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This day-by-day diary of Steppenwolf's 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, Michael Monarch, John Kay, John Einarson, Jerry Edmonton (RIP), Bob Cianci, Marc Myers, Leigh Stephens, Randy Holden, Chuck Taylor, Gerard Daily, Bill Ware, Hewitt Jackson, Greg Vick, Nick Warburton, Randy M. Foley, Debra Rowlands, John Copeland, John Porter, Serge Bellerose, Mark Scobac, Nick Blakey, Colin Hill, John H. Warburg, Jason Hillenburg, Dave Tothill, Rock Tour Database, Chrome Oxide, Los Angeles Free Press, Berkeley Barb, Peter Young, Paul White, Alex Casadei, Rob Branigin, Dan L., Merman, Joyce Canright, Bruce Tahsler, RPM Music Weekly, Kaleidoscope, Billboard, Dave Bingham, Tom Wilson, Dave Mickie, Frank Cameron, Doug Harper, Gerry Miskolczi, Michael Hochanadel, Jim Parrett, Frank Todd, "Kege" Legge, Harriet Wasser, Chuck Benson, Sandy Gardiner, Bryan Olney, Dave Johnson, Rockin Robbert, Johnny Onn, Debi Blonjeaux, Bill Miller, Frank Banyai, Philip Elwood, Mike Jaycock, Rob Frith, Domenic Priore, Brad Kelly, Jim Carrico, Sacramento Rock & Radio Museum, The Sacramento Bee, Judy Pocock, Stuart Robert Henderson, Trey Merrill, Joe Ringelstein, Lee Blu DiPintodi, Sue Williams, Madison Sale, Mark Kearney, Randy Ray, Hank Fox, Bob Mersereau, Scott Nuckles, Jeff McCurdy, The San Francisco Examiner, Oakland Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Ottawa Journal, Sandy Gardiner, Ottawa Citizen, Daily Independent Journal, Sacramento Bee, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Independent Press Telegram, Fresno Bee, San Bernardino County Sun, Salinas Californian, John Week, Pomona Progress Bulletin, Charleston Daily Mail, Lubbock Avalanche Journal, The Berkshire Eagle, Portsmouth Herald, Sikeston Daily Standard, Hagerstown Daily Mail, News Journal (Mansfield, Ohio), Thumper, California State University Sacramento, Waterloo Region Record, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Cash Box, Hit Parader.
February or March 1964
The story of Steppenwolf, undoubtedly one of the greatest American rock bands of the ‘60s, actually begins in Canada, more precisely in the city of Oshawa, on the Lake Ontario shoreline, where in early 1964, not so long after The Beatles kicked off the so-called “British Invasion” with their record-breaking first live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, a duly inspired local fan named Dave Marden (b. Wednesday, February 16, 1944, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) re-invented himself as an up-and-coming émigré singer from Liverpool (the same city of the Fab Four, of course!) named Jack London, and put together a British Invasion-style group called Jack London and The Sparrows, along with Dennis Edmonton (b. Dennis Eugene McCrohan, Wednesday, April 21, 1943, Oshawa) on lead guitar, who’d studied science for three years at the University of Waterloo with the intention of becoming a doctor, Dave Hare on keyboards, plus a drummer and a bass player whose names has been entirely forgotten. “They took the name Sparrows from [Ronnie Hawkins’ band] the Hawks, though sparrows didn’t sound quite as menacing,” pointed out their soon-to-be drummer Jerry Edmonton in John Kay autobiography Magic Carpet Ride (Quarry Press, 1994). “When the British Invasion thing took off we jumped on the bandwagon, especially Dave Marden,” continued Jerry. “Whenever I’d go over to his house, he’d be talking with this English accent. Then I’d hear him talking to his mom in a normal accent. When people were around he went into this thing about how he was from Liverpool. Strange guy. Then we all had to put on these fake British accents. Once when we went to Niagara Falls and were eating roast beef in this restaurant, a very British place, the waiter came up and asked us what we would like for dessert. So Dave, or Jack London, in his best fake British accent says, ‘Yorkshire pudding.’ The waiter just stared at him in amazement. Then Jack caught on and went, ‘Ha ha, just joking.’” “Dennis and I never legally changed our name to Edmonton, (I’m still McCrohan),” concluded Jerry. “We used Edmonton for a couple of reasons. We wanted it to sound English and also because our dad had the Jubilee Auditorium in Oshawa, a big dance hall, and he was in competition with places we’d be playing. So I felt that if they found out we were that guy’s kids they wouldn’t book us. Thinking about it now, McCrohan sounds more British than Edmonton. At the time, though, we just figured it was the thing to do. If you wanted to be a star you had to have this star name.”
JACK LONDON AND THE SPARROWS #1 (FEBRUARY or MARCH 1964 - APRIL or MAY 1964)
1) Dave Marden (aka Jack London) lead vocals
2) Dennis Eugene McCrohan (aka Dennis Edmonton) lead guitar, vocals
3) Dave Hare keyboards
4) ? bass
5) ? drums
1) Dave Marden (aka Jack London) lead vocals
2) Dennis Eugene McCrohan (aka Dennis Edmonton) lead guitar, vocals
3) Dave Hare keyboards
4) ? bass
5) ? drums
Jack London in 1964
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Jack London in 1964 or 1965
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April or May 1964
After a couple of months or so, the unknown bass player and drummer where replaced respectively by Burt Enfield (b. Brent Maitland) and Dennis Edmonton’s younger brother Jerry Edmonton (b. Gerald Michael McCrohan, b. Tursday, October 24, 1946, Oshawa - d. Sunday, November 28, 1993, in a car accident, crashing into a tree after failing to manoeuvre a turn in Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara County, California). “Their drummer couldn’t make a commitment, so Dennis knew that I played a bit of drums and suggested me,” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. Jerry gave up plans to attend art school when he joined the group, but eventually wants to study sculpture and get a pilot license.
JACK LONDON AND THE SPARROWS #2 (APRIL or MAY 1964 - JUNE or JULY 1964)
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Dave Hare
4) Brent Maitland (aka Burt Enfield) bass
5) Gerald Michael McCrohan (aka Jerry Edmonton) drums, vocals, harmonica
1964: The Jubilee Pavilion (aka The Jube), 55 Lakeview Park Avenue, Oshawa, Lake Ontario shoreline, Ontario, Canada
Independent and beloved operator Owen McCrohan, the father of the Edmonton's brothers, directed the city-owned The Jubilee Pavilion at that time, so Jack London and The Sparrows played there regularly.
June or July 1964
After another couple of months or so, Dave Hare left the Sparrows (he later formed a band called Everyday People) and was replaced by a new keyboard player named Conrad J. Feeny, formerly of C.J. Feeny and The Spellbinders.
JACK LONDON AND THE SPARROWS #3 (JUNE or JULY 1964 - OCTOBER 1964)
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Burt Enfield
4) Jerry Edmonton
5) C.J. Feeny keyboards
1964: The Jubilee Pavilion (aka The Jube), 55 Lakeview Park Avenue, Oshawa, Lake Ontario shoreline, Ontario, Canada
October 1964
Jack London and The Sparrows moved to Toronto, the provincial capital of Ontario, to do gigs around there. However, Burt Enfield did not go with them because he chose to go to college, so they eventually replaced him with a local bass player named Bruce Palmer (b. Monday, September 9, 1946, Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada - d. Friday, October 1, 2004, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, of a heart attack). Not long after, the band also signed a record deal with Capitol Records of Canada. “Jack had signed [it] so he would go in and collect the royalties and we’d see him the next day with a new fur coat, going out to the restaurants,” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “We just thought, ‘Someday we’ll get our royalties.’ Later we found out he got all the royalties. I don’t ever remember getting a penny. And he became a jerk, basically. There was a ‘hate Jack’ feeling starting amongst the rest of us in the band.”
JACK LONDON AND THE SPARROWS #4 (OCTOBER 1964 - FEBRUARY ?, 1965)
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Jerry Edmonton
4) C.J. Feeny
5) Bruce Palmer bass
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Jerry Edmonton
4) C.J. Feeny
5) Bruce Palmer bass
October 1964 (?): ‘Sock Hop,’ Gymnasium, Leaside High School, 200 Hanna Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
One of the band's first Toronto appearances was at a United Appeal fund raising event, where the students over-enthusiastic acceptance of them was just another indication of their upcoming success. One newspaper man tabbed the whole thing “SPARROW-MONIUM” with pictures in the daily papers of the Sparrow-cut (the long tresses now identified with the singer) and a front page story about the devotion of one fan to the London-Sparrow image.
November 1964 (?): ‘Dave Mickie's Club 11 Dance Party,’ CHCH TV (Channel 11), Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Jack London and The Sparrows' appearance on this television music show sparked a mail and telephone response never before heard of. In an article appeared on R.P.M. weekly magazine dated December 14, 1964, Paul White of Capitol tells to the newspaper that Capitol's switchboard had been barraged with calls, following the TV performance. The following day the TV station phones White to ask what to do with “all the mail.”
Late November 1964
Jack London & The Sparrows’ debut single, ‘If You Don't Want My Love / It's Been One Of Those Days Today’ (Capitol 72203), was released in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country and by late December was already getting some play south of the border, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. Both songs were written by Jack London and Dennis Edmonton.
Jack London and The Sparrows #4 during the recording of their debut single at RCA Studios, Toronto, October or November 1964 - from left: Jack London, Bruce Palmer, Jerry Edmonton, C.J. Feeny, and Dennis Edmonton
Jack London and The Sparrows #4 during the recording of their debut single at RCA Studios, Toronto, October or November 1964 - from left: Jack London, Bruce Palmer, Jerry Edmonton, C.J. Feeny, and Dennis Edmonton
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R.P.M. (December 21, 1964)
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Saturday, December 19 - Sunday, December 20, 1964: ‘Telethon for Variety Village,’ CHCH-TV (Channel 11), Telecentre, 38 Yorkville Avenue, downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jack London and The Sparrows were among the guests who appeared on a telethon television show for Variety Village, a local family-friendly fitness, sports and life skills facility. The show was broadcasted live non-stop from Saturday at 10:30pm to Sunday at 3:30pm.
Friday, December 25, 1964 (?): ‘Liverpool School,’ CHUM-AM Radio Show, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jack London, apparently without The Sparrows, appeared on this radio show hosted by John Horan every Fridays from 9:00 to 10:00pm.
Saturday, December 26, 1964 (?): ‘unknown title,’ CHIC 102.1 FM Radio Show, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Supposedly started today, Jack London hosted a radio show for teenagers each Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00pm.
January 1965
Jack London & The Sparrows’ debut single, ‘If You Don't Want My Love / It's Been One Of Those Days Today’ (LR 3285), was released in the US by Laurie Records, a small independent record label located in New York City.
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Saturday, January 23, 1965: ‘The Joey Reynolds Show,’ WKBW TV (Channel 7), Buffalo, New York (broadcast date)
Jack London and The Sparrows appeared as “surprise guest” on this top TV bandstand show which aired every Saturday from 5:00 to 6:00pm in Upper New York state and Upper Canada only.
February ?, 1965
Jack London & The Sparrows’ second single, ‘I’ll Be The Boy / Dream On Dreamer’ (Capitol 72210), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees.
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Ottawa Journal (Februry 13, 1965)
R.P.M. (February 1, 1965)
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R.P.M. (February 15, 1965)
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February ?, 1965
C.J. Feeny was replaced by a new keyboard player named Art Ayre (b. Wednesday, March 18, 1942, Toronto), formerly of the Art Ayre Trio, the Art Ayre Quartet, and the Art Ayre Quintet. “Art was a jazz musician and the first guy to introduce me to grass,” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. Not long after, Bruce Palmer also quickly soured on the British affectations, so the Sparrows traded bass players with the Mynah Birds, a “rival” local band, picking up Nick St. Nicholas for Palmer. St. Nicholas, whose real name was Klaus Karl Kassbaum, was born on Tuesday, September 28, 1943, in Plön, near Kiel in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany, where his father had run a stationery store there before the family emigrated to Toronto in 1951. Nick got his start in Scarborough, an administrative division in Toronto, while a student at R.H. King Collegiate Institute, and then at the Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute where he formed what he believes was that school’s first rock ‘n’ roll band, the Epics. After a stint studying sculpture at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, he played in the Big Town Boys and later the Mynah Birds.
JACK LONDON AND THE SPARROWS #5 (FEBRUARY ?, 1965 - MAY 9, 1965)
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Jerry Edmonton
4) Art Ayre piano, organ, harmonium, vocals
5) Klaus Karl Kassbaum (aka Nick St. Nicholas) bass, vocals
1) Jack London
2) Dennis Edmonton
3) Jerry Edmonton
4) Art Ayre piano, organ, harmonium, vocals
5) Klaus Karl Kassbaum (aka Nick St. Nicholas) bass, vocals
Friday, February 5, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
By January 1964, J.W. Wild was operating a night club at 53 Avenue Road, called simply the Avenue Road Supper Club, with dining and dancing on the main floor to Jack Bond’s Orchestra. The club experience changed over the next four years as the venue expanded internally (downstairs in the basement) first as the Devil’s Den and then as The In Crowd, embracing current music trends as it went. The club was the home to several well known Toronto rock bands of the time as it transitioned in 1965, including Jack London and The Sparrows which started to play there every Friday (and later also on Saturday) since February 5 exactly. “When we started playing at the Devil’s Den there was no rock ‘n’ roll in Yorkville Village, it was all folk music,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “I went over to the Devil’s Den, the old Avenue Road [Supper] club, and with some friends we cleaned it up, built a little stage and made that into a rock club. We became one of the first bands to play in the Village.” “I remember looking out my window, and there was a band practicing at the Avenue Road [Supper] Club,” recalls Judy Pocock on June 24, 2006, in an interview with Stuart Robert Henderson for the latter's thesis Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s (2007). “They had long hair! And they were the only long haired guys in the the neighbourhood. And they were Jack London and The Sparrows, which [became] Steppenwolf! I used to sit in my bedroon window and watch them practice. Wow. And, I thought, I like these guys.”
Friday, February 12, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“One night at the Avenue Road [Supper] Club, Nick looked over at me like, ‘Watch this,’” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “He knew Jack was going to swing around and do this big move he always did so Nick moved the head of his bass right up where Jack was going and when he swung around he hit his head on Nick’s bass. It was, ‘Oh sorry Jack.’”
Friday, February 19, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, February 26, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows signed a management contract with one of the most famous management firms in the world, RPM (Robert P. Marcucci) Enterprises Incorporated.
Friday, March 5, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 12, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 19, 1965: ‘Teens Funarama,’ Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street, Garden District, downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Local promoter Bill Anthony arranged a sort of “Farewell to Jack London and The Sparrows” concert after the band announced that they will be leaving shortly for a US tour (that in the end never happened, by the way). Also on the bill: Robbie Lane & The Disciples, The Mynah Birds, David Clayton Thomas and The Quintet, The Big Town Boys, The Girlfriends, Jon and Lee and The Checkmates, Lynda Layne, Dave Mickie (MC).
