BS: Pre Hit Wonders.

Subject: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:31 PM

On the other end of the spectrum, pre success. Barry Mcquire was in the "New Christy Minstrels" before he got his 15 min, I seem to recollect that you can pick out his voice on Three Wheels on My Wagon. I fortunately do not have a copy to verify that. Maybee this deserves another thread of its own.

OK I took the initiative and started one, my first ever. It was not even too painful, if it works. So who else wasn't famous before they were, everybody I guess. Lets just hit the really obscure ones. JohnB

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Pseudolus
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:37 PM

Kenny Rogers was in the Fifth Dimension
John Denver was in the Chad Mitchell trio
And of course I have not yet personally been discovered yet!!! :(

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:40 PM

Um, Kenny Rogers was in the First Edition -- not the Fifth Dimension. Pretty close though.

They did that really juicy hit, "Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In."

Yeah. yeah. Oh Yeah.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Matt_R
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:44 PM

Wasn't Kenny Rogers in the New Christy Minstrels as well?

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Pseudolus
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:50 PM

OK, I'm at work, and I had to excuse myself because I was laughing so hard....fifth Dimension????? Where the hell did I get that one....??????? ROFL!!!!!!

So where's that thread about being able to laugh at yourself? I'd type some more by my village called, their idiot is missing...LOL!

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:53 PM

And he tried out for a spot on the Monkees too. :_)

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Kim C
Date: 02 May 01 - 12:58 PM

Matt, I think he was in the New Christy Minstrels but I don't know that for sure.........

Personally I liked "Ruby."

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:00 PM

The First Edition also had a hit with "Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town" which hit #6 in 1969.

I was made to feel really old when I was in grad school at the University of Illinois at Chicago and heard some freshmen in the library. "What's the beatles?" one asked. "Oh," answered another, "That was Paul McCartney's group before he was in Wings."

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:07 PM

Glenn Campbell was a session musician and, for a time, a touring member of the Beach Boys before having his own hits and television show.

The list of Monkees tryouts is a long one, and includes Stephen Stills, the Lovin' Spoonful (they auditioned as a band), and Charles Manson (two roads diverged in a wood...).

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:15 PM

And Alan Greenspan played sax in a swing band before becoming lead singer for the Federal Reserve. [This is actually true.]

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:17 PM

"Dr." Kevorkian plays saxophone. He's released a CD of death-inspired works. Heard it on NPR.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Matt_R
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:25 PM

Jeff Lynne was famous before ELO as a member of The Move, The Idle Race, and somewhat in Mike Sheridan's Nightriders.

Play it Jeffrey...

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:33 PM

Matt, obviously you are using "famous" in a sense I am not familiar with.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: M.Ted
Date: 02 May 01 - 01:57 PM

If I am not mistaken, you can here Barry McGuire loud and clear on the NCM's "Green, Green"-

Not only did Kenny Rogers come from the New Christy Minstrels, all but one of the other four in the First Edition did, as well. He also sang with the Kirby Stone Four. I was always amused by the fact that "I Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In" was always left of of those Kenny Rogers Special TV offer compilations--

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 02:28 PM

Who would have bought them otherwise, M. Ted?

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Pseudolus
Date: 02 May 01 - 02:36 PM

Anybody remember who Buddy Holly's bass player was? He gave up his seat on the plane so that the Big Bopper (who had a cold) could fly........big mistake for the Big Bopper....

I'll give ya a minute.......

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: jeffp
Date: 02 May 01 - 02:39 PM

Waylon Jennings

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Pseudolus
Date: 02 May 01 - 02:46 PM

Yep.....

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:16 PM

Peter Tork got the Monkees job in competition with his good friend Steven Stills because they needed a "Ringo"...Stills wasn't loveably dorky enough.

What pre-Buffalo Springfield band-mate of Neil Youngs later had several chart hits and spent time in prison?

And what aging "Statesman of the Blues" had as lead guitar players the following....Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Peter Green?

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Matt_R
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:23 PM

Well Alex, I might say, famous in their native England...

