William Penn and His Pals

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This day-by-day diary of William Penn and His Pals’ 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: Mike Shapiro, Dave Dovell, Tom Fraser, ‘Fuzzy John’ Oxendine, Steve Leidenthal, Ron Cox, Lauretta Pica, David Salk, Ross Hannan, Corry Arnold, Alec Palao, John McLaughlin, Reese Marin, Carlos Santana, Mike Stax, Ugly Things, The I.D. Deadly Excess, San Mateo Times, Spartan Daily, Napa Valley Register, Oakland Tribune, Argus-Courier, Salisanas Californian, The Stanford Daily, San Francisco Examiner, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Redwood City Tribune, San Carlos High School Yearbook, Richmond Independent, Palo Alto Times, Gonzales Tribune, Berkeley Daily Gazette.

1964
Mostly known as the responsible of one of the most famous garage rock classics by the name of ‘Swami,’ William Penn and His Pals were a certified ‘60s garage punk rockers who hail from the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally named The DiscCounts, the band was formed by a College of San Mateo student and aspiring singer named Nielsen Earl ‘Niel’ Holtmann (b. Tuesday, March 13, 1945, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri), along with Ronald Michael ‘Ron’ Cox, aka ‘Rabbit’ (b. Saturday, July 6, 1946, San Francisco, California) on drums, Mike Dunn on lead guitar, and Steve Sweet on bass. “That was the original lineup with Holtmann
also playing a fucking Hawaiian steel guitar, mostly doing surf music,” recalls their future organist Dave Lovell. “I joined sometime later playing a Vox Continental organ.”

THE DIScCOUNTS #1 (1964)
1) Niel Holtmann lead vocals, Hawaiian steel guitar
2) Ron Cox drums
3) Mike Dunn lead guitar
4) Steve Sweet bass

1964
To fill out their sound, the DiscCounts added an organ player named Dave Lovell. “I was born in Los Angeles and started playing piano and took lessons (classical) from age 4,” recalls Lovell. “Then I played church organ from about age 12, and then I played in stage bands and a jazz trio before getting into rock with the DiscCounts.” “Our original rehearsal space was a room over the garage at Ron Cox’s parents’ house in Belmont,” continues Lovell. “Our repertoire was a lot of standards like The Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie,’ The Contours’ ‘Do You Love Me’, and ‘The Isley Brothers’ Twist and Shout,’ surf music (The Ventures, etc.), some blues stuff (Freddie King, etc.), and some Dave Clark Five and Paul Revere and The Raiders stuff (Niel was a big fan of Revere). We played several school dances, YMCA dances, and pizza parlors.”

THE DIScCOUNTS #2 (1964) / WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #1 (1964 - AUGUST 1965 (?))
1) Niel Holtmann
2) Ron Cox
3) Mike Dunn
4) Steve Sweet
5) Dave Lovell organ

William Penn & His Pals #1 in front of a log cabin in San Carlos, CA, the home of Vern Justus' grandmother, 1964/65 - from left: Mike Dunn, Niel Holtmann, Ron Cox, Steve Sweet, and Dave Lovell

1964
The DiscCounts changed its name to William Penn and His Pals (contrary to some beliefs, no one in the band assumed the stage name of ‘William Penn,’ neither Niel Holtmann or others). “The name change was simply because The DiscCounts sounded like a bargain band,” recalls Dave Lovell. “We were thinking of new names for the group, and the William Penn and His Pals name started as a joke. We were just throwing suggestions around, and someone joked that we should be called ‘Harry Growth and the Armpits’ and other funny-sounding names. WP&P just sort of stuck.” “We changed the name and the repertoire too,” adds Lovell. “We did a cover of The Isley Brothers’ ‘Shout’, but most of all we did covers of anything that was from England: The Animals (‘House of The Rising Sun’, ‘I’m Crying,’ ‘Round and Round,’ ‘Boom Boom,’ and ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’), Them (‘Gloria’ and ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’), The Rolling Stones (‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,’ ‘Little Red Rooster,’ ‘Not Fade Away,’ ‘It’s All Over Now,’ ‘The Spider and The Fly,’ ‘Heart of Stone,’ ‘The Last Time,’ and ‘Time Is On My Side’), and The Kinks (‘Tired of Waiting for You,’ ‘You Really Got Me,’ and ‘All Day and All of the Night’).” Ayway, the rechristened William Penn and His Pals continued to play the usual circuit of school dances, YMCA dances, and pizza joints.

1964/65: San Carlos Recreation Center at Burton Park, 1001 Chestnut Street, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
It was when they played there that the band meet their soon-to-be manager Vernon Lintz ‘Vern’ Justus (b. Monday, September 26, 1938, San Francisco). “Vern was going to school at San Jose State College for a degree in “Recreation Management,” and was working at the San Carlos Recreation Center,” recalls Dave Lovell. “We played an early gig there, talked with Vern, and he agreed to become our manager.” After Vern Justus become their manager, the band eventually moved to a new rehearsal space in a building in the industrial area on the east side of San Carlos, a town where Vern’s family were longtime residents and had connections (for example they lived on the same street as the Mayor then).

1964/65: ‘Battle of the Bands,’ San Mateo County Fairgrounds, 1346 Saratoga Drive, San Mateo, San Mateo County, California
Thru Vern Justus’ connections the band soon started to compete for the title of “best band” in the San Mateo County on a couple of ‘Battle of the Bands.’ The first one, held at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds, was memorable because they battled (and lost) against Sonny & Cher! “Sonny & Cher were not yet famous and were walking around the venue in their wool vests and fleece leggings, and no one was paying any attention to them except to notice that they just looked a bit weird,” recalls Dave Lovell. “But what I remember most about the show was that it was sponsored by Vox, and we were required to play through Vox amps. We blew a couple of those amps in a short set, and they had spares standing by. Vox had a bad reputation for blowing amps at that time.”

July 1965 (?): ‘Battle of the Bands,’ Cinnamon Tree, 900 American Way, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
The second ’battle of the bands’ where the band appeared was held around July 1965 at the Cinnamon Tree in San Carlos, a former medium-sized clothing warehouse which was recently converted into the first and only teen-age rock ‘n’ roll spot on the Peninsula. “We battled against The Knight Riders, another local garage band,” recalls Dave Lovell. “Their lead guitar player was a guy I went to high school with named Butch Daniels. They had a sketchy manager with wine and garlic breath who that night poked me repeatedly in the chest and said, ‘Let me give you some advice. What you need is a sax.’ Since then, Mike Dunn, joking around, often repeated me the ‘What you need is a sax’ line.”

