Mojave Gold

Flamin’ Groovies

This year, 2025, will be the 60 th anniversary of the FLAMIN' GROOVIES!!

They are the rarest of rare. A band from the sixties, who changed course in the seventies,

never bowed to any then-current trends, avoided great commercial success, took a break for

twenty years, survived it all, and have been going strong for the past twelve. Their audience

is an amazing mix of young and old, many of whom may have only recently discovered

them.

Over the course of the band’s extensive history, they have been described as legendary

Fillmore era San Francisco band, as classic rock, power pop, punk rock, garage rock, and a

few other categorizations (which are actually all correct).

Originating in San Francisco in 1965, the Groovies have been touring and performing

(in)consistently for nearly six decades, exceeding all expectations, presenting their own

unique and infectious style of rock 'n' roll with such cult classics as "Slow Death," "Teenage

Head," and of course, "Shake Some Action." The current lineup features Cyril Jordan, Tony Sales on drums, Atom Ellis on bass, and a couple newer, younger members Sean

Fitzsimmons and Miki Rogulj on guitars.

Their live show features a repertoire that spans the band’s career, emphasizing both 1971’s

“Teenage Head” album (associated with more old time rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, Stones and Yardbirds influences), as well as the power pop period (Beatles and Byrds influenced) more

associated with the band's three albums on Sire Records in the late 70s. Their place in

history is well established as one of the all-time greatest bands from San Francisco (and the

world) and as progenitors of real rock & roll.

A little history: The Flamin' Groovies story goes all the way back to 1965 when the band

began as the Chosen Few in their hometown of San Francisco, California. After a name

change and a self-released 10-inch album called Sneakers, which sold amazingly well, the

band caught the attention of Columbia who sent them into the studio with a big budget to

record their first real album, Supersnazz, on the Epic label. Their next two albums were on

Kama Sutra, Flamingo, and the revered classic Teenage Head.

Original lead singer Roy Loney left the band right after that and lead guitarist Cyril Jordan

moved the group to England with Chris Wilson (formerly of Loose Gravel) taking over as

front man. They continued their style of straight ahead guitar driven rock 'n' roll but this time with a more 60’s rather than 50’s influences. A few singles on United Artists,

recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales with Dave Edmunds producing,

followed in the early 70s. In 1976 they signed to Sire Records, who released three true

gems of power pop: Shake Some Action, Flamin' Groovies Now, and Jumpin' In the Night.

Another lineup change ensued, with Wilson moving to England and joining the Barracudas.

The Groovies continued on through the 80s and into the early 90s touring Australia and

Europe, putting out a fine but overlooked album called Rock Juice and then finally

calling it quits. The band reunited in 2013 for an Australian tour (at the behest of their

friends the Hoodoo Gurus), and have since played throughout the USA, including multiple

tours of the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest, half a dozen highly successful tours of

Europe, repeated visits to Japan, and of course, plenty of shows in their hometown of San

Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.

Some newcomers are asking; "Why haven't I ever heard of this group?" It's hard to say just

why the group hasn't got the attention they deserve (at least in the USA) but they're back to

give everyone another chance at hearing and seeing just why those in the know consider

them one of the greatest rock & ; roll bands ever.

For a more comprehensive Flamin’ Groovies bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamin%27_Groovies

Ben Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area on the New Jersey side of the river. At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life.

In 1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo. The band was together five years, releasing two albums and touring the U.S. several times. They received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and People magazine and video airplay on MTV. The attention inspired Marshall Crenshaw to record Ben's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" for his "Downtown" album.

Ben embarked on a solo career in 1988, recording several critically acclaimed albums, touring extensively in Europe and the U.S. and receiving more MTV exposure. During that period he produced three records for the Elektra Records American Explorer series (Memphis rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers, Muscle Shoals country soul singer Arthur Alexander) and recorded "Cubist Blues," a collaboration with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. He also scored two films ("Favorite Mopar" and "Wild Girl's Go-Go Rama"), as well as appearing as a frequent guest commentator on nationally syndicated radio shows “Fresh Air” and "World Cafe."

In 1995, Ben moved to L.A. and released "Instrumental Stylings," an album of instrumentals in a variety of styles. A guest appearance on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" led directly to being hired as the composer for the hit TV sitcom "3rd Rock From The Sun." "That 70s Show" soon followed, and for the next ten years Ben would provide award-winning music for a dozen other TV shows and pilots ("Men Behaving Badly," "Normal, Ohio," "Grounded For Life"). He also provided scores for several films ("Psycho Beach Party," "The Independent," "Scorpion Spring") and continued producing records (Ween, Los Straitjackets, Mark Olson of the Jayhawks, Nancy Sinatra, and the "Swingers" soundtrack CD).

Somehow Ben found time to create the legendary "Rambler '65." Recorded entirely in his car, this much-publicized album (and subsequent short film) is still considered by many to be a classic document of a man and his dream.

Since then, Ben has released “Designs In Music," “Vaughn Sings Vaughn Vols. 1-3,” “Texas Road Trip” (recorded in Austin, Texas with Doug Sahm’s band) , "Five By Five" and "Piece de Resistance" by the Ben Vaughn Quintet and the solo acoustic album, “Imitation Wood Grain And Other Folk Songs.”

Add to that an Italian dance hit (a DJ re-mix of “Hey Romeo”), airplay of “Jerry Lewis in France” on Bob Dylan’s radio show (complete with Dylan’s recitation of Ben’s resume), and two recent tours in France and you’re looking at what continues to be a very interesting career.

Occasionally, Ben takes a break from his syndicated radio show (“The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”) to perform live in the US and Europe. The dates are randomly planned so catch him while you can!