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This day-by-day diary of Group “B” and Andrew Staples’ live, studio, broadcasting and private activities is the result of three decades of research and interview work by Bruno Ceriotti, but without the significant contributions by other kindred spirits this diary would not have been possible. So, I would like to thank all the people who, in one form or another, contributed to this timeline: Ross Hannan, Corry Arnold, Colin Hill, Alec Palao, Dickie Peterson (RIP), Joan White, Dan Halcomb, Michael Lester Kennedy, The California Aggie, The Sacramento Bee, The San Francisco Examiner, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Union, State Hornet, The Statesman (Sacramento State College Yearbook).
Thursday, February 11, 1943
Group “B” future founding member and leader Rodger Charles Hille was born in Sacramento, California. His mother was named Margaret Grant. His father Rodger Clinton Hille, a 49-year-old native of Yolo County, was a fingerprint expert and has had a position with the State Bureau of Identification at Sacramento for a number of years. His younger brother Richard George Hille was born on January 12, 1945, in Sacramento. When Rodger was born he and his family lived at 1400 33rd Street, but a month later they were located at another address, 2101 J Street, but again in November of that year they were kocated at another address, 1316 33rd Street. Later, in January 1945 when his young brother was born, the Hille were located again at another address, 2957 Santa Cruz Way.
September 1958
Rodger Hille enrolled at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento. There, he started acting in school plays.
Thursday, January 7 and Saturday, January 9, 1960
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of You Can’t Take It with You, a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart from 1936, chosen as the senior play for the graduating class of February 1960 of Hiram W. Johnson High School.
Friday, June 17, 1960
Rodger Hille graduated at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento.
September 1960
Rodger Hille enrolled at California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo, Californa, as printing major. There, he continued to acting in school plays.
September 1962
Rodger Hille moved from California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo to Sacramento State College, as speech major. There, he also continued to acting in school plays.
Friday, October 19, 1962
Rodger Hille performed as solo folksinger during the 10th annual SCC (Sacramento State College) student variety show. The event, which started at 9pm in the men’s gymnasium immediately following the bonfire rally that kicked off the thirteenth annual Homecoming celebration activities, also featured music provided by the Charlie Perkins Band, folk trio the Riverside Trio, a vocal trio featured Judi Coleman, Micheyl Broaddus and Diana Draper, another vocal trio featured Sally and Anthony Gifford and Howard Dilts, solo singer Sally Teater, comedian Dave Anthony, acrobat Donna Spitz, guitarist Don Amori, and an unspecified spanish dancer. There was also a short preview of the musical Little Mary Sunshine, and a short skit by Phil McCullough satirizing the theme of homecoming.
Friday, March 15 - Saturday, March 23, 1963
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of Our Town, a play by Thornton Wilder from 1938, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from March 15 to 23, 1963.
Saturday, October 12, 1963
Rodger Hille performed, as part of a folk trio called the Sutterville Stompers along with fellow SSC students John Berg and Fred Dalkey, during the First Annual Folk Singer’s Jubilee held at the Town and Country Village in Sacramento, and presented jointly by KCRA radio and the Sacramento Kiwanis Club. Accompanied by a string bass, guitar and banjo, the threesome sang twenty folk songs and where selected, among 67 other folk singing groups, as second place winner behind Sally and Tony Gifford, a sister-and-brother duo and fellow students at Sacramento State College. Rodger, John and Fred were awarded $80 in cash and also auditioned for Capitol and Columbia Records sometime later. Formation of the trio began several years earlier when Rodger and Fred were high school classmate, while John joined them only later while attending college. “We’ve received some job offers and have performed at school functions and dances,” commented Hille after the second place win to a reporter of The State Hornet, the college’s independent student newspaper (issue of October 18, 1963). For Hille, who was a speech major (but later switched to dramatic arts major), Dalkey, a art major, and Berg, a geography major, as well as for Sally and Tony Gifford, it was the first attempt in a folk singing competition and for all of them it ended in victory.
Group “B” future founding member and leader Rodger Charles Hille was born in Sacramento, California. His mother was named Margaret Grant. His father Rodger Clinton Hille, a 49-year-old native of Yolo County, was a fingerprint expert and has had a position with the State Bureau of Identification at Sacramento for a number of years. His younger brother Richard George Hille was born on January 12, 1945, in Sacramento. When Rodger was born he and his family lived at 1400 33rd Street, but a month later they were located at another address, 2101 J Street, but again in November of that year they were kocated at another address, 1316 33rd Street. Later, in January 1945 when his young brother was born, the Hille were located again at another address, 2957 Santa Cruz Way.
