Citizendia

The Association
OriginCalifornia
Genre(s)Sunshine pop
Years active1960s - present
Label(s)Valiant Records
Warner Bros. Records
WebsiteThe Association Official website
Members
Russ Giguere
Larry Ramos
Jim Yester
Bruce Pictor
Bob Werner
Jordan Cole
Former members
Jules Gary Alexander
Terry Kirkman
Brian Cole
Ted Bluechel Jr

The Association is a pop music band from California in the sunshine pop genre. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Sunshine pop is a certain type of Pop music, most often characterized by a cheerful attitude harmony singing and sophisticated production although there is no formal or strict In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Valiant Records was independent record company co-owned by Four Star Television which was sold in 1967 by Warner Bros Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Terry Kirkman, (born December 12, 1939) in Salina, Kansas, US Brian Cole ( September 8 1942 &ndash August 2 1972) was the Bass guitar player for the 1960s Folk rock band The Association Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Sunshine pop is a certain type of Pop music, most often characterized by a cheerful attitude harmony singing and sophisticated production although there is no formal or strict They are best known for their popularity in the 1960s, when they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry As of 2007, they are still "playing". Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. They are also notable for being the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival, essentially the first multi-group rock festival. The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey They are known for tight vocal harmony. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music.

Contents

History

Beginnings

Jules Alexander (born September 25, 1943), was in Hawaii in 1962, serving a stint in the Navy, when he met Terry Kirkman (born 1939), who was visiting. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Terry Kirkman, (born December 12, 1939) in Salina, Kansas, US The two young musicians jammed together and promised to get together once Alexander was discharged. That happened a year later; the two eventually moved to Los Angeles and began exploring LA's early 60s scene. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West This led, in 1964, to the forming of The Men, a 13 piece folk-rock band. This group had a brief spell as the house band at The Troubadour, the famed LA nightclub. The Troubadour is a Nightclub located in West Hollywood California, USA at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive After a short time, however, The Men disbanded, with 6 of the members electing to continue on their own. At the suggestion of Kirkman's then-fiancée, Judy, they took the name The Association. The original lineup consisted of Alexander (credited as Gary Alexander on the first 2 albums) on vocals and lead guitar; Kirkman on vocals and a variety of wind and brass instruments; Brian Cole (1942-1972) on vocals and bass; Russ Giguere (born October 18, 1943) on vocals, percussion and guitar; Ted Bluechel, Jr (born December 2, 1942) on drums and vocals; and Bob Page (born May 13, 1943) on guitar and vocals. Brian Cole ( September 8 1942 &ndash August 2 1972) was the Bass guitar player for the 1960s Folk rock band The Association Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Page's time in the band was brief; he was soon replaced by Jim Yester (born November 24, 1939) on vocals, guitar, and keyboards. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Also Tony Mafia was briefly part of the Association. He was voted out because of 'artisticdifferences'. He had been with The Innertubes who after just a few gigs became The Men.

The band spent about 5 months rehearsing before they began performing around the Los Angeles area, most notably a regular stint at The Ice House in Pasadena, and its sister club in Glendale. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Glendale ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. They also auditioned for record labels, but faced resistance due to their unique sound. Eventually, the small Jubilee label issued a single of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (a version of the Joan Baez song, later popularized by Led Zeppelin) but nothing happened. Led Zeppelin were Finally, Valiant Records gave them a contract, with the first result being a version of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings". Valiant Records was independent record company co-owned by Four Star Television which was sold in 1967 by Warner Bros Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major " One Too Many Mornings " is a Song by Bob Dylan, released on his 3rd Studio album The Times They Are a-Changin' It gained some local notoriety, but didn't break outside of LA.

First success

That national break would come with the song "Along Comes Mary", written by Tandyn Almer. " Along Comes Mary " is a song composed by Tandyn Almer, originally recorded in 1966 by The Association, and released on their debut album Tandyn Almer is a musician composer lyricist and record producer most famous for writing the song " Along Comes Mary " the 1966 hit by the Alexander first heard the song when he was hired to play on a demo version, and persuaded Almer to give The Association first crack at it. The recording went to #7 on the Billboard charts, and led to the group's first album, And Then... Along Comes the Association, produced by Curt Boettcher. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry – And ThenAlong Comes the Association was the first album by The Association. Curt Boettcher, later Curt Boetcher and Curt Becher ( January 7, 1944 &ndash June 14, 1987) was an American singer A song from the album, "Cherish", written by Kirkman, would become The Association's first #1 in September 1966. " Cherish " is a Pop music song written by Terry Kirkman and recorded by The Association.

