This collection of interesting and mostly obscure recordings from the 1960s by Michigan artists were originally featured as my Michigan Songs of the Week the Week for the MMHP989 podcast, produced in the Hall of Fame Studio at the Historical Museum of Bay County in Bay City, Michigan.
1.) “Nightlife” by the Del-Tinos. Formed in the early 1960s in the tiny community of Manchester, Michigan, the band was made up of Cub Koda on lead guitar, Rusty Creech on rhythm guitar, and Doug Hankes on drums. The Del-Tino’s second 45, a cover of the Rivingtons' "Pa Pa Ooh Mau Mau", was backed by a Koda and Creech composition called “Nightlife.”
The single was released on Sonic Records in Detroit in 1966, and it managed to receive some local radio play. The label was owned by Les Cooley, who recorded the band at United Sound in Detroit. Rusty Creech claimed that there were only a few hundred copies of the 45 pressed, and that they were mostly sold at Lannom’s five and dime store in Manchester.
50 years later, a company out of California in charge of putting together the music for the HBO series Vinyl contacted Creech to get permission to use the Del-Tinos’ original recording of “Nightlife.” The 2016 series on the music business was created by some very big names including Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, and Creech said that he didn’t have a clue as to how they heard the obscure song or how they were able to locate him. Despite receiving generally positive reviews, Vinyl was cancelled after just ten episodes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-ByNIDe3lM
2.) “Who Is That Girl?” by the Scot Richard Case. "Who Is That Girl?, featuring lyrics by Scott Richardson and music by Steve Lyman, was the B-side of the band’s debut single on A-Square Records. In a recent text, Lyman recalled that he and Richardson composed the song at the band house at 1127 Broadway in Ann Arbor during the 1966 Christmas holidays. “Who Is That Girl?,” along with a cover of The Pretty Things' "Get The Picture," were recorded a week later at Detroit's United Sound for what was planned to be the band’s first single.
In the meantime, the band had heard Cream’s version of the Skip James’ song “I’m So Glad” and quickly made it part of their repertoire. The strong crowd reaction to the song at a gig in Fenton, Michigan, convinced Jeep Holland to bring the band back to United Sound to record it as the replacement A-side for their debut single. Released in May of 1967, “I’m So Glad” was a big hit on Michigan radio, but Flint’s WTAC flipped the record over and began playing “Who Is That Girl?” as well, thereby enabling the B-side to reach # 2 on the station’s chart.
In a phone interview a year before his passing, Scott Richardson had this to say about the song; “I loved ‘Who Is That Girl?’ and I wish it would have been the A-side. We would have done more things like that, but we went into another phase that had to do with psychedelics and things like that. The difference between the Scot Richard Case and SRC was what people refer to as group think.” As a result, “Who Is That Girl?” was the only original song recorded by the band that lists the names of the composers. After signing with Capitol Records, all original material recorded by the band was credited to SRC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPT4RKquMSs
3.) “Shadows In The Night” by The Quests. The popular Grand Rapids' band recorded "Shadows In The Night" during the summer of 1966 with Dave Kalmbach at his Great Lakes Studio in Sparta, Michigan. The Quests’ new single appeared to possess the potential to exceed the popularity of their debut, “Scream Loud,” that had reached #2 on the local radio station charts. “Shadows In The Night’s” potential was never realized, however, because of a controversy over the single's B-side.
The song in question, “I'm Tempted,” was protested by a group of parents who were concerned over its alleged sexual content. Because of the uproar, the “Shadows In The Night” 45 was subsequently barred from further radio play in Grand Rapids. Although extremely disappointing at the time, original copies of the single on the Fenton label are highly sought after by record collectors, and it can be found on various garage band compilations. “Shadows In The Night” was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame as a Legendary Michigan Song in 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCTVc0DX1g
4.) “Gonna Make You Mine, Girl” by The Excels. One of the most successful bands to come out of the Upper Peninsula, the Excels recorded their debut single in Detroit with the legendary producer and label owner, Ollie McLaughlin who recruited two Funk Brothers for the session – Bob Babbitt on bass and Mike Terry on baritone sax. Lead singer and guitarist Clark Sullivan recalled that he wrote the song about a girl he was infatuated with named Bobbi, but she was going with someone else at the time.