September 1958
Rodger Hille enrolled at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento. There, he started acting in school plays.
Thursday, January 7 and Saturday, January 9, 1960
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of You Can’t Take It with You, a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart from 1936, chosen as the senior play for the graduating class of February 1960 of Hiram W. Johnson High School.
Friday, June 17, 1960
Rodger Hille graduated at Hiram W. Johnson High School in Sacramento.
September 1960
Rodger Hille enrolled at California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo, Californa, as printing major. There, he continued to acting in school plays.
September 1962
Rodger Hille moved from California Polytechnic State College in San Luis Obispo to Sacramento State College, as speech major. There, he also continued to acting in school plays.
Friday, October 19, 1962
Rodger Hille performed as solo folksinger during the 10th annual SCC (Sacramento State College) student variety show. The event, which started at 9pm in the men’s gymnasium immediately following the bonfire rally that kicked off the thirteenth annual Homecoming celebration activities, also featured music provided by the Charlie Perkins Band, folk trio the Riverside Trio, a vocal trio featured Judi Coleman, Micheyl Broaddus and Diana Draper, another vocal trio featured Sally and Anthony Gifford and Howard Dilts, solo singer Sally Teater, comedian Dave Anthony, acrobat Donna Spitz, guitarist Don Amori, and an unspecified spanish dancer. There was also a short preview of the musical Little Mary Sunshine, and a short skit by Phil McCullough satirizing the theme of homecoming.
Friday, March 15 - Saturday, March 23, 1963
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of Our Town, a play by Thornton Wilder from 1938, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from March 15 to 23, 1963.
Saturday, October 12, 1963
Rodger Hille performed, as part of a folk trio called the Sutterville Stompers along with fellow SSC students John Berg and Fred Dalkey, during the First Annual Folk Singer’s Jubilee held at the Town and Country Village in Sacramento, and presented jointly by KCRA radio and the Sacramento Kiwanis Club. Accompanied by a string bass, guitar and banjo, the threesome sang twenty folk songs and where selected, among 67 other folk singing groups, as second place winner behind Sally and Tony Gifford, a sister-and-brother duo and fellow students at Sacramento State College. Rodger, John and Fred were awarded $80 in cash and also auditioned for Capitol and Columbia Records sometime later. Formation of the trio began several years earlier when Rodger and Fred were high school classmate, while John joined them only later while attending college. “We’ve received some job offers and have performed at school functions and dances,” commented Hille after the second place win to a reporter of The State Hornet, the college’s independent student newspaper (issue of October 18, 1963). For Hille, who was a speech major (but later switched to dramatic arts major), Dalkey, a art major, and Berg, a geography major, as well as for Sally and Tony Gifford, it was the first attempt in a folk singing competition and for all of them it ended in victory.
The Sutterville Stompers, 1963 - from left: Rodger Hille, John Berg, Fred Dalkey
Friday, November 8 - November ??, 1963
Rodger Hille worked as an assistant stage manager for Cyrano de Bergerac, a play by Edmond Rostand from 1897, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from November 8 to ??, 1963.
Friday, November 22, 1963
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers performed during a folk song show held in the Sacramento State College’s campus Little Theatre at 8:15pm. Also on the bill: Barry Olivier (performer and emcee), the Cusars, Dick and Antoinette, the Ridgerunners, Jean Starns, June and Jean Millington, Coleen Chandler.
Wednesday, December 11 - Saturday, December 14, 1963
Rodger Hille, as the deaf mute, was a member of the cast of The Madwoman of Chaillot, a play and poetic satire by Jean Giraudoux from 1945, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from December 11 to 14, 1963.
Thursday, March 12 - Saturday, March 14, 1964
Rodger Hille directed Auto-da-Fé, a one-act play by Tennessee Williams from 1941, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from March 12 to 14, 1964.
Saturday, March 17, 1964
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers make its first Davis, California, appearance on Saturday night from 9pm to 1:3oam, at the Henri du Buc de Ferret’s Trou Noir, a recently opened French Cabaret located downstairs at the Campus Inn on 2nd Street and G Street, that provided UC Davis students a place to gather nightly from 7pm on. The group offers great entertainment for lovers of all forms of jazz. Their repertoire spans the jazz scene’s entire gamut.
