The Ramrods (instrumental group)
Encyclopedia
The Ramrods were an American
instrumental pop group in the late 1950s and 1960s, who had a hit in 1961 with their version of the song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky".
The group was formed in Connecticut
in 1956 by Claire Lane (born Claire Litke) and her brother Rich Litke. Claire played drums and arranged the songs; Rich played saxophone. They added Vinny Lee on lead guitar, and Gene Moore on second guitar. At the end of 1960 they recorded their instrumental arrangement of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky", a song written by Stan Jones
which had been a big hit in 1949 for Vaughn Monroe
. The Ramrods' version contained eerie and evocative overdubbed shouts, whistles and cattle calls, and was placed with Amy Records
, a subsidiary of Bell Records
in New York
. The record was made a "Pick of the Week" by Cash Box magazine, and rose to # 30 on the Billboard
pop chart in early 1961. Released on the London
label, it also reached # 8 on the UK pop chart.
The follow-up, "Loch Lomond Rock", a rocked-up version of a traditional Scottish
tune, with bagpipes
solo, was not successful, and nor were two later singles on the Amy label. Later records by the Ramrods (or The Rockin' Ramrods) on the Plymouth, R&H and Queen labels are thought to be by different bands.
Gene Moore left the group in the early 1960s and was replaced by Russ Cook (born Russ Mumma) on bass. Vinny Lee later died and was replaced by Bernie Moore (no relation to Gene Moore), who was in turn later replaced by George Sheck, with Cook taking over on lead guitar. Claire Lane left the group in the late 1960s to pursue a solo career, and the remaining Ramrods became the Russ Cook Combo before disbanding in the early 1970s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
instrumental pop group in the late 1950s and 1960s, who had a hit in 1961 with their version of the song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky".
The group was formed in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in 1956 by Claire Lane (born Claire Litke) and her brother Rich Litke. Claire played drums and arranged the songs; Rich played saxophone. They added Vinny Lee on lead guitar, and Gene Moore on second guitar. At the end of 1960 they recorded their instrumental arrangement of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky", a song written by Stan Jones
Stan Jones (songwriter)
Stan Jones was an American songwriter and actor.Stanley Davis "Stan" Jones was born in Douglas, Arizona, and grew up on a ranch. When his father died, his mother moved the family to Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, competing in rodeos to make money...
which had been a big hit in 1949 for Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Monroe
Vaughn Wilton Monroe was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader and actor, most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording and radio.-Biography:...
. The Ramrods' version contained eerie and evocative overdubbed shouts, whistles and cattle calls, and was placed with Amy Records
Amy Records
right|thumb|dj copy of Kinetic Energy 1969 Amy 45Amy Records was a record label formed in 1960 as a subsidiary of Bell Records. Artists who had success on Amy included Al Brown's Tunetoppers with "The Madison" ,a dance tune in 1960, Joey Powers with "Midnight Mary" , Del Shannon's 1964 recordings...
, a subsidiary of Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The record was made a "Pick of the Week" by Cash Box magazine, and rose to # 30 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop chart in early 1961. Released on the London
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
label, it also reached # 8 on the UK pop chart.
The follow-up, "Loch Lomond Rock", a rocked-up version of a traditional Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
tune, with bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
solo, was not successful, and nor were two later singles on the Amy label. Later records by the Ramrods (or The Rockin' Ramrods) on the Plymouth, R&H and Queen labels are thought to be by different bands.
Gene Moore left the group in the early 1960s and was replaced by Russ Cook (born Russ Mumma) on bass. Vinny Lee later died and was replaced by Bernie Moore (no relation to Gene Moore), who was in turn later replaced by George Sheck, with Cook taking over on lead guitar. Claire Lane left the group in the late 1960s to pursue a solo career, and the remaining Ramrods became the Russ Cook Combo before disbanding in the early 1970s.