The group followed with their second album, Renaissance, released in early 1967. Renaissance is the name of The Association 's second album It was their final effort for the Valiant label Somewhat surprisingly, the band changed producers, dumping Boettcher in favor of Jerry Yester (brother of Jim and formerly of The Modern Folk Quartet). Jerry Yester (b 1942 ? is an American Folk rock musician Record producer, Arranger. The Modern Folk Quartet recorded two albums of commercially-minded folk revival music in the early 1960s with an emphasis on group harmonies and have subsequently re-formed more than The album did not spawn any major hits (the highest charting single, "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies" stalled at #35) and the album only reached #34, compared with a #5 showing for its predecessor.

Changes

In late 1966 Warner Bros. Records, which had been distributing Valiant, bought the smaller label (and with it, The Association's contract. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ) In 1967, Jules Alexander left the band to study meditation in India; he was replaced by Larry Ramos (born April 19, 1942) who had played with The New Christy Minstrels and recorded a solo single for Columbia Records. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New Christy Minstrels is an American Folk music group that came to prominence in the 1960s Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company

With the lineup settled, the group returned to the studio, this time with Bones Howe in the producer's chair. Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born 1933 is a Grammy-award-winning Record producer and Recording engineer associated with 1960s and 1970s hits mostly of The first fruits of this pairing would be the single "Windy" (sample (help·info)) written by Ruthann Friedman. " Windy " is a Pop music song written by Ruthann Friedman and recorded by The Association. Ruthann Friedman (born July 6 1944 is an American Folk singer It reached #1 on the charts in May of 1967, and was followed closely by the album Insight Out which made it to #8 in June. Insight Out is the name of The Association 's third album It was their first for the Warner Brothers label and by far their most successful spawning the #1 hit On June 16, 1967, The Association had the unique honor of being the first act to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival. The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey (The Criterion Collection DVD of the festival includes their spirited reading of "Along Comes Mary" on disc 3. The Criterion Collection is a Privately held company that distributes "authoritative" consumer versions of "important classic and contemporary films" ) The group's winning streak continued with their next single, "Never My Love" written by Don and Dick Addrisi; it went to #2 in Billboard and #1 in Cash Box in autumn 1967. The Addrisi Brothers were an American pop group from Winthrop Massachusetts. Cash Box (or Cashbox) magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries which was published from July 1942 to November It became the group's only double-sided charted record as its B-side, "Requiem For The Masses", made a brief showing on the Billboard chart.

After rejecting the recording of an entire cantata written by Jimmy Webb, which included the song "MacArthur Park", the group in early 1968 produced its fourth album, Birthday, with Bones Howe again at the controls. Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter From his initial success with " Up Up and Away," " By the Time I Get to Phoenix," " Wichita " MacArthur Park " is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally written as part of an intended Cantata rejected by The Association, it was first Birthday is The Association 's fourth Album. The two hit singles, "Everything That Touches You" (#10 and "Time For Livin'" This album spawned the top 10 hit "Everything That Touches You" and another top 40 hit in "Time for Livin'". Later that year, the group released a self-produced single, the harder-edged "Six Man Band". This song would also appear on Greatest Hits, released in November. Greatest Hits is a compilation album of The Association 's songs recorded before 1969

Comings and goings

In early 1969, Jules Alexander returned to the group he had helped found. With Larry Ramos staying, The Association was now a seven-man band (which they acknowledged by changing the title and lyric of "Six-Man Band" to match. ) The first project with the seven-piece band was music for the soundtrack of Goodbye, Columbus, the film version of Philip Roth's best-selling novel. The title story of Philip Roth 's novella Goodbye Columbus ( 1959) is the subject of the 1969 film of the same name directed by Larry Philip Milton Roth (born March 19, 1933, Newark New Jersey) is an American novelist The title track, written by Yester, rose only to #80, an ominous sign in retrospect. John Boylan, who would become one of the most important record producers of the '70s and '80s, worked with the group on the soundtrack, and stayed on board for the next album, The Association. John Boylan may refer to John J Boylan, US Congressman John Boylan (record producer John Boylan (actor The Association is the group's eponymous sixth album It is an eclectic LP with songs in many different styles including rock, pop, Blue-eyed soul Not surprisingly, many of the tracks have a decided country-rock feel. None of the singles made any impact, so the group re-teamed with Curt Boettcher for a one-off single, "Just About the Same", a reworking of a song Boettcher had recorded with his group, The Millennium. The Millennium was the creation of Curt Boettcher, who gathered a handful of California musicians to create a Psychedelic rock supergroup with Sunshine This failed to hit as well.

