The Knickerbockers
Encyclopedia
The Knickerbockers were an American
pop
/rock music
group
, best remembered for their 1965 Beatles sound alike hit single
, "Lies."
by brothers Beau Charles (guitar & vocals) and John Charles (bass & vocals) (birth names: Robert and John Carlos Cecchino respectively) with fluctuating personnel until 1964, when they met Buddy Randell (vocals & sax) (birth name: William Crandall). Buddy was previously of the Rockin' Saints and the Royal Teens
, who had a hit with "Short Shorts" in 1958. They took their name from Knickerbocker Road, which ran through the town next to their hometown.
The classic line-up consisted of Randell, the Charles brothers and drummer Jimmy Walker (previously the drummer with the Massena
-based Atco Records
act The Castle Kings in New York). They were spotted by producer and singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller
playing the University Twist Palace in Albany, New York
, and he subsequently signed them to Los Angeles
-based Challenge Records
.
. (Furthermore, the song's lyrics refer to "hot rod
s," like so many other popular songs of the day). Finally, The Knickerbockers had a Top 20 hit in early 1966 with "Lies." Somewhat ironically, the song is most famous today for being blatantly derivative of contemporary songs by The Beatles
, due to Randell's lead vocal sounding uncannily similar to John Lennon
, as well as the vocal whoops before the guitar solo and later in the song, which were very reminiscent of Paul McCartney
. Allmusic remarks that the song is "justly regarded as the most accurate early-Beatles imitation." [] Some listeners, unaware of its true source, mistake it for being a "lost" Beatles track.
The follow-up to the smash "Lies" was "One Track Mind", and it was nearly a hit as well. Unfortunately, the band's label, Challenge Records
, couldn't handle the distribution, and the single only reached number 45. The Knickerbockers soldiered on, appearing in the movie Out of Sight
(1966) and as regulars on Dick Clark's ABC-TV
program, Where the Action Is
(1965–1967).
in The Righteous Brothers
. Walker would also record three solo singles for Columbia Records
in 1968–1969, before retiring to Wyoming
for much of the 1970s. Buddy Randell was the next to depart. The Charles brothers kept the band going by adding new members Richie Walker (vocals), Ron Mercier (drums) and Barry McCoy (keyboards) and moving the act to San Francisco. Randell rejoined The Knickerbockers on drums in 1968, leaving again in 1970 (McCoy departed to join Gary Puckett and The Union Gap). Buddy later recorded singles for Uni records ("Randi, Randi"/"Be My Baby" 1970) and under aliases such as Steel Wool ("No Sugar Tonight" White Whale 1969) and Blowtorch ("I Want Sugar all the Time" Paramount Records
1971). Beau Charles was also active outside of the group, too, waxing "Sharon Stay in Birmingham" for White Whale Records
under the alias of Columbus Jones in 1969. (Both of the White Whale and Uni Records
singles were produced or co-produced by George Tobin
, who later went on to produce and manage 1980s teenage singer, Tiffany
).
. They recorded an album (released in 1972) and one single ("Happiness" / "I Hope I See it In My Lifetime") on the Mowest subsidiary, before splitting up.
The Charles brothers and Randell then briefly backed up Playboy Records
artist Brenda Patterson in 1973–1974, most notably appearing on an episode of The Midnight Special
. Beau Charles remained the most visible member of the band throughout the 1970s, appearing in an episode of Harry-O as a lounge singer, and performing on various film and television soundtracks.
Since then, The Knickerbockers have reformed twice. The first time was in 1983 in Los Angeles
, with everyone except Buddy Randell (he was singing with the faith-based band Jerusalem Rivers at the time). They recorded demos with producer Jerry Fuller, but split up soon afterward. The band reformed one more time, performing for a month in Delray Beach, Florida
, in 1990, before disbanding again.
Beau and John Charles have been involved with The Knickerbockers' CD
releases on Sundazed Records
. Buddy Randell died in 1998.
The band's two most popular singles are on the box set Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, and there are numerous re-issues and rarity sets. A compilation album
by the band is The Fabulous Knickerbockers, released on Sundazed Records
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, best remembered for their 1965 Beatles sound alike hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Lies."
