Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys

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Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys
OriginNew York, later Mendocino, California
GenresRock, country rock, alternative country
Years active1967–1977
LabelsPolydor
Past membersRoy Michaels (a.k.a. Loy Bones) d. 2008
Bob Smith d. 1991
Michael Equine
William David "Charlie" Chin
Larry Packer
Jay Ungar
Paul Johnson
Charlie Prichard
Steve Davidson
Charlie Harcourt
RJ "Beans" Bellanca d. 2014

Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was an American musical group, originally formed in New York and later based in Mendocino, California, most active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

History

Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was co-founded by Roy Michaels (February 25, 1942–September 23, 2008) and Bob Smith (July 7, 1942–March 21, 1991) in the fall of 1967. Michaels had previously been playing with

Au Go Go Singers, prior to the formation of Buffalo Springfield.[1][2] Initial members were Bob Smith on vocals, keyboards and drums, Roy Michaels on vocals and bass guitar, William David "Charlie" Chin on vocals and guitar, Larry Packer on guitar and violin, and Michael Equine on drums and guitar. Jay Ungar
was also initially associated with the group, on violin, and rejoined the group for their second album. Core band membership consisted of Michaels, Smith and Equine.

The ensemble's popularity in New York grew during 1967 and 1968, through regular appearances at the Cafe Wha?, which led to an engagement as the house band at New York's Electric Circus.[3]

The band was particularly notable for its

Get Together" (No. 34) and ahead of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" (No. 41) and The Plastic Ono Band's "Give Peace a Chance" (No. 43). Number 1 on this list, reflecting an era before stricter radio formatting, was Zager and Evans' "In the Year 2525".[5] "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll" included cover versions of "Sweet Little Sixteen" by Chuck Berry, "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, "Chantilly Lace" by The Big Bopper, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins and "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox. "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll" was covered by the Dave Clark Five later in 1969. A second single "Can You Dance To It" reached no. 78 in Canada later in 1969.[6]

The

Michael Jeffery, who also managed Hendrix.[8] Cat Mother opened for Hendrix on several occasions, as a result. Other notable early appearances included playing at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, the historic concert headlined by The Doors, where John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band appeared in a surprise performance.[9]

Other popular songs by the band included "Track in A" and "Strike a Match and Light Another." However, the band's principal chart success remained "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll", a work not representative of the diversity of its sound but rather the group's ability in original, late 50s rock style. Similar to contemporaries

Byrds,[10] as well as predating the Eagles, Cat Mother was one of the first rock bands to blend rock and country music
.

As part of the band's actions to sever ties with manager Michael Jeffery,

percussion
). By the time of the band's final album, Last Chance Dance, in 1973, Charlie Prichard had been replaced by Charlie Harcourt on guitar, harmonica and vocals. The band continued to perform until 1977.

Michaels,[12] Smith[13] Packer,[14] Chin,[15] Ungar,[16] Johnson [17] Prichard,[18] Davidson[19] and Harcourt [20] all continued in music. (As of November 2020, Michael Equine is alive and the last remaining corporate officer of the band.)

The Street Giveth ... and the Street Taketh Away and Albion Doo-Wah are available through streaming services and as a digital downloads.

Discography

  • 1969 The Street Giveth... and the Street Taketh Away (Polydor) (#24 Canada[21])
  • 1970 Albion Doo-Wah (Polydor) (#73 Canada[22])
  • 1972 Cat Mother (Polydor)
  • 1973 Last Chance Dance (Polydor)