Despite all this, the band remained a popular concert draw, and in early 1970, a Salt Lake City performance was recorded for The Association "Live". In 1971 Russ Giguere left the band; he would release a solo album, Hexagram 16, that same year. The Association replaced him with keyboardist/singer Richard Thompson (no relation to the English singer-songwriter), who had contributed to previous albums and would go on to be known primarily in jazz circles. 1971 saw the release of Stop Your Motor. Stop Your Motor is the Association's seventh studio album It was their first without Russ Giguere (replaced by keyboard player Richard Thompson and their final effort Despite some good tracks (notably a cover of Jimmy Webb's "P. Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter From his initial success with " Up Up and Away," " By the Time I Get to Phoenix," " Wichita F. Sloan" with Brian Cole imitating Roy Rogers in the bargain), the album was their worst selling to date, reaching only #158 on the Billboard chart. Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5 1911 &ndash July 6 1998 was a singer and Cowboy Actor.

Stop Your Motor also marked the end of The Association's tenure at Warner Bros. In early 1972, they resurfaced on Columbia with Waterbeds in Trinidad!, produced by Lewis Merenstein (best known for producing Van Morrison's Astral Weeks). Waterbeds in Trinidad! is a 1972 album by The Association. it is their eighth studio album and their only release on Columbia Records Lewis Merenstein is most famous as the Record producer for the legendary Van Morrison album Astral Weeks, and as Executive producer George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born 31 August 1945 is a Grammy Award -winning Northern Irish Singer, Astral Weeks is a Folk-rock and R & B Album by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on The album fared even worse than Stop Your Motor, reaching #194, while a single of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Darlin' Be Home Soon" failed to break the top 100. The Lovin' Spoonful is an American Pop rock band of the 1960s named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 For the band, however, the worst was yet to come.

Death and rebirth

For their 1972 tour, the group expanded to nine members, bringing in crack session players Wolfgang Meltz and Mike Berkowitz on bass & drums respectively to add more musical versatility on stage and free up Brian Cole & Ted Bluechel to concentrate on singing only. But on August 2, 1972, Cole was found dead in his Los Angeles home of an overdose of heroin. Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the rest of the 1970s, The Association was in a state of flux, releasing singles now and then, along with sporadic touring.

At the end of 1972, Kirkman departed, as did Meltz and Berkowitz. Thompson eventually left as well. The remaining members signed to the independent Mums label(which had been formed by Bobby Roberts formerly of Dunhill Records)and put out a new single "Names, Tags, Numbers & Labels". Dunhill Records was started by Lou Adler, Al Bennett, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts in 1964 as Dunhill Productions It failed to make much of an impression, though, and Mums folded by the end of 1974.

The remaining foursome of Alexander, Bluechel, Yester & Ramos brought in new members Maurice Miller(vocals, drums, percussion), Art Johnson(vocals, guitar) and David Vaught(bass) in 1973 and continued touring. Maurice Solomon Miller ( 16 August 1920 - 30 October 2001) was a British Labour Party politician Arthur Johnson may refer to Arthur V Johnson, a pioneer actor and director of American silent films Arthur Johnson (manager, English Jim Yester was briefly replaced by his brother Jerry later this same year only to return in 1974. When Jules Alexander left soon after to join Russ Giguere in a new vocal outfit, Bijou, Jerry again came in to play with the group until the end of that year.

1975 saw the band now on RCA and they put out another single, "One Sunday Morning". An album called "The Association Bites Back" was to follow but never got released. Membership was a bit fluid in 1975-76. Dwayne Smith(vocals, keyboards) joined and appeared on the above single but was replaced by Andy Chapin by the end of '75. Dwayne Romel Smith (born 12 April, 1983, Storey Gap, St Michael, Barbados) is a West Indies All-rounder who Andy Chapin ( Feb 7 1955 – December 31, 1985) was an American Keyboardist best known for his short stint with the Ramos departed as well, as did Art Johnson. Larry Brown (vocals, guitar) then came in for three years. Larry Brown may refer to Larry Brown (basketball (born 1940 NCAA ABA and NBA coach Larry Brown (baseball (born 1940 The increased tour schedule led to Chapin's departure in 1976. He later played for artist Rick Nelson and perished along with Nelson and his band when his plane crashed on New Years Eve, 1985. Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, later known as Rick Nelson ( May 8, 1940 &ndash December 31, 1985) was an New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. Andy was replaced first by Jay Gruska who'd just finished a stint with Three Dog Night and then by David Morgan in late 1976.