Formation
The band was formed in 1962 in Bergenfield, New JerseyBergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,764.Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of the...
by brothers Beau Charles (guitar & vocals) and John Charles (bass & vocals) (birth names: Robert and John Carlos Cecchino respectively) with fluctuating personnel until 1964, when they met Buddy Randell (vocals & sax) (birth name: William Crandall). Buddy was previously of the Rockin' Saints and the Royal Teens
Royal Teens
The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...
, who had a hit with "Short Shorts" in 1958. They took their name from Knickerbocker Road, which ran through the town next to their hometown.
The classic line-up consisted of Randell, the Charles brothers and drummer Jimmy Walker (previously the drummer with the Massena
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
-based Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
act The Castle Kings in New York). They were spotted by producer and singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller
Jerry Fuller
-Biography:Jerry Fuller was born in Fort Worth, Texas to a musical family, his father having been a singer with Bob Wills' Light Crust Doughboys. Jerry Fuller and his brother Bill performed as a duo in their home state, recording for the local Lin label, before Jerry branched out on his own and...
playing the University Twist Palace in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, and he subsequently signed them to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based Challenge Records
Challenge Records (1950s)
Challenge Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1957 by cowboy singer Gene Autry and former Columbia Records A & R representative Joe Johnson. Autry's involvement with the label was short lived as he sold his interest to the remaining partners in October 1958. The label's first success came with...
.
Initial success
Throughout The Knickerbockers' three years of recordings, the group tirelessly pursued current trends; the vocals on "Jerk Town," for example, are heavily derivative of the Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons (group)
The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
. (Furthermore, the song's lyrics refer to "hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
s," like so many other popular songs of the day). Finally, The Knickerbockers had a Top 20 hit in early 1966 with "Lies." Somewhat ironically, the song is most famous today for being blatantly derivative of contemporary songs by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, due to Randell's lead vocal sounding uncannily similar to John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, as well as the vocal whoops before the guitar solo and later in the song, which were very reminiscent of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. Allmusic remarks that the song is "justly regarded as the most accurate early-Beatles imitation." [] Some listeners, unaware of its true source, mistake it for being a "lost" Beatles track.
The follow-up to the smash "Lies" was "One Track Mind", and it was nearly a hit as well. Unfortunately, the band's label, Challenge Records
Challenge Records (1950s)
Challenge Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1957 by cowboy singer Gene Autry and former Columbia Records A & R representative Joe Johnson. Autry's involvement with the label was short lived as he sold his interest to the remaining partners in October 1958. The label's first success came with...
, couldn't handle the distribution, and the single only reached number 45. The Knickerbockers soldiered on, appearing in the movie Out of Sight
Out of Sight (1966 film)
Out of Sight is a 1966 beach party film with elements of the spy spoof. It is the third and last of a series of films geared at teenagers by director Lennie Weinrib and producer Bart Patton for Universal Pictures...
(1966) and as regulars on Dick Clark's ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
program, Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is
Where the Action Is or ' was a music-based television variety show in the United States from 1965–67. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon...
(1965–1967).
Decline
Though the band had a strong songwriter in Beau Charles, the group was hampered by their label's ineptness, and drummer Walker left in late 1967 to replace Bill MedleyBill Medley
William Thomas Medley is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers....
in The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
. Walker would also record three solo singles for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1968–1969, before retiring to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
for much of the 1970s. Buddy Randell was the next to depart. The Charles brothers kept the band going by adding new members Richie Walker (vocals), Ron Mercier (drums) and Barry McCoy (keyboards) and moving the act to San Francisco. Randell rejoined The Knickerbockers on drums in 1968, leaving again in 1970 (McCoy departed to join Gary Puckett and The Union Gap). Buddy later recorded singles for Uni records ("Randi, Randi"/"Be My Baby" 1970) and under aliases such as Steel Wool ("No Sugar Tonight" White Whale 1969) and Blowtorch ("I Want Sugar all the Time" Paramount Records
Paramount Records (1969)
Paramount Records was a record label started in 1969 by Paramount Pictures after acquiring the rights to the name from George H. Buck. The previous label with the same name had been unconnected to Paramount Pictures. The new Paramount label reissued pop releases by sister label Dot Records, which...