Friday, March 19, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 26, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Late March 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows’ third single, ‘Our Love Has Passed / Sparrows and Daisies’ (Capitol 72229), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. Bob songs were written by Dennis Edmonton.
By January 1964, J.W. Wild was operating a night club at 53 Avenue Road, called simply the Avenue Road Supper Club, with dining and dancing on the main floor to Jack Bond’s Orchestra. The club experience changed over the next four years as the venue expanded internally (downstairs in the basement) first as the Devil’s Den and then as The In Crowd, embracing current music trends as it went. The club was the home to several well known Toronto rock bands of the time as it transitioned in 1965, including Jack London and The Sparrows which started to play there every Friday (and later also on Saturday) since February 5 exactly. “When we started playing at the Devil’s Den there was no rock ‘n’ roll in Yorkville Village, it was all folk music,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “I went over to the Devil’s Den, the old Avenue Road [Supper] club, and with some friends we cleaned it up, built a little stage and made that into a rock club. We became one of the first bands to play in the Village.” “I remember looking out my window, and there was a band practicing at the Avenue Road [Supper] Club,” recalls Judy Pocock on June 24, 2006, in an interview with Stuart Robert Henderson for the latter's thesis Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s (2007). “They had long hair! And they were the only long haired guys in the the neighbourhood. And they were Jack London and The Sparrows, which [became] Steppenwolf! I used to sit in my bedroon window and watch them practice. Wow. And, I thought, I like these guys.”
Friday, February 12, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“One night at the Avenue Road [Supper] Club, Nick looked over at me like, ‘Watch this,’” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “He knew Jack was going to swing around and do this big move he always did so Nick moved the head of his bass right up where Jack was going and when he swung around he hit his head on Nick’s bass. It was, ‘Oh sorry Jack.’”
Friday, February 19, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, February 26, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows signed a management contract with one of the most famous management firms in the world, RPM (Robert P. Marcucci) Enterprises Incorporated.
Friday, March 5, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 12, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 19, 1965: ‘Teens Funarama,’ Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street, Garden District, downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Local promoter Bill Anthony arranged a sort of “Farewell to Jack London and The Sparrows” concert after the band announced that they will be leaving shortly for a US tour (that in the end never happened, by the way). Also on the bill: Robbie Lane & The Disciples, The Mynah Birds, David Clayton Thomas and The Quintet, The Big Town Boys, The Girlfriends, Jon and Lee and The Checkmates, Lynda Layne, Dave Mickie (MC).
Friday, March 19, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, March 26, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Late March 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows’ third single, ‘Our Love Has Passed / Sparrows and Daisies’ (Capitol 72229), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. Bob songs were written by Dennis Edmonton.
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R.P.M. (March 29, 1965)
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R.P.M. (April 26, 1965)
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R.P.M. (May 3, 1965)
R.P.M. (May 3, 1965)
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Friday, April 2, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, April 9, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Monday, April 12, 1965
Jack London & The Sparrows’ first and only album, ‘Jack London & The Sparrows’ (Capitol T-6115; Side A: 1. Our Love Has Passed (Dennis Edmonton) / 2. Sparrows And Daisies (Dennis Edmonton) / 3. Take It Slow (Jimmy Reed) (lead vocal by Jerry Edmonton) / 4. You Don’t Want Me Now (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) / 5. It’s Been One Of Those Days (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) / 6. If You Don’t Want My Love (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) - Side B: 1. Give My Love To Sally (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) / 2. Glad To Be With You (Dennis Edmonton) / 3. Give My Love To You (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) / 4. Leavin’ Blues (Art Ayre, Jerry Edmonton) (lead vocal by Jerry Edmonton) / 5. Dream On Dreamer (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton) / 6. I’ll Be The Boy (Jack London, Dennis Edmonton)), was released only in Canada. The album, which was a big seller across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees.
R.P.M. (May 3, 1965)
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Friday, April 16 - Saturday, April 17, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, April 23 - Saturday, April 24, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, April 30 - Saturday, May 1, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday, May 7 - Saturday, May 8, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sunday, May 9, 1965: ‘After Four,’ CJOH-TV (Channel 13), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (broadcast date)
Jack London and The Sparrows were one of the musical guests of this 30-minute teen television show hosted by John F. Bassett Jr. and Carol Goss, and that aired every Sunday from 5:30pm to 6:00pm. Also appeared on this episode David Sector, one of Canada’s youngest and most successful movie makers. By the way, this one, or maybe the above gig at The Devil’s Den on May 8, was Jack London’s last performance with The Sparrows. In fact, as reported in the Here & There news section of the May 17 issue of R.P.M., Canada's only music industry weekly magazine, “The Sparrows have flown the tower of London. Jack London will now go it alone as will his group The Sparrows.” Appaarently, there was a disagreement between Jack and the band over the material that should be played, because the singer was, as we know, obsessed by the British sound, while The Sparrows wanted to play the blues like The Rolling Stones. Another good reason of disagreement was, as aforementioned, that Jack cut himself a better royalty share with Capitol then the rest of the band. “We just reached a point where we figured we didn’t need him,” explained Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “Dennis was doing most of the writing and all of us were singing so we went our separate ways.”
THE SPARROWS #1 (MAY 10, 1965 - SEPTEMBER ??, 1965)
1) Dennis Edmonton
2) Jerry Edmonton
3) Art Ayre
4) Nick St. Nicholas
1) Dennis Edmonton
2) Jerry Edmonton
3) Art Ayre
4) Nick St. Nicholas
Tuesday, May 11 - Saturday, May 15, 1965: Mersey Club (formerly Penny Farthing), 112 Yorkville Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Sparrows’ first gigs without Jack London. “The Penny Farthing tried out rock ‘n’ roll on off-nights and we played there once,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “I remember because one of our speakers fell off the back of a booth and hit some lady in the head while we were playing there.”
Friday, May 14 - Saturday, May 15, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (cancelled)
Jack London and The Sparrows were scheduled to play at The Devil’s Den this weekend, but in the meatime London had left the group, and the Sparrows were advertised to play at the Mersey Club that same weekend (see above), so I’m confident that these gigs were cancelled.
May ??, 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows’ (posthumous) fourth and last single, ‘Give My Love To Sally / Take It Slow’ (Capitol 72249), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. Both songs, an original written by Jack London and Dennis Edmonton plus a cover of Jimmy Reed, had already been released on the band’s eponymous album back in March.
The Sparrows’ first gigs without Jack London. “The Penny Farthing tried out rock ‘n’ roll on off-nights and we played there once,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “I remember because one of our speakers fell off the back of a booth and hit some lady in the head while we were playing there.”
Friday, May 14 - Saturday, May 15, 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (cancelled)
Jack London and The Sparrows were scheduled to play at The Devil’s Den this weekend, but in the meatime London had left the group, and the Sparrows were advertised to play at the Mersey Club that same weekend (see above), so I’m confident that these gigs were cancelled.
May ??, 1965
Jack London and The Sparrows’ (posthumous) fourth and last single, ‘Give My Love To Sally / Take It Slow’ (Capitol 72249), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. Both songs, an original written by Jack London and Dennis Edmonton plus a cover of Jimmy Reed, had already been released on the band’s eponymous album back in March.
R.P.M. (May 24, 1965)
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Friday, May 28 - Sunday, May 30, 1965: ‘Teens Funarama,’ The Terrace, 68-88 Mutual Street, Garden District, downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The shows were promoted by Bill Anthony and Dave Courtin. Also on the bill: The Guess Who, J.B. and The Playboys, The Liverpool Set, Robbie Lane, The Big Town Boys, Derek & Ed, Little Caesar and The Consuls, The Allan Sisters, Paupers, Shirley Matthews, David Clayton-Thomas, Jayson King,
June ?, 1965
The Sparrows’ first and only single, ‘Hard Times With The Law / Meet Me After Four’ (Capitol 72257), was released only in Canada. The disc, which was a chart climber across the country, was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, and produced by Stan Klees. The A side was written by Dennis and Jerry Edmonton, while the flipside by Dennis alone.
R.P.M. (June 7, 1965)
R.P.M. (July 5, 1965)
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R.P.M. (July 26, 1965)
R.P.M. (July 5, 1965)
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June 1965: ‘Mickie A Go Go,’ CHCH TV (Channel 11), Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The Sparrows appeared on the first episode of this new television music show hosted by Dave Mickie. Also appeared: Little Caesar and The Consuls, Greg Hamon, Shirley Matthews, The Charmaines, The Big Town Boys, Jayson King.
Wednesday, June 30, 1965: ‘Big Rock ‘n Roll Show and Dance,’ Stratford Arena, 15 Morenz Drive, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Also on the bill: The Fabulous Liverpool Set. The show started at 8:30pm.
Waterloo Region Record (June 14, 1965)
July or August 1965: The Devil's Den, downstairs at the Avenue Road Supper Club, 53 Avenue Road, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Sparrows’ soon-to-be frontman John Kay sat in with the band for two or three nights while they played at The Devil’s Den that month. Born as Joachim Fritz Krauledat on Wednesday, April 12, 1944, in Tilsit, East Prussia, the legally bling kid escaped with his mother from East Germany to West Germany in the summer of 1948, before emigrating to Toronto in March 1958 (his father, a German soldier, was killed by Soviet Union troops a month before he was born). Since 1959 he started a career as a folk singer, which he continued also after he moved to Buffalo, New York, in June 1963, and then to Santa Monica, California, in August 1964. However, in early July 1965, he wound up in Toronto again and was immediately booked to play regularly at the Half Beat, a local coffee house located at 47 Avenue Road. It was there, during one of his performances singing and playing a mouth harp and a steel string Gibson J-45 guitar, that Art Ayre of the Sparrows spotted him and invited him to visit the near Devil’s Den. “At another of Bill [Klotzhoff]’s get togethers above the Half Beat [, where Bill was the manager], I met Art Ayre, a piano player in a rock band called The Sparrows,” confirmed Kay in his autobiography Magic Carpet Ride. “We were taking turns trading songs and harmonizing when Art leaned over to me and said, ‘Why don’t you come over to the Devil’s Den sometime and play harmonica with my band?’” “A few nights later, I wandered over to see The Sparrows and sat in with them,” continued Kay. “The Devil’s Den was in a basement with a concrete floor, a stage, low ceiling, and kids in groovy clothes doing the Watusi. The hippie thing hadn’t happened yet; it was more the Mod, go-go fashion. I sat at the edge of the stage and we did a couple of blues tunes like Bright Lights, Big City and C.C. Rider, singing and playing mouth harp. People like it well enough, and the guys in The Sparrows did as well. We did this once or twice more over the course of the next few weeks, me dropping in after my gig at the Half Beat. I got to know the guys in the band and found them fairly compatible. They were in the process of jettisoning the British pop-rock image for a bluesier style - Jimmy Reed, Paul Butterfield, that kind of approach - so they liked what I added to their sound. But as far as I was concerned they were a group of nice guys who just wanted to jam.” “We were walking around outside the Avenue Road [Supper] Club, and I ran into John Kay,” also recalls Nick St. Nicholas in an interview with Mark Kearney and Randy Ray for their book As The Years Goes By… Conversations with Canada's Folk, Pop & Rock Pioneers (2017). “Somehow we got together and he started singing and playing and I loved the sound.” “My first impression of John was, ‘His hair doesn’t look right,’” also recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “It was all slicked back. He looked more like James Dean, black hair, greasy and combed back. He was an interesting person from the first time I met him. He was a bit pudgy and he was wearing white Levis which I thought was odd. He called himself ‘John Kay from California’ but actually I thought he was more Spanish from down near Mexico because of his dark complexion and dark hair. But he was playing blues and that’s what I liked about him. After John joined, I took him down to Cy Mann’s for some decent clothes and we washed his hair.”
Friday, August 13 - Sunday, August 15, 1965: Charlie Brown’s Coffee House, 158 Cumberland Street, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
One show each day, started at 8:30pm.
Friday, August 20 - Sunday, August 22, 1965: Charlie Brown’s Coffee House, 158 Cumberland Street, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
One show each day, started at 8:30pm.
Friday, August 27 - Sunday, August 29, 1965: Charlie Brown’s Coffee House, 158 Cumberland Street, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
One show each day, started at 8:30pm.
Late August or Early September 1965 (approximate date): unknown venue, Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Monday, September 6 - Saturday, September 11, 1965 (approximate date): Commodore Motor Hotel, 840 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
The Sparrows played three sets a night for a week at the Commodore Motor Hotel in Kingston and, on the last night there, John Kay attended the show and was officially invited to join the band right after it. “An English fellow hanging out in the [Yorkville] Village named Bill Benson, who had seen me at the Half Beat and witnessed one of my jam sessions with The Sparrows, approached them first then spoke to me regarding the notion of my joining the band permanently,” recalled Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “With that combination, he thought he could get us work in England. For my part, I liked the fuller sound that a band offered, There was an intensity and excitement that was absent from performing solo on acoustic guitar. I couldn’t match the sheer balls of a full band - bass, drums, electric guitars. Being part of a band increased the possibility of success, perhaps making records. So I was definitely interested in the proposal. Before anything was discussed between us, The Sparrows had to decide whether they wanted me. Jerry wrestled with the idea of whether it would be good for the band. Dennis, ever analytical, thought it might be worthwile, and Nick loved the idea. Nick and I shared much in common.” “Bill Benson, this guy from England who Nick’s girlfriend Solveigh knew, suggested that John join us,” also recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “He went back to England to line up gigs for us but we never heard from him again. I remember telling girls in Yorkville that we were going to leave for England and they were cyring, ‘Oh, you can’t leave us.’” “Bill Benson wanted to propose his merger idea so he invited me to come out to the Commodore Hotel in Kingston, a couple of hundred miles or so east of Toronto, to see The Sparrows’s last night there,” continued Kay. “We arrived in time to catch the end of their second set. It was a typical lounge with the stage on the short side of the room directly facing the bar which had mirrors on the wall behind it. They finished up, came over and proceeded to tell Bill and I what a nightmare gig had been. All their Fender amps were turned towards the curtains to reduce the volume. The manager complained constantly about the noise. Jerry pointed to him at the bar and vowed, ‘That fat toad’s been on us all week. ‘Turn it down! Turn it down!’ I’ve had it. We’ve been paid, we’re packed and ready to go. This is the last set ever in this place, but just wait until we get to Stormy Monday. We’ve got a surprise for that guy.’ They went up and proceeded to play their final set, very subdued. When they came to the guitar solo in Stormy Monday - it’s a quiet, slow blues tune, Dennis took his little finger, cranked the volume, on his Telecaster full blast, and hit an E chord BLAAANG! as loud as he could. Glasses started dancing around on the shelves in front of the mirrors behind the bar. Up to this point the manager had been sitting on a stool at the bar smiling because the boys were finally playing at a decent level. When he heard that chord his jaw dropped and the cigar fell from his lips. As the band packed up their equipment, he told them never to come back. No problem. That night in mid-September of 65 I joined The Sparrows.” “Initially, what attracted me to John was his vocal quality and the kind of songs he was singing,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “He had a real casual presence yet there was a lot of depth to what he was singing about. He made the songs sound real and put himself into them. He was playing Goin’ To California, Corinna Corinna, Hoochie Coochie Man, and The Pusher. It kind of registered that this guy could possibly be a singer in a band. We would have two guitars and a lead singer. So I proposed the idea of him being a part of what we were doing. His whole image then - the acoustic guitar, the wandering minstrel - made him more worldly than we were and I was intrigued by his presence.” “Because he was from California, or so we thought, meeting John was kind of exciting,” also recalled Jerry Edmonton. “I was just a kid from Oshawa so just talking to him about California, him being on the road, and the style of music he was playing - Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters - was kind of exciting. What John played with Dennis on guitar was a real interesting sound that made The Sparrows’ sound unique. He always gave us the feeling that there was something more down the road. He had been out thereand he had an experience that we didn’t have, so he kind of instilled a sense of adventure in us as well as a sense of security, even though we never knew sometimes what might be around the corner. With John, we always felt it would all work out.”
