article/beau-brummels-look-to-rewrite-history-with-greatest-hits-package | |||
| title=Beau Brummels Look to Rewrite History with Greatest-Hits Package | |||
| magazine=] (]) | |||
| date=April 24, 2008 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2010}}</ref> ], who produced the band's demo recording, noted, "I never thought of the Brummels in terms of the Beatles—it was Ron Elliott's talent as a songwriter that caused me to want to produce them."<ref name="sfweekly" /> | |||
===''Introducing the Beau Brummels'' and ''The Beau Brummels, Volume 2'' (1965)=== | |||
]'' (1965). From left: Ron Elliott, Declan Mulligan, Sal Valentino, Ron Meagher, John Petersen.]] | |||
{{Listen|pos=left|filename=LaughLaugh.ogg|title="Laugh, Laugh"|description=A sample of "Laugh, Laugh", the debut single by the Beau Brummels, from the band's 1965 album, ''Introducing the Beau Brummels''. This sample illustrates the song shifting from the first verse to the chorus.|format=]}} | |||
The band's debut single, "]" entered the U.S. ] singles chart in January 1965,<ref> | |||
] | |||
{{cite magazine | |||
] | |||
| date=January 2, 1965 | |||
| title=''Billboard'' Hot 100 | |||
| magazine=] | |||
| volume=77 | |||
| issue=1 | |||
| page=10 | |||
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KEUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 | |||
|access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> making them the first successful San Francisco rock band of the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Luhrssen |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |last2=Larson |first2=Michael |date=2017-02-24 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-3514-8 |language=en}}</ref> As the song climbed the charts, many listeners assumed The Beau Brummels were British, due to the band's name and musical style, which recalled such bands as The Beatles and ].<ref name="UnterbergerPage174">Unterberger (2000) p. 174.</ref> | |||
The comparisons were bolstered by Donahue and Mitchell, who had the band dress in Beatlesque suits and spread rumors that the band was indeed British.<ref name="sfweekly" /> | |||
"Laugh, Laugh" peaked at number 15 in February,<ref name="whitburn"> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Whitburn | |||
| first=Joel | |||
| title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits | |||
| edition=8th | |||
| publisher=] (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) | |||
| page=53 | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=2004 | |||
| isbn=978-0-8230-7499-0}}</ref> | |||
but Donahue believed the single would have gone to number one if the band was on a label with stronger distribution.<ref> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Selvin | |||
| first=Joel | |||
| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1996/05/19/PK5621.DTL | |||
| title=Searchin' for The Dock of the Bay | |||
| publisher=] (]) | |||
| date=May 19, 1996 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> The song was the band's highest-charting single in Canada, where it reached number two on the ].<ref name="rpm">{{cite journal | |||
| date=February 15, 1965 | |||
| title=RPM 100 | |||
| journal=] | |||
| publisher=RPM Music Publications Ltd. | |||
| volume=2 | |||
| issue=25 | |||
| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5615&volume=2&issue=25&issue_dt=February%2015%201965&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=4pbtc9uu8udmne9gp7l21vgj75 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009 | |||
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011044229/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5615&volume=2&issue=25&issue_dt=February%2015%201965&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=4pbtc9uu8udmne9gp7l21vgj75 | |||
| archive-date=11 October 2012 | |||
| url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> The band's follow-up single, "]", became the band's highest-charting single in the U.S., peaking at number eight in June.<ref name="whitburn" /> Both songs were included on the band's debut album, '']'', which was released in April and reached number 24 on the ] albums chart.<ref name="albumchart"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3646|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| title=The Beau Brummels – Charts & Awards – ''Billboard'' Albums | |||
| publisher=] (]) | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
The band appeared as themselves and performed in the 1965 ]/comedy movie '']'', (which was later featured in a 1994 episode of '']'').<ref> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Renzi | |||
| first=Thomas C. | |||
| title=H.G. Wells: Six Scientific Romances Adapted for Film | |||
| edition=2nd | |||
| publisher=Scarecrow Press | |||
| page=173 | |||
| location=Lanham, Md. | |||
| year=2004 | |||
| isbn=978-0-8108-4989-1}}</ref> | |||
The band appeared as "The Beau Brummelstones" on '']'' television animated sitcom in the season six episode "Shinrock A Go-Go", which originally aired on December 3, 1965.<ref name="flintstones">This marked the first time a celebrity was on an episode of the Flintstones. | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Childs | |||
| first=T. Mike | |||
| url=https://archive.org/details/rocklopediafakeb00chil | |||
| url-access=registration | |||
| quote=The Rocklopedia Fakebandica. | |||
| title=The Rocklopedia Fakebandica | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| location=New York | |||
| page= | |||
| year=2004 | |||
| isbn=978-0-312-32944-0}}</ref> | |||
When recording began for the band's second album, 1965's '']'', Mulligan was no longer a member of the group.<ref name="UnterbergerPage177">Unterberger (2000) p. 177.</ref> In 1966 Mulligan filed an unsuccessful lawsuit, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed from the group.<ref>he sued the band for $1.25 million in damages, | |||
{{cite magazine | |||
| date=June 4, 1966 | |||
| title=Beau Brummels Deny Charges | |||
| magazine=] | |||
| volume=78 | |||
| issue=8 | |||
| page=10 | |||
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 | |||
|access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> "]", the album's ], was the band's third and final U.S. top 40 hit, peaking at number 38 in August 1965.<ref name="whitburn" /> Another single, "]", reached number 52 in November.<ref name="whitburn" /> While Stone is credited as the album's producer, his involvement, according to Sal Valentino and Ron Elliott, had diminished to the point that the band does not recall any producer being in charge.<ref name="UnterbergerPage177" /> By the end of the year, Elliott began to suffer seizures from his diabetic condition that left him unable to perform.<ref name="elliottbio">{{cite web | |||
| last = Eder | |||
| first = Bruce | |||
| title = Ron Elliott – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1596|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
