The Champs – Tequila!
by Gary Myers

 
 

     In the summer of 1975 I completed my first music article after interviewing Dale Norris, the original guitarist of the Champs, with whom I was working at that time. The article appeared in Record Exchanger #23 in 1977. After inquiries in early 1981, I decided to do more extensive research and rewrite the story in greater depth. That version of the story appeared in Goldmine#75, August 1982. In 2011 I did some rewriting and updating. The following people were credited in the 1982 Goldmine issue. Though I no longer remember some of them, I wish to again acknowledge their help, most of which was in my search for the band members: Richard Albrecht. Donnie Brooks, Tommy Couch, Bill Graham, Baird Jones, Lowrey Music, Lynn’s Records, Peter Martin, Musi­cian’s Union Locals 167, 353 and 390. Alice Peters, Larry Roughton, and Bill Teal. For help with the discographies: Ken Clee, Frank Kisko, and Wenzel’s Music Town. For pictures: Tim Bauer, Dick Blankenship, Allan Clark, Jerry Cole, Eldorado Oldies, Tom Sherwood, and Mo Marshall. Of course, my thanks again go out to the musicians themselves.

 

     Dave Burgess began record­ing for Okeh Records at the age of 18. A pair of releases plus two more on the Tampa label were commercially unsuc­cessful and in 1956 he recorded extensively for the Tops label doing sound-alike versions of current hits. In 1957, while work­ing as a DJ on KAVI in Lancaster, he hit pay dirt as a songwriter, scoring a top 20 country hit for Ray Price with “I’ll Be There” (oddly enough, Price had also hit the number two spot with a dif­ferent “I’ll Be There” in 1954), and a top 20 pop hit for Margie Rayburn with “I’m Available.” He also became the A&R man, as well as the initial artist for Challenge Records, Gene Autry’s new label. His first three releases, under the name Dave Dupre’ (sic), and a fourth, under his real name, failed to get any action, so he decided to try an instrumental he had written called “Train To Nowhere.” The piano and sax on the song were both played by Danny Flores.

      Flores had been recording since 1951 when he did his first single for Vita. He was doing session work for Jules Bihari, owner of Crown/Kent/RPM Records, as well as playing dubs in the Long Beach area. Musi­cians on his club gigs included drummer Gene Alden, guitarist Buddy Bruce, and guitarist Dale Norris.

      One autumn afternoon in 1957 some instrumental tracks were being completed for a Jerry Wallace session with Burgess on rhythm guitar, Flores on sax, Alden on drums, Bruce on lead guitar, and studio bassist Cliff Hils. There was time left over and Burgess needed a flip side for his “Train To Nowhere” so Flores came up with a song he had been using on his club dates.

      “I used to use it as a break song and I used to drink tequila, and the people used to tell me, ‘you ought to write a song about that drink.’ Then, when the time came that we were gonna use it as a B-side, I figured, why don’t we call it ‘Tequila’?” A bit of on-the­-spot arranging was done, the title was spoken at the end of the bridge, and it was recorded. Most of the musicians thought so little about it at the time that they didn’t even stay around to listen to the p1ayback, never dreaming that they had created one of the biggest Instrumental hits of the rock era.

      Dale Norris and Buddy Bruce were both doing sessions and gigs with Flores. Norris thought he had played on “Tequila” but Flores said it was Bruce on that date. In 2010 Norris said, “I'm still racking my brain trying to piece together the events back then. Gene Alden and I were working week ends and I was doing some gigs with Danny at the Royal room on Long Beach Blvd. in Compton. Things get kind of fuzzy because I was extremely busy at the time. Besides all the gigs and recordings, I was drinking a lot at night. There was one stretch where it seemed all my waking hours were in the studio.

      “Another thing that is hazy is when we did a session with Jerry Wallace. The session ended early so with the time left, I remember Dave and Danny getting their heads together and then we did a couple of instrumentals one time down without even hearing a play back. I do remember that I was exhausted and had a job to play that night. I just wanted to get out of there.

      “Gene and I were playing in Baldwin Park and car-pooled, and one night he told me we had a hit record. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I guess he thought I had done the recording. I still think we recorded it but they re-did it with Bruce. Had I known that this was ‘history in the making’ I would have been a little more attentive.”  