Friday, April 10, 1964
Rodger Hille, John Berg and Fred Dalkey, aka the Sutterville Stompers, presented a program of folk music at a Friday evening dinner in the Sacramento State College dining room.
Sunday, June 7, 1964
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers provided live music entertainment for teens and others during the first annual ‘CAGA (Crocker Art Gallery Association) Carnival’ held in the garden of the E.B. Crocker Art Gallery in downtown Sacramento from 11am to 5pm.
Tuesday, July 21 - Saturday, July 25, 1964
Rodger Hille, as Lucio, headed the cast of Measure for Measure, a play by William Shakespeare from 1604, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theatre from July 21 to 25, 1964.
Rodger Hille (centre) as "Lucio," July 1964
Rodger Hille (centre) as "Lucio," July 1964
Wednesday, September 2 - Sunday, September 13, 1964
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers performed at the California State Fair’s First Hootennany Contest which was offering a chance for $3,200 in prize money. Thirty folk-singing groups partecipated at the songfest which was a daily part of this year’s Fair held from September 2 to 13. After nine days of competion, finalists will take to the stage on the Fair’s last three days and judges will then select the winner, who will be awarded the $1,000 first prize. Second place winner will be awarded $700 and third place winner will receive $500. Daily winners will be named and receive $100. Other than the Sutterville Stompers, other competitors were: The Glendy-Burke Singers, The Greenwood Singers, Valley Balladiers, The Wayside Trio, Redwyne Singers, Daniel Davidson, The String-A-Longs, The Nomads, The Cumberlands, Bill Reimund, and more. The Hootenanny performers appeared twice daily during the Fair at 1pm and again at 7pm on Stage 3 in the eastern section of the State Fairgrounds.
Late 1964
At the same time of the Sutterville Stompers, Rodger Hille formed a surf rock band called the Bandits with fellow Sacramento State College: Jack Marshall May (b. Thursday, October 5, 1944, Oakland, Alameda County, California - d. Tuesday, August 27, 1996, Sacramento, following an illness), a philosophy major who’d played lead guitar with a local rock band called the Fugitives, Joseph David ‘Dave’ Damrell on bass, Pual Ware on drums, and James ‘Jim’ King on lead vocals. “Jack had all kinds of ambitions but could never really bring it off,” recalled Dave Damrell in an interview with Alec Palao. “He did get us plenty of gigs: He was a hustler first, a musician second. I guess we were all individuals. Jim had a buzz cut, wore shower thongs all the time for shoes, baggy Levis held up with a rope, and a T-shirt with cigarettes rolled up in the sleeves. Super-bright, and very very eccentric.”
THE BANDITS (LATE 1964 - JANUARY 1965) / THE SPOKES (JANUARY 1965 - 1965)
1) Rodger Hille rhythm guitar
2) Dave Damrell bass
3) Jack May lead guitar
4) James ‘Jim’ King lead vocals
4) Paul Ware drums
1) Rodger Hille rhythm guitar
2) Dave Damrell bass
3) Jack May lead guitar
4) James ‘Jim’ King lead vocals
4) Paul Ware drums
January 1965
The Bandits signed for Scorpio label, a teen-oriented short-lived subsidiary of Fantasy Records, and changed its name to The Spokes.
1965
The Spokes’ first and only single, ‘Mini-Bike (Built For Two) / Bouncing Betty’ (Scorpio 401), was released only in the US. Both songs were written by the band. ‘Bouncing Betty,’ although mislabeled as ‘Boots,’ was later included on the CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story,’ released in 1994 by the UK label Big Beat Records under its Nuggets From The Golden State series.
The Bandits signed for Scorpio label, a teen-oriented short-lived subsidiary of Fantasy Records, and changed its name to The Spokes.
1965
The Spokes’ first and only single, ‘Mini-Bike (Built For Two) / Bouncing Betty’ (Scorpio 401), was released only in the US. Both songs were written by the band. ‘Bouncing Betty,’ although mislabeled as ‘Boots,’ was later included on the CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story,’ released in 1994 by the UK label Big Beat Records under its Nuggets From The Golden State series.
