The Kingsmen
Encyclopedia
The Kingsmen is a 1960s garage rock
band from Portland
, Oregon
, United States
. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry
's "Louie Louie
", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks. The single has become an enduring classic.
the band members were Jack Ely (vocalist/rhythm guitar
), Lynn Easton (drummer
), Mike Mitchell (lead guitar
), Don Gallucci (electric piano
) and Bob Nordby (bass guitar
). Ken Chase (Kingsmen manager and Portland radio station
KISN music director) produced the recording session. Robert Lindahl (Northwestern Inc. recording studio owner) was the audio engineer.
"Louie Louie" was kept from the top spot on the charts in late 1963 and early 1964 by the Singing Nun
and Bobby Vinton
, who monopolized the #1 slot for four weeks apiece. The Kingsmen single reached #1 on the Cashbox chart and #2 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart. Additionally in the UK it reached #26 on the Record Retailer
chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. The B-side
of the single was an instrumental
, "Haunted Castle".
The band attracted nationwide attention when "Louie Louie" was banned by the governor of Indiana
, Matthew E. Welsh
, and attracted the attention of the FBI because of alleged indecent lyrics in the Kingsmen's version of the song. The lyrics were, in fact, innocent, but Ely's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities. All of this attention only made the song more popular. In April 1966 "Louie Louie" was reissued and once again hit the music charts, reaching #65 on the Cashbox chart and #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Ely would later form his own "Jack Ely & the Kingsmen". Don Gallucci was forced out because he wasn't old enough to tour and later formed Don and the Goodtimes, which morphed into the short-lived Touch
. Later, Gallucci would become a record producer
with Elektra Records
, with his most famous production being The Stooges
' seminal second album Fun House. ("Louie Louie" was frequently performed at Stooges concerts; the song appears on their live album as well as an Iggy Pop
solo record.) The two remaining original Kingsmen, Lynn Easton and Mike Mitchell, toured as the official band.
Following legal action
on both sides, Easton established his right to the "Kingsmen" name. Thus Ely was forced to stop using it, and Easton was forced to stop lip sync
ing to Ely's vocals. This initially hurt the Easton Kingsmen's popularity, after audiences realized that this was no longer the band they had come to see. Eventually, though, the official band (with Easton on vocals) charted several more singles in the 1960s.
The Kingsmen's 1964 follow up to "Louie Louie" was a party version of "Money (That's What I Want)
" which hit the Billboard Hot 100 at #16 and on Cashbox at #17. Then came "Little Latin Lupe Lu
" peaking on Billboard at #46 and Cashbox at #49. After that it was "Death of An Angel" #33 on Cashbox and #42 on Billboard.
1965 saw the Kingsmen return to the Top 10 nationally with "The Jolly Green Giant
" reaching #4 on Billboard and #8 on Cashbox. The follow-up song was "The Climb" #45 on Cashbox and #65 on Billboard. "Annie Fanny" was released next reaching #43 on Cashbox & #47 on Billboard. Next came "(You Got) The Gamma Goochee" #98 on Cashbox & #122 on Billboard.
In 1966 the Kingsmen continued to hit the charts, with "Killer Joe" reaching #77 on Billboard & #81 on Cashbox. In 1967 they made the chart for the last time with "Bo Diddley Bach" reaching #128 on Billboard.
On November 9, 1998, The Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their early recordings released on Wand Records
from Gusto Records
, including "Louie Louie." They had not been paid royalties on the songs since the 1960s.
who were moonlighting
from their regular work with Haley. This group scored a hit record
(#35) on Billboard with the instrumental entitled "Week End", written by Rudy Pompilli, Franny Beecher, and Billy Williamson, backed with "Better Believe It" as the B side. They released a follow-up single on East West Records featuring "The Catwalk" backed with "Conga Rock". Although the Comets did the actual recordings, when The Kingsmen went on tour a different set of musicians performed instead of Haley's people. The band made at least one appearance on American Bandstand
in 1958.