Sunday, September 12, 1965 (?)
The Sparrows returned home in Toronto. “The guys shared an apartment on St. George Avenue near the [Yorkville] Village and they asked me to move in with them so that Dennis could show me a lot of the guitar parts I had to learn,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “My playing rhythm guitar freed him up to do more lead playing.” So the band officially welcomed their new lead singer and rhythm guitarist in the band, but at the same time they loss their keyboard player because Art Ayre announced he was leaving to pursue jazz full time (he went to play with the Moe Koffman Quartet)
Monday, September 13, 1965
The today issue of R.P.M., Canada's only music industry weekly magazine, reported in his The Bigland Bulletin news section that “The Sparrows have just returned from a very successful three week tour from Kingston to Port Arthur and are busy recording more great original tunes for their next Capitol release with the production in the hands of Stan Klees.” Before headed into a studio, however, the Sparrows needed to find a new keyboard player as soon as possible.
September ??, 1965
The Sparrows auditioned a local keyboard player named John Raymond Goadsby (b. Wednesday, May 2, 1945, Toronto - d. Tuesday, August 1, 2017, Burien, Washinton, of a heart attack), a guy they found selling orthopedic shoes in Toronto’s Bonita Shoe Store. Soon become known with the stage name of ‘Goldy McJohn’ (John Kay called him ‘Goldy,’ a spin on Goadsby, so there would not be two Johns in the band, while ‘McJohn’ is a takeoff of the Edmonton brothers, who were good friends of him), he began playing piano when he was eight and has a teaching certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, which eventually led him to play with several local rock and roll bands such as Little John & The Friars, the Mynah Birds, and the Diplomats. “We auditioned Goldy then he went home and we contemplated whether we liked him or not,” recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride.
September ??, 1965
The new members John Kay and Goldy McJohn rehearsed with The Sparrows for the first time today. “Goldy came on board the same weekend I did and we went off to Oshawa to rehearse in the McCrohan’s garage for our first gig two nights later at Waterloo Lutheran University,” recalled Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “All of a sudden Goldy showed up at our door with his suitcases,” also recalled Jerry Edmonton in Magic Carpet Ride. “He had left his family, he had a wife and kid, quit his job selling shoes and was ready to go on the road. So we thought, ‘Oh shit, what are we going to do now? I guess he’s in the band.’ We felt bad for him so we let him join but we really weren’t sure we wanted him.” “Goldy was a funny guy, kind of a class clown who woild do just about naything for a laugh,” also added Kay. “He was very entertaining on stage. The five of us learned thirty songs that weekend to prepare for our first gig. Goldy had a Lowery organ, the kind people had in their living rooms, with a little Leslie speaker, and I had my J-45 acoustic with a D’Armand pick-up slapped in the sound hole. I plugged into one of their Fender Bassman amps and it ssounded okay. I did the growly stuff, the ‘in-your-face’ tunes, because I had that gritty kind of voice (you should have heard my version of Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction!) that gave the band the heaviness they had been lacking.”
THE SPARROWS #2 (SEPTEMBER ??, 1965 - FEBRUARY ?, 1966) / THE SPARROW (FEBRUARY ?, 1966 - JUNE 14, 1967 (?))
1) Dennis Edmonton
2) Jerry Edmonton
3) Nick St. Nicholas
4) John Raymond Goadsby (aka Goldy McJohn) organ, vocals
5) Joachim Fritz Krauledat (aka John Kay) vocals, mouth harp, acoustic rhythm guitar
The Sparrows #2, photo session in a freightyard along the Toronto lakeshore, 1965
The Sparrow, New York City, summer of 1966
September ??, 1965: unknown venue, Waterloo Lutheran University campus, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
John Kay and Goldy McJohn’s debut gig with the band. “The Sparrows’ fans seemed to like the changes,” recalled Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “We went down well at that first gig and received the phenomental fee of one thousand dollars. I thought to myself, ‘These guys are doing okay!’ It was the biggest crowd I had ever played for, the most money I’d ever received.” “As the weeks went by, we worked some of my solo material into the act, blues tunes like Hoochie Coochie Man and Goin’ To California, and began to develop our own musical identity,” added Kay. “I brought The Pusher out from the West Coast, and when we performed it in Toronto, people tought we wrote it. Hoyt Axton’s popularity was predominantly in the Western States, only marginal on the East Coast and almost non existent in Toronto. The band arrangement had a lot more balls than the acoustic version, the electric lead guitar giving it more punch.”
Monday, September 27, 1965
The today issue of R.P.M., Canada's only music industry weekly magazine, reported in his The Bigland Bulletin news section that “The Sparrows have added two new men to their ranks, having replaced Art Ayre on piano with organist John Goldsby [sic] and also added the rhythm guitar [John Kay] who played with the famous Byrds from the U.S.A. Their new sound is really happening.” Needless to say, but just to clear the air, John Kay NEVER played with the Byrds, although he met and hang out with Jim McGuinn, David Crosby and Michael Clarke back in 1964-65 at the New Balladeer in West Los Angeles, and also saw them playing several times at Ciro’s LeDisc in Hollywood in the spring of 1965. Anyway, to added confusion to the Canadian people, the March 28, 1966, issue of R.P.M. mentioned their still unnamed new member again as formerly of The Byrds, but this time they added that he was the guy who wrote one of their hits songs, ‘He Was A Friend Of Mine.’ Well, actually it was Jim McGuinn, a real Byrd, who rewrote the lyrics of that old traditional folk song, so maybe the magazine really thought that McGuinn was The Sparrows’ new member? who knows! Ha ha.
b/w Tuesday, September 28 - Friday, October 1, 1965: Hallmark Studios, 22 Sackville Street, Corktown, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Monday, October 4, 1965, issue of R.P.M., Canada's only music industry weekly magazine, reported in his The Bigland Bulletin news section that “The Sparrows have just recorded four more sides for Capitol at Toronto’s Hallmark studios. Three were written by their lead guitarist Dennis Edmonton. This session has definitely been their best to date.” “Because The Sparrows had a record contract, we recorded some demos for Capitol Records with Marshall Shapiro producing,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The first session included He Was A Friend Of Mine, Hoochie Coochie Man, and C.C. Rider. However, nothing was released.”
Saturday, October 2, 1965: The Oak Door, 485 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The show started at 8pm. Also on the bill: The Hi-Tones.
Ottawa Journal (October 2, 1965)
October 1965: ‘Saphire A-Go-Go,’ Saphire Tavern, 20 Richmond Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
“In October 1965, Nick secured an unusual engagement for us, a week at the Sapphire Lounge and Restaurant [sic] in downtown Toronto,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “It was a traditional dinner and nightclub establishment with lobsters in the tank and an over-forty dance crowd. The place had come to the realization that their clientele was dying out, literally, and they needed a new approach to bring in younger patrons. Their plan was to hire some hip entertainment. They had booked the Mynah Birds who had gone down well. Nick saw this kind of high class gig as a way to attract wealthy backers. He had been hustling John Craig Eaton who, at the time, was looking to dabble in rock bands, but much to Nick’s dismay, he chose to back the Mynah Birds instead of us.” “At the Lounge on night,” continued Kay, “Nick said to me, ‘I’ve brought my girlfriend Solveigh and her friend Jutta. Why don’t you come over to the table and meet them.’ I had met Solveigh Schattmann already. She was German, born in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during the war but raised in Dusseldorf and Munich. She had come to Canada in 1963 as an au pair before quitting to head for Yorkville to work as a waitress in the coffeehouses. Sitting next to Solveigh was a girl with very short dark hair, dark eye make-up as was the fashion then, high cheek bones, a tight white sweater and short skirt. Nick introduced her to me as Jutta Maue. I was immediately taken by her. She had an easy-going demeanor that I responded to instantly. She was not brash, yet confident and very natural in the way she handled herself. I found myself perfectly at ease and chatting with her within a few minutes. After the gig, the four of us ended up at Solveigh’s apartment above the Harlequin House in Yorkville. Jutta lived on her own in a room at 17 Lowther Avenue, the same direction as The Sparrows’ apartment on St. George. After awhile, Jutta said good night and left. Seizing the opportunity, I bid a hasty farewell and tried to catch up with her to walk her home. At first she wasn’t sure who was following her and tried to outwalk me. When I finally caught up with her she was relieved to find it was me. We talked until reaching her door, then she invited me up. I came in and stayed. Twenty-nine years later, we’re still together. In short order, I moved out of the band apartment and in with Jutta.”
October or November 1965: Belton Hotel, Spruce Street at Brodie Street, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
“A month or so after I joined The Sparrows, Nick came up with a week’s engagement at the Belton Hotel in Sudbury, a tough mining town about 250 miles north of Toronto,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “We were given two rooms and a rollaway bed and we played four sets a night in the beverage room. Nick thought it was a good idea because, besides paying decent money, we could rehearse during the day. He was kind of the disciplinarian, always wanting us to keep improving. The hotel had seen better days but at least the rooms were clean. As we were setting up our gear, some guy arrived with two go-go girls, maybe eighteen years old, straight out of high school. They had never done this kind of thing before. They were wearing sparkly tops, mini skirts with tassels, and white go-go boots. They were booked to dance for the last fifteen minutes of each set as sort of a kicker. We weren’t too keen on this but no one we knew was going to be in Sudbury to see us humiliate ourselves. The audience consisted of miners, lumberjacks, soldiers, construction workers on the Trans-Canada Highway, and maybe two women, probably working girls. All they wanted was to get drunk, hear the music they wanted to hear, see some tits and ass. Here we were, a long-haired band in Mod clothes, straight from Yorkville’s hip scene, used to playing to stoned crowds at Chez Monique. Something told us these guys didn’t want to hear The Pusher, so we sprinkled our sets with things like Wooly Bully and Mohair Sam, both of which Goldy sang. We finished the first set and got a bit of a hassle from a couple of guys who kept yelling to hear this song and that song and making wisecracks about our hair. There were two hefty lads at the front table, one of whom was a big black dude, a miner. Early in the first set he hollered out, ‘You guys know Walkin’ The Dog?’ It was Nick’s big number, We played it and he loved it. From that moment on he was our buddy. If anyone gave us a hard time, he just glared at them and they’d shut right up. He was there at least every other night and we played Walkin’ The Dog every set.” “With our long hair we couldn’t really go anywhere in Sudbury and it wasn’t safe for the girls to be out alone, so we hung around in our rooms all week,” continued Kay. “One night I awoke to find this bizarre vision before me: the four remaining members of The Sparrows nude except for neck ties, and the two girls completely nude standing over me giggling. All I could muster was, ‘Nice ties.’ We made it through the week to the last set on the final night when Goldy disappeared. He was nowhere to be found, so we limped along without him. About three tunes into the set, Goldy popped up out of nowhere. Apparently he had been in his room with some girl and just when he was getting ready to come play some guy started pounding on the door yelleing, ‘Emily, are you in there?’ So Goldy waited until the guy was gone then climbed through the window, down the fire escape, and into the beverage room.”
Sunday, November 28 - Thursday, December 2, 1965: Café El Patio, 119 Yorkville Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, December 11 - Sunday, December 12, 1965: Café El Patio, 119 Yorkville Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Two shows on Sunday, matinee and evening.
Late December 1965: ‘Ho Ho A-Go-Go,’ Club 888, 888 Yonge Street, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
A benefit show promoted by CHUM, a local radio station, to supply toys to the local St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School. CHUM's deejays Bob McAdorey and Duff Roman, plus Ron Scribner of the local Bigland Agency, hosted the show, which included some acts from the Bigland Agency himself, such as The Sparrows, J.B. and The Playboys, Shawn and her brother Jay Jackson, Jay Smith, and many others. Reportedly, an estimated 3,000 youngsters attended the event.
Saturday, December 25, 1965: Gogue Inn, Danforth Avenue East at the end of the street car line the Luttrell loop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Also on the bill: Bobby Kris & The Imperials, The Twilights.
1965/66
“We did a photo session for MacLean’s magazine (Canada’s version of Newsweek) wearing the latest pop fashion outfits in some trendy nightclub,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride.
Friday, unknown date, 1965/66: ‘A Go-Go ’66,’ CTV-TV, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (broadcast date)
The Sparrows (or The Sparrow) were one of the musical guests of this 30-minute black and white teen television show hosted by CHUM deejay Mike Darow and that aired every Friday on the CTV Television Network. Also appeared on this episode: Robbie Lane and The Disciples, and others.
Sunday, unknown date, 1965/66: ‘After Four,’ CJOH-TV (Channel 13), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (broadcast date)
The Sparrows (or The Sparrow) were one of the musical guests of this 30-minute teen television show hosted by John F. Bassett Jr. and Carol Goss, and that aired every Sunday from 5:30pm to 6:00pm.
Monday, January 3, 1966: Chez Monique, 88 Yorkville Avenue, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Although this is the only confirmed date I’ve found so far, the Sparrows (later known as the Sparrow) actually played here several times between the fall of 1965 and the spring of 1966.
The Sparrows #2, Chez Monique, Toronto, 1965 - from left: Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas, Dennis Edmonton, John Kay, and Goldy McJohn.
Monday, February 7, 1966
The today issue of R.P.M., Canada's only music industry weekly magazine, reported in his Elvira Capreese Says… news section that “The Sparrows are now ‘the SPARROW’ (singular) and have just finished a session.” “We decided to drop the ‘s’ to give a more hip ring to our name,” explained John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. Anyway, the mentioned session was produced again by Marshall Shapiro at Hallmark Studios (or RCA Victor Studios) in Toronto approximately during the first week of February. “We later cut some of my tunes, including my first foray into social commentary, Square Headed People, basically about the square contingent of society giving me a hard time,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Marshall suggested that it might not be appropriate because ‘square heads’ was a derogatory term some people applied to Germans. Capitol passed and eventually the contract lapsed. We weren’t into being a pop band. The Pusher and Hoochie Coochie Man were hardly top forty material.”