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1965
After the Spokes’ single flopped, Paul Ware left the band, Jim King replaced him on drums, and last but not least the band changed again its name to Group “B” (sometime spelled as Group B). “We called ourselves Group “B” because we were the losers, that sort of thing,” explained Dave Damrell to Alec Palao.
GROUP “B” #1 (1965 - LATE 1965/EARLY 1966)
1) Rodger Hille
2) Dave Damrell
3) Jack May
4) Jim King now drums
1) Rodger Hille
2) Dave Damrell
3) Jack May
4) Jim King now drums
Saturday, March 27, 1965
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers, along with the Solos, played at a hootenanny held in the evening at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse, 7997 California Avenue, Fair Oaks, Sacramento County. The event was sponsored by the Fair Oaks Village Arts Guild.
Sunday, May 23, 1965
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers provided live music entertainment for teens and others during the second annual ‘CAGA (Crocker Art Gallery Association) Carnival’ held in the garden of the E.B. Crocker Art Gallery in downtown Sacramento from 11am to 5pm.
June 1965
Rodger Hille graduated at Sacramento State College.
July 1965
Group “B” first single, ‘Stop Calling Me / She’s Gone’ (Scorpio 402), was released only in the US. Both songs were written by Rodger Hille and James King. The record was a Top 10 hit in the Sacramento area. Both songs were later included in the aforementioned CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story’ in 1994.
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers, along with the Solos, played at a hootenanny held in the evening at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse, 7997 California Avenue, Fair Oaks, Sacramento County. The event was sponsored by the Fair Oaks Village Arts Guild.
Sunday, May 23, 1965
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers provided live music entertainment for teens and others during the second annual ‘CAGA (Crocker Art Gallery Association) Carnival’ held in the garden of the E.B. Crocker Art Gallery in downtown Sacramento from 11am to 5pm.
June 1965
Rodger Hille graduated at Sacramento State College.
July 1965
Group “B” first single, ‘Stop Calling Me / She’s Gone’ (Scorpio 402), was released only in the US. Both songs were written by Rodger Hille and James King. The record was a Top 10 hit in the Sacramento area. Both songs were later included in the aforementioned CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story’ in 1994.
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Wednesday, July 21 - Saturday, July 24, 1965
Rodger Hille, as Tartuffe, headed the cast of Tartuffe, a theatrical comedy by Molière from 1664, produced and performed by the students of Sacramento State College at the campus’ Little Theater from July 21 to 24, 1965.
Rodger Hille as "Tartuffe," July 1965
Sunday, August 1, 1965
The today issue of The Sacramento Bee daily newspaper reported that Rodger Hille, who for years had been one of the directors of the Sacramento State College Summer Stock Group, a college’s theatre company that presesented stage productions only in the summer, had to withdraw from the company because his band, Group “B”, has had a sudden success with a recording of ‘Stop Calling Me’ and more recordings and negotations for a tour occupy too much of his time.
Friday, August 20 - Saturday, August 21, 1965: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J Street, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Also on the bill: The Beach Boys, Barbara Lewis, The Preps. The shows started at 8:30pm nightly.
Friday, August 27, 1965: ‘The Last Dance of the Summer,’ Native Sons Hall, 11th Street and J Street, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Also on the bill: The Fugitives, The Plague Ltd., Tony & Larry. The show lasted from 9pm to 1am.
Friday, September 17, 1965: ‘Help! We’re back in school,’ Governor’s Hall, State Fair Grounds, 4611 Broadway, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
The show was presented by The Association and lasted from 8:30pm to 1am. Also on the bill: The Marauders, The New Breed, The Hide-A-Ways, The Inlanders, plus films.
Saturday, September 18, 1965: ‘Hollywood A Go-Go,’ KHJ-TV Channel 9, KHJ TV Studios, 5515 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Group “B” lip-synched ‘Stop Calling Me’ during the taping of episode No.40 of Hollywood A Go-Go, a nationally syndicated television teen dance show hosted by deejay Sam Riddle and aired every Saturday. On this episode, which was broadcasted on September 25, also appeared: We Five, The Fugitives, Dobie Gray, Sue Thompson, and Mike Clifford.
September 1965
Rodger Hille enrolled at the University of California in Davis as an advanced student in dramatic art.