1971). Beau Charles was also active outside of the group, too, waxing "Sharon Stay in Birmingham" for White Whale Records
White Whale Records
White Whale Records was an American record label, founded in 1965 by Ted Feigin and Lee Lassiff in Los Angeles, California, and probably best known as the record label of The Turtles....
under the alias of Columbus Jones in 1969. (Both of the White Whale and Uni Records
Uni Records
Uni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...
singles were produced or co-produced by George Tobin
George Tobin
George Tobin is a record producer who has produced albums for a long list of musical artists including Robert John, Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes, Kicking Harold, and PC Quest. He is best known, however, for discovering, managing, and producing the teenage singer Tiffany and showcasing her in malls...
, who later went on to produce and manage 1980s teenage singer, Tiffany
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
).
Other projects and reformation
Beau and John Charles, along with singer Ritchie Costanza and drummer Eric Swanson, were signed to Motown records in 1971, where their name was subsequently changed to LodiLodi
-Places:In Canada:* Lodi, Ontario, a community in North Stormont, OntarioIn Italy:* Lodi, Lombardy, in the Province of Lodi of the Lombardy region** The Treaty of Lodi, 1454 between Italian city-states** The Battle of Lodi, 1796 in Lodi...
. They recorded an album (released in 1972) and one single ("Happiness" / "I Hope I See it In My Lifetime") on the Mowest subsidiary, before splitting up.
The Charles brothers and Randell then briefly backed up Playboy Records
Playboy Records
Playboy Records was a record label in Los Angeles, California, and a unit of Playboy Enterprises. Artists recording for the label included Barbi Benton, Blue Ash, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, Brenda Patterson, Jeanne French , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ivory, Wynn Stewart, Mickey Gilley...
artist Brenda Patterson in 1973–1974, most notably appearing on an episode of The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
. Beau Charles remained the most visible member of the band throughout the 1970s, appearing in an episode of Harry-O as a lounge singer, and performing on various film and television soundtracks.
Since then, The Knickerbockers have reformed twice. The first time was in 1983 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, with everyone except Buddy Randell (he was singing with the faith-based band Jerusalem Rivers at the time). They recorded demos with producer Jerry Fuller, but split up soon afterward. The band reformed one more time, performing for a month in Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
, in 1990, before disbanding again.
Beau and John Charles have been involved with The Knickerbockers' CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
releases on Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
. Buddy Randell died in 1998.
The band's two most popular singles are on the box set Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, and there are numerous re-issues and rarity sets. A compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by the band is The Fabulous Knickerbockers, released on Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
.
Singles
- "All I Need is You" / "Bite Bite Barracuda" (Challenge 59268) 1964
- "Jerktown" / "Room for One More" (Challenge 59293) 1965
- "Lies / "The Coming Generation" (Challenge 59321) 1965 U.S. #20
- "One Track Mind" / "I Must Be Doing Something Right" (Challenge 59326) 1966 U.S. #46
- "High on Love" / "Stick With Me" (Challenge 59332) 1966 U.S. #94
- "Chapel in the Fields" / "Just One Girl" (Challenge 59335) 1966
- "Love is a Bird" / "Rumors, Gossip, Words Untrue" (Challenge 59341) 1966
- "Please Don't Love Him" / "Can You Help Me" (Challenge 59348) 1966
- "What Does That Make You?" / "Sweet Green Fields" (Challenge 59359) 1967
- "Come and Get It" / "Wishful Thinking" (Challenge 59366) 1967
- "I Can Do It Better" / "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Challenge 59380) 1967
- "A Matter of Fact" / "They Ran For Their Lives" (Challenge 59384) 1968
- "Happiness" / "Hope I See it In My Lifetime" (as LODI) (MoWest 5003) 1971
- "All I Need is You" / "Jerktown" (reissue) (Sundazed #unknown) 1989
- "Gotta Stop This Dreaming" / "I Want a Girl for Christmas" (Sundazed SEP 186) 2006
EPs
- "Lies" / "The Coming Generation" / "One Track Mind" / "I Must Be Doing Something Right" (London 10178) 1966
Albums
- Lloyd Thaxton Presents.... (Challenge 1264) 1965
- Jerk & Twine (Challenge 621) 1966
- LiesS (Challenge 622) 1966 U.S. #134
- Lodi (MoWest MW 101L) 1972
- The Great Lost Knickerbockers Album! (Sundazed) 1989
- Rockin' with the Knickerbockers! (Sundazed 5154) 2006