Various other groups have used the name "The Kingsmen", including a gospel
vocal group formed in 1956 (also referred to as The Kingsmen Quartet
) and bands that were later re-named as Flamin' Groovies, The Gants
and The Statler Brothers. An a cappella
group at Columbia University
is traditionally known as The Kingsmen; one incarnation of that group became Sha Na Na
;
also circa 1962-63, Bruza / Magnoli / Nofz / Tomczyk adopted that name in SE MI until dis-banding during the late-1970s.
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band from Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are best known for their 1963 recording of Richard Berry
Richard Berry
Richard Berry was an African American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins....
's "Louie Louie
Louie Louie
"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists...
", which held the #2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks. The single has become an enduring classic.
"Louie Louie"
When recordedSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the band members were Jack Ely (vocalist/rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Lynn Easton (drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
), Mike Mitchell (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Don Gallucci (electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
) and Bob Nordby (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). Ken Chase (Kingsmen manager and Portland radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KISN music director) produced the recording session. Robert Lindahl (Northwestern Inc. recording studio owner) was the audio engineer.
"Louie Louie" was kept from the top spot on the charts in late 1963 and early 1964 by the Singing Nun
The Singing Nun
Jeanine Deckers , known in English as The Singing Nun, was a Belgian nun, and a member of the Dominican Fichermont Convent in Belgium. She became internationally famous in 1963 as Sœur Sourire when she scored a hit with the song "Dominique"...
and Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
, who monopolized the #1 slot for four weeks apiece. The Kingsmen single reached #1 on the Cashbox chart and #2 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart. Additionally in the UK it reached #26 on the Record Retailer
Record Retailer
Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker...
chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the single was an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
, "Haunted Castle".
The band attracted nationwide attention when "Louie Louie" was banned by the governor of Indiana
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
, Matthew E. Welsh
Matthew E. Welsh
Matthew Empson Welsh was the 41st Governor of Indiana from the Democratic Party, serving from 1961 to 1965. His term as governor saw a major increase in statewide taxation, including the first state sales tax, and the passage of a several important civil rights bills making Indiana one of the most...
, and attracted the attention of the FBI because of alleged indecent lyrics in the Kingsmen's version of the song. The lyrics were, in fact, innocent, but Ely's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities. All of this attention only made the song more popular. In April 1966 "Louie Louie" was reissued and once again hit the music charts, reaching #65 on the Cashbox chart and #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Kingsmen name
After the success of "Louie Louie", the members of the Kingsmen took varied paths. Easton, whose mother had registered the name of the group and therefore owned it, declared that from this point on he intended to be the singer, forcing Ely to play the drums. This led Jack Ely and Bob Nordby to quit the group.Ely would later form his own "Jack Ely & the Kingsmen". Don Gallucci was forced out because he wasn't old enough to tour and later formed Don and the Goodtimes, which morphed into the short-lived Touch
Touch (60s band)
Touch were a '60s rock group who recorded just one album, 1968's eponymous and extremely rare Touch. They consisted of John Bordonaro , Don Gallucci , Bruce Hauser , Jeff Hawks , and Joey Newman AKA Vern Kjellberg .-History:Gallucci will probably always be best known...
. Later, Gallucci would become a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, with his most famous production being The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
' seminal second album Fun House. ("Louie Louie" was frequently performed at Stooges concerts; the song appears on their live album as well as an Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
solo record.) The two remaining original Kingsmen, Lynn Easton and Mike Mitchell, toured as the official band.
Following legal action
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
on both sides, Easton established his right to the "Kingsmen" name. Thus Ely was forced to stop using it, and Easton was forced to stop lip sync
Lip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
ing to Ely's vocals. This initially hurt the Easton Kingsmen's popularity, after audiences realized that this was no longer the band they had come to see. Eventually, though, the official band (with Easton on vocals) charted several more singles in the 1960s.
The Kingsmen's 1964 follow up to "Louie Louie" was a party version of "Money (That's What I Want)
Money (That's What I Want)
"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
" which hit the Billboard Hot 100 at #16 and on Cashbox at #17. Then came "Little Latin Lupe Lu
Little Latin Lupe Lu
"Little Latin Lupe Lu" was written by Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers, who had a chart record with the song in 1963 reaching #47 on the Cashbox music chart and #49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.-Cover versions:...
