The Rugbys
Encyclopedia
The Rugbys are a rock band
from Louisville
, Kentucky
, best known for their U.S.
Top 40 hit "You, I".
was formed in 1965 in Louisville, doing mostly covers
. But as competition among Louisville groups to write
and record
original music increased, the Rugbys recorded and released two singles
in 1968, "Walking the Streets Tonight", written by Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet
, later included on the compilation album Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 8
, and "Stay with Me", written by Steve McNicol. Both song
s were released locally and played on Louisville radio stations WAKY and WKLO. But it was not until later that year when the band decided to release the B-side
of "Stay with Me", a song called "You, I", also written by McNicol, that they found success. "You, I" climbed to #1 on both local radio stations. They were then signed to Shelby Singleton
's Nashville
, Tennessee
, record label
, Amazon Records, which re-released the single "You, I" in 1969, and the song became a national hit, climbing to #24 on the Hot 100 and #21 on the Cash Box magazine charts. "You, I" was also released worldwide on labels from Spain (Exit Records), Italy (Akarma Records), England (Polydor Records) and Thailand (Thai Records). Akarma also released the album "Hot Cargo" on CD in a limited edition, which is very rare and hard to find on the internet. The latter part of 1969 and all of 1970 were spent touring the midwest and northeast, playing on the same bill with artists like Bob Seger
, Grand Funk Railroad
, the James Gang
, and many others. Check out the 1969 Palm Beach Music Festival poster. Later that year, the band released their only album
, Hot Cargo, which received only mild success due to a complete lack of national promotion and a failure by Shelby Singleton in 1969-70 to recognize the upsurge of FM radio. "Wendegahl the Warlock" was the follow-up single to "You, I", but it did not chart
. Hot Cargo would later be released on CD
along with an album by a group named Lazarus on the same disc, called The Rugbys meet Lazarus. More recently, in 2007, Gear Fab Records released an anthology type album on Steve McNicol and the Rugby's (previously unreleased original material) called the Rugbys, the Lost Sessions, which is available on E-bay.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, best known for their U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Top 40 hit "You, I".
Band history
The bandBand (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
was formed in 1965 in Louisville, doing mostly covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
. But as competition among Louisville groups to write
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
original music increased, the Rugbys recorded and released two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1968, "Walking the Streets Tonight", written by Doug Sahm of the Sir Douglas Quintet
Sir Douglas Quintet
Sir Douglas Quintet was a rock band active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite their British sounding name, they came out of San Antonio, Texas. Their career was established when they began working with Texas record-producer Huey P. Meaux, after which the band relocated to the West Coast...
, later included on the compilation album Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 8
Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 8
Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 8 is a compilation album in the Highs in the Mid-Sixties series, featuring recordings that were released in the South excluding Texas...
, and "Stay with Me", written by Steve McNicol. Both song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s were released locally and played on Louisville radio stations WAKY and WKLO. But it was not until later that year when the band decided to release the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "Stay with Me", a song called "You, I", also written by McNicol, that they found success. "You, I" climbed to #1 on both local radio stations. They were then signed to Shelby Singleton
Shelby Singleton
Shelby Singleton was an American record producer and record label owner.-Early Life:...
's Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Amazon Records, which re-released the single "You, I" in 1969, and the song became a national hit, climbing to #24 on the Hot 100 and #21 on the Cash Box magazine charts. "You, I" was also released worldwide on labels from Spain (Exit Records), Italy (Akarma Records), England (Polydor Records) and Thailand (Thai Records). Akarma also released the album "Hot Cargo" on CD in a limited edition, which is very rare and hard to find on the internet. The latter part of 1969 and all of 1970 were spent touring the midwest and northeast, playing on the same bill with artists like Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
, the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
, and many others. Check out the 1969 Palm Beach Music Festival poster. Later that year, the band released their only album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Hot Cargo, which received only mild success due to a complete lack of national promotion and a failure by Shelby Singleton in 1969-70 to recognize the upsurge of FM radio. "Wendegahl the Warlock" was the follow-up single to "You, I", but it did not chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Hot Cargo would later be released on 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 ,...
along with an album by a group named Lazarus on the same disc, called The Rugbys meet Lazarus. More recently, in 2007, Gear Fab Records released an anthology type album on Steve McNicol and the Rugby's (previously unreleased original material) called the Rugbys, the Lost Sessions, which is available on E-bay.
Band membership
- Steve McNicol (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Mike Hoerni (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Eddy Vernon (keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) - Glen Howerton (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
)