Don Irving became Elliott's stand-in on guitar when the group performed live, and also recorded with them.<ref name="elliottbio" /> | |||
===''Beau Brummels '66'', ''Triangle'' and ''Bradley's Barn'' (1966–68)=== | |||
The Beau Brummels made a musical guest appearance performing "Just Wait and See" in '']'' (actually filmed in 1965, before ''Village of the Giants'' and when Mulligan was still in the band) a ]-inspired comedy film by ] which was released January 5, 1966. The band continued recording new material despite Autumn verging on collapse.<ref name="UnterbergerPage1778">Unterberger (2000) pp. 177–8.</ref> Such songs as "I Grow Old", "Gentle Wandering Ways" and "Dream On", along with Valentino-composed tracks such as "Love Is Just a Game", "This Is Love", and "Hey, Love", would have most likely been included on the band's third album for Autumn.<ref name="UnterbergerPage178">Unterberger (2000) p. 178.</ref> But before an album was completed and released, the entire Autumn roster, including the Beau Brummels, was transferred to ].<ref name="UnterbergerPage178" /> Warner Bros., however, did not control the band's publishing, and consequently the company chose not to have the band release an album of original material.<ref name="UnterbergerPage178" /> The unreleased songs were later included on the 2005 three-disc ] '']''.<ref name="UnterbergerPage178" /> Instead, Warner Bros. opted to have the band record an album of ]s.<ref name="UnterbergerPage178" /> Released in July 1966, '']'' was considered a commercial and critical disappointment.<ref name="UnterbergerPage1789">Unterberger (2000) pp. 178–9.</ref> The non-album single "]", a ] cover, was the band's sixth and final Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at number 95 in June.<ref name="whitburn" /> Petersen left the band after the album's release to join ],<ref name="rsbio"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebeaubrummels/biography | |||
| title=''Rolling Stone'' – The Beau Brummels – Biography | |||
| publisher=] (Wenner Media) | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> | |||
while Irving departed when he received an induction notice into the ].<ref name="irvingbio">{{cite web | |||
| last = Eder | |||
| first = Bruce | |||
| title = Don Irving – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p435690|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
The three remaining members quit touring to focus on studio work.<ref name="irvingbio" /> | |||
The band resumed writing original material for their fourth album, '']'', produced by ].<ref name="echoes" /> ]s, such as ], who played ] on "]", contributed to the album.<ref name="AllMusic"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Montfichet | |||
| first=Stansted | |||
| url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1550|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| title=''Triangle'' – Overview | |||
| publisher=] (]) | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
Released in July 1967, ''Triangle'' only reached number 197 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart,<ref name="albumchart" /> but it was praised by critics, including Australian journalist and author ] in her 1969 ''Rock Encyclopedia''.<ref name="roxon"> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Roxon | |||
| first=Lillian | |||
| title=Rock Encyclopedia | |||
| url=https://archive.org/details/rockencyclopedia00roxo | |||
| url-access=registration | |||
| edition=1st | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| page= | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=1969 | |||
| isbn=978-0-448-00255-2}}</ref><ref name="mod"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url = http://www.electricroulette.com/2007/10/buried-treasure.html | |||
|title = Buried Treasure - Beau Brummels' ''Triangle'' | |||
|publisher = Electric Roulette (Modculture Media) | |||
|date = October 4, 2007 | |||
|access-date = 29 September 2009 | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080224100256/http://www.electricroulette.com/2007/10/buried-treasure.html | |||
|archive-date = February 24, 2008 | |||
}}</ref> In 1968, Meagher was ] for military service, leaving the Beau Brummels as a duo consisting of Valentino and Elliott.<ref name="meagherbio"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last = Unterberger | |||
| first = Richie | |||
| title = Ron Meagher – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p104851|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
The duo went to Tennessee to record their fifth album, and worked with prominent Nashville session musicians such as ], a drummer on ]'s albums from 1966 to 1969, and guitarist ].<ref name="UnterbergerPage181">Unterberger (2000) p. 181.</ref> The Beau Brummels were so pleased with the results at the studio that they named the album '']'', after ] in which it was recorded.<ref name="autogenerated1"> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Otfinoski | |||
| first=Steven | |||
| title=The Golden Age of Rock Instrumentals | |||
| publisher=] (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) | |||
| page=170 | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=1997 | |||
| isbn=978-0-8230-7639-0}}</ref> | |||
Shortly following the album's release in October 1968, the Beau Brummels split up.<ref name="echoes" /> | |||
===Solo works, other projects and reformation (1969–2013)=== | |||
] | |||
Following a stint in 1969 recording solo singles for ], Valentino assembled a new band, ],<ref name="rsbio" /> which was associated with the hippie commune the ] in the early 1970s.<ref name="villagevoice"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Rosenbaum | |||
| first=Ron | |||
| url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-10-18/specials/hog-farm-s-wayward-bus/http | |||
| title=Hog Farm's Wayward Bus | |||
| publisher=] (Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC.) | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
The band broke up in 1973 after releasing three albums.<ref name="salbio" /> Elliott, who in 1968 played guitar on ]' debut album, '']'', and arranged ]' album, '']'', released a solo album, '']'', in 1970.<ref name="elliottbio" /> During the early 1970s, Elliott produced albums by Levitt & McClure and Pan, and played on albums by ], ] and ].<ref name="elliottbio" /><ref name="UnterbergerPage181"/> Meanwhile, Mulligan and Meagher were members of the Black Velvet Band.<ref name="meagherbio" /> In 1969, Petersen married Roberta Templeman, sister of Harpers Bizarre's ].<ref name="petersenbio"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last = Unterberger | |||
| first = Richie | |||
| title = John Petersen – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p217781|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
Petersen remained with Harper's Bizarre until the band broke up in the early 1970s.<ref name="petersenbio" /> | |||
In February 1974, '']'' magazine reported that the Beau Brummels had reformed in San Francisco.<ref> | |||
{{cite magazine | |||
| date=February 9, 1974 | |||