Sunday, February 13, 1966: Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street, Garden District, downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The show was promoted by Gem 3 Star Productions. Also on the bill: Gary Lewis and The Playboys, Bobby Kris and The Imperials. “That was the first time I had ever experience screaming kinds,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “It didn’t matter who you were, if you had long hair and were on stage, they screamed.”
R.P.M. (February 21, 1966)
Early/Mid April 1966: RCA Victor Studios, 225 Mutual Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wednesday, April 13, 1966: ‘Dave “CJBQ” Charles Spectacular,’ Belleville Armouries, 187 Pinnacle Street, Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Wednesday, April 27, 1966 (?)
The Sparrow’s backer Stan Freeman, who’d dropped several enterprises, including a record factory in Toronto, to became the band’s manager full time, arranged for them to drive down to New York City to meet some important people and recorded a demo at a professional recording studio. “Throughout that winter, the band kept getting tighter but it became fairly clear that we were exhausting Toronto,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “I had been hyping thr guys about California, what I had witnessed with the Byrds. By late 1965, early 66, California had begun to eclipse New York as the center of the music industry. Though I enjoyed the companionship of people in the Village and playing with The Sparrows was fun, I really felt during the winter months that I had had enough of cold weather. I still considered California my home and had every intention of returning, but I wanted to bring the band with me. Nick picked up on this vibe and the two of us started to promote the idea of going to the States. Canada was just too limited a market. The Canadian music scene was too regional and localized with no airplay for Canadian records in the US. There wasn’t enough to keep anyone in Canada, but I think California seemed too far removed for the other guys. For them, the next logical step was New York. But we still needed a financier if we were going to make the leap to a larger market. We needed bigger equipment, a record deal, contacts, and media exposure. Enter Stanton Freeman, an executive with Clairtone, a Canadian HiFi equipment manufacturer. Stanton was looking to dabble in the music business and Nick managed to snare him. He seemed rather erudite, wordly-wise, drove an Alpha Romeo Spider, dressed in fine suits, lived in the better part of town, and claimed to know the right people in New York. As far as we were concerned, Stan was perfect. He told us he was friends with Jerry Brant, The Rolling Stones’ agent at the prestigious William Morris Agency. He knew people who in turn knew actor Richard Burton’s ex-wife Sybil Burton, owner of a trendy, jet-set, semi-private New York nightclub called Arthur. Stan’s US connections were largely through his brother who was sports editor at The New York Times.” “[In New York City] we stayed at the Holiday Inn and discovered there were young girls hanging out in the lobby looking for bands,” added Kay, “Seeing our long hair they asked for our autographs. They didn’t even know who we were but figured we must be some pop group. Maybe New York really was the gig time.”
Thursday, April 28, 1966: Allegro Sound Studios, 1650 Broadway, Upper West Side, Upper Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow cut some demos at Allegro Sound Studios, a 16-track recording studio run by sound engineer Bruce Staple on behalf of Laurie Records, and located in the basement of the famous all music building at 1650 Broadway (where the “only” problem was the subway that ran below, so they often needed to wait till the train had passed). “There was a real sense of excitement among the five of us,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride, “here we were down in the Big Apple in a real professional recording studio with four [sic] track machines unlike the limited facilities of studios in Toronto. At the first Allegro session, we cut three tracks with Bruce Botnick [sic] engineering - Goin’ To California, Twisted, and Square Headed People - the same tunes Capitol in Canada had rejected. The plan was for Stan to use these demos to hustle a recording contract. Bob Crewe expressed interest but he heard string and pop sounds, not what we were after. The irony was that Crewe produced Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and those records were smoking. David Kaprilik [sic] listened to the tapes, liked what he hard, and struck a deal between us and his production company [Camalus] to produce The Sparrow. [Two weeks later] Kaprilik [sic] scored a contract with Columbia Records who wanted us back in the studio within a couple of months to record our first single. It seemed so easy.”
Friday, April 29, 1966 (?)
“Buoyed by our experiences in New York, we returned to Toronto and resumed gigging, putting in time until June when we packed our bags for an extended stay in the Big Apple, recording and gigging at Arthur,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride.
Saturday, June 4, 1966 (?)
“While we gigged in Yorkville and southern Ontario through the spring of 1966, Stanton was hustling in New York and came through with an extendend engagement at Arthur,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “This, along with the Columbia recording contract, necessitated a lenghty stay in New York, so Stan’s brother arranged the required work permits to get us across the border. Off we went in June, accompanied by our nursemaid Julie Burns, enlisted by Stan to make sure his boys made it safely to the Big Apple. First on our agenda was finding reasonble accomadation for a lenghty stay. Via the musician’s grapevine, we learned of the Hotel Albert on East 10th Street at University Place, a stone’s throw from Washignton Square and Greenwich Village.” Reportedly, maybe the very first day they arrived at the infamous Hotel Albert in Manhattan, Jerry Edmonton’s drum kit was stolen from the band’s station wagon parked right in front of the hotel.
Sunday, June 5 - Saturday, June 11 (?), 1966: Arthur's Tavern, 57 Grove Street, b/w South 7th Avenue and Bleecker Street, West Village, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, New York
“Stan informed us that the Arthur gig required us to be in uniforms so we went down to a place called the Brick Shed House in the West Village and picked out the latest pop gear: pin-stripped bell bottom pants, Beatle boots, blue blazers,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “I wasn’t keen on the idea of matching outfits but went along with it because Stan claimed he knew what he was doing. Ever eager for some publicity to snare the jet-set crowd, Stan arranged for us to have our hair styled by the one and only Vidal Sassoon in a suite at the Drake Hotel with the media present.” “The Arthur engagement went down well,” continued Kay. “People liked what we were doing, a hodgepodge of cover tunes and our own blues stuff. We did five sets a night, playing until three in the morning. Various celebrities floated in and out of the club but there was nothing extraordinary about the gig. We viewed it simply as a foot in the door. We couldn’t rehearse at the club after hours so following the last set we’d grab some burgers from a joint across the street, head back to the Albert, chow down, smoke a joint, hang out until the sun came up and then sleep. When the engagement came to an end they rebooked us for later in the summer, only this time we persuaded the management to allow us to wear our own clothes as long as they were neat.”
Monday, June 6, 1966: Columbia Studio A, on the 7th floor of the Brunswick Building, 799 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York
“During the first Arthur engagement we again entered the recording studio with David Kaprilik [sic] producing,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “He wanted to record everything we knew, a repertoire demo, and then, choose the best of the lot to re-record for a single. To that end, Columbia requested our presence for a nine o’clock session the morning of June 6th. With only about three hours sleep, we arrived at the studio and set up like it was a live gig with our little PA columns. An engineer plunked down a few mikes in front of us, and we proceeded to play our live show. There was no real producing or arranging, just playing it straight into the mikes. Later, some of these rough recoridngs found there way onto a JOHN KAY AND THE SPARROW album released by Columbia after Steppenwolf was successful. Most of it was pretty raw. Kaprilik [sic] digested the tape and determined that Dennis’s writing, the sort of ballady Byrds-flavored material, was where our commercial potential lay. In particular, he singled out the song Tomorrow’s Ship which sounded like a Byrds’ retread with jangly twelvestring guitar, a hooky little guitar line, pretty melody and soft vocal delivery from Dennis. Personally, I thought it was a dead end street because if it turned out to be a hit, we’d have been obligated to continue in that vein. I was, however, a team player and rationalized that Kaprilik [sic] and the Columbia brass were the experts. I figured, at best, the single might serve as an ice breaker allowing us to present a greater diversity of material more representative of our style on an album.” “The Sparrow had recorded a version of The Pusher in New York at the demo session for David Kaprilik [sic] but what came out was still fairly folkie sounding and tame,” added Kay.
Sunday, June 12 - Sunday, June 26, 1966 (?): The Downtown, Sheridan Square, West Village, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow were booked to play here for two weeks (Tuesday to Sunday, Monday was off), plus two future one-week options. “Following the first Arthur engagement, we moved on to a place called The Downtown in the West Village on Sheridan Square,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “It was a basement club with a totally different ambience than Arthur, a much funkier place with a big dance floor and lights in the center. The crowd also was quite different, multi-racial - black guys with white girls and vice versa. In the underground grapevine, the Downtown was the place to go if that was your scene. Their booking policy reflected that as well because we alternated that summer with the Chambers Brothers, a black act with a white drummer. The manager of the club was a dude named Buddy Fox and the hat check girl at the time was none other than Bette Midler.” “The Downtown audience was pretty picky about what they liked to hear,” continued Kay. “If they weren’t digging you, they’d motion to the DJ to play a record. They played some great records, too, a lot of R ‘n’ B like Sam and Dave. That’s where we first heard Don Covay’s Sookie Sookie which we added to our set when we moved to Californnia. At the Downtown we could stretch out into extended blues jams. We did a version of John Lee Hooker’s Goin’ Upstairs which Jerry sang; it evolved into a lengthy workout for harmonica and guitar ending in a Yardbirds style rave-up. Thsoe jams helped us keep boredom at bay. When you play that many sets for several nights in a row, it’s easy to fall into a rut.” “I met a young black woman [named Betty Jean Newsome] at the Downtown who had been a dancer on the Hullabaloo TV show and had written It’s A Man’s Man’s World for James Brown,” concluded Kay. “She was very attractive and started making advances toward me. For the first time, I was torn between my male ego responding to these advances and Jutta back in Toronto, but I managed to keep things at arms length with this girl.” “Last week a Canadian rock group called The Sparrow opened at the Downtown and altered our previous opinion of groups from that land” reported Cash Box, a US weekly music magazine, on its June 18 issue. “The quintet packs all the soul and hard rock demanded by the pampered crowds into their extra long sets, while using many of this country’s biggest recent hits as a basis for their reportoire. If the excellent musicianship and feeling for their music shown by The Sparrow is any indication of things that can be expected from other new Canadian aggregations, this country will shortly see an influx of these groups with, very probably, a great deal of both recording and live performance success.”
Saturday, June 25, 1966: Columbia Studio A, on the 7th floor of the Brunswick Building, 799 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow recorded Dennis Edmonton’s Tomorrow’s Ship with David Kapralik and Van McCoy as co-producers. The song was released a month and a half later as the band’s first single.
The Sparrow, Columbia Studio A, New York City, June 25, 1966 - from left: Dennis Edmonton, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas, John Kay, and Goldy McJohn
The Sparrow, Columbia Studio A, New York City, June 25, 1966 - from left: Dennis Edmonton, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas, John Kay, and Goldy McJohn
July 1966 (?): unknown venue, Manhattan, New York City, New York
“On the heels of the Arthur gig, Stan came up with a couple of more jet-set type of bookings,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “One was at a convention for Yardley’s cosmetics and perfume who were attempting to cater to the teenage market.”
July 1966 (?): ‘Debutante Ball,’ ballroom, St. Regis Hotel, 2 East 55th Street, at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York
“On the heels of the Arthur gig, Stan came up with a couple of more jet-set type of bookings,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “One was at a convention for Yardley’s cosmetics and perfume who were attempting to cater to the teenage market. The other was a debutante ball, a coming-out party for the daughter of the socially prominent Wood family. We’d never heard of them but it was to be a big event with media coverage in Post magazine. The family rented the ballroom of the classy St. Regis Hotel for the affair and hired Peter Duchin and his Society Orchestra, flown in from Monte Carlo, to provide the respectable dance music for the older crowd, booking us for the younger set. We were paid the incredible sum of $1000 for two twenty minute sets, alternating between the Peter Duchin Orchestra. Nobody told us what to play, so we went on in our pop gear and did our usual set. All these rich kids in their ball growns and tuxedos crowded around the stage and started dancing right away. During a break we went out on the back stairs for a smoke and found some of the guys from Duchin’s Orchestra in their tuxedos smoking grass. These guys had been doing this shit since before we were born.”
The Sparrow, St. Regis Hotel, New York City, circa July 1966 - from left: Dennis Edmonton, Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nicholas, and John Kay
July 1966 (?)
“We managed to get around town a bit and saw a few acts on our nights off [from the Downtown gig],” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride, “one of which was The Fugs who had an extended run at a downtown theater [called Players Theatre]. They would lure in the tourists who, once safely inside, were appalled to hear songs like River Of Shit and Coca-Cola Douche. We befriended some of the guys in The Fugs but they were in a whole other musical territory altogether.”
Thursday, July 14, 1966: Columbia Studio A, on the 7th floor of the Brunswick Building, 799 7th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow recorded Dennis Edmonton and Nick St. Nicholas’ Isn’t It Strange with David Kapralik and Stanley Rublowsky as co-producers. The song was released three weeks later as the flip side of the band’s first single. “A further session in July yielded the flip side, Dennis and Nick’s Isn’t It Strange, a trippy slice of pre-psychedelia,” confirmed John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “At that same session, as if to reinforce some kind of musical schizophrenia, we also cut my Goin’ To California and Twisted, two bluesy rockers totally opposite to our debut single but more representative of what The Sparrow was.” “[Isn’t It Strange was] an experimental song that included me using a bottleneck on my guitar with tons of echo,” added Kay in an interview with Marc Myers for his book Anatomy of a Song: The Inside Stories Behind 45 Iconic Hits (2016). “I played these creeping, high-pitched melodic little things that sat on top of a slow, pulsating track. It sounded like a good idea here.”
August 1966 (?): The Barge, Dune Road, East Quogue, Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York
“At the conclusion of our Downtown gig, we headed out to Long Island for an engagement at the Barge which, as it’s name suggests, was an actual floating barge tied to a dock,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “If the water was choppy, the whole place rocked, literally. The Young Rascals were discovered there a year or so before, but by the time we arrived, the place was going under. The owner thought we could bring out the crowds and revive the place. The gig wasn’t anything special. The real excitement was at the nearby Action House where The Vagrants, featuring guitarist Leslie West, were playing. One night we played during a thunderstorm and kept getting shocks from our equipment. We told the manager we weren’t playing anymore that night. The next day we received a telegram informing us that our services were no longer required.”
The Sparrow at a beach on Long Island during their gig at The Barge in the summer of 1966
Monday, August 8, 1966
The Sparrow’s first single, ‘Tomorrow’s Ship / Isn’t It Strange’ (Columbia 4-43755), was released in the US and Canada. “Columbia released the single nationally that summer but didn’t put a lot of promotion behind it,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “To no one’s surprise it bombed, failing to garner any national attention.”