Saturday, October 2, 1965
Rodger Hille with the Sutterville Stompers performed during the ‘Carnival of Animals,’ an open-to-the-public event sponsored by Sacramento Junior Museum Guild and held from 11am to 7pm on the Stage 1 on the Junior Museum grounds at the Sacramento State Fairgrounds. The music performances started at noon with the Clampus Vitus, followed by the Avengers at 1pm, the Sutterville Stumpers at 2pm, the Bishops at 3pm, Sacramento Banjo Band at 5pm, and a variety show from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Thursday, October 21 - Tuesday, October 26, 1965
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of A Penny for a Song, an historical comedy play by the British writer John Whiting from 1951. The play was produced by the department of dramatic art and speech of the University of California at Davis, and performed at the campus’ Wyatt Pavilion Theatre from October 21 to 26, 1965.
Thursday, November 4, 1965: Deebo’s, 200 G Street, Davis, Yolo County, California
Saturday, November 6, 1965: ‘Night Out A-Go-Go,’ Governor’s Hall, State Fair Grounds, 4611 Broadway, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Also on the bill: The Fugitives, The Inlanders. The show, which lasted from 9pm to 1am, was presented by Bette Kaye.
Thursday, December 9 - Tuesday, December 14, 1965
Rodger Hille was a member of the cast of The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare from 1610-11. The play was produced by the department of dramatic art and speech of the University of California at Davis, and performed at the campus’ Wyatt Pavilion Theatre from December 9 to 14, 1965.
Late 1965 or Early 1966
Jack May and Dave Damrell left Group “B”. Damrell would later formed a band called Kak, while May continued to be active in music circles as a musician (playing with Kampf Route around 1969 and with Osgoode around 1971), producer and engineer at least until he retired from the music scene and went to work as a computer resource specialist in the human resources department at UC Davis, as well as been an active volunteer with Davis Community Network. Anyway, the band replaced them with a rhythm guitarist named Jerre Peterson and his younger brother and bass player Richard Allan ‘Dick’ ‘Dickie’ Peterson (b. Thursday, September 12, 1946, Grand Forks, North Dakota - d. Monday, October 12, 2009, at 5 am in Erkelenz, Germany, from liver cancer after prostate cancer spread throughout his body). It was also probably around this time or sometime later, that the band added a fifth member, a woodwind player and Sacramento State College student named Richard Berger.
GROUP “B” #2 (LATE 1965/EARLY 1966 - AUGUST 2?, 1966) / ANDREW STAPLES #1 (AUGUST 2?, 1966 - SEPTEMBER 1966)
1) Rodger Hille now switched from rhythm to lead guitar
2) Jim King
3) Dick ‘Dickie’ Peterson bass, vocals
4) Jerre Peterson rhythm guitar, vocals
5) Richard Berger soprano sax, flute, various woodwinds
1) Rodger Hille now switched from rhythm to lead guitar
2) Jim King
3) Dick ‘Dickie’ Peterson bass, vocals
4) Jerre Peterson rhythm guitar, vocals
5) Richard Berger soprano sax, flute, various woodwinds
Monday, March 7, 1966
Rodger Hille and Jack May copyrighted their songs ‘I Can See It In Your Eyes’ and ‘I Know Your Name, Girl.’
Friday, March 11, 1966: Student Center, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, Davis, Yolo County, California
Group B provided music for a student association informal dance which lasted from 9pm to 12 midnight.
March 1966
Group “B” second and last single, ‘I Know Your Name Girl / I Never Really Knew’ (Scorpio 406), was released only in the US. The ‘A’ side was written by Rodger Hille, James King and Jack May (misspelled as Mays on the label) and it was probably recorded by the previous lineup, while the flipside was written by Dick and Jerre Peterson (misspelled as Jerri on the label) and was recorded by the new lineup. The record charted in the Sacramento area. Both songs were later included in the aforementioned CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story’ in 1994.
Rodger Hille and Jack May copyrighted their songs ‘I Can See It In Your Eyes’ and ‘I Know Your Name, Girl.’
Friday, March 11, 1966: Student Center, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, Davis, Yolo County, California
Group B provided music for a student association informal dance which lasted from 9pm to 12 midnight.