“Gonna Make You Mine, Girl” was released in 1966 on McLaughlin’s Carla label, and he used his connections with Atlantic Records to set up a distribution deal with ATCO, one of its subsidiaries. Although it failed to chart nationally, it was an exciting time for The Excels. “Gonna Make You Mine, Girl” was a big regional hit in Michigan, reaching # 1 on WSAM’s Super Sound Survey in Saginaw, and the success of the record helped the Excels break out in mid-Michigan.
The band also became close with WKNX DJs Dick Fabian and Bob Dyer in Saginaw who regularly promoted their records, and the exposure helped the Excels became a popular attraction at teen gathering spots across the state. In a recent text message, Sullivan provided us with a great example of the power of rock and roll when he revealed that he and the young lady he wrote about in “Gonna Make You Mine, Girl” did eventually get together, and that Clark and Bobbi have been happily married for the past 58 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwWILrc3JFE
5.) “I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent” by The Amboy Dukes. Fans of the hard rocking Detroit outfit were undoubtedly surprised in 1969 when they listened to the first song on Side 2 of the band’s Migration album and heard a note perfect cover of a doo wop classic titled “I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent.” Arranged and sung by keyboardist Andy Soloman, the song was made famous by Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers who performed it in the 1956 film, Rock, Rock, Rock.
Soloman was a fan of ‘50s music, and he had recorded a cover of “Stranded In The Jungle” on A-Square Records with The Apostles before joining the Amboy Dukes. “I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent” was a major departure in sound from the previous summer’s psychedelic hit, “Journey to the Center of the Mind;” but it made a cool and humorous connection to the band name, originally taken from The Amboy Dukes, a 1947 novel by Irving Shulman about a street gang based in Brooklyn, New York.
Andy Soloman would appear on two more Amboy Dukes’ albums, but by the time he had left the band in the early ‘70s, Ted Nugent was the only member left from the original lineup. Soloman went on to sign with Atlantic Records under the name The Godfrey Daniel, and in 1972 recorded “Take A Sad Song,” a fascinating album that reimagined classic songs by the Beatles, Stones, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, and Led Zeppelin etc. using doo wop and other styles from rock’s first decade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEcpk_iA1Q
6.) “You’re The Girl For Me” by The Bossmen. The band released its fourth single, Wait And See” backed with “You’re The Girl For Me,” on the Lucky Eleven label out of Flint in 1966. Although the single was distributed nationally by Cameo-Parkway, it failed to chart nationally. “Wait And See” would be a big regional hit, but it was the flipside, “You’re The Girl For Me,” that would get the Bossmen in the movies over 40 years later when it became part of the plot for the 2008 Hollywood horror film, Parasomnia.
The movie was directed by William Malone, best known for his 1999 remake of House On Haunted Hill. Malone was born in Lansing, Michigan, and during his high school years in the 1960s he played in a Beatles-inspired band called The Plagues that released some singles that were produced by Dave Kalmbach at his Great Lakes Recording Studio in Sparta, Michigan. Malone was a big fan of The Bossmen back in the day, and when he began writing the script for Parasomnia he decided to incorporate some of his memories of the vibrant Michigan music scene of that era.
In his script, one of his main characters works in a record store and collects vinyl 45s; and he is searching for an original copy of the “You’re The Girl For Me”/"Wait And See" single. Dick Wagner was living in Arizona during the time the film was being made, and Malone had him come to Hollywood to re-record "You're The Girl For Me" exactly like the 45 from 1966. Heard at the conclusion of the film, Malone started out using the original version and then segued into Wagner's new recording of the song over the closing credits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PNMxQF10ho