| title=Inside Track | |||
| magazine=] | |||
| volume=86 | |||
| issue=6 | |||
| page=62 | |||
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ycEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62 | |||
|access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
The band resumed touring, and a 1974 performance recorded in ] near ] was released in 2000 as the '']'' album.<ref> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Eder | |||
| first=Bruce | |||
| url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r497971|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| title=''Live!'' – Overview | |||
| publisher=] (]) | |||
| access-date=26 August 2009}}</ref> | |||
In April 1975, the band released a ], which reached number 180 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart.<ref name="albumchart" /> One of the band's previous singles, 1965's "]", was re-recorded for the album.<ref name="youtellmewhy"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last = Greenwald | |||
| first = Matthew | |||
| title = 'You Tell Me Why' – Song Review | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=song|id=t4031847|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
Although the band split up again soon after the album's release, the Beau Brummels continued to work in various incarnations from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, including shows with ], and often appeared in tandem with ], the psychedelic-era "supergroup".<ref>{{cite web | |||
| last = Matteo | |||
| first = Steve | |||
| title = Meet the Smithereens... Again! | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| date = March 5, 2008 | |||
| url = http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Article/Meet-the-Smithereens-Again.html | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090404044341/http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/Article/Meet-the-Smithereens-Again.html | |||
| archive-date = 4 April 2009 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
The band also performed at shows such as the Baypop 2000 Festival<ref name="baypop"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Sullivan | |||
| first=Denise | |||
| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebeaubrummels/articles/story/5925048/baypop_festival_flashes_back_to_sixties_san_francisco | |||
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512104933/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thebeaubrummels/articles/story/5925048/baypop_festival_flashes_back_to_sixties_san_francisco | |||
| url-status=dead | |||
| archive-date=May 12, 2006 | |||
| title=Baypop Festival Flashes Back to Sixties San Francisco | |||
| publisher=] (Wenner Media) | |||
| date=August 4, 2000 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
and the 2002 Summer of Love Festival, both in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|last = Dullum | |||
|first = Daniel | |||
|url = http://www.senior-spectrum.com/features_101502/index.html | |||
|title = Beau Brummels' Singer Sal Valentino Still Rocking, Ready For Band Reunion | |||
|publisher = Spectrum Online (Metropolitan News Company) | |||
|date = October 22, 2002 | |||
|access-date = 29 September 2009 | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021016090501/http://www.senior-spectrum.com/features_101502/index.html | |||
|url-status = live | |||
|archive-date = October 16, 2002 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In 2006, Valentino released ''Dreamin' Man'', the first solo album of his 50-year career.<ref name="selvin"> | |||
{{cite web | |||
| last=Selvin | |||
| first=Joel | |||
| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/22/DDG53HC7SP1.DTL | |||
| title=Decades in obscurity, Beau Brummels front man surfaces to remind us what the fuss was all about | |||
| publisher=] (]) | |||
| date=February 22, 2006 | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> | |||
Another album, ''Come Out Tonight'', followed later that year, and his third solo album, ''Every Now and Then'', was released in 2008.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| title = ''Every Now and Then'' – Overview | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1292302|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 29 September 2009 }}</ref> | |||
John Petersen died of a heart attack on November 11, 2007.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.nme.com/artists/harpers-bizarre | |||
| title=Artists - Harpers Bizarre - Biography | |||
| work=] | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009 | |||
}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
The remaining original band members reunited to record a studio album, ''Continuum'', released in March 2013 on Bay Sound Records. The album features drum tracks that were recorded in 1965 by Petersen and contains 15 songs written by Elliott, along with re-recordings of "Just a Little", "Don't Talk to Strangers", and "Laugh, Laugh".<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://baysoundrecords.com/bbcon.html | |||
| title=The Beau Brummels – 'Continuum' | |||
| publisher=Bay Sound Records | |||
| access-date=29 May 2013 | |||
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725051917/http://baysoundrecords.com/bbcon.html | |||
| archive-date=25 July 2013 | |||
| url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Musical style== | |||
{{Listen|pos=left|filename=MagicHollow.ogg|title="Magic Hollow"|description=A sample of "Magic Hollow", from the band's 1967 album, ''Triangle''. The song, which features ] on harpsichord, illustrates the band's psychedelic pop sound.|format=]}} | |||
Combining beat music and folk rock,<ref name="garage"> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Tahsler | |||
| first=Bruce | |||
| title=''Garage Bands From the Sixties, Then and Now'' | |||
| publisher=Teens 'N Twenties Publications | |||
| location=San Francisco | |||
| edition=2nd | |||
| year=2007 | |||
| page=73 | |||
| isbn=978-1-4243-1813-1}}</ref> | |||
the Beau Brummels were most often compared, especially early in their career, to British bands such as the Beatles and the Zombies.<ref name="UnterbergerPage174" /> The Beau Brummels were fans of these acts as well as ] and ], and originally patterned their overall style after the ] sound.<ref> | |||
{{cite journal | |||
| date=March 17, 1965 | |||
| title=Beau Brummels Zoom Toward Top | |||
| journal=] | |||
| publisher=Beat Publications, Inc. | |||
| page=2 }}</ref> | |||
The melancholy, minor keys of debut single "]" led many listeners mistakenly to believe that the band were indeed British.<ref name="bbbio">{{cite web | |||
| last=Unterberger | |||
| first=Richie | |||
| title = The Beau Brummels – Biography | |||
| publisher = ] (]) | |||
| url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3646|pure_url=yes}} | |||
| access-date = 30 September 2009 }}</ref> | |||
As the band evolved, they incorporated different ]s into their works, ranging from ] to ] to ].<ref> | |||