August 1965 (?)
A month or so later, around August 1965, Vern Justus decided to “reinvent” the band both musically and visually. Regarding the music, he changed the lineup firing Steve Sweet and Mike Dunn (the latter went to play for a band called The Primates) and replacing them with Michael David ‘Mike’ Shapiro, aka “Sparky” (b. Wednesday, August 4, 1948, San Francisco), on lead guitar, and Steven Robert ‘Steve’ Leidenthal, aka “Mick Layden” (b. Saturday, April 24, 1948, Alameda County, California), on bass, both formerly of a “rival” band called The Nomads. “Steve Sweet and Mike Dunn just didn’t fit the band as it was being reinvented,” reflects Dave Lovell. “We were moving more to covers by The Animals, Them, some Beatles, Paul Revere and The Raiders, etc., while Mike wanted to play a lot of blues instrumentals. Steve, instead, was far more interested in his girlfriend than in the band and would miss rehearsals, be late for gigs, etc. It was when we were still working with Vern at the San Carlos Recreation Center, and we invented a ‘band recommendation’ ruse to ‘audition’ other bands for recommendation to other rec centers, and invited in a lot of local bands to evaluate. We were really scouting new bass and lead players, and stole Mike Shapiro and Steve Leidenthal from The Nomads that day. At that point Steve took the stage name ‘Mick Layden’ because he thought it sounded British.” “Vern changed the lineup and that is when I joined,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We sounded great when Steve and I auditioned with them from the first note. When I am in a group I make sure the music is correct. I know I did a lot of work learning the songs correctly and showing the other guys how to play them. I was a real ‘cop.’” So, the new and way better lineup of William Penn and His Pals started rehearsed relentlessly for a couple of months before playing any gigs. “Yes, we probably rehearsed a lot in the beginning,” confirms Shapiro. “Vern was the director of the San Carlos Recreation Center and they had a meeting hall that we rehearsed in. Later we rehearsed at a plumbers shop that knew Vern over in east San Carlos. Then at Vern and his younger brother Gary’s garage also in San Carlos, and finally at a closed school that had classrooms for rent over in Belmont. It was big and we played at night and could really crank it up. At those rehearsals I was responsible for getting the music down and showing the chords to the other guys. When things were going smoothly we played at least 2-3 gigs a week and sometimes wouldn’t rehearse at all.” “The band’s repertoire was all covers, no originals,” continues Shapiro. “We did Dave Clark Five’s ‘Glad All Over,’ The Rolling Stones’ ‘Little Red Rooster’, ‘Get Off Of My Cloud,’ ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,’ and ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,’ The Animals’ ‘Baby Let Me Take You Home’ and their version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘I Put A Spell On You,’ The Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie,’ The Beatles’ ‘I Need You,’ and The Bobby Fuller Four’s ‘I Fought The Law.’ We also did covers of The Hollies, The Yardbirds and anything that was from England. It was really easy for me because those groups were doing covers of American music that we already knew like ‘Oh Carol’ (Stones cover of Chuck Berry) or ‘Walking The Dog’ (Stones cover of Rufus Thomas).” By the way, as mentioned above, the band also reinvented their stage image at that point. In fact, at Vern or Niel or both’s suggestion, they were “forced” to adopt the infamous Revolutionary War-era stage costumes that included ruffled shirts and tri-cornered hats. Needless to say, they were now seen as just another copycat of then-popular Paul Revere and The Raiders and, as well as for the latter, this hindered their artistic credibility in some circles. As a matter of fact, although we shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover” as someone once said, we all know that the visual image in our mind is the first thing you remember about almost anything, so even today the first thing people think of when they think of bands such as Paul Revere or William Penn is their stupid costumes and not their pretty good rock and roll records (sadly!) “Yes, that’s how I feel,” regrets Shapiro. “When I joined the group I had no idea that we would be wearing the Continental soldier grab until the week before we played our first gig. Maybe Vern liked the costumes and he liked the package of the name and the costumes, don’t know, but that was one of the sticking points with him. But he said ‘the gigs just started rolling in’ so we tried to make the best of that situation.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #2 (AUGUST 1965 (?) - DECEMBER 1965)
1) Niel Holtmann
2) Ron Cox
3) Dave Lovell
4) Mike Shapiro lead guitar
5) Steve Leidenthal bass

William Penn and His Pals #2, Fall of 1965 - from left: Steve Leidenthal, Mike Shapiro, Niel Holtmann, Ron Cox, and Dave Lovell

September 1965 (?): Eddie Kramer’s World of Music, 765 Laurel Street, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
Around September 1965, the new William Penn and His Pals finally playing their first gig together in a vacant lot next to Eddie Kramer’s World of Music store in San Carlos. “I remember the first time this lineup played together everybody knew it was something special,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We just had that energy that people loved. I think Steve and I took the music up a couple of levels.” “We also had really good equipment including a Fender Dual Showman with two bottoms (one on each side of the stage) and a Vox Continental organ for each member,” adds Shapiro. “We also had a very powerful Bogen PA system which Vern ran (with him the equipment was always the best with no expense spared). Last but not least, that psychedelic painting on my guitar was done by Steve’s brother William Leidenthal, a talented fine artist.”

Friday, October 1 or 8 or 15, 1965: ‘Senior Frolics,’ Cafeteria, Ellwood P. Cubberley High School, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
The annual ‘Senior Frolics’ was a raising variety show held on a Friday night in the school’s cafeteria. According to Mike Shapiro, this was the new lineup’s second gig after Eddie Kramer.

Wednesday, October 6, 1965: ‘Co-Rec Dance,’ Women’s Gymnasium, San Jose State College campus, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
The Co-Rec dance was scheduled to lasted from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, but the band showed up 75 minutes late so I guess they started to play around 8:45pm. The band’s manager Vern Justus was senior recreation major at SJS at that time.