      At a meeting before record release, someone came up with the idea of naming the group after Gene Autry’s world famous horse. Flores decided to use the pseudonym Chuck Rio. According to Burgess there were problems with Flores writing and recording for various different companies, but Flores maintained that he wasn’t trying to hide anything: “Since my middle name is Carlos,” he said, “I just used Chuck (nickname for Carlos), and my dad’s middle name is Del Rio, so I just used Chuck Rio. I thought it sounded more Americanized.”

      The record was released December 26, 1957 and in a few weeks radio stations began playing the B-side. ABC-Paramount quickly covered it with Eddie Platt and both versions hit the charts in February. While Platt’s record peaked at number 35, the original went all the way, hitting the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 on March 8, 1958 (the first rock instrumental to do so) and remaining there for five weeks. The record also had a four-week stay at the top of the R&B chart and went on to win the Grammy for the best rhythm & blues performance in the first year of that award. This made the Champs the first in­strumental group to reach number one on their first release.

      The boys began rehearsing for personal appearances. Bud­dy Bruce and Cliff Hils elected not to go on the road and were replaced by Dale Norris and Joe Burnas, who was recommended by Hils. Since there was no group contract prior to the recording, Burgess and Flores were the only ones who made royalties off the record, the others receiving only session pay. Contracts were signed to cover later releases, however.

      According to saxophonist/singer/disc jockey Jimmy Maddin, promoter Irving Granz couldn’t wait for the real band to get ready. He had immediate bookings for a group to do “Tequila”, so he called Maddin, who filled-some of the dates with his group, which included bassist Duke Morgan (brother of singer Jaye P. Morgan), drummer Chuck Stevens (brother of singer Connie Stevens) and guitarist George Collier; they called themselves the Tequilas.

      In Oakland they met up with the Champs who were there for their debut show. Maddin’s group relinquished “Tequila” to the rightful owners and backed up other artists on the show, including Roy Hamilton and Bobby Helms. Unfortunately, the Champs show was a disaster. The choreography they had rehearsed didn’t work and they found themselves bumping into each other, as well as having sound problems. Things were soon ironed out, however, and the band played many shows at movie theaters.

      When it came to working clubs there were more difficulties. Flores said, “The group wasn’t that strong. Me and Gene (Alden) had been in the bar business for a long time and we knew what it was to entertain, and Dave (Burgess) had never really performed in clubs before.” Bookings following various comedians and such visual acts as the Treniers didn’t help any, and in Philadelphia one club owner paid them off two weeks early just to bring in another act.

      Meanwhile, “El Rancho Rock,” a rocking instrumental version of the old “EI Rancho Grande” was Burgess’ idea for a follow-up record to carry on the Mexican flavor of “Tequila.” It reached Billboard’s top 30 in the summer of ‘58. The flip side, “Mid­nighter,” also got some play and both sides still featured the sax of Danny Flores aka Chuck Rio.

Apparently a problem arose between Burgess and bassist Joe Burnas and Van Norman replaced Burnas. After a few months on the road, Flores and Alden left the band in Cincinnati and returned to Los Angeles.

Norris recalled, “When we went on the road, Dave and Danny were co-leaders. Of course it didn’t work out. Danny still had the lounge mentality and it didn’t come across too well with the teenyboppers. When Danny and Gene left the group, we were in Ohio on our way to Nashville. The breakup wasn't a very pleasant sight, but that was a long time ago and best left alone.” Back in SoCal Flores worked local clubs as Mr. Tequila and, in order to fulfill his contract, recorded as Chuck Rio and the Originals on Jackpot, a subsidiary of Challenge. Alden continued to work with him.

      In the process of seeking replacements, the Champs contacted Slim Willet, a country-western singer/songwriter who had scored big with “Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes” in 1952. Willet was managing Texas rockabilly artist Dean Beard, who had been recording with a very young Jimmy Seals on sax and Dash Crofts on drums.

      “Slim was my personal manager,” said Beard, “and he talked them into taking me and Dash for Jimmy to go. They didn’t really want me at all. Willet apparently thought the exposure would help him temporarily but advised him not to stay with the group. Beard decided to stay on as the piano player, however, expanding the group to six. Dale Norris remembered Beard as an exciting performer who always received good response in the Champs’ shows.

      Beard recalled his pre-Champs recordings: “I recorded ‘Rakin’ And Scrapin’ originally for Sun but something came up that made Sam Phillips mad and they didn’t release it. Later on Sun released album of the songs I did in Memphis, and there’s one I did with Charlie Rich on the Bopcat label. They sell it over in England and the artist never gets any money.”