{{cite journal | |||
| date=April 23, 1966 | |||
| last=Criscione | |||
| first=Louise | |||
| title=Beau Brummels – 'That's the Way We Want It | |||
| journal=] | |||
| publisher=Beat Publications, Inc. | |||
| page=7 }}</ref> | |||
The '']'' album exhibited the band's growing interest in country music along with elements of ], including the use of strings, brass, woodwinds, harpsichord, and various types of unique percussion.<ref name="sfweekly" /> Ron Elliott said the album was "sort of a mood swing into the world that was around us at the time. It was sort of dissolving into this drug culture. So the music became very ethereal, mystic, and mysterious."<ref name="UnterbergerPage180">Unterberger (2000) p. 180.</ref> The band's ] fusion was most evident on their 1968 album '']'', which Elliott said was similar stylistically to ''Triangle'', but with more country accents.<ref name="UnterbergerPage1801">Unterberger (2000) pp. 180–1.</ref> | |||
The band members have been hesitant to categorize their music, preferring to call it a combination of styles, according to Elliott.<ref name="style"> | |||
{{cite journal | |||
| date=November 27, 1965 | |||
| last=Criscione | |||
| first=Louise | |||
| title=Beau Brummels Blackballed? | |||
| journal=] | |||
| publisher=Beat Publications, Inc. | |||
| page=15 }}</ref> | |||
"We don't play anything really different—we play melodically and rhythmically", he said in a 1965 interview.<ref name="style" /> "I think that's why the Stones have made it. They don't do anything really fantastic but they have good taste, and good taste is more important than speed."<ref name="style" /> Sal Valentino praised Elliott's vocal style, saying that "Ron had a great low register. He knew how to write in the best keys for me." Valentino added, "From the time I started singing in bands, I didn't really sing too many other people's songs other than Ron's. Being able to sing just one person's writing, who was a pretty able writer with ability to adjust to what he's working with, had a lot to do with the way I sang."<ref name="UnterbergerPage180" /> Valentino also credited Sly Stone's input for the band's early success. "He had a lot to do with making our music relatable and anticipating how our records would sound on the radio, particularly on the bottom, rhythm end. Sly was very motivated to make a lot of money, and he was awfully talented."<ref name="goldmine" /> | |||
==Legacy== | |||
]'']] | |||
The Beau Brummels are considered the first band from a burgeoning San Francisco music scene<ref name="baypop" /><ref name="selvin" /> to achieve widespread success in response to the British Invasion, standing out among such bands as ], ], the ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="echoes" /> At the height of the band's popularity, the Beau Brummels were regarded as ]s, appearing on several television music variety shows including '']'', '']'' and '']'', as well as the ]s '']'' and '']''.<ref name="sfweekly" /> The band also appeared as the Beau Brummelstones in a 1965 episode of the animated television sitcom '']''.<ref name="flintstones" /> The band pioneered blending beat music with folk rock, as "]" was recorded before ] recorded "]".<ref name="sfweekly" /><ref name="garage" /> The group's '']'' (1967) and '']'' (1968) albums are considered early examples in the ] music genre.<ref name="UnterbergerPage183">Unterberger (2000) p. 183.</ref> | |||
"Laugh, Laugh" was included on the 1998 reissue of '']'', a ] of American ] singles that helped influence the development of 1970s ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599377/196_nuggets_original_artyfacts_from_the_first_psychedelic_era_19651968 | |||
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070619034236/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6599377/196_nuggets_original_artyfacts_from_the_first_psychedelic_era_19651968 | |||
| url-status=dead | |||
| archive-date=June 19, 2007 | |||
| title=Rolling Stone'' – ''Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 | |||
| publisher=] (Wenner Media) | |||
| date=August 1, 2003 | |||
| access-date=22 August 2009}}</ref><ref> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Savage | |||
| first=Jon | |||
| title=England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond | |||
| edition=Revised | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| pages=64, 81, 561 | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=2002 | |||
| isbn=978-0-312-28822-8}}</ref><ref> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Gray | |||
| first=Marcus | |||
| title=The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town | |||
| edition=2nd | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| page=28 | |||
| location=Milwaukee, Wis. | |||
| year=2004 | |||
| isbn=978-0-634-08240-5}}</ref> | |||
The song was also featured during a scene in the 1989 ] film '']'', starring ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1064853/ | |||
| title=Filmography Overview - The Beau Brummels | |||
| website=] | |||
| access-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> In 1994, "Laugh, Laugh" was named to the ]'s exhibit showcasing ]".<ref>{{cite news | |||
|title = 500 Songs That Shaped Rock | |||
|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DP&p_theme=dp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF446A16387E7B&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | |||
|newspaper=] | |||
|date=September 3, 1995 | |||
|page=A-10 | |||
|access-date=21 November 2010}}</ref> | |||
In the June 1997 issue of '']'' magazine, "]" was selected as one of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Classics".<ref> | |||
{{cite journal | |||
| title=100 Greatest Psychedelic Classics | |||
| journal=] | |||
| date=June 1997}}</ref> Music journalist and author Tom Moon named '']'' to his 2008 book of the ''1,001 Recordings to Hear Before You Die''.<ref> | |||
{{cite book | |||
| last=Moon | |||
| first=Tom | |||
| title=1,001 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| page= | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=2008 | |||
| isbn=978-0-7611-3963-8 | |||
| url-access=registration | |||
| url=https://archive.org/details/1000recordingsto00moon_0/page/63 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Band members== | |||
===Original line-up=== | |||
* ] – lead vocals, ] (1964–1969, 1974–1975) | |||
* ] – lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1969, 1974–1975) | |||
* ] – bass, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1967, 1974) | |||
* ] – rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1965, 1974–1975; died 2021) | |||
* ] – drums, occasional lead vocal (1964–1966, 1974–1975; died 2007) | |||
===Subsequent members=== | |||
* ] – guitars, backing vocals (1965–1966) | |||
* Dan Levitt – ], guitars (1974–1975) | |||
* Peter Tepp – drums (completed 1975 tour) | |||
===Timeline=== | |||
<div style="text-align:center;"> | |||
<timeline> | |||
ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:27 | |||