October or November 1965: Gymnasium, College of San Mateo campus, 1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo, San Mateo County, California

October or November 1965: ‘Homecoming,’ Robert Louis Stevenson School, 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach, Monterey County, California
“One of the strangest school gigs was playing for homecoming at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, an all-male ‘prep’ boarding school on ritzy 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, on the Monterey Peninsula,” recalls Dave Lovell. “They paired up with an all-girls prep school nearby for a sort of prom. The attendees arrived in black tie and formals, and after each of the first few numbers, they applauded politely. They eventually loosened up.” “I remember that gig too,” adds Mike Shapiro. “Funny story. They put saltpeter in the cool aid and one of us tried to get an erection in the dressing room during a break but his weenie wouldn’t work at all maybe because there was another five guys in the kitchen with him or was it the saltpeter.”

Tuesday or Thursday, October or November 1965: ‘College Hour,’ Student Lounge, on the first floor of the Student & Administration Building, just outside the Student Life Center, Contra Costa College campus, 2600 Mission Bell Drive, San Pablo, Contra Costa County, California
William Penn and His Pals performed a college hour program (from 12 noon to 1pm) during Contra Costa College’s homecoming week.

William Penn and His Pals #2, Contra Costa College, October or November 1965 - from left: Ron Cox, Niel Holtmann, Dave Lovell

October - November 1965 (?): Monterey County Fairgrounds, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey, Monterey County, California
The band played some rock shows at the Monterey County Fairgrounds for a rock station there.

October - November 1965 (?): ‘Fun Town USA,’ Veterans Memorial Building, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, Alameda County, California
The ‘Fun Town USA,’ was a well attended weekly teen dance promoted by disc-jockeys Johnny Gilbert, aka Johnny G, and Ron Reynolds of KEWB, a local Top 40 radio station. “We played six or more gigs at ‘Fun Town USA’ and we were also interviewed on the KWEB radio and got into some scandal about sleeping with underage girls at the disc-jockeys house,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “Of course we were all underage also, so nothing happened anyway.”

Fall 1965: Boss A-Go-Go, Regency Ballroom, The Leamington Hotel, 1814 Franklin Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California
“One of the better gigs for me was at the ‘Boss A-Go-Go’ at the Hotel Leamington Ballroom, the only teenage night club in Oakland,” recalls Dave Lovell.

Fall 1965: ‘Battle of the Bands,’ Cinnamon Tree, 900 American Way, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
William Penn and His Pals battled (and lost) against a “rival” band from Palo Alto called The Warlocks (the soon-to-be Grateful Dead, of course). “You couldn’t have gotten a more odd combination of combatants,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We were dressed like Paul Revere in our tri-cornered hats (total squares) and The Warlocks were the most wildest assortment of characters you could find. The Warlocks played a set, William Penn played a set, and the crowd judged in favor of The Warlocks! I couldn’t believe it because we were so much better. It made no sense to me at all. They didn’t start out great, they were horrible. Although I knew and liked Jerry Garcia.” “Sometime later, when we played up near Sacramento,” adds Shapiro, “The Warlocks were in town playing a hall near to us, so we went over to visit (we were like boy scouts with our scout leader Vern). We went into their dressing room and it was full of pot smoke, lots of wine and a couple of nude women. I said ‘Hi” to Jerry, the only one I really knew, and then Vern ushered us out.”

Friday, November 5, 1965: ‘Homecoming Dance,’ Don Gymnasium, San Carlos High School, 2600 Melendy Drive, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
One show, from 10:30pm to 12 midnight.

William Penn and His Pals #2, San Carlos High School, November 5, 1965 - form left: Steve Leidenthal, Mike Shapiro, Ron Cox, Niel Holtmann, Dave Lovell

Friday, November 12, 1965: ‘Homecoming Dance,’ unknown school, unknown city, Contra Costa County, California
The disc-jockey Johnny G of KEWB was the master of cerimonies. The dance was sponsored jointly by Alpha Theta and Omega fraternities. Reportedly, the band performance was recorded for a planned live album.

December 1965
William Penn and His Pals became a six-piece after their roadie (and former member of The Nomads) Jack Wesley Shelton (b. Wednesday, June 30, 1948, Santa Clara County, California) was promoted to rhythm guitarist. “He changed his tune with me [after we had problems when we played together in the Nomads] so I felt I owed him something,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “I mentioned to Steve that I had a dream that Jack was in the band. Steve said ‘yeah’ so we auditioned him and he joined as rhythm guitarist although he turned out to be not good enough musician to really move forward past the simpler songs. For instance he couldn’t remember the chords to ‘Bus Stop’ by The Hollies and this really irked me. As a matter of fact I later played the drone guitar on ‘Swami’ cause he couldn’t do it. I said ‘this is what you do’ and he just said ‘I can’t do that’ so I played the complete part through the song.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #3 (DECEMBER 1965)
1) Niel Holtmann
2) Ron Cox
3) Dave Lovell
4) Mike Shapiro
5) Steve Leidenthal
6) Jack Shelton rhythm guitar

Saturday, December 18, 1965: ’T’ was the Night Before Christmas,’ Salinas Women’s Club, 215 Lincoln Avenue, Salinas, Monterey County, California
The new six-piece lineup played at Salinas Women’s Club for “T’ was the Night Before Christmas,” a christmas ball sponsored by the senior class of the local Notre Dame High School and which lasted from 8:oopm to 12 midnight. This was probably Jack Shelton’s debut gig with the band but also Dave Lovell’s last with them. “I was tired of the band and left, that’s it,” explains Dave Lovell. “After WP&P I joined the Navy, then on to college and a career in corporate America. It’s a bit surreal thinking about the ‘band days’ from so many years ago. It was fun, but I never thought WP&P was particularly good, or that it was an important part of my life. What we lacked in musicianship we made up for in raw wattage. In those days in the Bay Area, it seemed like there was a band in every garage, each hoping to make it big but most never leaving the garage. If you could bang out a three-chord rock progression or a four-chord ballad progression you could cover half of the songs on the Top 40.”