March 1966
Group “B” second and last single, ‘I Know Your Name Girl / I Never Really Knew’ (Scorpio 406), was released only in the US. The ‘A’ side was written by Rodger Hille, James King and Jack May (misspelled as Mays on the label) and it was probably recorded by the previous lineup, while the flipside was written by Dick and Jerre Peterson (misspelled as Jerri on the label) and was recorded by the new lineup. The record charted in the Sacramento area. Both songs were later included in the aforementioned CD compilation ‘The Scorpio Records Story’ in 1994.
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Thursday, March 31 - Saturday, April 2, 1966
The department of dramatic art and speech of the University of California at Davis presented at the campus’ East Hall Studio Theatre, an experimental play written by Rodger Hille titled An Entertainment In One Act. Rodger also directed another experimental play titled The Martyr and written by James Lawson.
Sunday, April 17, 1966: Pennsylvania Place Apartments, 911 Pennsylvania Place, Davis, Yolo County, California
Group B, along with the Carpetbaggers and the Cornerstones, provided the music during a pool side barbecue sponsored by the management of Pennsylvania Place Apartments. This afternoon party was held for the enjoyment of the eighty UC Davis student tennants who reside at the 8th and J street apartments.
Saturday, April 30, 1966: ‘Up The Creek,’ Putah Creek Lodge, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, 685 Putah Creek Lodge Drive, Davis, Yolo County, California
Group B provided the music during an informal barbecue and dance sponsored by Emerson Hall.
Sunday, July 3, 1966: ‘Independence Ball,’ Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Love, Grateful Dead. The show was presented by Bill Graham.
Saturday, August 20, 1966: Cottage Center, 2701-2775 Cottage Way, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Group B played at a dance sponsored by the local Fulton-El Camino Teen Club and that lasted from 8:30pm to 12 midnight.
August 2?, 1966
Group “B” changed its name to Andrew Staples. “Group ‘B’ was catching no-ones ear,” recalled Dick Peterson in a private interview with music aficionado Colin Hill on October 17, 1983. “[We became] Andrew Stsples because that was ‘Old Man’ Staples name and we were all fans of that group.”
Friday, September 2 - Saturday, September 3, 1966: Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Curiously, the band was billed with their new name of Andrew Staples on the Fillmore poster printed in August, but was still advertised as Group B in the more contemporary issues of the San Francisco Chronicle daily newspaper dated September 1, 2 and 3. Also on the bill: Jefferson Airplane, P.H. Phactor Jug Band. The shows were presented by Bill Graham and started at 9pm nightly.
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September 1966
Dick Peterson was fired from the band reportedly for playing only Chuck Berry material at rehearsals. “They fired me because they wanted to play four-point Baroque, and I wanted to play rock ‘n’ roll,” recalled Dick Peterson. “They'd catch me playing Chuck Berry songs whenever there was a break in practice, and they'd say, ‘What the Hell are you doing?! You're supposed to be playing BACH!’” By the way, at that point his brother Jerre left too, and together they went to form a new band called Blue Cheer.
ANDREW STAPLES #2 (SEPTEMBER 1966 - LATE 1966/EARLY 1967)
1) Rodger Hille
2) Jim King
3) Richard Berger
4) ? bass, vocals
5) ? rhythm guitar, vocals
1) Rodger Hille
2) Jim King
3) Richard Berger
4) ? bass, vocals
5) ? rhythm guitar, vocals
Friday, September 30 - Sunday, October 2, 1966: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Wildflower (2).
Also on the bill: The Wildflower (2).
San Francisco Examiner (October 8, 1966)
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Monday, October 3, 1966: ‘Fol de Rol Goes Pop - Kick-Off Party,’ Walter Landor’s floating office, ferryboat Klamath, San Francisco, California
Andrew Staples provided the music for the kick-off party members of the Opera Guild gave that night aboard the industrial designer Walter Landor’s floating office, the ferryboat Klamath, to announce plans for the ‘Fol de Rol Goes Pop’ that would be held at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium on October 19. “The rock ‘n’ roll musicians, led by Andrew Staples, appeared in wild outfits but the drummer, James King, added a dinner jacket to his colorful apparel in a salute to the black tie Fol de Rol,” reported the San Francisco Examiner daily newspaper on October 5.
Sunday, October 23 - Tuesday, October 25, 1966: Deebo’s, 200 G Street, Davis, Yolo County, California
California Aggie (October 18, 1966)
Sunday, October 30 - Tuesday, November 1, 1966: Deebo’s, 200 G Street, Davis, Yolo County, California
California Aggie (October 25, 1966)
Friday, November 4 - Sunday, November 6, 1966: Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Muddy Waters Blues Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service. The shows were presented by Bill Graham and lasted from 9pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday, and from 2pm to 7pm on Sunday.