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 | |||
Alignbars = justify | |||
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy | |||
Period = from:01/01/1964 till:31/12/1975 | |||
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:mm/dd/yyyy | |||
Colors = | |||
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals | |||
id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars | |||
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass | |||
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums | |||
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom | |||
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1964 | |||
PlotData= | |||
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) | |||
bar:Sal Valentino from:01/04/1964 till:01/01/1969 color:Vocals | |||
bar:Sal Valentino from:01/02/1974 till:01/09/1975 color:Vocals | |||
bar:Ron Elliott from:01/04/1964 till:01/01/1969 color:Guitars | |||
bar:Ron Elliott from:01/02/1974 till:01/09/1975 color:Guitars | |||
bar:Declan Mulligan from:01/04/1964 till:01/07/1965 color:Guitars | |||
bar:Declan Mulligan from:01/02/1974 till:01/09/1975 color:Bass | |||
bar:Don Irving from:01/10/1965 till:01/09/1966 color:Guitars | |||
bar:Dan Levitt from:01/09/1974 till:01/09/1975 color:Guitars | |||
bar:Ron Meagher from:01/04/1964 till:01/05/1967 color:Bass | |||
bar:Ron Meagher from:01/02/1974 till:01/09/1974 color:Guitars | |||
bar:John Petersen from:01/04/1964 till:01/09/1966 color:Drums | |||
bar:John Petersen from:01/02/1974 till:01/06/1975 color:Drums | |||
</timeline> | |||
</div> | |||
* Note: The Beau Brummels were inactive during the 1969–1974 period. | |||
==Discography== | |||
{{Main|The Beau Brummels discography}} | |||
* 1965: '']'' | |||
* 1965: '']'' | |||
* 1966: '']'' | |||
* 1967: '']'' | |||
* 1968: '']'' | |||
* 1975: '']'' | |||
* 2013: ''Continuum'' | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
==Notes== | |||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
==References== | |||
* {{cite book | |||
| last=Unterberger | |||
| first=Richie | |||
| title=Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| location=San Francisco | |||
| year=2000 | |||
| isbn=978-0-87930-616-8 | |||
| url-access=registration | |||
| url=https://archive.org/details/urbanspacemenway0000unte | |||
}} | |||
* {{cite book | |||
| last1=March | |||
| first1=Jeff | |||
| last2=Childs | |||
| first2=Marti | |||
| title=Echoes of the Sixties | |||
| publisher=] (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) | |||
| location=New York | |||
| year=1999 | |||
| isbn=978-0-8230-8316-9}} | |||
==External links== | |||
{{Commons category}} | |||
* | |||
* {{Discogs artist|The Beau Brummels}} | |||
* {{IMDb name|1064853}} | |||
{{The Beau Brummels}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beau Brummels, The}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
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] | |||
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] |
Latest revision as of 15:17, 4 January 2025
American rock band For other uses, see Beau Brummell (disambiguation).
The Beau Brummels | |
---|---|
The Beau Brummels in 1965. Top row: Declan Mulligan, Sal Valentino. Bottom row: Ron Meagher, John Peterson, Ron Elliott | |
Background information | |
Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1964–1969, 1974–1975, 2000, 2002, 2013 |
Labels | Autumn, Vault, Warner Bros., Bay Sound Records, Vogue Schallplatten |
Past members | Sal Valentino Ron Elliott Ron Meagher Declan Mulligan John Petersen Don Irving |
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Ron Meagher (bass guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, bass, harmonica), and John Petersen (drums). They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to the Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.
The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, "Laugh, Laugh", for which they would later be credited with setting one of the aesthetic foundations for the San Francisco sound, along with other bands such as the Charlatans; the song is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's Introducing The Beau Brummels, and the Top 10 single "Just a Little". The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by Warner Bros. Records. After recording an album of cover songs, Beau Brummels '66, the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: Triangle in 1967 and Bradley's Barn in 1968.
The band underwent several personnel changes, beginning with Mulligan's departure in 1965. Guitarist Don Irving joined the band in late 1965 when Elliott began to suffer seizures resulting from a diabetic condition, leaving him unable to tour with the band. Shortly after the release of Beau Brummels '66, Irving left the group when he was inducted into the armed forces. Petersen left to join Harpers Bizarre, reducing the Beau Brummels to a trio for the recording of Triangle. Meagher was drafted for military service in 1968, leaving Valentino and Elliott as the only remaining band members. The duo worked with prominent Nashville session musicians to record Bradley's Barn before parting ways in 1969 to focus on solo material and participate in projects by other artists. Four of the original Beau Brummels re-formed in 1974 with one new member, and the band released a self-titled album the following year.
History
Formation (1964)
Sal Valentino grew up in the North Beach section of San Francisco. In early 1964, following a string of appearances as a singer on local television, Valentino received an offer to play a regular gig at El Cid, a San Francisco club. Needing a band, he called childhood friend and songwriter/guitarist Ron Elliott, who recruited drummer John Petersen, rhythm guitarist/singer Declan Mulligan, and bassist Ron Meagher. Victor Savant, later to achieve fame in Europe as musical director for schlager singer Roberto Blanco, was in the band for a brief period as a pianist, but never recorded with the band. The gig led to a more lucrative deal at the Morocco Room, a club in nearby San Mateo, California. Meanwhile, San Francisco disc jockeys Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell were looking for new acts to bring to their fledgling Autumn Records label. Donahue and Mitchell wanted to capitalize on the Beatlemania craze that originated the previous year in the UK and was spreading across the U.S. by this time. Rich Romanello, owner of the Morocco Room and the Brummels' first manager, asked Donahue and Mitchell to see the band perform at the club. Romanello recalled, "There were maybe four people in the place, and they set up and started playing, and that old hair on my arm goes up. And when the hair on your arm goes up, you got something. It was a big change, to go from saxophones and black singers to a white guitar sound, but I hired 'em." The Beau Brummels signed with Autumn, where house producer Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone fame—produced the group's early recording sessions.