William Penn & His Pals #3, Salinas Women's Club, December 18, 1965 - from left: Mike Shapiro (hidden), Ron Cox, Niel Holtmann, Jack Shelton (hidden) and Steve Leidenthal

December 1965
So, by the end of the year, the band replaced Lovell with a new organ player named Greggory Alan ‘Gregg’ Rolie (b. Tuesday, June 17, 1947, Seattle, Washington), a Foothill College’s freshman who had previously attended Cubberley High School with Shapiro, Leidenthal and Shelton (although he was a grade ahead of them). Gregg was also a pretty good singer who had briefly fronted a couple of local garage bands that year, The Soul Syndicate and The Diabolics. “Me and Vern spotted Gregg with The Diabolics one night at The Bold Knight in Sunnyvale,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “He was singing and also playing piano a little bit so he met two things we needed: replacement keys and another voice. After Dave left the band, we auditioned several guys around but I put my foot down and we finally auditioned and picked Gregg because he had a great voice and in fact he ultimately replaced our original lead singer Niel Holtmann. Since he went to a gas station on the corner near me I ran into him after the audition and he asked ‘how did I do?’ I said ‘great, don’t worry about it, you are in.’ Then I went home and called Vern and said ‘Gregg’s in.’” “Gregg was an extremely cool person and we became really good friends,” adds Shapiro. “He had such a great sense of humor. He could have us all rolling on the floor laughing (I have never had a laugh as good as the ones with Gregg). He used to have a routine called ‘Danny The Deer’ where he’d put his hands up on his forehead like antlers. He would then look around nervously like he was being hunted. Of course, the girls also loved him. I started to notice the audience had all the beautiful girls on his side of the stage.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #4 (DECEMBER 1965 - MAY 1966 (?))
1) Niel Holtmann
2) Ron Cox
3) Mike Shapiro
4) Steve Leidenthal
5) Jack Shelton
6) Gregg Rolie organ

William Penn & His Pals #4, 1966 - from left: Jack Shelton, Gregg Rolie, Ron Cox, Niel Holtmann, Steve Leidenthal, Mike Shapiro

William Penn & His Pals #4, 1966 - from left: Ron Cox, Steve Leidenthal, Niel Holtmann, Gregg Rolie, Jack Shelton, and Mike Shapiro

William Penn & His Pals #4, 1966 - from left: Mike Shapiro, Ron Cox, Gregg Rolie, Steve Leidenthal, Niel Holtmann, and Jack Shelton

William Penn & His Pals #4, 1966 - from left: Mike Shapiro, Ron Cox, Jack Sheoton, Steve Leidenthal, Niel Holtmann, and Gregg Rolie

William Penn & His Pals #4, 1966 - from left: Mike Shapiro, Jack Shelton, Steve Leidenthal, and Ron Cox

Ron Cox 1966

Late December 1965 or Early January 1966: unknown military academy, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey County, California
“Gregg’s first gig with us was at a Military Academy down near Carmel,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “He was really nervous but I just said ‘don’t worry about it.’”

Saturday, January 8, 1966: ‘Dance and Show,’ Longshoremen’s Hall, 400 North Point Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, California
The show was presented by KYA Super Harlow A Go-Go. Also on the bill: Baytovens, Just Six, The Vejtables. One show, from 8:00pm to 12 midnight.

Saturday, January 29, 1966: ‘Dance,’ Veterans Memorial Building, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, Alameda County, California
The show, which lasted from 8:00pm to 12 midnight, was presented by Bill Quarry’s Teens ‘N Twenties. Also on the bill: The Harbinger Complex. A 15-year-old girl named Lauretta Pica decided to start a fan club of the band after seeing them live there that night. “This is when the fan club officialy ‘started’ or came to be,” confirms Lauretta. “I think I had talked to some of the band members and probably Vern and got the OK for it. That was also the night I received Ron Cox’s drumsticks from Mike Shapiro after the show as a gift.” “I know her and I remember that she told me she had a ‘thing’ on Gregg,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “How in the world did Mike remember it?,” laughs Lauretta. “I was just a teenager and Gregg was so beautiful (Mike was cute too!). They say first love never quite disappear.”

February 1966 (?): Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, 344 Tully Road, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
William Penn and His Pals opened for The Bobby Fuller Four.

Friday, February 4, 1966: Wildcat A-Go-Go, Supper Room, Hotel Claremont, 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: The Lords.

Saturday, February 26, 1966
In the ‘Chit Chat’ section of the today edition of the Oakland Tribune, a local weekly newspaper, was reported that “a fan club has been formed for William Penn and his Pals and anyone interested in joining may contact Lauretta Pica, president, at 17256 Via Alamitos in San Lorenzo.”

Friday, March 11, 1966: ‘Annual FFA Barn Dance,’ Gonzales Union High School, 501 5th Street, Gonzales, Monterey County, California
From 8:15pm to 12 midnight, William Penn and His Pals played at the annual barn dance sponsored by Gonzales FFA (Future Farmers of America) chapter.

Saturday, March 12, 1966: Gymnasium, Saint Francis High School, 1885 Miramonte Avenue, Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California

Saturday, March 26, 1966: Veterans Memorial Building, 200 Grand Avenue, Oakland, Alameda County, California

Monday, April 4, 1966: Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Hall, 1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California
Also on the bill: Paul Revere and The Raiders, Peter Wheat and the Breadmen, the Cheaters, George Washington and the Representatives. One show, started at 8:00pm.

Wednesday, April 6, 1966: Oakland Auditorium Arena, 10 10th Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: Paul Revere and The Raiders, Harbinger Complex, The Shillings, Peter Wheat and The Breadmen, The Baytovens, Johnny Holiday of KYA (MC). The show, which started at 8:15pm, was presented by Bill Quarry’s Teens ‘N Twenties.

William Penn & His Pals #4, Oakland Auditorium Arena, April 6, 1966 - from left: Mike Shapro, Jack Shelton, Ron Cox, Steve Leidenthal, Niel Holtmann, and Gregg Rolie

Saturday, April 23, 1966: ‘A Duel In Sound,’ Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Boulevard South, Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
Also on the bill: The Pullice. The show, which lasted from 8:00pm to 12 midnight, was presented by Golden Star Promotions.

Petaluma Argus-Courirer (April 22, 1966)

Friday, April 29, 1966: ‘Dance & Show,’ Rollarena, 15721 East 14th Street, San Leandro, Alameda County, California
The show, which lasted from 8:30pm to 12:30am, was presented by Bill Quarry’s Teens ‘N Twenties. Also on the bill: The Paragons, The Hardi Bros.

Saturday, April 30, 1966: U.A.W. (United Auto Workers) Hall, 45201 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: Peter Wheat and The Breadmen, The Tame Greens. The show, which lasted from 8:30pm to 12:30am, was presented by Bill Quarry’s Teens’ ‘N Twenties and Gary Enos’ ‘Teen Time. “When we play at U.A.W. Hall in Fremont, somebody take a look in the men’s bathroom,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “I went in there and there was a bloody chunk of bone with a couple of teeth in it. A lot to take in at 17 year old. Those were tough times!”