" peaking on Billboard at #46 and Cashbox at #49. After that it was "Death of An Angel" #33 on Cashbox and #42 on Billboard.
1965 saw the Kingsmen return to the Top 10 nationally with "The Jolly Green Giant
Green Giant
Green Giant and Le Sueur are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by General Mills. The mascot of Green Giant is the Jolly Green Giant....
" reaching #4 on Billboard and #8 on Cashbox. The follow-up song was "The Climb" #45 on Cashbox and #65 on Billboard. "Annie Fanny" was released next reaching #43 on Cashbox & #47 on Billboard. Next came "(You Got) The Gamma Goochee" #98 on Cashbox & #122 on Billboard.
In 1966 the Kingsmen continued to hit the charts, with "Killer Joe" reaching #77 on Billboard & #81 on Cashbox. In 1967 they made the chart for the last time with "Bo Diddley Bach" reaching #128 on Billboard.
On November 9, 1998, The Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their early recordings released on Wand Records
Wand Records
Wand Records was started by Florence Greenberg in 1961 as a subsidiary of Scepter Records. In 1976 Florence Greenberg decided to retire from the business and sold her record labels to Springboard International. When Springboard went bankrupt, Gusto Records acquired the catalog.Artists on Wand...
from Gusto Records
Gusto Records
Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee based record company specializing in reissuing and licensing recordings from its vast catalogue of music from acquired record labels and their own studio recordings....
, including "Louie Louie." They had not been paid royalties on the songs since the 1960s.
Other uses of the name
Prior to this group's formation, another group called The Kingsmen operated in 1958 and was made up of members of Bill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
who were moonlighting
Moonlighting
Moonlighting is the practice of holding a second job . It may also refer to:* Moonlighting , a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski* Moonlighting , broadcast in 1985–1989 and starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd...
from their regular work with Haley. This group scored a hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
(#35) on Billboard with the instrumental entitled "Week End", written by Rudy Pompilli, Franny Beecher, and Billy Williamson, backed with "Better Believe It" as the B side. They released a follow-up single on East West Records featuring "The Catwalk" backed with "Conga Rock". Although the Comets did the actual recordings, when The Kingsmen went on tour a different set of musicians performed instead of Haley's people. The band made at least one appearance on American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
in 1958.
Various other groups have used the name "The Kingsmen", including a gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
vocal group formed in 1956 (also referred to as The Kingsmen Quartet
The Kingsmen Quartet
The Kingsmen Quartet is an American Christian music group.-Musical career:The Kingsmen are a Southern Gospel vocal quartet based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Many legends of Southern Gospel have been members of The Kingsmen...
) and bands that were later re-named as Flamin' Groovies, The Gants
The Gants
The Gants were an American garage rock band of the 1960s.- History :One of the few outfits of its kind to emerge from the Deep South, the group was originally known as The Kingsmen when the band got together in 1963 to play R&B covers and the kind of instrumentals popularized by The Ventures...
and The Statler Brothers. An a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
is traditionally known as The Kingsmen; one incarnation of that group became Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na
Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes....
;
also circa 1962-63, Bruza / Magnoli / Nofz / Tomczyk adopted that name in SE MI until dis-banding during the late-1970s.