The Beau Brummels took their name from the Regency era English dandy Beau Brummell. The group liked having a British-sounding name, and the legend has been, since it so closely followed The Beatles in the alphabet, the group also knew their records would likely be placed immediately behind those of The Beatles in record-store bins. Valentino dismissed this notion in a 2008 interview with Goldmine magazine. "That's a total myth", he said. "We just needed a name, and that sounded good. We didn't even know how to spell it. Everybody now has a notion of what people were thinking back then, but we never thought of those kinds of things." Al Hazan, who produced the band's demo recording, noted, "I never thought of the Brummels in terms of the Beatles—it was Ron Elliott's talent as a songwriter that caused me to want to produce them."
Introducing the Beau Brummels and The Beau Brummels, Volume 2 (1965)
"Laugh, Laugh" A sample of "Laugh, Laugh", the debut single by the Beau Brummels, from the band's 1965 album, Introducing the Beau Brummels. This sample illustrates the song shifting from the first verse to the chorus.Problems playing this file? See media help.
The band's debut single, "Laugh, Laugh" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1965, making them the first successful San Francisco rock band of the 1960s. As the song climbed the charts, many listeners assumed The Beau Brummels were British, due to the band's name and musical style, which recalled such bands as The Beatles and The Zombies. The comparisons were bolstered by Donahue and Mitchell, who had the band dress in Beatlesque suits and spread rumors that the band was indeed British. "Laugh, Laugh" peaked at number 15 in February, but Donahue believed the single would have gone to number one if the band was on a label with stronger distribution. The song was the band's highest-charting single in Canada, where it reached number two on the Canadian Singles Chart. The band's follow-up single, "Just a Little", became the band's highest-charting single in the U.S., peaking at number eight in June. Both songs were included on the band's debut album, Introducing the Beau Brummels, which was released in April and reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The band appeared as themselves and performed in the 1965 science-fiction/comedy movie Village of the Giants, (which was later featured in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000). The band appeared as "The Beau Brummelstones" on The Flintstones television animated sitcom in the season six episode "Shinrock A Go-Go", which originally aired on December 3, 1965.
When recording began for the band's second album, 1965's The Beau Brummels, Volume 2, Mulligan was no longer a member of the group. In 1966 Mulligan filed an unsuccessful lawsuit, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed from the group. "You Tell Me Why", the album's lead single, was the band's third and final U.S. top 40 hit, peaking at number 38 in August 1965. Another single, "Don't Talk to Strangers", reached number 52 in November. While Stone is credited as the album's producer, his involvement, according to Sal Valentino and Ron Elliott, had diminished to the point that the band does not recall any producer being in charge. By the end of the year, Elliott began to suffer seizures from his diabetic condition that left him unable to perform. Don Irving became Elliott's stand-in on guitar when the group performed live, and also recorded with them.
Beau Brummels '66, Triangle and Bradley's Barn (1966–68)
The Beau Brummels made a musical guest appearance performing "Just Wait and See" in Wild Wild Winter (actually filmed in 1965, before Village of the Giants and when Mulligan was still in the band) a beach party-inspired comedy film by Universal Pictures which was released January 5, 1966. The band continued recording new material despite Autumn verging on collapse. Such songs as "I Grow Old", "Gentle Wandering Ways" and "Dream On", along with Valentino-composed tracks such as "Love Is Just a Game", "This Is Love", and "Hey, Love", would have most likely been included on the band's third album for Autumn. But before an album was completed and released, the entire Autumn roster, including the Beau Brummels, was transferred to Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros., however, did not control the band's publishing, and consequently the company chose not to have the band release an album of original material. The unreleased songs were later included on the 2005 three-disc compilation album San Fran Sessions. Instead, Warner Bros. opted to have the band record an album of cover songs. Released in July 1966, Beau Brummels '66 was considered a commercial and critical disappointment. The non-album single "One Too Many Mornings", a Bob Dylan cover, was the band's sixth and final Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at number 95 in June. Petersen left the band after the album's release to join Harpers Bizarre, while Irving departed when he received an induction notice into the armed forces. The three remaining members quit touring to focus on studio work.
The band resumed writing original material for their fourth album, Triangle, produced by Lenny Waronker. Session musicians, such as Van Dyke Parks, who played harpsichord on "Magic Hollow", contributed to the album. Released in July 1967, Triangle only reached number 197 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, but it was praised by critics, including Australian journalist and author Lillian Roxon in her 1969 Rock Encyclopedia. In 1968, Meagher was drafted for military service, leaving the Beau Brummels as a duo consisting of Valentino and Elliott. The duo went to Tennessee to record their fifth album, and worked with prominent Nashville session musicians such as Kenny Buttrey, a drummer on Bob Dylan's albums from 1966 to 1969, and guitarist Jerry Reed. The Beau Brummels were so pleased with the results at the studio that they named the album Bradley's Barn, after the studio in which it was recorded. Shortly following the album's release in October 1968, the Beau Brummels split up.
Solo works, other projects and reformation (1969–2013)
Following a stint in 1969 recording solo singles for Warner Bros. Records, Valentino assembled a new band, Stoneground, which was associated with the hippie commune the Hog Farm in the early 1970s. The band broke up in 1973 after releasing three albums. Elliott, who in 1968 played guitar on Van Dyke Parks' debut album, Song Cycle, and arranged The Everly Brothers' album, Roots, released a solo album, The Candlestickmaker, in 1970. During the early 1970s, Elliott produced albums by Levitt & McClure and Pan, and played on albums by Van Morrison, Randy Newman and Little Feat. Meanwhile, Mulligan and Meagher were members of the Black Velvet Band. In 1969, Petersen married Roberta Templeman, sister of Harpers Bizarre's Ted Templeman. Petersen remained with Harper's Bizarre until the band broke up in the early 1970s.