During this period, the band was offered a production deal with Mike Curb who wanted them to record a disco version of the prior hits, "Cherish", "No Fair At All" and an original song which Larry Brown wrote and sang entitled "It's High Time To Get High". Reportedly, Curb was dissatisfied with the drum tracks and wanted to bring in session drummer Jim Gordon to play, and the band refused, sinking the deal. James Gordon or Jim Gordon may refer to In politics: James Gordon (New York (1739-1810 American Indian trader U

In 1978 Brown left to concentrate on session work and was replaced by Cliff Woolley. But the prime gigs were fewer and far between by this time and Yester left leaving Bluechel as the only original member. Keyboard man Ric Ulsky stepped in at this point and the group had two keyboardists for a short time. Russ Levine (Bobby Womack Band, Donna Summer Band, Ultimate Spinach) also arrived to replace Miller on drums. But the band then dissolved shortly afterwards leaving Bluechel with a huge debt. To help clear away some of it, he leased the group's name to another company on November 1st, 1978 who put a fake Association out on the road.

In 1979, the surviving key members Terry Kirkman, Jules Alexander, Russ Giguere, Ted Bluechel, Jim Yester & Larry Ramos reunited for an HBO special called Then and Now (Terry Kirkman was working for HBO at the time. ) and a charity show hosted by Ed McMahon called Ed McMahon and Company This led in the early '80s to a few singles on Elektra (one of which, "Dreamer", made the top 100 with virtually no promotion) and more touring. Edward "Ed" Leo Peter McMahon Jr (born March 6 1923 is an American Comedian, Game show host, Announcer, and Television personality Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records

In 1980, the originals went back on the road for a concert tour. In addition to the classic members, Russ Levine and Ric Ulsky were brought back for extra musical muscle. Levine only stayed a short time, but Ulsky remained with the group until late 1984. With the genuine article back out touring, the bogus band was eventually put out of business.

Jim Yester left again in 1983 and the group added Keith Moret (bass, backing vocals) who was then replaced by Joe LaManno by 1984. That same year the group was invited to appear on the Happy Together Again tour, a multi-bill of 60s acts produced by David Fishof , headlined by the Turtles and also including Gary Puckett and Spanky McFarlane of Spanky & Our Gang. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as "The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett" was an American Pop rock group in the late 1960s Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s Folk-rock band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane Brian Puckett (Gary's brother) was drummer on that show behind Gary & Spanky and also played with the Association during their set. But by the end of the year, there was a mass exodus as Kirkman, Bluechel, Ulsky, LaManno and Brian Puckett all departed. In 1985 the band continued on as Jules, Russ and Larry recruited new members: Paul Beach (vocals, bass) (who'd also played in the Happy Together Again show band), Bruce Pictor (vocals, drums, percussion) and Donni Gougeon (vocals, keyboards). Gougeon was briefly replaced in 1986 by Chris Urmston and Paul Holland took Urmston's place in 1987 before moving over to bass in 1989 when Beach quit. Gougeon then returned to the band in 1989-1999. Jules Alexander turned in his notice in early 1989. Larry Ramos' brother Del who was doing sound for the group then began adding his voice to the mix from that point on. Eventually, he was promoted to full onstage membership.

Currently, the band includes Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Jim Yester, Del Ramos, Bruce Pictor, and most interestingly, Jordan Cole (son of Brian) on keyboards who joined in 1999. The Association still tours, playing up to 70 dates a year, mostly on bills with other similar styled acts of that era, like the Grass Roots, the Buckinghams, Tommy James, Gary Puckett, etc. In 2003, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. See also 2003 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2003 Record labels The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor what they term "the Greatest Vocal Groups in the World"

Discography

Albums

Reissued in 1967 on Warner Bros. – And ThenAlong Comes the Association was the first album by The Association. W-1702/WS-1702
Reissued in 1967 on Warner Bros. Renaissance is the name of The Association 's second album It was their final effort for the Valiant label The year 1967 was an important year for Psychedelic rock, with releases from The Beatles ( Sgt W-1704/WS-1704

Singles

Sources

References

  1. ^ [http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/232893 Listed by BMI as the song with the second most US airplay in the 20th century

External links

Dawn Eden (full name Dawn Eden Goldstein, born September 3, 1968) is an American author headline writer popular music historian freelance writer and
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