Friday, May 13, 1966: The Bold Knight, 769 North Matilda Avenue, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: The Otherside. One show, from 8:30pm to 12:30am. “The gig at The Bold Knight on May 13 wasn’t the only one we played there,” points out Mike Shapiro. “We must have played there at least once every month over the period of a year. We were regulars.”

1966: unknown venue, Stockton, San Joaquin County or Modesto, Stanislaus County, California
“Another memorable gig was when were playing in Stockton or Modesto or somewhere around there with a local band called the London Raiders,” recalls Mike Shapiro, “and when we retired to a motel we thought it would be funny to dump the London Raiders’s lead guitarist, Larry Elliot, in the pool so we all picked up his mattress and got it out the door without waking him. We pushed it into the pool and he never woke up but rolled over in his sleep changing his balance and in he went. I will never forget how he all of sudden woke up in the water and swam out to the edge with long red curly hair all wet and him looking like a drowning rat. He was really pissed off but we were laughing so hard we couldn't stop. I think he eventually started to laugh. The next morning a cop pulled us over on the way out of town and made Vern Justus pay for the broken door at the motel. I guess that is how we got him out of the room… by breaking the door. It is amazing that Vern put up with all our antics.”

1966
Meanwhile, between playing live and having fun, the band also found the time to do a very smart move. In fact, they’ve wisely stripped off their American revolution costumes after six months or so, and adopted a new black leather uniforms. “We were uncomfortable with our image and eventually stopped wearing out uniforms,” explains Mike Shapiro. “We actually burned our costumes one night (and worse). Then we got those leathers and we did not like them either and we always felt like it was a publicity stunt. Everyone was doing it back then.”

1966: Westmont Studios, Antwerp Lane, San Jose, California
“Our first recording session was at Westmont Studios, a garage converted into a recording studio on Antwerp Lane in San Jose. We paid for it so I own the sound recordings there,” recalls Mike Shapiro. That day the band lay down a couple of tracks, both originals written by Shapiro: ‘Gotta Get Away’ and ‘There I Go I’ve Said It Again.’

Spring 1966: Golden State Recorders Inc., 665 Harrison Street, San Francisco, California
After Westmont Studios session, the band headed into a more professional recording studio called Golden State Recorders Inc. in San Francisco, to record a commercial for Pacific Southwest Airlines titled ‘Fly Fly PSA.’ “The whole group wrote it in the studio,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “That is Vern Justus who says ‘Hi this is William Penn’ and the rest of the text for the commercial. I think I heard it once after it was aired.” By the way, the song was produced by Leo De Gar Kulka, aka ‘The Baron,’ the owner and sound engineer of the Golden State studio.

Spring 1966: unknown recording studio, Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
A third session followed sometime later after the band flew (with PSA, of course) to Los Angeles for an audition with Mustang Records, an Hollywood-based label run by Bob Keane from 1965 to 1967 as a division of Stereo-Fi Corp. “We hooked up with Mustang people when we opened for [their artist] Bobby Fuller Four at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “They invited us to LA for an audition. The studio seemed like a mob run place. We did not like Mustang or the producer… toooo slick. I don’t remember which songs we recorded that day because those tapes are long gone. I don’t know what happened to them.”

Spring 1966: unknown venue, Thousand Oaks, Ventura County, California
“The night we did the audition for Mustang Records we played a gig in Thousand Oaks, it was kind of a country club,” recalls Mike Shapiro.

May 1966 (?)
Around May 1966, shortly after they returned from LA, the band fired their founder and frontman Niel Holtmann! “Niel was just as uptight a person as I ever met and everyone thought so,” reflects Mike Shapiro. “I think he was pissed that new people replaced his friends in the band. He would always stuff about Steve and I were too short etc. I remember when Steve and Niel would just look at each other and Steve would say ‘Waffle Head’ to Holtmann who could never achieve the Beatle hair cause he had wavy hair the front that he tried to comb down but it looked like a waffle. Niel would look at Steve's pock marked face and say ‘Pizza Face’ and then they would start swinging at each over the seats in the station wagon we went to gigs in. I don't how we didn't get killed with all the crazy stuff that happened. He was unapproachable on a personal basis so after we got Rolie and the latter started proving that he could front the group, we just canned Holtmann.” A Security Officer at Sears Department Store since he was fired from the band, Niel Holtmann died just four years later in a car accident at the age of 25. He was driving his Porsche on the afternoon of February 5, 1970, when the car went out of control from some undetermined cause between Woodside Road and Southgate Drive in Woodside, San Mateo County. In critical condition with numerous fractures, internal injures and numerous lacerations and abrasions, he was taken with urgency in the intensive care unit of Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, where he sadly passed away fourteen days later on February 19. “It never surprised me that Niel died in a car accident,” reflects Shapiro. “I remember once when he was still in the band and we were going to the same East Bay gig over the San Mateo Bridge which is long a two lanes in each direction. Holtmann was in a ’64 Ford Galaxie and Jack and I where in a ’54 Chevy that Shelton had fixed up. Shelton was driving and he started laughing in an extremely high pitched voice. We were neck and neck with Holtmann who was a really fast driver. So we were in a race off to see who was the craziest. I looked down at the speedometer and we were doing 100 miles an hour on east bound 2 lanes of the bridge about 30 feet above the San Francisco Bay. Holtmann never eased up but Shelton backed off.” Anyway, as Shapiro recalled above, after Niel was fired, the band promoted Gregg Rolie as their new lead singer and frontman. At the same time, however, they continued to be a six-piece after they hired a 2nd drummer named Mickey Hart (b. Michael Steven Hartman, Saturday, September 11, 1943, Brooklyn, New York City, New York), formerly of Joe and The Jaguars. Reportedly, Mickey joined the band through Ron Cox because the latter had previously taking lessons from him at Hart Music, a drum-oriented music store in San Carlos, owned by Mickey’s father Lenny Hart. “Ron was taking lessons at Hart Music from Mickey,” recalls Shapiro. “Lenny Hart was a drummer and he and Mickey had this sycronized duet where they played exactly in time. Later, Mickey also got into the Grateful Dead by giving Bill Kreutzmann lessons.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #5 (MAY 1966 (?) - JUNE 1966 (?))
1) Ron Cox
2) Mike Shapiro
3) Steve Leidenthal
4) Gregg Rolie now also lead vocals
5) Jack Shelton
6) Mickey Hart drums