In February 1974, Billboard magazine reported that the Beau Brummels had reformed in San Francisco. The band resumed touring, and a 1974 performance recorded in Fair Oaks Village near Sacramento, California was released in 2000 as the Live! album. In April 1975, the band released a self-titled studio album, which reached number 180 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. One of the band's previous singles, 1965's "You Tell Me Why", was re-recorded for the album.
Although the band split up again soon after the album's release, the Beau Brummels continued to work in various incarnations from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, including shows with The Smithereens, and often appeared in tandem with Dinosaurs, the psychedelic-era "supergroup". The band also performed at shows such as the Baypop 2000 Festival and the 2002 Summer of Love Festival, both in San Francisco. In 2006, Valentino released Dreamin' Man, the first solo album of his 50-year career. Another album, Come Out Tonight, followed later that year, and his third solo album, Every Now and Then, was released in 2008. John Petersen died of a heart attack on November 11, 2007.
The remaining original band members reunited to record a studio album, Continuum, released in March 2013 on Bay Sound Records. The album features drum tracks that were recorded in 1965 by Petersen and contains 15 songs written by Elliott, along with re-recordings of "Just a Little", "Don't Talk to Strangers", and "Laugh, Laugh".
Musical style
"Magic Hollow" A sample of "Magic Hollow", from the band's 1967 album, Triangle. The song, which features Van Dyke Parks on harpsichord, illustrates the band's psychedelic pop sound.Problems playing this file? See media help.
Combining beat music and folk rock, the Beau Brummels were most often compared, especially early in their career, to British bands such as the Beatles and the Zombies. The Beau Brummels were fans of these acts as well as The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, and originally patterned their overall style after the British Invasion sound. The melancholy, minor keys of debut single "Laugh, Laugh" led many listeners mistakenly to believe that the band were indeed British. As the band evolved, they incorporated different music genres into their works, ranging from hard rock to country and western to rhythm and blues. The Triangle album exhibited the band's growing interest in country music along with elements of psychedelic pop, including the use of strings, brass, woodwinds, harpsichord, and various types of unique percussion. Ron Elliott said the album was "sort of a mood swing into the world that was around us at the time. It was sort of dissolving into this drug culture. So the music became very ethereal, mystic, and mysterious." The band's country rock fusion was most evident on their 1968 album Bradley's Barn, which Elliott said was similar stylistically to Triangle, but with more country accents.
The band members have been hesitant to categorize their music, preferring to call it a combination of styles, according to Elliott. "We don't play anything really different—we play melodically and rhythmically", he said in a 1965 interview. "I think that's why the Stones have made it. They don't do anything really fantastic but they have good taste, and good taste is more important than speed." Sal Valentino praised Elliott's vocal style, saying that "Ron had a great low register. He knew how to write in the best keys for me." Valentino added, "From the time I started singing in bands, I didn't really sing too many other people's songs other than Ron's. Being able to sing just one person's writing, who was a pretty able writer with ability to adjust to what he's working with, had a lot to do with the way I sang." Valentino also credited Sly Stone's input for the band's early success. "He had a lot to do with making our music relatable and anticipating how our records would sound on the radio, particularly on the bottom, rhythm end. Sly was very motivated to make a lot of money, and he was awfully talented."
Legacy
The Beau Brummels are considered the first band from a burgeoning San Francisco music scene to achieve widespread success in response to the British Invasion, standing out among such bands as The Charlatans, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, We Five, Moby Grape, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Country Joe and the Fish. At the height of the band's popularity, the Beau Brummels were regarded as teen idols, appearing on several television music variety shows including American Bandstand, Shindig! and Hullabaloo, as well as the teen films Village of the Giants and Wild Wild Winter. The band also appeared as the Beau Brummelstones in a 1965 episode of the animated television sitcom The Flintstones. The band pioneered blending beat music with folk rock, as "Laugh, Laugh" was recorded before The Byrds recorded "Mr. Tambourine Man". The group's Triangle (1967) and Bradley's Barn (1968) albums are considered early examples in the country rock music genre.
"Laugh, Laugh" was included on the 1998 reissue of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968, a compilation double album of American garage rock singles that helped influence the development of 1970s punk rock. The song was also featured during a scene in the 1989 comedy-drama film Uncle Buck, starring John Candy. In 1994, "Laugh, Laugh" was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's exhibit showcasing The 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". In the June 1997 issue of Mojo magazine, "Magic Hollow" was selected as one of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Classics". Music journalist and author Tom Moon named Triangle to his 2008 book of the 1,001 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
Band members
Original line-up
- Sal Valentino – lead vocals, tambourine (1964–1969, 1974–1975)
- Ron Elliott – lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1969, 1974–1975)
- Ron Meagher – bass, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1967, 1974)
- Declan Mulligan – rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, occasional lead (1964–1965, 1974–1975; died 2021)
- John Petersen – drums, occasional lead vocal (1964–1966, 1974–1975; died 2007)
Subsequent members
- Don Irving – guitars, backing vocals (1965–1966)
- Dan Levitt – banjo, guitars (1974–1975)
- Peter Tepp – drums (completed 1975 tour)
Timeline
- Note: The Beau Brummels were inactive during the 1969–1974 period.
Discography
Main article: The Beau Brummels discography- 1965: Introducing the Beau Brummels
- 1965: The Beau Brummels, Volume 2
- 1966: Beau Brummels '66
- 1967: Triangle
- 1968: Bradley's Barn
- 1975: The Beau Brummels
- 2013: Continuum
See also
Notes
- Whiting, Sam (November 11, 2021). "Original Beau Brummels member Declan Mulligan, who helped shape San Francisco sound, dies at 83". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- "Experience The Music: One Hit Wonders and The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ March, Jeff; Childs, Marti (1999). Echoes of the Sixties. New York: Billboard Books (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). pp. 136, 141. ISBN 978-0-8230-8316-9.
- ^ Eder, Bruce; Kergan, Wade. "Sal Valentino – Biography". AllMusic (TiVo Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Farrar, Justin F. (March 1, 2006). "Oh, Pioneers". SF Weekly (New Times Media). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Kaliss, Jeff (2008). I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & the Family Stone. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-87930-934-3.