US cover
US label
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US back cover
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Canadian label
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b/w August and October 1966 (approximate date): Arthur's Tavern, 57 Grove Street, b/w South 7th Avenue and Bleecker Street, West Village, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, New York
“Following the Barge debacle we returned to the Hotel Albert and resumed gigging at Arthur and the Downtown through the remainder of the summer and into the fall of 1966, but we were merely spinning our wheels in New York,” recalled John Kasy in Magic Carpet Ride. “The jet-set plan had gone as far as it could go with little to show for it. Our debut single had stiffed. In retrospect, we were a year too late for New York. The music scene had already shifted to the West Coast by 1966. With winter imminent, I desperately wanted to get back to California.”
b/w August and October 1966 (approximate date): The Downtown, Sheridan Square, West Village, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York
Friday, September 23, 1966
The Sparrow’s first single, ‘Tomorrow’s Ship / Isn’t It Strange’ (CBS 202342), was released in the UK.
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Fall 1966
The Sparrow’s first single, ‘Tomorrow’s Ship / Isn’t It Strange’ (CBS 2342), was released in France.
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Fall 1966
The Sparrow’s first single, ‘Tomorrow’s Ship / Isn’t It Strange’ (CBS 2342), was released in Italy.
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Friday, October 21, 1966: Studio B or E, on the second (Studio B) or fifth (Studio E) floor of the CBS Studio Building, 49 East 52nd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow recorded Dennis and Jerry Edmonton’s Green Bottle Lover and Dennis Edmonton and Nick St. Nicholas’ Down Goes Your Love Life, with David Kapralik as producer. The songs were released two months later as their second and last single. “Before we left New York, Columbua tried once more time to pull a single from us,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “David Kaprilik [sic] brought us back into the studio in late October to cut another one of Dennis’s tunes, Green Bottle Lover. This one rocked more than our first single with Jerry singing lead. Dennis wrote the song using what I considered the erector set principle of songwriting: what’s currently a hit on the charts and what’s the key element that makes that song a hit? You need a hook and a good catchy line and so on. I can’t write that way, I write from the gut. Green Bottle Lover was like the cliché of a committee designing a horse and ending with a camel. It had unusual ingredients like a theremin which created eerie noises using sound waves that until then only Lothar and the Hand People had been using. The Beach Boys later used one on Good Vibrations. We recorded this little gem, coupled with Nick’s very pop-sounding Down Goes Your Love Life, at a session the night before we left New York for California. Somewhat predictably, it failed as well.” “Following the session we packed our gear into the station wagon and U-haul trailer and parked them in front of the Albert,” added Kay, “We paid the night clerk to watch them overnight, but apparently our tip was deemed insufficient because the next morning most of our gear had been stolen, except for my Gibson guitar which had been tucked under the seat. Fortunately, CBS, which owned Columbia Records, had recently acquired Fender Musical Instruments, and as part of our contract, they agreed to furnish us with brand new Dual Showman amplifiers and Telecaster guitars when we reached LA.”
Friday, October 21, 1966: Studio B or E, on the second (Studio B) or fifth (Studio E) floor of the CBS Studio Building, 49 East 52nd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York
The Sparrow recorded Dennis and Jerry Edmonton’s Green Bottle Lover and Dennis Edmonton and Nick St. Nicholas’ Down Goes Your Love Life, with David Kapralik as producer. The songs were released two months later as their second and last single. “Before we left New York, Columbua tried once more time to pull a single from us,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “David Kaprilik [sic] brought us back into the studio in late October to cut another one of Dennis’s tunes, Green Bottle Lover. This one rocked more than our first single with Jerry singing lead. Dennis wrote the song using what I considered the erector set principle of songwriting: what’s currently a hit on the charts and what’s the key element that makes that song a hit? You need a hook and a good catchy line and so on. I can’t write that way, I write from the gut. Green Bottle Lover was like the cliché of a committee designing a horse and ending with a camel. It had unusual ingredients like a theremin which created eerie noises using sound waves that until then only Lothar and the Hand People had been using. The Beach Boys later used one on Good Vibrations. We recorded this little gem, coupled with Nick’s very pop-sounding Down Goes Your Love Life, at a session the night before we left New York for California. Somewhat predictably, it failed as well.” “Following the session we packed our gear into the station wagon and U-haul trailer and parked them in front of the Albert,” added Kay, “We paid the night clerk to watch them overnight, but apparently our tip was deemed insufficient because the next morning most of our gear had been stolen, except for my Gibson guitar which had been tucked under the seat. Fortunately, CBS, which owned Columbia Records, had recently acquired Fender Musical Instruments, and as part of our contract, they agreed to furnish us with brand new Dual Showman amplifiers and Telecaster guitars when we reached LA.”
John Kay and Nick St. Nicholas, CBS Studio Building, New York City, October 21, 1966
John Kay, Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn, CBS Studio Building, New York City, October 21, 1966
John Kay and Jerry Edmonton, CBS Studio Building, New York City, October 21, 1966
Goldy McJohn, Jerry Edmonton and Dennis Edmonton, CBS Studio Building, New York City, October 21, 1966
Saturday, October 22, 1966
The Sparrow moved to Los Angeles, California. “Through Stan’s connections at the William Morris Agency, Peter Golden came up with some dates in LA - It’s Boss and the Whisky Au [sic] Go Go,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “It’s Boss was formerly Ciro’s where I had first seen the Byrds [in 1965]. The thought of playing there was very exciting to me. The Whisky had been Johnny Rivers discotheque scene when I left LA but had since changed. We had few options left, either return to Toronto, tails between our legs, our head west. Stan was beginning to lose interest in us and our US visas were limited to the end of the year. We had to give the West Coast a try.” “When we finally left New York, we bid farewell to $1200 worth of parking tickets we owed to the City of Manhattan,” continued Kay. “As a going away present, Hank our drug dealing congo player friend from the Downtown, gave us a big bag of amphetamines for the trip. Nick must have taken quite a few because he drove all the way on Route 66, practically non-stop. When we arrived in LA, we headed straight to Sandy Koufax’s Tropicana Motel just west of the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard. The place was a Hotel Albert West kind of establishment, a stopover for folkies, jazzers, and rock musicians but a nice place nonetheless.”
October 2?, 1966: It's Boss, 8433 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
“Our first gig [in LA] was at It’s Boss,” recalled Nick St. Nicholas in Magic Carpet Ride. “We went down there in the afternoon, set up the equipment then went back to The Tropicana Motel. When we returned that evening to play, there were no amplifiers. So I contacted Bruce [Palmer] and Neil [Young] in the Buffao Springfield, went down to their management office, and they lent us some Fender Twin Reverb amps.” “When I had gone to Ciro’s the previous year, the crowd was chiefly folkies and rockers, but now as It’s Boss the place had turned into a psychedelic day-glo dungeon,” also recalled John Kay. “My beoved Gibson J-45 was gone and I had to use a Telecaster electric. Despite this setback, we went over fine.”
Sunday, October 30, 1966: 'A Freak Out Freak In Freak Up Freak Down Halloween Costume Mostly Paint Genitals Must Be Covered Dance', Dave Hull's Hullabaloo, 6230 Sunset Boulevard, Downtown Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: The Daily Flash. The show was presented by Vito Paulekas, his wife Sue, and their late baby child Godot.
Thursday, November 3, 1966: CBS Columbia Square (aka Columbia Studio), 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
The Sparrow recorded Tighten Up Your Wig.
Thursday, November 3 - Sunday, November 13, 1966: Whisky à Go Go, 8901 Sunset Boulevard at Clark Street, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
The Sparrow opened for The Sir Douglas Quintet.
December ?, 1966
When the gigs ran out in L.A., The Sparrow moved north to San Francisco, California. In the meantime, immigration officials threatened to send band members back to Canada, but an extension was granted. “Everything was going well until the Sunset Strip riots in November '66, when local merchants called the police to clear nightly crowds of loitering kids,” recalls John Kay in an interview with Marc Myers for his book Anatomy of a Song: The Inside Stories Behind 45 Iconic Hits (2016). “After the riots, most clubs in West Hollywood admitted only people who were twenty-one or older. We were effectively starving for work. So we moved up to San Francisco.” “Jimmy [Angland, a character we met while at the Tropicana Motel] suggested that Nick go up to check out San Francisco, where he claimed the music scene was thriving,” also added Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “We had heard from various sources that there was something different going on up there, not as limited as LA, a loose and relaxed lifestyle that supportee more musical experimentation. What appealed to us, however, was the prospect of finding work. My inclination was still to hold out in LA because the record companies were there. Jerry agreed, But Nick, Dennis, and Goldy went with Jimmy to San Francisco to check it out. After meeting people like Chet Helm [sic] who operated the Avalon Ballroom, Nick managed to secure some work at a place in Sausalito called The Ark and phoned Jerry and I to come up.” For the first night or two the band stayed at the Fireside Motel in Mill Valley, then they moved to the Cable Car Hotel on Lombard Street in downtown San Francisco. “[But] for a gig at The Ark, we moved back to the Fireside Inn [sic], a real barebones place with concrete floors, no frills but cheap,” recalled Kay. “We stayed there about a month until we found a vacant house in Mill Valley up in the hills with a beautiful view overlooking the bay. By that time Stanton was out of the picture, so Nick, ever the hustler, found two young wealthy fur traders to finance the band. They coughed up some money for mattresses and furniture. We were into them for about $1000, which they never saw again. When not gigging we set up our gear in the living room and rehearsed. Things looked promising.”
rehearsing at The Sparrow band house in Mill Valley, 1967 - from left: Jerry Edmonton, Nick St. Nhcholas, Goldy McJohn and John Kay
Thursday, December 8 - Thursday, December 22, 1966: ‘Sound Show,’ The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin, The New Freudian Slips. On December 16 and 17, the Sparrow and the Sons of Champlin played the all-nighter shows from 2am to 6am, because for the evening shows (9pm to 2am) they were already booked at the Avalon Ballroom (see below). “We played for Juanita [Musson] at the Ark and found it an extremely relaxed atmosphere,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The audiences were mostly stoned and dug different things. The crowd that started coming to see us fairly regularly at the Ark included several Hell’s Angels. They were usually high and would lie on the floor in front of us and just listen. Gradually more started showing up and we briefly acquired a bit of a reputation as a Hell’s Angels band.”
Friday, December 16 - Saturday, December 17, 1966: 'Dance Concert', Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin, The Youngbloods. Lights by Ben Van Meter and Roger Hillyard. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog, a production company founded some months earlier by the great late Chet Helms, manager of Big Brother and The Holding Company.
Monday, December 19, 1966
The Sparrow’s second and last single, ‘Green Bottle Lover / Down Goes Your Love Life’ (Columbia 4-43960), was released in the US and Canada.
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Friday, January 13 - Sunday, January 14, 1967: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Moby Grape, Charlatans. Lights by Roger Hillyard & Ben Van Meter. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog.
Saturday, January 14 - Sunday, January 15, 1967: Goman's Gay 90s, 345 Broadway, North Beach, San Francisco, California
One show each day, started at 2:00am.
Friday, February 3 - Saturday, February 4, 1967: 'The Dance Of The Moons', Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Country Joe and The Fish, Kaleidoscope. Lights by Roger Hillyard & Ben Van Meter. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog.
Friday, February 10, 1967: ‘Dance-Concert - This Is It - Psychedelic Happenings Are Here - The New World Has Hit Oakland,’ Regency Ballroom, Leamington Hotel, 1814 Franklin Street at 19th Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California
The band was advertised as The Sparrows [sic]. Also on the bill: The Wildflower, The Living Children, The Immediate Family. Lights by San Francisco Light Show. The show, which lasted from 8:00pm to 1:00am, was presented by Moods (or Funny Co.).
Oakland Tribune (February 8, 1967)
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Friday, February 17, 1967: Convention Center, 17-acre Hotel El Rancho Resort, 1075 West Capitol Avenue, West Sacramento, Yolo County, California
Also on the bill: Blue Cheer. Lights by The Retinal Circus. The show, which lasted from 9pm to 1am, was presented by Phase II Productions.
Saturday, February 18, 1967: The Ark, Gate 6, Sausalito, Marin County, California
A breakfast show from 2:00am to 6:00am (so it was actually Sunday, February 19).
Friday, February 24, 1967
John Kay and his girlfriend Jutta Maue married with a civil wedding ceremony in a courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. The newly weds then spent their honeymoon at the Tropicana Motel where John and the Sparrow stayed while in LA.
Saturday, February 25, 1967: CBS Columbia Square (aka Columbia Studio), 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
The Sparrow recorded five songs, including Too Late and Can’t Make Love By Yourself. “[At some point] Columbia Records re-entered the picture to try one last time to recoup something from their meager investment in The Sparrow,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “They sent [from LA] David Rubinson, a hot young West Coast producer, to check us out [in San Francisco]. After one set he proclaimed, ‘You guys are a blues band, not a pop band. This is what you do best and what you should be cutting.’ Surprise! Sessions were arranged in February 1967 [in LA] and we entered the studio optimistic that something positive, something that truly represented The Sparrow’s sound and visionwould finally come out on vinyl. By that time, however, the comraderie we had enjoyed in New York and at the Tropicana was falling apart. Rubinson liked my voice because it was gruff and recognizably different. For him, the gruffer the better, but I wasn’t happy about forcing my voice. Despite his earlier pronouncements concerning our sound, he suggested we record an incredibly dumb pop song of Dennis’s called Can’t Make Love By Yourself. The result was dreadful. Just like baseball, three strikes and you’re out. A few months later to no one’s surprise, Columbia notified us by mail that they were releasing us from our contract.” “The disastrous session brought matters to a head,” continued Kay. “Jerry and I remained convinced that the place to be was still LA. Despite the media focus on Haight Ashbury with the kids all wearing flowers in their hair, I didn’t think that the Frisco scene and sound were going to break out into a national phenomena. I was thinking on a very practical level: how can we further our career? Sleeping on a mattress in a sparsely furnished house in Mill Valley was hardly my idea of having arrived.”
Friday, March 3 - Saturday, March 4, 1967: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Country Joe and The Fish, The Doors. Lights by Roger Hillyard & Ben Van Meter. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog.
Sunday, March 5, 1967: 'Benefit for Newstage & Straight Theater', Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Country Joe and The Fish, Moby Grape, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Grateful Dead, Michael McClure.
Thursday, March 16, 1967: ‘Poor People’s Concert - Rites of Rock,’ Berkeley Community Theatre, 1930 Allston Way at 2214 Grove Street, Berkeley, Alameda County, California
This was the first of two ‘Poor People’s Concert’ presented by Dick Doheer, in which free potato soup was passed out at Provo Park, across from the Community Theatre. The food was organized by the Berkeley Provos, a sort of Berkeley version of San Francisco’s Diggers. Also on the bill: Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and The Fish.
Saturday, March 25, 1967: ‘Ad Hoc Holiday Happening - Benefit For Episcopal Young Churchmen, Calvary Parish,’ Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, California
The show, which started at 8pm, was presented by The Sacred Cow. Also on the bill: Blue Cheer, Quicksilver Messenger Service. Lights by Head Lights.
Santa Cruz Sentinel (March 24, 1967)
Thursday, March 30 - Friday, March 31, 1967: 'April Fool's Dance-Concert and Costume Ball', California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Santana Bluz [sic], Hedds, Outcasts, Orkustra. Lights by Headlights. One show each day, from 8:00pm to 2:00am.
