THE BLUE MAGOOS
 Formed
in the Bronx, New York, USA, in 1964 and initially known as The
Trenchcoats, the founding line-up consisted of Emil "Peppy"
Thielhelm, vocals, guitar,
Dennis LaPore, lead guitar, Ralph Scala, organ and vocals, Ronnie Gilbert,
bass and John Finnegan, drums . The group quickly became an important part
of the emergent Greenwich Village rock scene and in 1966 secured a
residency at the fabled Night Owl club. Near the end of '66, the band was
calling itself "Bloos Magoos" and Mike Esposito was brought in
as their new lead guitarist. Esposito had at one time been in a college
band with Lou Reed, and his inventive guitar playing, utilizing controlled
feedback and tape-echo devices, added a new dimension to the group's
sound. Having recorded flop singles for Ganim and Verve Records, the band
was signed to Mercury Records, where they became the subject of intense
grooming. Drummer Geoff Daking replaced LaPore in time to record their
debut album, "Psychedelic Lollipop", which was released in
November 1966. The band was now using a more traditional spelling of their
name, "Blues Magoos".
In February of 1967, Mercury
released a single called "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet", written by
band members, Gilbert, Scala and Esposito. The song was a Top Twenty hit
for the 'Magoos' in America and finished at number 72 for the entire year,
but failed to achieve the same success in the UK.
A follow up hit was even harder
to come by for the Magoos and their next effort, "There's A Chance We
Can Make It" was mostly ignored. Subsequent efforts, "One By
One" , "I Wanna Be There" and "Life is Just a Cher
O'Bowlies" also failed to gain any attention. One last single release
on Mercury called "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", issued in 1968,
also missed the charts. By now, tensions were growing among the members of
the band and the original line up split.
On the strength of their name
alone, the band's management team re-signed the group to ABC Records, and,
as Thielhelm had accumulated a backlog of material, suggested he front a
revamped line-up. John Leillo played vibes, Eric Kaz was now on keyboards,
Roger Eaton played bass and Richie Dickon became the drummer. In 1969, the
band completed the album "Never Goin' Back To Georgia", while
the same group, except for Eaton, was augmented by session musicians for
the disappointing 1970 LP, "Gulf Coast Bound". Neither of these
sold well and after hanging on for another two years, The Blues Magoos
packed it in.
Thielhelm took a role in the
rock musical Hair using the name, "Peppy Castro". He has since
pursued a varied career as a member of Barnaby Bye, Wiggy Bits and
Balance, while Cher and Kiss are among the artists who have recorded his
songs. Organist, Eric Kaz went on to form American Flyer.
On Nov. 9, 2000, The Blues
Magoos, featuring Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm and Ralph Scala played
at a garage band revival show called "Cavestomp".
Although they were only
"one hit wonders", Blues Magoos, with their electric suits and
giant, onstage lava lamps, are fondly remembered as a classic example of the
"psychedelic" music era.
DISCOGRAPHY
Albums
Psychedelic Lollipop (1966)
Electric Comic Book (1967) Basic Blues Magoos (1968) Never Goin' Back to
Georgia (1969) Gulf Coast Bound (1970)
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