May or June 1966 (?): Fantasy Records Studio, 855 Treat Avenue, Mission District, San Francisco, California
William Penn and His Pals auditioned for Fantasy Records at their warehouse studio in San Francisco. “We recorded a second and better version of ‘Gotta Get Away’ and another two originals titled ‘Far and Away’ and ‘Blow My Mind,’” recalls Mike Shapiro. “They had a Hammond organ in the studio and that is where Rolie got his first taste of it’s sound. (Later, when he joined Santana he had traded his hot car for a van and an Hammond organ with a Leslie Tone Cabinet).” “At first we thought we were going with Fantasy and we kind of wanted to,” continues Shapiro, “but my father hated Max Weiss (he and his brother Sol owned the label) so he wouldn’t sign for us to record with them. He had heard it through the grapevine that they were shady. At the time we wore the black leather dresses and Max called us ‘Peter Paul and The Candybars,’ it was his little joke. He would also put his hand on my shoulder and say ‘Mike ten minutes alone with me in a closet would get you straightened out.’ He was hilarious.”

Saturday, June 4, 1966: ‘Dance and Ectodelic Trip,’ San Jose Civic Auditorium, 135 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: Jefferson Airplane, E Types, Chocolate Watchband. One show, from 8:30pm (ticket) or 9:00pm (poster) to 1:00am.

Thursday, June 16, 1966: ‘Ellwood P. Cubberley High School’s Senior Prom Dance,’ The Village, 915 Columbus Avenue, Marina District, San Francisco, California
William Penn and His Pals, along with Dick Rinehart and his band, provided live music entertainment during the “James Bond-theme” prom dance of the Class of ’66 (about 350 graduates) of Palo Alto’s Ellwood P. Cubberley High School.

Friday, June 17, 1966: ‘Woodside Wingding - Woodside High School’s Senior Prom Dance,’ Fiesta Lanes Bowling Alley, 4329 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
William Penn and His Pals, along with the Debonaires, provided live music entertainment during the prom dance of the Class of ’66 (400 graduates) of Woodside High School.

Saturday, June 18, 1966: Santa Rosa Roller Palace, 1425 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California
Also on the bill: The New Breed. The show was presented by Golden Star Productions. One show from 8pm to 12 midnight.

Monday, June 20, 1966: Circle Star Theatre, 1717 Industrial Road, San Carlos, San Mateo County, California
The producers Sammy Lewis and Danny Dare presents one show at 8:00pm headlined by the Dave Clark Five, and with William Penn and His Pals as opening act along with The Trolls and The Marauders.

Sunday, June 26, 1966: Oakland Civic Auditorium, 10 10th Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: Them, The Association, The Grass Roots, The Baytovens, Mark and The Uptowners, The Wildflower, The Harbinger Complex. The show, which started at 8:15pm, was presented by Leander Productions. Over 5,000 people in attendance according to Mike Shapiro.

June 1966 (?)
Aroind June ‘66 the band fired Mickey Hart who eventually joined the Grateful Dead again as 2nd drummer and… the rest is history. “I disliked Mickey Hart and he disliked me,” points out Mike Shapiro. “All I remember about Mickey was that we didn’t get along and he didn’t last too long with us. He was only in the band for two months or so. I overheard him calling me a ‘toilet’ while getting stoned with the other guys. His father was a real crook and when he became manager of the Dead we were all wondering how long before he ripped them off. About six months as I recall.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #6 (JUNE 1966 (?) - NOVEMBER or DECEMBER 1966) / WILLIAM PENN FYVE (DECEMBER 1966 - MARCH 1967)
1) Ron Cox
2) Mike Shapiro
3) Steve Leidenthal
4) Gregg Rolie
5) Jack Shelton

William Penn & His Pals #6 aka William Penn Fyve, 1966/67 - from left: Mike Shapiro, Jack Shelton, Steve Leidenthal, Ron Cox, and Gregg Rolie

William Penn Fyve, 1966/67 - from left: Mike Shapiro, Ron Cox, Jack Shelton, Steve Leidenthal, Gregg Rolie

July 1966: Casino Ballroom, 1 Casino Way, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, Los Angeles County, California
In early July ‘66, the new and last five-piece lineup of William Penn and His Pals, who in the meantime had stripped off their black leather dresses and adopted the Mod clothes which they loved at last, moved to Santa Catalina Island, a rocky island off the coast of Southern California, to play for a month at Casino Ballroom in Avalon, sharing the bill with The Third Half, a garage band from Palo Alto whose drummer was their old friend and former roadie John Oxendine (who also played with The Nomads with Shapiro, Shelton, and Leidenthal). “Steve, Jack and I were arrested for possession of beer there,” recalls John Oxendine. “Steve dropped acid that summer and we almost kicked him out of the band for that one,” also recalls Mike Shapiro. By the way, those shows were presented by Bill Quarry’s Teens ‘N Twenties.

Saturday, July 30, 1966: Pioneer Skateway, Morgan Street at Kellogg Street, Suisun City, Solano County, California

Friday, August 5, 1966: ‘Grand Opening,’ Katz A’ Go Go, Newark Pavilion, 6430 Thornton Avenue, Newark, Alameda County, California
Also on the bill: The Psychedelic Circuit. One show, from 8:00pm to 12 midnight.

Saturday, August 6, 1966: in front of Harmony Inn, 1018 1st Street, Napa, Napa County, California
The show, which started at 3:00pm, was a special salute to the Napa Town and Country Fair. Following the afternoon performance the group signed autographs and meet fans inside the Harmony Inn.

Saturday, August 6, 1966: ‘Shindig USA,’ Vichy Springs Amusement Park, 2046 Monticello Road, Napa, Napa County, California
One show from 9pm to 1am. Also on the bill: The Sattays.

Friday, August 26 - Monday, September 5, 1966: '2nd Annual Bay Area Teen-Age Fair - World's Fair for Youth', South Exhibit Hall, Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City, San Mateo County, California
William Penn and His Pals were one of the many bands (The Hedds, The Sopwith Camel, etc.) who performed for one or more days at the 11-day Teen-Fair.