March or April 1967 (approximate date)
“Things were crashing in all around us,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Gigs were becoming few and far between and it was back to peanut butter sandwiches and canned spaghetti. Our station wagon was repossessed and Jerry’s dad back in Oshawa got stuck for the $500 we still owed because he had originally co-signed for the vehicle. Goldy’s girlfriend Sharon had to haul us and our trailer in her car to gigs. By then our work visas had long since expired, so the four Canadians were now in the States working illegally (as a landed immigrant, I was legally in the US). Nick was sitting at the entrance of the Ark one afternoon waiting for the rest of us to arrive when a dark colored Dodge sedan, a typical undercover car, pulled up and two guys in trench coats got out. They knew everyone’s name and gave them ten days to leave the country. Nick was not about to throw in the towel. He went down to the immigration office in San Francisco and ingratiated himself so skillfully that he won a sixty days extension. God knows what he told them.” “Dennis had become increasingly unhappy with our dismal state of affairs and his diminishing role in the band,” continued Kay. “The San Francisco experience had crystallized the differences between his pop sensibilities and the band’s blues leanings. The failure of the Columbia session [in February] was the final straw for him.. In the spring of 1967, Dennis informed us that he was thinking of quitting in order to pursue songwriting full time. At that point the rest of us were still determined to keep the band together. Who are we going to get to replace him? Jerry and I were down in LA during the next incident.” “In a panic, Nick thought of a guitar player we all knew from Toronto named Freddie Keeler,” continued Kay. “Freddie had been with David Clayton Thomas and the Shays before Thomas left the States to join Blood, Sweat and Tears. He was a fine player but unfortunately he still had the Yonge Street tavern image - short hair and suits. Nick managed to locate him in Toronto and offered to pay his ticket down to San Francisco to check out whether he wanted to join us. He thought it might give Freddie the opportunity to break out of Toronto. Freddie took the bait and agreed to give us a look. Nick and Goldy picked Freddie up at the airport and instead of bringing him to our place, took him directly to Panhandle Park for one of the Be-ings. Freddie was a very straight guy, soft-spoken, easy going, still living with his mother in safe, middle-class suburban Toronto. He must have thought he had just moved from Earth to Mars. Here he was walking into a scene full of people who looked like barbarians - hair down to their shoulders, beards, bizarre clothes, strange medallions hanging from necks, sandals, faces painted, eyes bulging out, walking around saying, ‘This is great acid, man. Want some?’ This completely blew Freddie’s mind. He didn’t like it one bit. What we were about musically didn’t interest him either. His only desire at that point was to go home, fast.” “Goldy couldn’t understand Freddie’s reluctance to join us,” concluded Kay. “For Goldy, the band had become his extended family. He figured all Freddie needed was to have his mind altered so, without him knowling, according to Nick, Goldy put acid in Freddie’s coffee. When it started to hit him, Goldy took him for a car ride around the city. Poor Freddie was peaking and freaking out. Goldy brought him to the Cable Car Hotel where Freddie was so distraught that the manager threatened to call the police. Nick managed to placate him and talk Freddie through his trip. The next day he returned to Toronto.”
Friday, April 7 - Saturday, April 8, 1967: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Canned Heat, The Charlatans. Lights by North American Ibis Alchemical Co. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog.
Saturday, April 8, 1967: Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, California
The Sparrow - together with the Charlatans, Big Brother and The Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Flying Circus - played an afternoon outdoor show to raise funds for Marin Youth for Action’s April 22 conference at College of Marin on the narcotics problem in Marin schools. Reportedly, nearly 2,000 people attended the concert.
Tuesday, April 11 - Sunday, April 16, 1967: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
The shows lasted from 9pm to 2am each night. Also on the bill: Jefferson Airplane (11-13).
Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30, 1967: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
The shows lasted from 9pm to 2am each night.
Tuesday, May 9 - Thursday, May 11, 1967: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
The shows lasted from 9pm to 2am each night.
Friday, May 12 - Saturday, May 13, 1967: ‘Dance Concert,’ Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The Doors. Lights by Roger Hillyard & Ben Van Meter. These shows, which lasted from 9:00pm to 2:00am each day, were presented by Family Dog. One of The Sparrow's sets was recorded and a couple of songs - 'Baby Please Don't Go' and 'Goin' Upstairs' - appeared on a bunch of Steppenwolf's posthumous albums over the years.
Friday, May 19 - Sunday, May 21, 1967: The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California
The shows lasted from 9pm to 2am each night. One of the Sparrow’s performances, probably taken on May 19 (although the tape was misdated as May 14), was recorded and released on the album ‘Early Steppenwolf’ in early June 1969. “Our twenty minute plus version of The Pusher was captured, rather surreptitiously, at a Matrix gig in May of 1967,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Unknown to us, the club manager hung a couple of mikes from the ceiling and taped our show that night. What he caught was a pretty loose, stoned set covering our bluesy material as well as The Pusher. It wasn’t particurarly polished or well recorded but it represented The Sparrow in San Francisco. This manager tried to peddle the tapes two years later when we were Steppenwolf and ABC Dunhill bought them, releasing them as Early Steppenwolf. It certainly wasn’t Steppenwolf but at the time of its release it gave us some much needed breathing room in our two album a year contract.”
Friday, May 26, 1967: California National Guard Armory, 455 3rd Avenue, San Bruno, San Mateo County, California
Also on the bill: The Sons Of Champlin.
Sunday, May 28 - Tuesday, May 30, 1967: 'Ancestral Spirits Festival - Benefit for Haight-Ashbury Karmic Bail Fund and the Church of One', California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Sandy Bull, Flying Circus, The Epics, The CIA, The Outfit, The Bearing Straight, The Loading Zone, The Richard Honeman Quintet, The Ancestral Spirits, The Orkestra [sic], The New Salvation Army Band, Notes From The Underground, The Sangeet, Lightning Rod and The Circuit Breakers, Little Bo and Co. Lights by Aurora Glory Alice, The Flying Circus, and Bob Holt. One show each day, from 8:00pm to 2:00am.
Friday, June 2 - Saturday, June 3, 1967: Fillmore Auditorium, 1805 Geary Boulevard at Fillmore Street, Fillmore District, San Francisco, California
These shows were promoted by Bill Graham Presents In San Francisco. Also on the bill: Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Peanut Butter Conspiracy.
Saturday, June 3, 1967: 'KFRC Fantasy Fair And Magic Mountain Music Festival - A Benefit for the Hunter's Point Child Care Center', Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, California (festival rescheduled, but The Sparrow canceled in the meantime)
The festival, which was sponsored by San Francisco's radio station 610 KFRC, was originally booked for the weekend of June 3-4, but it was rained out and rescheduled for the next weekend (June 10-11, from 10:00am to 6:00pm each day), although at that point The Sparrow, who were originally advertised to play on June 3, canceled their appearance because in the meantime they had moved back to Los Angeles. Also on the bill: P.F. Sloan, The Grass Roots, Moby Grape, The 13th Floor Elevators, Spanky and Our Gang, Rodger Collins, Blackburn & Snow, Every Mother's Son, The Sons Of Champlin, Jefferson Airplane, The Mojo Men, The Merry Go Round.
Tuesday, June 6 - Monday, June 12, 1967 (approximate date): Club Galaxy, 8917 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
The Sparrow moved back to Los Angeles after they were offered a week long gig at Club Galaxy, a lounge venue turned into a psychedelic club on the Sunset Strip. “The Galaxy was right next door to the Whisky and was operated by Rose Deutsch,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Dennis had given his notice but agreed to stay on until a suitable replacement could be found. We traipsed back to the Tropicana Motel. There, Nick heard of a young guitar player named Michael Monarch whome he invited down to the Galaxy to check out the band. Michael sat in with us a couple of times. Within a couple of days Michael was playing some of our songs and playing them really well. Then Dennis announced that he was leaving following the Galaxy gig.” “I first saw The Sparrow play at the Galaxy and I was really impressed with them,” recalled Michael Monarch in Magic Carpet Ride. “I had only been playing guitar for about a year and was only sixteen when I met them. At that time, John was playing rhythm guitar and singing some of the vocals and Nick was doing some of the vocals so it reallty wasn’t John up front as the leader like it became in Steppenwolf. What really impressed me about the band was that Jerry was just a real kick-ass drummer for those days, simple but very solid, and not a lot of drummers played like that back then. Also, Goldy was great on that old Lowery organ that he had beefed up. He got that real funky sound out of it.” “On the final night of the engagement, we were something like five minutes late getting on stage and Rose got pissed off at us,” added John Kay. “She and Jerry got into a fight and she tried to slap him. Jerry responded by laying into her calling her every name in the book. Nick got mad at Jerry for blowing any chances of another gig and we all just threw up our hands and said, ‘It’s over.’”
Friday, June 9 - Saturday, June 10, 1967: ‘Ramlala,’ California Hall, 625 Polk Street, San Francisco, California (The Sparrow canceled)
The Sparrow were originally billed, along with the Steve Miller Blues Band, on the poster printed for this shows a month earlier. However, they were in Los Angeles at that time so their appearance was cancelled, and they were replaced by Quicksilver Messenger Service on Friday, and by Anonymous Artists of America on Saturday. By the way, the Steve Miller Blues Band also cancelled at last the Friday show, but they eventually played on Saturday.
Wednesday, June 14, 1967 (?)
The Sparrow disbanded. “[After the final gig at the Galaxy] we stored the gear and met a couple of days later to divide it up in fifths (though bad feelings developed between Nick and the rest of us after some of the gear went missing),” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Dennis was going off on his own, Nick was already planning a new band with Michael Monarch, and Jerry, Goldy, and I were at loose ends.”
Wednesday, June 28, 1967: Oakland Civic Auditorium, 10 10th Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California (The Sparrow canceled)
The Sparrow were originally billed on the poster printed for this show a month earlier. However, they had disbanded in the meantime so they canceled their appearance and the Grateful Dead filled in for them. Also on the bill: Sons Of Champlin, Country Joe and The Fish, Young Rascals, Grass Roots. Lights by Bob Holt Light Productions (filled in for the early advertised Prometheus). The show was presented by Bill Quarry & Johnny Van and started at 8pm.
San Francisco Examiner (June 4, 1967)
Thursday, July 6 - Sunday, July 9, 1967: ‘Dance Concert,’ Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California (The Sparrow canceled)
Back in May or so, the Sparrow were booked to play, along with the Steve Mller Blues Band, this weekend gig presented by Family Dog at the Avalon Ballroom. However, they had disbanded in the meantime, so when the poster to promote this shows was eventually printed in June they were replaced on the bill by the Siegel-Schwall Band. Also on the bill: Emerald Tablet (6). Lights by North American Ibis Alchemical Co.
July 1967
“On Jutta’s suggestion, her friend Jody moved into the vacant house next door to us on Fountain Avenue,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “In the intervening months since our marriage, Jody had met a young record producer at ABC Dunhill named Gabriel Mekler and they had been married. Gabriel was born in Israel to an artistic family and raised in Europe. He was an excellent painist and as a staff producer had worked with a band called The Lamp of Childhood. Jutta and Jody introduced him to me and I instantly found him a likeable, easy-going guy. He was looking for new acts and projects after the collapse of The Lamp of Childhood. When I told him I had been in a band that had recorded for Columbia but just been given its release and subsequently broken up, he replied, ‘Well, what have you got to listen to?’ I played him some Sparrow tapes, probably the Rubinson session and a few other things. He listened intently and then responded, ‘That sounds okay. Are you still in touch with these guys?’ I told him I was in contact with Jerry and Goldy. ‘Why don’t you get a couple of more guys together, rehearse some of these tunes, and let’s make some demos.’ It was like a fairy tale. Here I was, no work, no money, a pregnant wife and no prospects, then in walks this guy living next door, from a successful record label, saying he thought I might have a shot at a contract if I could get a band together. It was almost like it was all meant to be. Everything seemed to fall into place at the right time.” “All Gabriel Mekler was offering us was studio time for a demo session and a shot at ABC Dunhill if the session proved fruitful,” continued Kay. “There was nothing financial on the table, just a chance to get something happening, something we could do our way as opposed to the way Columbia had tried to program us. Jerry met Gabriel, liked him and the whole idea. Goldy, with little prompting, jumped on board. We considered Dennis and actually contacted him but he was happy doing his own thing writing and recording an album of his own songs for UNI [Records]. Nick had already assemblerd his own band, TIME, Trust In Men Everywhere - yeah, right! We called Michael Monarch after Dennis passed on the offer. He knew half the old songs already and played with a fire and intensity that we felt would contribute to a new sound.” “Jerry hit on the idea of posting a notice [on a bulletin board] at Walich’s [sic] Music City [record store] at Vine and Sunset [in Hollywood] advertising: ‘Bass Player Wanted’,” continued Kay. “In the meantime, I had cleared out one of the garages below our apartment for rehesrsal space. The landlord said he didn’t care what we did in there. One of the first guys to respond to the ad was John Russell Morgane [sic], or Rushton Moreve as he introduced himself. He set up, started jamming, and it was amazing. He played intuitively, a real melodic style rather than just a thump thump with the kick drum. He loved the Mothers of Invention and brought a non-commercial sound to the band,” So, the as-yet unnamed band was officialy formed with John Kay, Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn from The Sparrow, plus new members Michael Allen Monarch (b. Wednesday, July 5, 1950, Los Angeles) on lead guitar and Rushton Moreve (b. John Rushton Morey, Saturday, November 6, 1948, Los Angeles - d. Wednesday, July 1, 1981, from injuries sustained in either an automobile accident in Sun Valley, Los Angeles, or in a motorcycle accident in Santa Barbara, California (depending on which source you consulted)) on bass. “With the lineup complete, we began rehearsals in the garage,” added Kay. “The sound and style that ultimately defined Steppenwolf on our first album came together in that place, born more out of necessity than any preconceived master plan. All we had were bits and pieces of equipment left over from The Sparrow and soem gear remaining from The Lamp of Childhood that Gabriel borrowed from Dunhill.” “The band rehearsed most afternoos, running through a few Sparrow things we wanted to keep like The Pusher, Hoochie Coochie Man, Sookie Sookie, Tighten Up Your Wig, and Baby Please Don’t Go as well as new things I was writing like Desperation and Your Wall’s Too High,” also recalled John Kay. “As tunes were written, we’d kick around ideas for arrangements. That’s where Jerry proved to be a major influence. He had a keen ear for finding the best way to deliver a song. For instance, he came up with the suggestion to turn Desperation from 4/4 time to ¾, creating a whole new feel that gave the song its strenght. The sound was bllues-based but we were moving beyond simple twelve bar blues figures. It was a tougher, tighter sound than The Sparrow. One song we tried out in the garage was a tuen Dennis had suggested to Jerry, a recent creation of his entitled Born To Be Wild. I thought it had killerl yrics and an interesting guitar riff but sounded somewhat puny on Dennis’s demo.”