      Jimmy Seals had been the Texas state fiddle champ at the age of nine and had already recorded solo, as well as with Beard. He had done two singles on Winston, one of which was also issued on Carlton. Crofts reportedly had his own group when he was only nine had already traveled extensively by the age of 13.

      Bassist Van Norman died in an auto accident and Norris called his friend Bobby Morris, who had been working clubs around L.A. and was voted the top the top bass player by the Country Music Association. Morris had also been a state fiddle champ in Oklahoma, as well as working as a DJ. Shortly after Morris joined, Beard left, reducing the group back to five pieces.

      “Chariot Rock” made it three straight chart singles for the Champs, but then came a dry spell. It was over a year before they returned to the Billboard Hot 100 with “Too Much Tequila,” a Dave Burgess song that could probably be considered the most successful instrumental answer record. It was the last Champs record to reach Billboard’s top 30, though it only made #74 in Cash Box.

      Around the end of 1959 Norris and Morris both left. Norris did some work with country singer Wynn Stewart and considered leaving the business. Guitarist Johnny Meeks had been working clubs around L.A. for about a year since his departure from Gene Vincent and he was hired as Norris’ replacement. Dave “Snuffy” Smith took over on bass but remained only a short time before Bobby Morris returned.

      The Champs were doing a lot of one-nighters as well as sessions for other Challenge artists, including Jerry Fuller. Meeks wrote “Red Eye”, next record after “Too Much Tequila.” He has said that “it was so regimented in that group that going to work stopped just short of punching a time dock.” In spring 1960 he left to do a three-week tour with Jimmy Clanton before reporting for military duty.

       They called Norris and got him to rejoin for a major overseas tour that was planned with Jerry Lee Lewis. The band was at the San Francisco airport ready to go, when they received word that the tour was cancelled due to the bad publicity that Jerry Lee was receiving. That was a heartbreaker and this time Norris left for good.

      The next guitarist was Jerry Cole. Burgess had heard him while the Champs were on a Midwest tour and invited him to California when the opening came up. A couple of months later, while appearing in Albuquerque, the Champs met Glen Campbell through their mutual friend, Jerry Fuller. Burgess was ready to get off the road, so Campbell took his place. Burgess remained in­volved at the studio end and retained ownership of the name, while Bob Morris took over leadership of the group. Even though it was still early in their individual careers, this must have been a strong lineup: Glen Campbell, Seals & Crofts, Jerry Cole and Bob Morris.

      Each of those members began to get more involved in additional studio work. Burgess mentioned a few other Challenge oddities that are undoubtedly of interest to collectors: one by the Fleas, which actually consisted of Campbell and Burgess along with Rick Nelson and Jerry Fuller; and two by the Trophies, comprised of Seals & Crofts and Burgess (see discographies for titles and numbers).

      There were no personnel changes in the Champs for about a year until Campbell left to devote more time to studio work and to his own career as a singer. There was no immediate replace­ment and the group worked for a short time as a quartet, with Cole and Morris switching off between guitar and bass. Cole was the next to leave as he also began to get more involved in studio work and recordings of his own, both instrumentally and vocally. His replacement was Jerry Puckett. Puckett had friends working in California who called to in­form him of the opening with the Champs. He gambled and made the trip from Mississippi to the coast just to audition and it paid off. Puckett also played piano and contributed vocals. The Champs had also hired a bass player, remembered only as Mike, to bring the number in the group back up to five. At this time they were tour­ing the northern states and working in Quebec and New Mexico.

      During a two week booking at King Arthur’s Court in Kansas City, Dash Crofts got his draft notice. Bob Morris called a local drummer, Chuck Downs, to fill in; at the end of the engagement Downs was asked to stay. The Champs then returned to Lancaster, California where Mike, the bass player, left to be replaced by John Trombatore. Trombatore had worked with Mickey Gilley while stationed near Lake Charles, LA in 1958, and he remembered Elvis’ drummer, D.J. Fontana, being an occasional visitor to a club he played in Shreveport. His first job with the Champs was a show at the Hollywood Palladium starring Chub­by Checker.

      Due to family health problems, Chuck Downs left after about three months, to be replaced by Gary Nieland. Jerry Puckett joined the National Guard in order to fulfill his military obligation and still re­main in music, reducing the group temporarily to a quartet. The next addition was Keith MacKendrick on alto sax, giving the group a new sound with two saxes. MacKendrlck had recorded with the Roxsters for a Miami label in 1957 and with the Apollos on Mercury in 1960. In ‘59 and ‘60 he had toured with Merle Lindsey and His Ozark Jubilee Band out of Oklahoma City, working with country stars Lefty Frizzel, Faron Young and Little Jimmy Dickens.

