Often referred to as "The Boys from Tacoma" or "The Fabulous Wailers", The Wailers are often considered the first "real" garage band. In their 11-year career, the group saw many line-up and style changes, starting with old rock n' roll and mostly instrumentals, to pop and mostly vocals, to a final album that touched on psychedelia. No doubt about it, the boys from Tacoma were hugely influential on the local music scene.
The original lineup, who scored the 1959 hit "Tall Cool One", included guitarists Rich Dangel and John Greek, keyboardist Kent Morrill, saxophonist Mark Marush, and drummer Mike Burk. When tensions arose between the group and their record label, Greek was dismissed, John "Buck" Ormsby joined as a bassist, Rockin' Robin Roberts joined as a singer, and Etiquette Records was born.
Etiquette Records was a result of the combined effort of Morrill, Ormsby, and Roberts, and was officially launched in 1961. The first record to the label's name was Rockin' Robin's highly influential version of "Louie, Louie". Etiquette also began releasing records for musicians other than The Wailers, such as Gail Harris, Kent Morrill, and eventually The Sonics and The Galaxies.
Around 1964, the lineup underwent another change. Rockin' Robin had since departed to pursue higher education, and Mark Marush was replaced with the young saxophonist Ron Gardner. This decision totally changed the dynamic of the group. Gardner had extreme talent and energy, which added significantly to the group's success. However, after about a year, Dangel departed, dissatisfied with the commercial image that was being pinned to the group. Mike Burk also left.
Guitarist Neil Andersson and drummer Dave Roland were brought in as replacements, and the group continued, releasing two albums, and scoring minor hits "Out of Our Tree" and "It's You Alone". Near the end of the decade, Andersson was replaced with Denny Weaver, and a final album, the psychedelic-tinged "Walk Thru the People" was released.
The group members went their separate ways, many joining other bands or pursing solo recordings. The band who had scored a national hit in the 50's and had been a tremendous success locally was running out of popularity. Their constant changes to keep up with the times and hopes to achieve national success hadn't followed through.
In the 1990's, the Wailers reformed, continuing to play live gigs through the 2010's.
* Thanks to Jack Dolan for the correction.
The original lineup, who scored the 1959 hit "Tall Cool One", included guitarists Rich Dangel and John Greek, keyboardist Kent Morrill, saxophonist Mark Marush, and drummer Mike Burk. When tensions arose between the group and their record label, Greek was dismissed, John "Buck" Ormsby joined as a bassist, Rockin' Robin Roberts joined as a singer, and Etiquette Records was born.
Etiquette Records was a result of the combined effort of Morrill, Ormsby, and Roberts, and was officially launched in 1961. The first record to the label's name was Rockin' Robin's highly influential version of "Louie, Louie". Etiquette also began releasing records for musicians other than The Wailers, such as Gail Harris, Kent Morrill, and eventually The Sonics and The Galaxies.
Around 1964, the lineup underwent another change. Rockin' Robin had since departed to pursue higher education, and Mark Marush was replaced with the young saxophonist Ron Gardner. This decision totally changed the dynamic of the group. Gardner had extreme talent and energy, which added significantly to the group's success. However, after about a year, Dangel departed, dissatisfied with the commercial image that was being pinned to the group. Mike Burk also left.
Guitarist Neil Andersson and drummer Dave Roland were brought in as replacements, and the group continued, releasing two albums, and scoring minor hits "Out of Our Tree" and "It's You Alone". Near the end of the decade, Andersson was replaced with Denny Weaver, and a final album, the psychedelic-tinged "Walk Thru the People" was released.
The group members went their separate ways, many joining other bands or pursing solo recordings. The band who had scored a national hit in the 50's and had been a tremendous success locally was running out of popularity. Their constant changes to keep up with the times and hopes to achieve national success hadn't followed through.
In the 1990's, the Wailers reformed, continuing to play live gigs through the 2010's.
* Thanks to Jack Dolan for the correction.