UNNAMED REHEARSAL BAND (JULY 1967 - SEPTEMBER 1967 (?)) / STEPPENWOLF #1 (SEPTEMBER 1967 (?) - JULY 2? or AUGUST ?, 1968)
1) John Kay vocals, rhythm guitar
2) Jerry Edmonton drums
3) Goldy McJohn organ
4) Michael Monarch lead guitar
5) John Rushton Morey (aka Rushton Moreve) bass
1) John Kay vocals, rhythm guitar
2) Jerry Edmonton drums
3) Goldy McJohn organ
4) Michael Monarch lead guitar
5) John Rushton Morey (aka Rushton Moreve) bass
Steppenwolf #1, Los Angeles, 1967/68 - clockwise from lower left: Goldy McJohn, Rushton Moreve, Michael Monarch, Jerry Edmonton, and John Kay
August 1967
“We rehearsed in the garage through August of 1967, a typically hot summer in LA, too sweltering to keep the garage door closed,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The sound was ricocheting off the houses, bouncing around the neighborhood. Kids on the street started showing up, digging what we were doing. Gabriel came by periodically to offer his assessment and thought it sounded promising. The volume was loud enough to bring out the LAPD who threatend, ‘We’re gonna give you guys a noise warning once. If we have to come here again, you guys are going to jail.’ So we now needed a new rehearsal space. Somehow, we learned of a lounge out on Venice Boulevard that had recently gone under and was available for nothing. We hauled our gear down there and resumed practicing. Not long after that, Gabriel came by once more, listened, and pronounced, ‘I think you’re ready.’”
August or September 1967: Sunwest Recording Studios Inc., 5539 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
“He [Gabriel Mekler] booked some time for us at Sun West [sic] Recorders, a small demo studio on Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The plan was to do a direct-to-two track demo tape, eleven or twelve songs, everything we knew. When the day arrived it turned into a bad comedy script where everything goes wrong. Goldy and I headed over to the rehearsal hall on Venice Boulevard to pick up the gear, pulling an open U-Haul trailer. We had called the lounge owner ahead of time to ensure that he was there to let us in to collect our equipment. My hair was fairly long by then and so was Goldy’s, which drew the attention of a passing cop car. He pulled us over, checked the vehicle’s registration, then, pointing to the trunk, inquired, ‘Got any contraband? Any explosives in there?’ Not satisfied with a simple no, the cop asked us to open the trunk, but before he would look inside he called for backup. God knows what he was expecting to find in there. Within a couple of minutes three or four more cops arrived on the scene and tossed the car, pulling seats out, looking everywhere. After wasting our precious time, they waved us on our way. When we arrived at the lounge we found the rest of the guys but no owner. We waited and waited but he didn’t show. Taking matters into my own hands, I climbed up on the roof, crawled over to the skylight, jumped down into the darkened building, and made my way to the exit. I pushed open the doors, no alarms sounded, so we started hauling our gear out. Within five minutes sirens wailed as a police car screeched to a halt in front of the building and cops jumped out, guns drawn. Silent Alarm. There was no arguing with these guys but I managed to explaing the circumstance and suggested they check with the operator of the liquor store next door who had gotten to know us from our frequent visits for snacks during rehearsals. The guy verified everything. As we frantically lugged our gear into the studio, the engineer yelled at us, ‘You guys are late.’ We finally calmed down enough to run through our tunes, no overdubs, just a live set. Gabriel seemed pleased enough with the results, took the tape box and asked, ‘What about a name?’ Surprisingly, up until then we hadn’t given much thought to a name. We definitely did not want The Sparrow. A few silly suggestions were thrown around like the Humble Fumbles, then Gabriel suggested the title of a book he had recently read, Hrman Hesse’s Steppenwolf. We weren’t exactly thrilled with it, but no one had any better ideas on the table so Gabriel scrawled ‘Steppenwolf’ on the tape box and assured us that if Dunhill wasn’t interested we could change the name and go elsewhere.” “The name Steppenwolf just seemed to go with the look and sound of our band - aggressive, kind of wild, intense, urgent,” added Kay.
September 1967 (?)
Steppenwolf signed a recording contract with ABC/Dunhill Records. “Gabriel played our tape for Jay Lasker,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “He couldn’t make heads or tails of our harder rock sound, so wisely deferred to others who could. ‘I don’t understand this stuff but let me play it for my daughter Marcy and Steve Barri to see what they think.’ Marcy was sixteen and, like most teenagers, had an intuitive feel for rock ‘n’ roll. Steve was a pop record producer at Dunhill and a hell of a nice guy with an open mind to something new. Both responded favorably, with Steve recommending Jay sign us to the label. The next thing I knew, Gabriel and I were sitting side by side across from Jay . burly, glasses, cigar dangling from his mouth - who proposed a standard recording agreement. We had no money for a lawyer, nor did we even have a manager. ‘John, what do you want?’ enquired Jay. ‘Two things we need Jay,’ I responded. ‘We need a small advance to get our equipment out of hock, about $1500 will do, and we want it in writing that you will release an entire album of our work because we just came off Columbia where their approach was single, single, single until you get a hit then an album.’ Jay’s response: ‘No problem.’ Having enjoyed hit albums by The Mamas and The Papas, that was his approach from the get-go. With those conditions embodied in an agreement, all five of us signed with ABC Dunhill and Trousdale Publishing, their publishing arm.”
September or October 1967: United Western Recorders, 6050 Sunset Boulevard, Downtown Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Steppenwolf headed into United Western studio to started the recording of their self-titled debut album. “United Western Studios was ABC Dunhill’s studio of preference, a traditional multi-room studio - television work, jingles, and albums,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The Mamas and The Papas had recorded their hits here. But once we got started, it was like being back in Toronto again - ‘Turn down, I’ll turn you up in the booth,’ - older, union guys punching in and out who knew nothing about loud rock ‘n’ roll, freaking out every time the meter went in the red. We got through only four tracks in ten days and all we had to show for it was a wimpy, tinny sound. After the fourth day I went home disgusted. ‘That’s no how the band sounds. We’re ballsier than that!’ What could we do? Gabriel hadn’t been to a lot of studios to know any better.” In the end, the only songs used from these disastrous sessions were ‘A Girl I Knew’ and ‘The Ostrich’ which were released not long after as the band’s first single.
October 1967 (?)
“From the outset, ABC Dunhill let it be known that they expected us to have management,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “Gabriel expressed an interest but Jay discouraged it. He suggested a company in his building, Reb Foster and Associates, whose big act had been The Turtles. The company was fronted by Reb Foster, a pouplar DJ at KRLA radio, and his cousin from Texas, Bill Utley Jr. The two were later joined by Burt Jacobs who had managed The Standells. Reb was the DJ with the radio connections, Bill was the mastermind who dealt with the record companies, and Burt handled the day-to-day affairs working directly with the bands. Burt was qwuite a character and we took to him right away. He had a very brusque business demeanor and could be gruff to booking agents but with us he was like a football coach - his boys could do no wrong and there wad nothing he wouldn’t do for us. Unfortunately his rough exterior sometimes made us more enemies than friends in the business. That only came to light years later because we were sheltered from any negative reactions at the time. When we signed with Reb Foster and Associates, they had to pump $30,000 into us right off the bat for lawyers to draw up contracts, equipment, a van, clothes, getting rid of our personal debts, and promoting us on personal tours.”
October 1967
Steppenwolf’s first single, ‘A Girl I knew / The Ostrich’ (D-4109), was released in the US (by Dunhill) and Canada (by RCA Victor). The disc, which was produced by Gabriel Mekler, coupled two songs written by Jonh Kay (‘A Girl I Knew’ along with his songwriter friend Morgan Anderson Cavett).
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Fall 1967: The Blue Law, 19840 South Hamilton Avenue, Torrance, Los Angeles County, California
“We played the Blue Law out near the Harbor Freeway, a concrete psychedelic bunker where the sound ricocheted all over,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “It was awful but there was one interesting thing I remember. The other band on the bill, whose name I can’t recall [Spectrum, ed.], featured a girl drummer who was pretty good. Her name was Karen Carpenter and her brother Richard was also in the band. A few years later I was surprised to see them as The Carpenters.”
Fall 1967: Gymnasium (?), The Buckley School, 3900 Stansbury Avenue, Sherman Oaks, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
“We also performed at the Buckley School, an exclusive private school where Morgan Cavett’s future wife was in the audience,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride.
Fall 1967: Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena Civic Center, 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California
December 1967: American Recording Co., 11386 Ventura Voulevard, Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Steppenwolf moved from United Western to American Recording studios and eventually recorded their self-titled debut album in just four days. “On Morgan Cavett’s recommendation, we booked studio time at the American Recording Company,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The studio was in a converted Chinese restaurant in Studio City, all stuck with acoustic tiles and a homemade echo chamber. They had installed big thick old meat locker doors for sound isolation. It had a tube board with rotary pots and an eight track machine.” “Richard Podolor [the owner] had been a child prodigy on classical guitar, touring Europe in the Armed Services Special Services before opening up the first American Recording Company with his parents on Sunset Boulevard in 1958,” continued Kay. “There, he recorded several hits with Sandy Nelson (including Teen Beat) and the Hollywood Argyles (Alley Oop). Richard often played on these sessions. Longtime friend and bass player Bill Cooper came on board as an engineer in the early 1960s before Richard moved the studio to the San Fernando Valley, becoming one of the first independent studios in the Valley. There, they recorded The Hondells, The Turtles, The Standells, Electric Prunes, and many others. Richard and Bill knew that studio like you know your own living room because they built it. They knew every wire because they put it there themselves. That initial booking resulted in a successful professional relationship lasting several years and earning eight gold records for us.” “We brought in our gear, set up, and played live with some sound separation and a guide vocal,” continued Kay. “We laid it all down on eight tracks, leaving a couple of tracks for vocal and the odd percussion overdub. On the first day we knocked off seven songs in a row. They all sounded killer. We were ready. We knew those songs inside and out. We had our whole lives to get ready for this album, we had rehearsed the songs over and over in the garage and had played them at oour gigs as well. Each song was done in two takes at the most with the attitude, ‘Make each part count and pull its weight.’ You’d be hard pressed to find amy instrumental overdubs on that first album except maybe tambourine. On the second day we did four more tunes, a couple of handclap and tambourine overdubs, and I put down a few vocals. I finished all the vocals on the third day and on the fourth, we mixed the whole thing. After only four days and $9000, we walked out with the first Steppenwolf album. Amazing!”
Monday, December 11 - Thursday, December 14, 1967: Whisky à Go Go, 8901 Sunset Boulevard at Clark Street, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: Topanga Canyon (11-13), Sweetwater (11-14).
Thursday, December 14, 1967 (?): ‘Jenny Barbara Sullivan’s 21th birthday Party,’ Barry Sullivan’s home, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California
Steppenwolf played at the 21th birthday party of Jenny Barbara Sullivan, the daughter of famous actor Barry Sullivan. The party, which was held at Barry’s home up in the Hollywood Hills, was probably held on December 14 because that was the day Jenny was born in 1946, but because the band was also booked to play at the Whisky à Go Go that night and also because December 14 was a Thursday, maybe the party was held on a different day, maybe on weekend, who knows!
January 1968: Whisky à Go Go, 8901 Sunset Boulevard at Clark Street, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: Hugh Masekela.
Thursday, January 25 - Sunday, January 28, 1968: Whisky à Go Go, 8901 Sunset Boulevard at Clark Street, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
The band was advertised as Steppenwolfe [sic]. Also on the bill: John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
Monday, January 29, 1968
Steppenwolf’s debut album, ‘Steppenwolf’ (Dunhill D-50029; Side A: 1. Sookie Sookie (Don Covay) / 2. Everybody’s Next One (John Kay, Gabriel Mekler) / 3. Berry Rides Again (John Kay) / 4. Hootchie Kootchie Man (Willie Dixon) / Born To Be Wild (Dennis Edmonton, aka Mars Bonfire) / 6. Your Wall’s Too High (John Kay) - Side B: 1. Desperation (John Kay) / 2. The Pusher (Hoyt Axton) / 3. A Girl I Knew (John Kay, Morgan Anderson Cavett) / 4. Take What You Need (John Kay, Gabriel Mekler) / 5. The Ostrich (John Kay)), was released in the US. “When the album was released in the spring [sic] of 1968, the cover photo shot on infrared film showed the five of us among the plants at the Cactus Garden in Beverly Hills all decked out in the latest psychedelic outfits,” recalled John Kay in Magic Carpet Ride. “The whole San Francisco flower power thing had spilled down to LA, everything was colorful, paisley, baeds and brocade. Goldy’s wife Sharon and Rushton’s girlfriend (who he referred to for some reason that I never understood as Animal Huxley) were both seamstresses and made some outfits for the photo session. I had on a Mod shirt and a paisley tie. The other guys had the obligatory beads and Nehru jackets. For both shots I removed my sunglasses because I didn’t think the label wanted the band to appear too mysterious. The original pressing of the album cover was printed on silver foil, giving it a unique, shiny surface that caught attention.”
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Thursday, April 11, 1968: ‘Teen-Time U.S.A. - Spring Rock Festival,’ Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, Orange County, California
Also on the bill: Blue Cheer, Electric Flag. Two shows, 6pm and 9pm.
Los Angeles Times (April 11, 1968)
Friday, April 12, 1968: Governors Hall, Old State Fairgrounds, 4611 Broadway, Sacramento, Sacramento County, California
Also on the bill: Hamilton Streetcar, Pyewacket. Lights by Simultaneous Avalanche. One show, started at 8:00pm.
Saturday, April 13, 1968: Freeborn Hall, UC Davis (University of California, Davis) campus, 286 E Quad, Davis, Yolo County, California
Also on the bill: Hamilton Streetcar, Pyewacket. Lights by Simultaneous Avalanche. One show, started at 8:00pm.
Saturday, April 27, 1968: ‘Dance Concert,’ Gymnasium, Liberal Arts Campus, Long Beach City College, 4901 East Carson Street, Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California
Two shows, 7:30pm and 10:45pm, presented by OM & SAC. Also on the bill: Kaleidoscope, H.P. Lovecraft. Lights by Omega's Eye.
Saturday, May 4, 1968: ‘American Bandstand,’ ABC TV, Stage 54 or 55, The Prospect Studios (aka ABC Television Center), 4151 Prospect Avenue at Talmadge Street, Los Feliz, Central Los Angeles (broadcast date)
Lip-synching to ‘Born To Be Wild,’ Steppenwolf made their national television debut, appearing on American Bandstand, Dick Clark’s popular midday weekend show that was aired on the ABC television network every Saturday from 11:30am to 12:30pm (West Coast time). Also appeared: Dyke & The Blazers.
Saturday, May 4, 1968: ‘Boss City,’ KHJ-TV (Channel 9), KHJ Studios, 5515 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf - together with the Gordian Knott, Teddy Neely, and Greg Morris - appeared on Boss City, a weekly dance-party television show hosted by Sam Riddle and aired in color every Saturday from 6pm to 7pm.
