The Cherry People were a psychedelic bubblegum-pop music group from Washington D.C., United States. They appeared nationally on Dick Clark's American Bandstand where they debuted their single "And Suddenly." It reached #45 on the Billboard Charts. Their first album was released in 1968 & was immediately labeled as bubblegum pop. In 1969 they adopted a more hard rock sound, and four of the members were invited as musicians on 5 Jimmy Hendrix recorded tracks, "Room Full Of Mirrors", "Crash Landing", "Stone Free Again", "Bleeding Heart" & "Drone Blues." The band spent the next six years primarily as a nightclub act before breaking up in late 1975.
Cashman, Pistilli & West were 3 struggling musicians who met as co-workers at ABC records. They recorded two albums "Bound to Happen" in 1968 & a self-titled one in 1969. Perhaps they're best known for their soft & buttery version of "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," which was a top-10 hit for the band "Spanky and Our Gang." A few more singles followed into the early 1970's. Success was limited internationally, except in Canada where they charted several times. Their name was reduced to Cashman & West while continuing to record into the mid-1970's. In 1973, one of their songs, "Sunshine Eyes," was featured in a Partridge Family episode. The Cashman-West team produced all of Jim Croce's hits, and hits for other artists as well. Early in his adulthood, Cashman was an avid baseball fan & played minor league baseball. His love for the game inspired him to write and sing a 1981 hit "Talkin' Baseball," which became popular the summer of that year during the Baseball strike. In 2011 he was honored as an inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum.
RECOMMENDED SONG: Sunday Will Never Be the Same (song video below + lyrics)
Despite their West Coast USA-influenced sound and name, the Californians were actually a harmony & pop group from Wolverhampton, England. Strictly a singles band, they released eight 45rpm records between 1967 & 1969. Despite favorable reviews & a solid live show - which included supporting such acts as Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, Engelbert Humperdink & The Walker Brothers - they could never crack the top-20. However due to extensive touring, frequent appearances on popular radio & TV shows, they were well known at the time. The band broke up in 1970. NOTE: Because of their harmonious & vocal Beach Boy/Four Seasons style, The Californians frequently performed at all the USAF air bases throughout the UK.
RECOMMENDED SONGS: Golden Apples (song video below)
The Buffoons were a Dutch harmony group formed in 1966, with their early sound somewhat similar to that of the 'Ivy League.' In fact their first single, "Tomorrow is Another Day," was originally recorded by the Ivy League and reached the top-10 in Holland. Through 1968 the Buffoons would continue to chart well locally, but were relatively unsuccessful beyond their homeland. Beyond music, they did get some notoriety by visiting John Lennon during he & Yoko Ono's famous bed-in in Amsterdam. The band scored a few more local hits in the 1970's before their break up in 1979. NOTE: It was rumored that during a Beach Boys European tour, the Buffoons were largely considered to be their opening act, but were eventually turned down because they could sing the Beach Boys' repertoire better than The Beach Boys themselves.
FAVORITE SONG: Tomorrow Is Another Day (song video below + lyrics)
Curt Boettcher was an American (from Wisconsin) singer, songwriter, arranger, musician & record producer.
His name is tied with many well known artists, mainly during the 1960's. These include the Association, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Elton John, Gene Clark, the Beach Boys & many others.
Boettcher began collaborating with famous producer Gary Usher in 1966. The two began writing & recording their own music under the moniker "The Millennium" which released one highly acclaimed album early in 1968 before evolving into a new project - forming the sunshine pop outfit "Sagittarius." They recorded two well-praised albums before the end of the decade.
Curt would continue to dabble as a solo artist until the mid-1970's. By 1975 he sang backing vocals for many Elton John songs including the hit "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." His role in music was then limited to sporadic production into the 1980's.
He died of a lung infection in 1987 at the age of 43. Today his cult status as a founding father & influencer of Sunshine Pop has reached immense heights.
RECOMMENDED SONG: You Know I've Found a Way (song video below + lyrics)
Short-lived Boston-based folk & psychedelic rock band that released only one album under the name 'Bo Grumpus,' titled 'Before The War,' in spring of 1968. It failed commercially, but did receive favorable reviews. Afterwards the band changed their name to 'Jolliver Arkansaw,' and released one more album in 1969 which fell to deaf ears.
The Blades of Grass were an American sunshine pop band formed in Maplewood, New Jersey in 1967. The band was originally known as the Furnace Men. They are most-known for their nationally charting rendition of the song "Happy," which reached #87 on Billboard (USA). The band also released an album called "The Blades of Grass Are Not for Smoking," which did not chart before disbanding.
The Blackbirds were a band from Germany, active from the late 60's through the early 80's (they re-united briefly in 2015). Originally starting as a pop band, their sound quickly evolved into progressive experimentation & psychedelia. In all they released two albums & several singles.
RECOMMENDED SONGS: Lead On Light, Space (song videos below)