Saturday, November 12, 1966: ‘Anniversary Party,’ The Old Cheese Factory, 517 Washington Street, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Grateful Dead. Lights by Bill Ham. The show started at 9pm.
Saturday, November 19, 1966: Governor’s Hall, State Fair Grounds, 4611 Broadway, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Also on the bill: Chocolate Watchband. The show, which lasted from 9pm to 1am, was presented by Goat-Head Limited.
Thursday, December 1 - Tuesday, December 6, 1966
Rodger Hille, in the leading role of Mr. William Warbeck as his thesis project for an M.A. degree, headed the cast of Stop It, Whoever You Are, a comedy play by a young British playwright named Henry Livings, produced by the department of dramatic art and speech of the University of California at Davis, and performed at the campus’ Arena Theatre from December 1 to 6, 1966.
California Aggie (December 6, 1966)
Late 1966 or Early 1967
James King left the band and was replaced by a new drummer named Danny Mihm.
ANDREW STAPLES #3 (LATE 1966/EARLY 1967 - SEPTEMBER 1967)
1) Rodger Hille
2) Richard Berger
3) Danny Mihm drums
4) ?
5) ?
1) Rodger Hille
2) Richard Berger
3) Danny Mihm drums
4) ?
5) ?
Saturday, February 11, 1967: ‘8-Hour Protest Dance - Clark Kerr Memorial Ball,’ Governor’s Hall, State Fair Grounds, 4611 Broadway, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
The band was wrongly advertised as Andrew Stables [sic]. The show lasted from 5pm to 1am. Also on the bill: Country Joe and The Fish, Frankie & Bonnie, The Working Class, Psy-Kicks (filled for the early advertised Silver Bike), Free Love, Oxford Circle, plus hip light show.
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The Sacramento Bee (February 10, 1967)
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Sunday, February 26, 1967: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Only Alternative and His Other Possibilities.
Thursday, March 2, 1967 (?): Beach Chalet, 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco, California
Andrew Staples provided the music for a dinner dance held in honor of the 30-year-old experimental film director and producer John Korty, whose latest movie, The Crazy Quilt, would premiered at the Surf Theatre in San Francisco (where it was filmed) on Friday, March 3. “A rock ‘n roll group, the Andrew Staples, played so loudly some of the guests took their crepes downstairs,” reported Joan White in the San Francisco Examiner daily newspaper on March 3. “Others frugged away madly including barefoot Brooks Bucher, a member of the Mime Troupe, who came in a marvelous Elizabethan costume with two beauties on his arm.”
Saturday, March 4, 1967: ‘Flick It In! - Forget the Books and Blow Your Mind (a pre-final warm-up is what you need),’ Freeborn Hall, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, 286 East Quad, Davis, Yolo County, California
This dance, which lasted from 9pm to 1am, was put on by Scabbard and Blade as part of their ‘War on Poverty.’ Also on the bill: The Kind Favors.
Monday, March 6, 1967: ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ Freeborn Hall, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, 286 East Quad, Davis, Yolo County, California
The show, which lasted from 7pm to 12 midnight, was sponsored by Provodos. Also on the bill: Big Brother and The Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, New Breed, Oxford Circle, Loyal Opposition, Blue Cheer, Jook Savages. Lights by The Retinal Circus.
Friday, March 10, 1967
Group “B” second and last single, ‘I Know Your Name Girl / I Never Really Knew’ (VF 9284), was released in the UK by Vocalion Records.
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Friday, March 31 - Saturday, April 1, 1967: ‘Dance Concert,’ Winterland, 2000 Post Street at Steiner Street, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Byrds, Moby Grape. These shows, which lasted from 8pm to 2am daily, were presented by Bill Graham.
Sunday, April 2, 1967: ‘Dance Concert,’ Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Byrds, Moby Grape. The show, which lasted from 2pm to 7pm, was presented by Bill Graham.
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San Francisco Examiner (March 30, 1967)
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Saturday, April 8, 1967: ‘Dance Concert,’ Pavilion Hall (?), Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced, Merced County, San Joaquin Valley, California
Also on the bill: Jefferson Airplane. The show, which lasted from 9pm to 1am, was presented by The Underground Explosion Calliope Company.
