The never-before-told stories about your favorites from the gal who PERSONALLY knows them all—ANN MOSES
Eight days with THE RAIDERS, THE STANDELLS, THE ROBBS, KEITH ALLISON, IAN WHITCOMB and THE GUILLOTEENS was my New Year’s present from TiGER BEAT! Of course, I was gathering stories and taking pictures the whole time, but that didn’t stop me from having the time of my life.
I was surprised to find what close friends MARK and KEITH were. I’d see them at breakfast together, talking backstage all the time and once I even found them shaving together before a show! That’s friendship.
Everyone knows JIM VALLEY as HARPO, but the RAIDERS pet name for him is HARKEN. It seems on an early RAIDER-GARY LEWIS tour GARY called JIM “Harken”, a take-off German name and everyone liked it so well they kept it up.
In Columbus, Georgia, we were all treated to an evening of clubbing by WDAK’s BOB ALOU. At one club several of the boys “jammed” for a long string of soul tunes. The lineup was SMITTY on drums, FANG on bass, DEE ROBB on rhythm guitar, TONY VALENTINO on lead guitar and DICK DODD doing vocals.
In San Antonio, Texas, the RAIDER show was viewed by LYNDA BYRD JOHNSON along with four secret service men.
Well, I moved into a new apartment just below the Sunset Strip and as I was climbing into my car to leave for work who did I see across the street but DAVY JONES. “Hi, neighbor!” he called. Was I surprised. So now we wave good morning on our way to work. Later that week I found out JOHN LEYTON of TV’s “Jerico” lives only four doors away in my same building. I don’t think I’ll ever move!
STORIES BEHIND THE PICTURES: Remember our first color shot of FANG in the January issue. That gorgeous green background is PHIL’s bathroom wall paper.
NEW TO YOU: THE MANDALA, a surprising Canadian group, hit Hollywood recently and tore up audiences at the HULLABALOO CLUB. Their combination of soul, light effects and a near revival atmosphere stirred the young audiences. They produce beautiful harmonies, but almost waste them on screaming-talking numbers.
KEITH stopped by my office not long ago and we had a chance to get acquainted. I hardly recognized him since his locks had been severely trimmed. He was enthusiastic about the tour he’d just finished with England’s LOS BRAVOS and CRISPIAN ST. PETERS.
Did you recognize the youngster pictured on the left? The name should have been a clue. It’s DICK DODD lead singer and drummer of THE STANDELLS when he was nine years old and a star of Walt Disney’s “MICKEY MOUSE CLUB.”
After DRAKE returned from his five days on the RAIDER tour, he told me an interesting observation about MARK. “Mark isn’t as self-conscious as he used to be. He used to be very indrawn off stage and on stage he was a happy-go-lucky, exuberent [sic] person. There were two different Marks. I grew closer to Mark on the road than I ever did before. The off-stage Mark is now becoming more like the on-stage Mark.”
HERMAN’S HERMITS song (and a great one) “East-West” tells a really true tale. It’s almost like an autobiography of the group—so, so successful, but longing for the peace of home.
In a time that doesn’t seem prime for solo artists, NEIL DIAMOND has managed to chalk up three consecutive top ten singles, all of which he wrote. Everyone is raving about his first album, not to mention his composition “I’m A Believer”—THE MONKEES second million seller.
Strange names seem to be the rage. A few of my favorites in that category are—THE PEANUT BUTTER CONSPIRACY, THE ELECTRIC PRUNES, DR. WEST’S MEDICINE SHOW AND JUNK BAND, THE W.C. FIELDS MEMORIAL ELECTRIC STRING BAND. All these are real and several have songs creeping into the national charts.
Also the possessor of a very cute name is THE KITCHEN CINQ. I met them at a party for LEE HAZELWOOD and they are an outasite group. I’m betting they’ll make a big impact with their first single called “Determination” backed with “You’ll Be Sorry Someday.”
DO YOU SHARE A BIRTHDAY WITH A STAR? March’s birthday boys are - MARK LINDSAY the 9th, JIM VALLEY the 13th, MICKY DOLENZ the 18th, JEREMY CLYDE the 22nd, DEAN TORRANCE the 10th, MIKE SMITH (RAIDER) the 27th, and DAVID WATSON the 13th.
I saw THE KNACK a second time and have they improved! Besides tightening their act, they have added more of their own very good material. My favorites are “Time Waits For No One” and their Capitol single “I’m Aware”. The highlight of their show is the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME featuring take-offs on several entertainers from THE BEATLES to CONNIE FRANCIS to SONNY & CHER.
It may be confusing having both THE HARD TIMES and DON & THE GOODTIMES on “Where The Action Is” but it’s surely twice the fun. What’s nicer is that both groups had met before they appeared on the show together and they hit it off well from the start.
SHORTIES: RINGO’S wife, MO, is now a red-head.
Producer for the MAMA’s AND PAPA’S, LOU ADLER, bought a Rolls Royce from BRIAN EPSTEIN when he was in London.
When asked what period their suits were, THE NEW VAUDEVILLE BAND replied, “Early Bad Taste.”
Personalities watching THE YOUNG RASCALS at a London discotheque included ERIC BURDON, KEITH MOON of THE WHO and CHAS CHANDLER, formerly of THE ANIMALS.
In England’s “New Musical Express” pop music poll (which is a survey of it’s readers) THE BEACH BOYS topped the BEATLES as the World’s number one vocal group!
Everyone on the “Action” set has been raving about RANDY BARLOWE, a hot single artist who has been a sensation in the South for some time now. Word is out that we’ll be hearing from him via his first single very soon.
REMEMBER—a kind word is never wasted.