Singles
Listed in chronological release order with peak chart position (Billboard Hot 100) noted.- Louie Louie/Haunted Castle (Jerden 712) 1963
- Louie Louie/Haunted Castle (Wand 143) 1963 (#2) -- B-side changed to Little Green Thing on later pressings; Re-released in 1966 as Louie Louie 64-65-66 w/ Haunted Castle B-side
- Money/Bent Scepter (Wand 150) 1964 (#16)
- Little Latin Lupe Lu/David's Mood (Wand 157) 1964 (#46)
- Death Of An Angel/Searching For Love (Wand 164) 1964 (#42)
- The Jolly Green Giant/Long Green (Wand 172) 1964 (#4)
- The Climb/The Waiting (Wand 183) 1965 (#65)
- Annie Fanny/Give Her Lovin’ (Wand 189) 1965 (#47)
- (You Got) The Gamma Goochee/It's Only The Dog (Wand 1107) 1965 (#122)
- Little Green Thing/Killer Joe (Wand 1115) 1966 (#77)
- The Krunch/The Climb (Wand 1118) 1966
- My Wife Can't Cook/Little Sally Tease (Wand 1127) 1966
- If I Needed Someone/Grass Is Green (Wand 1137) 1966
- Trouble/Daytime Shadows (Wand 1147) 1967
- Children's Caretaker/The Wolf of Manhattan (Wand 1154) 1967
- (I Have Found) Another Girl/Don’t Say No (Wand 1157) 1967
- Bo Diddley Bach/Just Before the Break of Day (Wand 1164) 1968 (#128)
- Get Out of My Life Woman/Since You’ve Been Gone (Wand 1174) 1968
- On Love/I Guess I Was Dreamin’ (Wand 1180) 1968
- You Better Do Right/Today (Capitol 3576) 1973
Studio albums
Listed in chronological order with peak chart position (Billboard) noted.- The Kingsmen In Person (Wand WDM/WDS-657) 1963 (#20)
- The Kingsmen, Volume II (Wand WDM/WDS-659) 1964 (#15)
- The Kingsmen, Volume 3 (Wand WDM/WDS-662) 1965 (#22)
- The Kingsmen on Campus (Wand WDM/WDS-670) 1965 (#68)
- 15 Great Hits (Wand WDM/WDS-674) 1966 (#87)
- Up and Away (Wand WDM/WDS-675) 1966
- The Kingsmen – A Quarter To Three (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3329) 1980
- The Kingsmen - Ya Ya (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3330) 1980
- The Kingsmen - House Party (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3346) 1980
- Live and Unreleased (Jerden 7004) recorded 1963, released 1992
- Since We’ve Been Gone (Sundazed 6027) recorded 1967, released 1994
- The Kingsmen – Plugged (Kingsmen CD #1) 1995
- Garage Sale (Louie Louie Records – no catalog #) 2003
Compilation albums
- The Kingsmen Greatest Hits (Wand WDM/WDS-681) 1967
- The Best of the Kingsmen (Scepter/Citation Series CTN-18002) 1972
- The Kingsmen Greatest Hits (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3348) 1981
- The Best of the Kingsmen (Rhino RNLP 126) 1985
- Rock & Roll – Kingsmen (Starday N5-2125) 1985
- Louie Louie – The Kingsmen (Prime Cuts 1322) 1986
- The Kingsmen – 12 Greatest (Golden Circle CS 57582) 198?
- The Kingsmen – Louie, Louie (Golden Circle GC57881) 1987
- The Jolly Green Giant (Richmond 2125) 1988
- The Kingsmen – Louie Louie (Highland Music/Richmond 2138) 1988
- The Best of the Kingsmen (Rhino 70745) 1989
- The Kingsmen – Louie Louie and More Golden Classics (Collectables 5073) 1991
- The Kingsmen – 20 Greats (Highland Music/Festival FST FCD 4417) 1991
- The World of the Kingsmen/Louie Louie (Trace 0400612) 1992
- The Best of the Kingsmen (Laserlight/Delta 124 24) 1995
- The Very Best of the Kingsmen (Varese Sarabande/Varese Vintage 5905) 1998
- The Kingsmen’s Greatest Hits (K-tel K4185-2) 1998
- Louie Louie: The Very Best of the Kingsmen (Collectables 5628) 1999
- The Kingsmen – America’s Premier 60s Garage Band (Edel America 70172) 2000
Further reading
- Ace Records (UK)Ace Records (UK)Ace Records Ltd. was started in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their recordings. When Chiswick's pop side was licensed to EMI in 1984, Ace switched to more licensing...
; 'Love that Louie' CD sleevenotes. - Rhino RecordsRhino EntertainmentRhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
; 'The Best of Louie Louie' CD sleevenotes. - Renaissance Records; 'Touch' CD sleevenotes.
- Louie Louie; Me Gotta Go Now by Drummer Dick Peterson , Thalian Press 2005