Wednesday, April 12, 1967: ‘Busted - S.F. Mime Troupe Benefit,’ Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, Loading Zone. The show, which lasted from 8pm to 2am, was presented by Bill Graham.
Thursday, May 11 - Saturday, May 13, 1967
Rodger Hille, in the leading role of Sganarelle, headed the cast of a Sex farce in which nothing immoral happens, a short play by Molière, produced by the department of dramatic art and speech of the University of California at Davis, and performed at the campus’ Theatre Laboratory A (Dramatic Art Building) from May 11 to 13, 1967.
Wednesday, June 21, 1967: Peacock Court, Hotel Mark Hopkins, 999 California Street, Nob Hill, San Francisco, California
Andrew Staples, who alternated with Al Trobbe and His Orchestra, provided live music entertainment during a supper Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Callan held to present their 18-year-old debutante daughter Gay Callan. “Gay loves the Fillmore Auditorium, so her mother, Georgie Callan, planned a decor featuring apples and giant lollipops such as are given out at her favorite haunt,” reported the San Francisco Chronicle (June 23). “Georgie also hired The Andrew Staples to play for the deb set - and if the older guests didn’t like the din, it was just too bad… Al Trobbe and his orchestra alternated with more sedate stuff.”
Friday, July 21, 1967: ‘Dance-Concert,’ Pauley Ballroom, Student Union Building, UC Berkeley (University of California at Berkeley) campus, 2475 Bancroft Way at Sather Road, Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: The Second Coming, The New Age. The show lasted from 9pm to 1am.
Sunday, July 23, 1967: ‘Golden Gate Concours d’Elegance,’ on the athletic green of the Presidio of San Francisco (national park), San Francisco, California
From 2pm to 2:30pm and from 3:30pm to 3:45pm, Andrew Staples, along with the Gossamer Kyte, the All Night Apothecary, and Society Sell-Outs, provided live music entertainment during the annual Golden Gate Concours d’Elegance, an exhibition of mint condition classics, meticulously restored antiques, and sleek, racy sports car. The car show was presented by Sports Car Club of America and sponsored by the City of Hope, Aid Retarted Children and the Presidio’s Women Club.
Sunday, July 30, 1967: ‘Band Concert - Sunday Afternoon In The Park,’ Central Park, 5th Street and B Street and 401 C Street, Davis, Yolo County, California
Andrew Staples played during the first of a series of free outdoor shows presented by The American Television Theatre, Inc., a group of UC Davis students and professional people, every Sunday afternoon in Central Park. Also on the bill: Underground Chamber Ensemble, Joint Amusement Park, Parish Hall Blues Quintet, Milk, Working Class, Public Nuisance, Oxford Circle. Reportedly, about 300 people attended the event.
Saturday, August 26, 1967: Peacock Gap Country Club, 333 Biscayne Drive, San Rafael, Marin County, California
Andrew Staples, who alternated with Ray Hackett’s Orchestra, provided live music entertainment during a dinner-dance honoring Pamela Catherine ‘Pam’ Ward, a 18-year-old Marin Ball debutante who’d just graduated from San Domenico School and that fall will study at the College of Marin. The party, which was attended by 200 guests, was given by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Ward of Kentfield, and her grandmother, Mrs. Edward B. Ward.
(Wednesday, August 30) - Sunday, September 10, 1967: ‘Third Annual Teen-Age Fair,’ California Exposition and State Fair (aka Cal Expo), Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Andrew Staples were among the professional musical groups which were scheduled to provided nightly entertainment during the third annual teen-age fair from August 30 to September 10. The opening night, August 30, the New Breed, the Miniature Concert and the Midnight Reign performed, so this mean that the Andrew Staples played for one or more days between August 31 and September 10. Also on the bill (days unknown): The Dimensions, The Overloaded Circuit, The Parish Hall Blues, St. George and the Dragons, the Bering Straight, the Gallery Production, and many more.
September 1967
Andrew Staples disbanded. Some of them, including Richard Berger, went to form a new band called the St. Louis Twirl. Danny Mihm joined an up-and-coming San Francisco band called the Flamin’ Groovies, while Rodger Hille who had just graduate in dramatic art from UC Davis continued his career as director, playwright and screenwriter for theatre.