September 1966 (?): Coast Recorders Inc., 960 Bush Street, Nob Hill, San Francisco, California
The band signed with Beechwood Music Corporation, a publishing (holding) company established as the publishing arm and immediate subsidiary of Capitol Records. The contract was signed after a recording session held at Coast Recorders Inc. and produced by Rene Cardenas, former vice-president of the Kingston Trio’s Trident Productions and publishing affiliates. “We found Rene Cardenas and he took us into Coast Recorders,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We recorded new versions of ‘There I Go I’ve Said It Again’ and ‘Blow My Mind,’ but we ran out of songs and Rene asked if I had any ideas and I showed him a melody that became ‘Swami.’ We wrote the song in the studio with all the guys, but not me, pitching in with lyrics. Rene and associate producer Bob Nagy stood there with a notepad and took all the ideas and made the lyrics for ‘Swami.’ When the single was released the label credited me as writer but all were involved. Later, when I finally got around to look at credits on BMI, it was 1/3 Shapiro, 1/3 Cardenas, and 1/3 Nagy. They obviously tried to hide it from me.” “Mike wrote the music and I wrote most of the lyrics of ‘Swami,’ adds Ron Cox. “Steve added some and Gregg contributed a few ideas and we turned them into a line or two. I think Rene or someone in the control room even made a suggestion.” “Me and Ron wrote the words of ‘Swami,’” also adds Steve Leidenthal. “I think Gregg had a share in it too.” “Steve, Ron and Gregg wrote the lyrics,” points out Shapiro. “I just gave them the tune and melody and they ran with it.” “The instrumental titled ‘E2D’ from that same session was actually just a test recording that Ron, Steve and I improvised to get the recording levels,” continues Shapiro. “It was a test recording for the engineer to set the EQ and levels only. No vocals.”

Sunday, September 4, 1966: ‘Dance and Show,’ Santa Rosa Veterans Building, 1351 Maple Avenue, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA
Also on the bill: Them, Ian Whitcomb, The Weeds, Love. The show lasted from 8:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Saturday, September 10, 1966: Longshoremen’s Hall, 400 North Point, Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, California
Also on the bill: The 13th Floor Elevators, The Third Half, The Marauders. One show, started at 8:00pm. “Carlos Santana and Mike Carabello came down to see William Penn play at the Longshoremen’s Hall to check him [Gregg] out,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We opened up for the 13th Floor Elevator and they had to rent our equipment cause we wouldn't lend it to them.”

Gregg Rolie, Longshoremen's Hall, September 10, 1966

Saturday, September 17, 1966: ‘Shindig USA,’ Roll-A-Land, 1236 Juarez Street, Napa, Napa County, California
One show from 9pm to 1am. Also on the bill: The Third Half.

Saturday, September 24, 1966: ‘Shindig USA,’ Roll-A-Land, 1236 Juarez Street, Napa, Napa County, California
One show from 9pm to 1am. Also on the bill: The Rob Roys.

Saturday, October 1, 1966: ‘All-Campus Dance,’ the lawn of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House, Stanford University campus, Stanford, Santa Clara County, California

Saturday, October 1, 1966: ‘In-Dance,’ Losers South, 1500 Almaden Road, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California
Also on the bill: The Nightcaps. One show, from 8:00pm to 12 midnight.

Friday, October 21, 1966: ‘Psychedelic Experience,’ Gymnasium, El Cerrito High School, 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
William Penn and His Pals provided live music entertainment during a unusual ‘Psychedelic Experience’ theme dance sponsored by the Senior Class of ’67 of El Cerrito High School.

Friday, November 18, 1966
An exclusive contract between William Penn and His Pals and Beechwood Music Corporation of Hollywood granting publishing rights to any songs they may produce was approved today in San Mateo County Superior Court. The court approval was necessary because the five musicians were minors. At that point, Beechwood copyrighted ‘Swami’ and ‘Blow My Mind (2° Version)’ from the aforementioned Coast Recorders Inc. recording session, and subsequently licensed them to Thunderbird Records, a small label based out of Buffalo, New York (with a brief stint in California) founded in the early ‘60s by brothers Len and Ben Weisman.

December 1966
William Penn and His Pals changed its name to William Penn Fyve. “Yes, in late ‘66 we changed our name to William Penn Fyve (with ‘y’ because we just though it was a twist) to sound more like the Dave Clark Five name,” confirms Mike Shapiro.

January 1967 (?)
William Penn Fyve’s first and only single, ‘Swami / Blow My Mind (2° Version)’ [Thunderbird 502], was released only in the US.

Saturday, January 14, 1967: ‘Dance And Concert,’ Continental Auditorium, 1600 Martin Avenue, Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, California
The band was billed as ‘The Wm. Penn Fyve’ on the poster. Also on the bill: The Turtles, The Chosen Few. The show was presented by Bill Hamilton and lasted from 8:30pm to 12:30am.

Sunday, January 22, 1967: The Bold Knight, 769 North Matilda Avenue, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County, California
The band was billed as ‘Wm. Penn’ on the poster. Also on the bill: Chocolate Watchband.

February 1967 (?)
The band fired their longtime manager Vern Justus and hired a new (and worst) one named Tom Priscilla. “At some point all the gigs stopped cause we stopped working with Vern, so he stopped booking us and all his connection disappeared,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “It happened that our parents were getting concerned that we were not getting anything for playing so we force Vern to give us $50 a week each. Then he was putting pressure on us to sign a contract where he would get 25% and none of us like that. At that time we never made up with Vern because the band disbanded shortly after, but we are now friends though.” “Then this local hippie named Tom Priscilla talked us into letting him manage it,” continues Shapiro. “He was a real space case. He was way out of his league and was just a stoner who grabbed our attention and somehow thought he was our manager. He talked a big game but he was just incompetent and the gigs he got us did not pay. We just broked up (I quit). Without Vern it was to disorganized.” Anyway, at that point the band also started rehearsing in a new place, an apartment in Mountain View, a city in Santa Clara County. “It was while we rehearsed there that one time Gregg Rolie popped out of the bathroom wearing a Batman costume he found in there saying to the room and a couple of girls ‘Who wants to fuck the Batman?,’” laughs Mike Shapiro. “Wonder what Rolie will think if he sees it. Probabily thinking it is funny ‘cause he was a really funny guy.”

Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 26, 1967: ‘Third Annual Bay Area Teen-Age Fair,’ Oakland Exposition Building, 900 Fallon Street at 9th Street, Oakland, Alameda County, California
William Penn Five [sic] - along with Frankie Randall, Mitch Ryder, Mojo Men, Lou Christie, the Canadian Fuzz, the Styx, and the Meni-Ketti’s - provided live music entertainment from sound stages located throughout the building during the 10-day teen-age fair which was open daily from 4pm to 10pm. Sponsored by Teen-Age Fair Inc., the Bay Area fair was held in San Francisco last year and San Mateo in 1965. Supposedly Mike Shapiro’s last gig with the band (and last gig of the band at all) after he decided he had enough and quit. “Yes, I quit, and I don’t really know why,” confirms Shapiro. “Big mistake. Did not realize what I had with this group. I was kind of tired of the inner conflicts and we were all embarassed by our image. Everything was going to the new ‘San Francisco Sound’ and I felt William Penn Fyve was kind of a dead end. Gregg knew I was really unhappy and felt I was going to quit, and said that ‘he and I should stick together,’ but I didn’t answer. After that I didn’t talk to him for about six months but then we became friends again and I used to hang out with him in San Francisco and watched him with Santana. Pretty exciting. I remember one time when I was at the Fillmore during the day when Santana were setting up and Bill Graham had our picture over his desk. I did not realize how big we were. I just saw all the flaws. That is my mistake.” “After William Penn Fyve, I formed numerous bands (such as The Indian Head Band) that broke up,” he continues. “Then I finished my A.A. degree in junior college and eventually started another band called Mad Dog in 1970, with Steve, Ron, and a jerk named Mike Berman who ultimately stabbed me in the back because he got another guitarist in the band that I absolutely hated so I quit just before we had an audition for Bill Graham at Fillmore West on January 19, 1971. I just didn’t show up. Rolie was there that night and fucked some chinese chick and they never said a word to each other. He told me that the next week but didn’t mention he had turned out to see us. I eventually became a computer programmer but moved to San Francisco and played there for about 20 years.” Anyway, after Shapiro left them, the band disbanded for good shortly after. “They never did any gigs without me,” points out Shapiro. “They were not the same without me and they knew it. Rolie had no intention of continuing with them.” In fact, Gregg Rolie also left to join the fledgling Santana Blues Band (and the rest is history), while Jack Shelton went to Germany in the army to avoid going to Vietnam (he sadly passed away for a heart attack on Saturday, September 8, 1990, in Orange County, California). Only Steve Leidenthal and Ron Cox didn’t give up and stick together long enough to form a couple of short-lived bands called Pacific 237, and The Phoenix, before hooking up again with Shapiro in the band Mad Dog for a while. “Then Ron got married and had two children,” recalls Shapiro. “He inherited his father’s business. Steve just knocked around and eventually became a roofer. Vern, our old manager, moved to Hawaii and went into marketing for a large liquor manufacturer. He lives in San Carlos now.”

2003
William Penn and His Pals’ compilation CD, ‘William Penn and His Pals - San Francisco’s historic band from the Sixties,’ (011; tracklist: Swami / Gotta Get Away / Far And Away / Blow My Mind / There I Go I’ve Said It Again / E2D / Blow My Mind (Alternate Version) / Gotta Get Away (Alternate Version) / There I Go I’ve Said It Again (Alternate Version) / Fly Fly PSA), was self-produced and self-released in the US by Mike Shapiro under an ad-hoc label called Beatrecords. The compact disc was re-issued in August 2023 with two bonus tracks: ‘The Guru’ and ‘Another Road.’ “The Guru is actually E2D to which in 2023 I added new vocal, guitar and cut and pasting to change arrangement,” explains Shapiro. “Another Road is just a test recording, very limited length, recorded during our first session at Westmont Studios, and in 2023 I added vocals and new guitar to it and pumped it up in general. I cut and pasted the parts into a complete arrangement of the sound. I always thought it was our best tune.” By the way, the new CD is selling by Shapiro through his own website: http://williampennfyve.com/. A must buy!

original cover, 2003

reissue cover, 2023

Monday, October 31, 2005: unknown venue, unknown city, unknown county, California
Mike Shapiro, Ron Cox and Steve Leidenthal reunited under the moniker of William Penn and His Pals to play the first of several “reunion gigs” they played at least once a year for few years. “And we had fun!,” exclaims Mike Shapiro. “All in all playing in William Penn and His Pals/Fyve was one of the greatest experiences in my life and I was only 17 when I started. It went by really fast and only in retrospect do I realize the impact of that group on others. Initially we felt like we were popular because of the costumes and not our music, but it turned out we sounded really good and were able to create music that has lasted all this time. I get letters from people thanking me for writing ‘Swami.’ It has all been very gratifying to me and the other surviving members.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #7 (OCTOBER 31, 2005)
1) Ron Cox
2) Mike Shapiro
3) Steve Leidenthal

2007: Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club, 3000 Alexis Drive, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California
Another “reunion gig” for William Penn and His Pals. “I think that was just for a high school reunion that we did that for,” recalls Mike Shapiro. “We had Ron, Steve, me, and a guy who played guitar and sang named Tim Reid who I used in my SF group a lot. I also used Steve in SF for gigs.”

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #8 (2007)
1) Mike Shapiro
2) Ron Cox
3) Steve Leidenthal
4) Tim Reid guitar, vocals

Sunday, February 17, 2018: Art House Gallery and Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, Alameda County, California
Another “reunion gig” for William Penn and His Pals.

WILLIAM PENN AND HIS PALS #9 (aka #7) (FEBRUARY 17, 2018)
1) Mike Shapiro
2) Ron Cox
3) Steve Leidenthal

Friday, July 7, 2023
William Penn and His Pals’ first proper compilation vinyl album, ‘Swami - The Complete Recordings’ (GUESS224; Side A: Swami / Blow My Mind (45 version) / There I Go I’ve Said It Again (2° Version) / Gotta Get Away / Far And Away - Side B: Blow My Mind (1° Version) / Gotta Get Away (1° Version) / There I Go I’ve Said It Again (1° Version) / E2D / Fly Fly PSA), was released by Spanish label Guerssen Records. Also that same day, Guerssen reissued, in a new picture sleeve cover, the band’s only single, ‘Swami / Blow My Mind (2° Version)’ (GUESSG006).

album cover

single cover