The Emperors (Wickwire)

The Emperors recorded two 45's on the Wickwire label in the early 1960's. This was their first release on the Wickwire Label. Of course the Emperor's sound changed after Wickwire 45's to garage. This 45 is more pop with a flute.

The Quinns (Capito)

From Michigan, the Quinns in 1966 released this cool 45 on the Capito label.

The Squires (CrestLine)

Here's a great Surf/ Garage record from 1965.  I think the Squires were from Missouri.

The Cords ( Hit )

Hit Records was a record company based in Nashville Tennessee which from 1962-1969 specialized in sound alike or cover versions of popular hit records. Hit Records were sold for less than half the price of the hit recordings they were covering. The Cords were a band that work for the record label and did covers of some Herman Hermits songs as well as one from the Animals.  The Cords did a fairly good version of The McCoys "Fever". I'm guessing that this 45 was released in late 1965 or early 1966. If you research the history of the bands who performed for Hit Records the Cords are listed as the Chords.

The Runaways (Cle Town)

The Runaways from Ohio released their only record in 1965 on the Cle Town label. I'm a Runaway was local hit for the band .

The Red Coats (Orchid)

In 1966 The Red Coats recorded this very nice moody garage song on the Orchid label. The flip side has more of a mellow pop sound with a decent organ . They would later change their name to the Sunday Funnies.

                                                                         The Red Coats - You Told A Lie

                                               The Red Coats - I'm Goning To Tell You About My Baby

The Gatormen (Camelot)

The Gatormen were from Juneau, Alaska. They were very popular locally. The group traveled to Seattle, Washington and recorded a couple 45's for Camelot Records.."Namu the Killer Whale" was the most remembered song from Gatormen. The record featured today is the lesser known 45 from the group. Band member Bill Johnson shares a nice history of Gatormen that is worth your time to read. He also provides some cool photo's as well.  

                                                                        The Gatormen - Hey Girl

                                                                           The Gatormen - Oh Honey

The Torques (Delta)

Here's a great record from 1965. The Torques from Farmington, New Mexico released  only one 45 but it was an outstanding effort from the band in every way. They had that cool British Invasion/Garage sound of the 1960's. I only wish they would have made another record.  Ramblehouse.com has some live recordings of The Torques.that is well worth checking out.

Skip Batchelor,         Bob Amerman,         Dwight Babcock,         Fender Tucker

                              

The Break Outs (Spider)

The Break Outs were from Greenup, Kentucky. Rockabilly pioneer Billy Adams was in this group.The Break Outs released two 45's on the Spider record label. The record featured on the blog is the second of the two. It was released in 1964.

The Fortels (Wam)

The Fortels were a teen garage combo from Ohio that played local dances and teen clubs. They recorded a nice moody garage 45 on the WAM record label in 1965. In 1966 they changed their name to the Men Of Eden and started to move in a soulish direction, adding horns. They broke up in 1967 as members began to move onto college and jobs. Special thanks to the Buckeye Beat website for all the information about the Fortels.

The Counts (Key)

In 1965 the Counts released this wonderful Surf/Garage record . The Counts were from Kalamazoo Michigan. This 45 also came with a nice picture sleeve .

The Flares (Landa)

The Flares were from Pennsylvania. They recorded this great garage two sider in 1965.