- Gulla, Bob (2007). Icons of R&B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists Who Revolutionized Rhythm, Volume 2. Westport, Conn: Greenwood. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-313-34046-8.
- "Trivial Pursuit: The Test of Dandy Knowledge". Dandyism.net. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
- Kelly, Michael Bryan (1991). The Beatle Myth : The British Invasion of American Popular Music, 1956–1969. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland. p. 183. ISBN 0-89950-579-1.
- ^ Cohen, Elliot Stephen (April 24, 2008). "Beau Brummels Look to Rewrite History with Greatest-Hits Package". Goldmine (F+W Media). Retrieved September 29, 2010.
- "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 1. January 2, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael (February 24, 2017). Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
- ^ Unterberger (2000) p. 174.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). p. 53. ISBN 978-0-8230-7499-0.
- Selvin, Joel (May 19, 1996). "Searchin' for The Dock of the Bay". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "RPM 100". RPM. 2 (25). RPM Music Publications Ltd. February 15, 1965. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ "The Beau Brummels – Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums". AllMusic (TiVo Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Renzi, Thomas C. (2004). H.G. Wells: Six Scientific Romances Adapted for Film (2nd ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-8108-4989-1.
- ^ This marked the first time a celebrity was on an episode of the Flintstones.
Childs, T. Mike (2004). The Rocklopedia Fakebandica. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-312-32944-0.
The Rocklopedia Fakebandica.
- ^ Unterberger (2000) p. 177.
- he sued the band for $1.25 million in damages, "Beau Brummels Deny Charges". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 8. June 4, 1966. p. 10. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Ron Elliott – Biography". AllMusic (TiVo Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Unterberger (2000) pp. 177–8.
- ^ Unterberger (2000) p. 178.
- Unterberger (2000) pp. 178–9.
- ^ "Rolling Stone – The Beau Brummels – Biography". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Don Irving – Biography". AllMusic (TiVo Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Montfichet, Stansted. "Triangle – Overview". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Roxon, Lillian (1969). Rock Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-448-00255-2.
- "Buried Treasure - Beau Brummels' Triangle". Electric Roulette (Modculture Media). October 4, 2007. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Ron Meagher – Biography". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Unterberger (2000) p. 181.
- Otfinoski, Steven (1997). The Golden Age of Rock Instrumentals. New York: Billboard Books (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). p. 170. ISBN 978-0-8230-7639-0.
- Rosenbaum, Ron. "Hog Farm's Wayward Bus". The Village Voice (Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC.). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "John Petersen – Biography". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "Inside Track". Billboard. Vol. 86, no. 6. February 9, 1974. p. 62. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Eder, Bruce. "Live! – Overview". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- Greenwald, Matthew. "'You Tell Me Why' – Song Review". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Matteo, Steve (March 5, 2008). "Meet the Smithereens... Again!". Crawdaddy!. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Sullivan, Denise (August 4, 2000). "Baypop Festival Flashes Back to Sixties San Francisco". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- Dullum, Daniel (October 22, 2002). "Beau Brummels' Singer Sal Valentino Still Rocking, Ready For Band Reunion". Spectrum Online (Metropolitan News Company). Archived from the original on October 16, 2002. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (February 22, 2006). "Decades in obscurity, Beau Brummels front man surfaces to remind us what the fuss was all about". San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "Every Now and Then – Overview". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "Artists - Harpers Bizarre - Biography". NME. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "The Beau Brummels – 'Continuum'". Bay Sound Records. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ Tahsler, Bruce (2007). Garage Bands From the Sixties, Then and Now (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Teens 'N Twenties Publications. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4243-1813-1.
- "Beau Brummels Zoom Toward Top". KRLA Beat. Beat Publications, Inc.: 2 March 17, 1965.
- Unterberger, Richie. "The Beau Brummels – Biography". AllMusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved September 30, 2009.
- Criscione, Louise (April 23, 1966). "Beau Brummels – 'That's the Way We Want It". KRLA Beat. Beat Publications, Inc.: 7.
- ^ Unterberger (2000) p. 180.
- Unterberger (2000) pp. 180–1.
- ^ Criscione, Louise (November 27, 1965). "Beau Brummels Blackballed?". KRLA Beat. Beat Publications, Inc.: 15.
- Unterberger (2000) p. 183.
- "Rolling Stone – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). August 1, 2003. Archived from the original on June 19, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
- Savage, Jon (2002). England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond (Revised ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 64, 81, 561. ISBN 978-0-312-28822-8.
- Gray, Marcus (2004). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town (2nd ed.). Milwaukee, Wis.: Hal Leonard. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-634-08240-5.
- "Filmography Overview - The Beau Brummels". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". The Denver Post. September 3, 1995. p. A-10. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- "100 Greatest Psychedelic Classics". Mojo. June 1997.
- Moon, Tom (2008). 1,001 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List. New York: Workman Publishing Company. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7611-3963-8.
References
- Unterberger, Richie (2000). Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of '60s Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc. ISBN 978-0-87930-616-8.
- March, Jeff; Childs, Marti (1999). Echoes of the Sixties. New York: Billboard Books (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). ISBN 978-0-8230-8316-9.
External links
- Official Sal Valentino site
- The Beau Brummels discography at Discogs
- The Beau Brummels at IMDb
The Beau Brummels | |
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Filmography | |
Related articles | |
- The Beau Brummels
- 1964 establishments in California
- 1975 disestablishments in California
- Folk rock groups from California
- Musical groups established in 1964
- Musical groups disestablished in 1969
- Musical groups reestablished in 1974
- Musical groups disestablished in 1975
- Musical groups from San Francisco
- Musical quintets from California
- Psychedelic pop music groups
- Psychedelic rock music groups from California
- Autumn Records artists
- Warner Records artists
- Cultural depictions of Beau Brummell
- Vogue Schallplatten artists