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: M.Ted
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:29 PM

People who were into the fact that they followed up up "Ruby" with "Ruben"(James)--

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: LR Mole
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:37 PM

Also because Stills had non-Hollywood teeth.Then.
Rick James. (Super Freaky, yeow.)
John Mayall.
BUT did The Champs, of "Tequilla" fame, boast variously,Glenn Campbell, (Jim)Seals) and (Dash) Crofts, though not at the same time?

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Matt_R
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:38 PM

Ruby she was a redhead beauty
Loved Little Richard and sang Tutti-Frutti
Wanted her name in lights
She wore her dresses tight...

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Benjamin
Date: 02 May 01 - 03:39 PM

Maurice White (one of the singers in Earth Wind and Fire) started his career as a drummer for Chuck Berry and Booker T and the MG's. Ronnie Laws played sax for EWF before starting his own solo career.

Bobby Womak played guitar for Sam Cooke in the early 60's till Cooke died.

Al Green had his own band, The Creations, who would later become Al Greene and the Soul Mates (he dropped the 'e' at the end of his name after the group broke up) which had his first hit, Back Up Train

Boz Scaggs played in Steve Miller Band.

I'll try to remember more later.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 04:05 PM

You might, Matt, but was he?

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: GUEST,Steve N.
Date: 02 May 01 - 04:24 PM

LR Mole, The answer is yes. BTW, know how The Champs got their name??

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 04:29 PM

The Rhinestone Cowboy spells his first name with only one "N". Perhaps you got him mixed up with Cruella DeVille?

I do know that the Seattle Supersonics (the basketball team) asked permission of the Sonics (the Seattle-area late 1950's/early 1960's "protogrunge" band,) to use the name "Sonics".

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Benjamin
Date: 02 May 01 - 05:24 PM

That's funny Alex. I was told that the Supersonics got their name from a Boeing jet that ended up never getting built. Of course, I wasn't born when they won the finals in 79.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 05:33 PM

They did indeed name it after the airplane, but before doing so made sure the Sonics rock group didn't mind them using "the Sonics" as a clipped form of the name.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: John Hardly
Date: 02 May 01 - 06:22 PM

Don Williams (those Williams boys still mean alot to me, Hank and Tennessee) was a We 5 or Pozo Seco (I always get those two mixed up)

Jim Messina of Loggins and, was in The last version of Buffalo Springfield.

The Stone Ponies was early Linda Ronstadt

Emmylou Harris was the duet with Gram Parsons before being better known as solo self.

Vince Gill was a Pure Prarie Leaguer bander in their later configuration.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: John Hardly
Date: 02 May 01 - 06:50 PM

oh yeah,
and Them was Van Morrison

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: GUEST,rangerogerwhoneedstoresethiscookie
Date: 02 May 01 - 09:16 PM

Alex,I was stationed in Bremerton in 1967 when the Supersonics were first formed.

They actually advertised in the newspaper classifieds for basketball players to try out to join the team.

rr

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: mousethief
Date: 02 May 01 - 11:20 PM

Wild story, RR! I was 5 years old in 1967. I don't remember any of it.

Alex

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Tom D.
Date: 03 May 01 - 01:09 AM

Per the really fine liner notes in his recently released and equally fine "Retrospective" CD, Leon Russell played in a lot of Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound' and Super Girl group stuff. I left it at work, and I can't recall some of the other groups he was with before he struck out on his own. My bad.

Tom D

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 03 May 01 - 04:01 AM

Of course Lonnie Donegan (have I mentioned him before?) was Chris Barber's banjo player before "Rock Island Line" launched his career as the UK's most prolific hitmaker until the Beatles came on the scene.
What did happen to those guys? Chris Barber's band and Lonnie are still going strong!
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Lanfranc
Date: 03 May 01 - 05:14 AM

Rick Wakeman played keyboards with the Strawbs before making it big.

Davey Johnson played banjo and guitar with Noel Murphy before joining Elton John's band.

Long John Baldry was once in a group with Redd Sullivan.