Wednesday, May 15 - Friday, May 17, 1968: La Cave, 10615 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Sunday, June 9 - Wednesday, June 12, 1968: Steve Paul's The Scene, 301 West 46th Street, Theatre District, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York
Also on the bill: Mose Allison, Kenny Rankin. Close to 100 people attended each night shows, included peers such as Electric Flag, the McCoys, and Tim Rose.
Ottawa Journal (June 28, 1968)
July 1968
Reportedly, Steppenwolf's second album The Second was planned to be released in the US somewhere this month. However, the release was postponed to October.
Friday, July 5, 1968: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 North Higland Avenue, downtown Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: The Doors, Chambers Brothers. The show, which started at 8:30pm, was presented by local radio station KHJ in association with Sight + Sound.
Los Angeles Times (June 16, 1968)
Friday, July 19, 1968: Rainbow Ballroom, 1725 Broadway Street, Fresno, San Joaquin Valley, Fresno County, California
Also on the bill: Bo Diddley. Lights by Garden of Delights. Two shows, 8:30pm and 10:45pm.
Saturday, July 20, 1968: ‘American Bandstand,’ ABC TV, Stage 54 or 55, The Prospect Studios (aka ABC Television Center), 4151 Prospect Avenue at Talmadge Street, Los Feliz, Central Los Angeles (broadcast date)
Lip-synching to ‘Born To Be Wild,’ Steppenwolf appeared on American Bandstand, Dick Clark’s popular midday weekend show that was aired on the ABC television network every Saturday from 11:30am to 12:30pm (West Coast time). Also appeared: Joe Tex, plus Joe Pope of the Tams who was interviewed by Dick Clark over the phone for the “hot line” segment.
Friday, July 26, 1968: ‘The Steve Allen Show,’ Filmways Television, General Service Studios, 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on the Steve Allen Show, a syndicated Filmways talk-variety show aired in color nationally. This episode was aired today from 6pm to 7:30pm. Also appeared: Shelley Berman, Shari Lewis, Ann Dee, Bernie Warren.
Friday, August 9 - Sunday, August 11, 1968: Avalon Ballroom, 1268 Sutter Street at Van Ness Street, Polk Gulch, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Santana, Siegal-Schwall Band. These shows were presented by Family Dog.
Saturday, August 24, 1968: ‘American Bandstand,’ ABC TV, Stage 54 or 55, The Prospect Studios (aka ABC Television Center), 4151 Prospect Avenue at Talmadge Street, Los Feliz, Central Los Angeles (broadcast date)
Lip-synching to ‘Born To Be Wild’ and ‘Magic Carpet Ride,’ Steppenwolf appeared on American Bandstand, Dick Clark’s popular midday weekend show that was aired on the ABC television network every Saturday from 11:30am to 12:30pm (West Coast time). Also appeared: The Dells.
Sunday, August 25, 1968: ‘Monterey Pop Concert,’ Monterey County Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairgrounds Road, Monterey, California
Also on the bill: H.P. Lovecraft, West, James Cotton Blues Band, Bitter Seeds, Torements. The show, which lasted from 1pm to 6pm, was produced by Karas-Stock Productions.
Salinas Californian (August 17, 1968)
Tuesday, August 27 - Thursday, August 29, 1968: Fillmore West, 10 South Van Ness Avenue at 1545 Market Street, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: Santana, The Staple Singers. These shows, which started at 9pm each day, were presented by Bill Graham.
Friday, September 6, 1968: San Jose Civic Auditorium, 135 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: Syndicate of Sound, Lee Michaels, Weird Herald, Stained Glass. The show started at 8:30pm.
Saturday, September 21, 1968: Terrace Ballroom, 464 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah
Also on the bill: Cleveland Wrecking Company, Holden Caulfield.
Friday, December 13, 1968: Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, Orange County, California
Also on the bill: Black Pearl, Three Dog Night. The show, which started at 8:30pm, was presented by KRLA, a local radio station, and produced by Concert Associates.
Los Angeles Times (November 24, 1968)
Thursday, December 26, 1968: ‘The San Francisco Holiday Rock Festival,’ Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daily City, San Mateo County, California
Also on the bill: Santana Blues Band, Canned Heat, Blue Cheer, The New Buffalo Springfield, The Spencer Davis Group, Three Dog Night, The Electric Prunes, Flamin’ Groovies, Tender Loving Care, Total Enviroment. Lights by Jerry Abrams’ Headlights. Sound by McQuen. The show, which lasted from 7:30pm to 1:30am, was presented jointly by KYA, a local radio station, and Transcoast Enterprises. Reportedly, 10,000 people were in the audience.
San Francisco Examiner (December 25, 1968)
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San Francisco Examiner (December 27, 1968)
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Friday, December 27, 1968: 'Holiday Rock Festival', Tingley Coliseum, 300 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Also on the bill: Rene & Rene, Grass Roots, Blue Marble Faun, The Spencer Davis Group, Canned Heat, Tender Lovin' Care. Lights by Piccadilly.
Sunday, December 29, 1968: ‘Big Record ’68,’ TV Show (broadcast date)
The Big Record ’68 was a 90-minute television special hosted by Sam Riddle where the year’s 13 top “gold records” were performed by the artists who made them: Steppenwolf. Jose Feliciano, Dionne Warwick, The Union Gap, O.C. Smith, The Lemonpipers, Bill Medley, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Bobby Goldsboro, Canned Heat, and Tommy James & The Shondells. The special also toured the “in” places to groove in Los Angeles.
Sunday, January 5, 1969: ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,’ CBS-TV, CBS Television City, 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax District, Central Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on this popular comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and aired in color on the CBS network every Sunday from 9pm to 10pm. Also appeared on this episode: Nanette Fabray, Pat Paulsen.
Saturday, February 8, 1969: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento Convention Center Complex, 1515 J Street, downtown Sacramento, California
Also on the bill: Three Dog Night, Reign, Glad. One show, started at 8:30pm.
Saturday, April 26, 1969: Independence Hall, White House Inn, 1575 North Third Street, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouger Parish, Louisiana
Two shows, 7:00pm and 10:00pm, presented by Montel.
Saturday, June 14, 1969: Swing Auditorium, National Orange Show Grounds, 689 South East Street, San Bernardino, California
Also on the bill: Locomotive, Pepper Tree, The Grass Roots, Jerome. Reportedly, 7,500 people attended the concert.
San Bernardino County Sun (June 17, 1969)
Friday, June 20, 1969: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: Frumious Bandersnatch, Three Dog Night, Grass Roots, Flamin' Groovies, Smyth (cancelled). The show, which started at 8:00pm, was presented by KSAN in conjunction with Concert Associates.
Friday, July 4, 1969: HemisFair Arena (aka San Antonio Convention Center Arena), 601 HemisFair Way, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Also on the bill: The Byrds. The show, which started at 8pm, was presented by KONO, a local radio station.
Saturday, July 12, 1969: ‘Moe Septee’s Summer of Stars,’ Asbury Park Convention Hall, 1300 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey
Also on the bill: Man.
Thursday, July 31, 1969: ‘Della’ (aka ‘The Della Reese Show’), RKO Television, unknown television studio, Los Angeles, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on this syndicated talk and variety show hosted by actress and singer Della Reese and aired for an hour every weekday from 9pm to 10pm. Also appeared on this episode: Allen Sherman, Jack Curtiss.
Sunday, August 17, 1969: ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ CBS-TV, Ed Sullivan Theater, 1697-1699 Broadway b/w West 53rd Street and West 54th Street, Theater District, Manhattan, New York City, New York (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf lip-synched ‘Born To Be Wild.’ Also appeared on this episode (which aired from 8pm to 9pm): Sergio Franchi, Nancy Ames, Stiller & Meara, Peter Gennaro, Charlie Cairoli, Van Harris, juggler Eric Brenn, the Washington D.C. Festival Chorus.
Friday, September 12, 1969: The Fabulous Forum, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: Three Dog Night, Grass Roots. The show was presented by Concert Associates.
Sunday, September 21, 1969: 'Park-In - Parks Are For People!', Merry-Go-Round area, Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Santa Monica Mountains, Los Feliz, Central Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (Steppenwolf cancelled?)
A free show, which lasted from 10:00am 'till night, sponsored by the Coalition Against Repression and attended by approximately 20,000 people. Steppenwolf were among the acts announced to play, but not already committed to perform, when the show was advertised a week earlier, so I'm not sure if they finally played or not. Also on the bill: Canned Heat (cancelled), Smoke, The Youngbloods, Charity, George Smith (cancelled?), Roxy (cancelled?), Lisa Kindred (cancelled?), Taj Mahal (cancelled?), Albert Collins (cancelled), Elvin Bishop (cancelled?), David Crittendon (cancelled?), Henry Vestine (cancelled?), The Committee, The Outlaw Blues Band (cancelled?), Pacific Gas & Electric (cancelled?), J.B. Hutto (cancelled?), David Blue (cancelled?), Shakey Jake and The All Stars (cancelled?), Camp Hilltop (cancelled?), Country Joe and The Fish (cancelled), Mama's Flowers (cancelled?), T.I.M.E., Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sound of Success, Euclid Avenue Express (cancelled?), Elliot Ingber (cancelled?), Jefferson Airplane (cancelled).
Wednesday, November 12 - Thursday, November 13, 1969: 'Grand Opening', Thelma, 8917 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California (Steppenwolf cancelled)
Steppenwolf were originally advertised to play (as the only act) at the grand opening of a new music venue on the Sunset Strip called Thelma, but because they were in Europe for a tour at that time, they cancelled their appearances and were replaced by Cold Blood (12), Honeycrunch (12), Poco (13), and Jumal City (13).
Sunday, January 4, 1970: ‘Groovy Show,’ KHJ-TV (Channel 9), KHJ TV Studios, 5515 Melrose Avneue, West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on this talk and performance show hosted by KHJ disc-jockey Robert W. Morgan and aired from 6pm to 7pm. Also appeared on this episode: Shango, Kam Nelson.
Thursday, January 22, 1970: 'In Concert For Peace', Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main Street, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: Taj Mahal, The Flying Burrito Brothers. Sound by Johnny Thompson. The show, which started at 8:30pm, was presented by National Moratorium Committee & People For Peace.
Friday, February 6, 1970: Grand Arena, Charleston Civic Center, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia
Also on the bill: Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan, the Collection, Heavy Rain The show, which lasted from 8:30pm to 11:30pm, was presented by local radio station WKAZ and The Lashinsky Bros.
Charleston Daily Mail (January 9, 1970)
Sunday, February 22, 1970: Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, 2720 Drive of Champions, Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas
One show, started at 8pm.
Tuesday, March 10, 1970: ‘Why Marry?,’ TV Special (broadcast date)
A comedy blackouts about marriage with the views of Steppenwolf, Alex Cord, Diane Baker, Linda Ronstadt, Joseph Campanella, Peter Kastner, Chelsea Brown, Jack Margolis, Bill Bixby, and Jerry Belson.
Tuesday, March 17, 1970: ‘Playboy After Dark,’ KTLA TV (Channel 5), CBS Television City, 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax District, Central Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on this television show hosted by Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner and aired in color from 9pm to 10pm. Also appeared on this episode: Gig Young, John Hartford, McCall & Brill, Dolores Hall.
Friday, May 29, 1970: Aerodrome, 1588 State Street, Schenectady, Schenectady County, New York
Also on the bill: Friends of Whitney Sunday. Two benefit shows, 7pm and 10pm, held to raised funds for Williams College of Williamstown (Massachusetts) and NASC (Native American Student Council) strike centers.
Saturday, June 13, 1970: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, 169 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton Beach, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Also on the bill: Spice.
Portsmouth Herald (May 29, 1970)
Saturday, July 25, 1970: ‘Berlin Airlift Love Rock Sun Sand Field Air - The First Eastern Shore Rock Festival’, empty field at some farm near Berlin, six miles west of Ocean City on Route 50, Worcester County, Maryland (cancelled)
The festival, which was scheduled from 10:00am to 12 midnight, was stopped and cancelled after a judge injunction. Also on the bill: John B. Sebastian, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Allman Brothers of Atlanta, Little Richard, Fat, Country Funk, Don McLean, Jim Ground, Uncle Truck, Mad Mother Goose, Nashville East, Curfew.
Sunday, July 26, 1970: Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Howard County, Maryland
Between 8pm and 10pm, while Steppenwolf was performing before an audience of some 35,000 persons, a mob of 150 rock music fans tried twice to crash the gates of the Merriweather Post Pavilion. At least three persons were treated for minor injuries, and one youth was arrested for trespassing and illegal possession of alcohol. Police said two guards were treated for a broken angle and a bruised head. A youth received head cuts. All were taken to Montgomery County General Hospital.
Wednesday, August 5, 1970: ‘The Dick Cavett Show,’ ABC TV, New York City, New York (broadcast date)
Steppenwolf appeared on this famous 90-minute daytime television show hosted by comedian, comedy writer and author Dick Cavett, and aired in color from 11:30pm to 1am.
Sunday, August 30, 1970: ‘48th Annual Du Quoin State Fair,’ Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, 655 Executive Drive, Du Quoin, Perry County, Illinois
Steppenwolf and Smith performed a matinee concert held at the 8,300-seat main grandstand, during the second day of this eight-day (August 29-September 6) state fair.
Sunday, January 24, 1971: Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, Anaheim, Orange County, California
Also on the bill: B.B. King, Shuggie Otis. The show, which started at 7:30pm, was presented by KRLA, a local radio station, and produced by Concert Associates, a filmways company.
Saturday, April 24, 1971: ‘Annual Spring Weekend,’ Memorial Gymnasium, Mount St. Mary’s University campus, University Way, Emmitsburg, Frederick County, Maryland
Also on the bill: Jimmie Spheeris.
Sunday, June 20, 1971: ‘The Big Record ’71,’ TV Special (broadcast date)
Also appeared: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ike & Tina Turner, Tony Joe White, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Kenny Rogers & The First Edition. The television special was aired from 9pm to 10pm.
Friday, July 2, 1971: Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina
Friday, July 23, 1971: The Fabulous Forum, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California
Also on the bill: John Mayall, Ocean. The show was presented by local radio station KRLA.
Saturday, August 21, 1971: Public Auditorium (aka Public Hall), 500 Lakeside Avenue East, Civic Center District, downtown Cleveland, Cuyahoga Country, Ohio
The band was advertised as Steppen Wolf [sic]. Also on the bill: Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, Fanny, Redbone. The show, which started at 7:30pm, was presented jointly by Belkin Productions and WIXY 1260, a local AM radio station.
News Journal (Mansfield, Ohio) (August 1, 1971)
Late August 1971
At the end of the month, Steppenwolf played their last gig together and went on “hiatus” after John Kay started recording his first solo album with George Biondo and Kent Henry.
Monday, February 14, 1972
Steppenwolf announced their breakup. John Kay going out as a solo singer (backed by George Biondo and Kent Henry), while Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn formed a new band called Manbeast.