References

  1. ^ Uncredited and undated, Summary review of first time CD reissue of The Street Giveth and The Street Taketh Away, Uncut; www.uncut.co.uk. See also Stephen Stills and Cafe Au Go Go.
  2. ^ After his experience with the Au Go Go Singers, Michaels relocated to Toronto, where he played with Amos Garrett in The Dirty Shames, prior to returning to New York City. See Loy Bones Bio; www.myspace.com/loybonestheband. See also Amos Garrett.
  3. ^ a b Jason Ankeny, Profile of Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys; www.allmusic.com.
  4. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 2, 1969" (PDF).
  5. ^ List of Top 50 Songs From The Summer of 1969 Archived 2009-12-19 at the Wayback Machine; www.forgottenhits.com.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - October 11, 1969" (PDF).
  7. ^ Being the sole production activity by Hendrix of an independent artist.
  8. ^ Hendrix also acted as the sponsor to obtain union membership for band members, in order that they could play professionally on tour with him. See comments of Larry Packer in Bonnie Langston, 'Roots of '69' return to Woodstock Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Freeman, August 8, 2008; www.dailyfreeman.com.
  9. ^ Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Fansite; www.rockandrollrevival.tripod.com.
  10. ^ who released their seminal country album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, in 1968.
  11. Michael Jeffrey
  12. Mendocino Beacon, January 15, 2009. The service facilitated an impromptu reunion of some of the surviving members of Cat Mother. See "Cat Mother Reunion, January 17, 2009"
    ; www.youtube.com.
  13. ^ Bob Smith continued to play in bands in the Mendocino, California area until his death in San Francisco on March 21, 1991. Mendocino photographer Nicholas Wilson dedicated his 2006 book of photography, Mendocino in the Seventies, to the memory of Bob Smith. See Tony Miksak, Review of Mendocino in the Seventies Archived 2010-07-07 at the Wayback Machine; www.gallerybookshop.com. See also Nicholas Wilson, Sample Photo Page, Mendocino in the Seventies Archived 2010-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, including dedication photo of Bob Smith, plus Cat Mother in Mendocino photo; www.nwilsonphoto.com.
  14. Hall and Oates, Phoebe Snow, Judy Collins and Juliana Hatfield, among others. He was a member of Sha Na Na and was also in a later configuration of the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble (then known as the New York Rock Ensemble). He also released a solo album, Eye of the Sun (Woodstock Records, 2002) that included contributions from Garth Hudson and Tom Malone. See Larry Packer Biography Archived 2009-08-30 at the Wayback Machine
    ; www.hair-of-the-dog.com.
  15. Asian American Studies. Chin is also a member of the American Folklore Society. See Profile of Charlie Chin Archived 2007-10-28 at the Wayback Machine, Chinese Historical Society of America
    ; www.chsa.org.
  16. ^ See Jay Ungar.
  17. The Belairs and The Galaxies, prior to joining Cat Mother. He has released a number of instrumental albums and continues as member of The Hepcats and of the "Jim Fuller version" of The Surfaris. See Paul Johnson's Guitar Heaven; www.pjmoto.com. See also Profile of Paul Johnson Archived 2010-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
    ; www.surfariswipeout.com.
  18. 13th Floor Elevators, among others. Prichard continues as an acclaimed guitarist in Austin, Texas and area. See Carlton Crutcher, The Conqueroo: The Charlie Prichard Interview Archived 2009-08-18 at the Wayback Machine
    , 2006; www.terrascope.co.uk. See also Imperial Golden Crown Harmonizers.
  19. ^ Davidson continues in Mendocino, playing and recording as a percussionist. See, for example, Lenny Laks Press Release in relation to Ring Around The Sun (2005); www.lennylaks.com.
  20. ^ Prior to joining Cat Mother, Harcourt had been a member of the Junco Partners, one of the first bands managed by Robert Stigwood, and Jackson Heights, formed by Lee Jackson, formerly of The Nice. Post Cat Mother, Harcourt joined Lindisfarne and co-wrote a number of songs with Ray Jackson. Jackson was later the lead singer in Harcourt's own band, Harcourt's Heroes. See Chris Kelly, Interview with Ray Jackson, Part 2 Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Autumn 2005; www.lindisfarne.co.uk. In later years, he has been associated with Whitaker Waller and Harcourt, which includes former Harcourt's Heroes member Mike Waller on keyboards.
  21. ^ "RPM Top 50 Albums - April 11, 1969" (PDF).
  22. ^ "RPM Top 50 Albums - August 15, 1970" (PDF).

External links

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