David Jones used to play in South London Folk Clubs before changing his surname to Bowie.

Billy Connelly and Gerry Rafferty were the Humblebums before they became really famous.

Dave Swarbrick first came to attention in the Ian Campbell Group.

Linda Thompson (of Richard & Linda) was Callan's girlfriend in the 60s TV series and was in a duo with Paul McNeill before she met Richard.

On the subject of Jazz musos, Acker Bilk's brother, David, ran a successful folk agency in the late 60s, fronting such artists as Jeremy Taylor, Noel Murphy, Colin Scot and Derek Brimstone.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:04 AM

This may be getting into the realm of the obvious (and "non-folk," depending on one's definition), but Jimi Hendrix played guitar behind Little Richard and the Isley Brothers before starting his own band.

I believe the Eagles did a stint as Linda Ronstadt's backing band before getting their own thing together.

Peter Frampton played lead guitar with Humble Pie before he "came alive".

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Les from Hull
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:12 AM

Lonesome EJ - you missed another of John Mayall's 'more famous than him' lead guitarists - Mick Taylor. I believe he joined a popular beat combo called 'The Rolling Stones'.

Les

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Brakn
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:18 AM

Before Humble Pie, Peter Frampton was with The Herd.

EJ Jeff Beck didn't play lead with John Mayall.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:56 AM

I believe Phil Spector started his musical career in a doo-wop vocal group called The Teddy Bears (big hit "To Know Him is to Love Him").

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle recorded Everly Brothers style duets as Tom and Jerry when they were teenagers.

Bob Dylan played harmonica (very well) on an album by Carolyn Hester before he ever recorded under his own name.

Jack Bruce started out playing stand-up bass in a dixieland group called Jim McHarg's Scottsville Jazz Band.

Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins were both members of a skiffle group called The Ramblers.

Nic Jones sang in a group called The Halliard before achieving greater renown as a solo artist.

John Kirkpatrick began his musical career playing piano-accordion for Hammersmith Morris Men.

John Renbourn played in an R&B band called Rupert Hogsnort and His Famous Porkestra before making it as a singer-guitarist in his own right.

And there must be more ... but I can't think of any at the moment.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Matt_R
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:59 AM

Robbie Williams used to be in Take That!

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: LR Mole
Date: 03 May 01 - 09:06 AM

Got enough crossthreads in here to make a quilt...no, how did the Champs get their name?
Didn'tDylan play harp on a Harry Belafonte (my dear Watson) cut? Or was that John Sebstian?

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 03 May 01 - 10:43 AM

some interesting things you may or may not know:
Leon Russell wrote "This Diamond Ring" for Gary Lewis and the Playboys.

Steve Stills played guitar for Judy Collins, for whom he wrote "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" and "Helplessly Hoping"; the boy had it bad (and that ain't good).

Homer and Jethro did a live album called (appropriately) "Live at the Country Club" backed up by, among others, Boots Randolph of "Yakety Sax" fame. I believe Floyd Cramer, the great Nashville pianist was also on that record. It's a very funny record and the playing is remarkable.

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: John Hardly
Date: 03 May 01 - 11:15 AM

I always heard that Rod Stewart did harmonica on some early 60's bubblegum girl song like "My Boy Lollipop" or some such...

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 May 01 - 11:30 AM

Of course we cannot forget that fartistic master of music of the nether breath, the Great LePetomane... a farting maniac. Years before he achieved fame, he was simply Joseph Pujol, a Marseilles baker with excessive flatulence.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: LR Mole
Date: 03 May 01 - 11:32 AM

Leon produced the "This Diamond Ring" session, but I'm pretty sure the song was written by Al Kooper (NOT Alice).

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: RichM
Date: 04 May 01 - 05:23 AM

Maybe it was from working with all that yeast....

Subject: RE: BS: Pre Hit Wonders.
From: GUEST
Date: 04 May 01 - 07:20 AM

And wasn't Paul McCartney in a group called the Beatles before he was in Wings?