      The Champs had been off the record charts for over two years when they came back with "Limbo Rock," written by Billy Strange. It got only as far as number 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 but had a respectable chart run of 13 weeks. As it was dropping, Chubby Checker's vocal version was coming on to be a much bigger hit. A few months later, "Limbo Dance," which made the Hot100 for just one week, became the Champs' final chart entr­y.

      By this time the Champs had worked all over the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. According to John Trom­batore there were times when Dave Burgess, Jerry Cole and Glen Campbell, along with a sax player and drummer, would do a show as the Champs in the L.A. area while the other group was out on the road. Of course, Danny Flores was still working as Mr. Tequila and Eddie Platt was probably performing somewhere. If Maddin’s group was still doing ap­pearances as the Tequilas, there may have been at least five different bands doing “Tequila” as their hit record!

      Bob Morris left to work with Buck Owens and to pursue his own recording and songwriting, including recording with his wife, Faye Hardin. His place was filed by bassist Dean McDaniel, allowing John Trombatore to move to guitar. Jimmy Seals took over fronting the band while Gary Nieland handled the business chores.

      Around this time the Champs released their last album of new material, “All American,” consisting of the music from a Broadway show. “What A Country,” the single from the LP, was released with a picture sleeve, probably the only Champs single with that feature. By this time many of the recordings were being done by Burgess with studio musicians and then sent to the group on the road so they could learn them.

      John Trombatore left to be replaced by Leon Sanders, who came from Oklahoma’s Shadows 5. A short time later Dean McDaniel and Rich Grissom, another Shadows 5 alumnus, came in. Grissom had also worked with guitarist Lonnie Mack. Eventually the road band apparently reached a low point and Leon Sanders, Rich Grissom and Gary Nieland left while they were staying at a motel in Idaho. Keith McKendrick and Jimmy Seals went back to L.A. to meet Dash Crofts who had been discharged from the Army. Curtis Paul, a friend of MacKendrick’s, was hired on bass. For a short time there was no permanent guitarist; Jerry Cole or Glen Campbell filled in for gigs around Los Angeles until Canadian guitarist Maurice “Mo” Marshall joined.

      Although Marshall was not in the group at the same time as Bob Morris, the two met and did some recording sessions together. Marshall remembered Morris saying that one day he would like to be able to afford to set Jimmy Seals up in a studio for a time just to see what would come out of it. “Only The Young,” a Jimmy Seals composition, was probably the last Champs record to get any action. It never made national charts, but did get airplay. Lyrics were written, initially credited to Pat Boone but later to Charles Eugene, and Rick Nelson recorded it his LP “Best Always”.

      The next changes in the group are somewhat unclear, but Marshall apparently returned to Canada to straighten out some immigration problems and John Trom­batore was rehired temporarily. At one point KFWB DJ Earl McDaniel was managing the group and they used the KFWB jingle as a break song. The song had actually been done as a full-length record, “Imaqe” by Hank Levine on ABC in late 1961, and other stations in the Westinghouse Broadcasting chain used the same jingle. Trombatore recalled a funny incident concerning the song: “When we played in Minnesota they had a subsidiary station there, KDWB, but the guys that put on the dance were from the rival station and when we played our break song they really got P.O.’ed!”

      Marshall returned to his place in the band but shortly after that, Jimmy Seals left, having been with the Champs for seven years, the longest of any member, and Trombatore returned. Thus the group was back to its original format of two guitars, sax, bass and drums; but not for long. With all the changes of personnel, changes of musical direction, and lack of a hit record, things had begun to come apart and, after a final overseas tour, Dave Burgess decided to dis­band the group. In 1965, after going through a remarkable amount of talent and launching three future superstars, the Champs came to an end.

      Or did they?

      In 1975 the Champs name sprang up again. In Biloxi, Mississippi keyboard player Chuck Hill (5/1/39; Lake Charles, LA) had taken note of the interest in revived groups. Hill claimed to have worked with the Champs for six months in 1959. He said he had his attorney check on the Champs name in late 1974; no claim was found, and he registered it in Washington, D.C. and formed a group. They moved to Houston in order to have a base in a major city and the band worked Texas, Florida and the East Coast, apparently for at least a few years. They recorded “Tequila ‘77” on Hill’s own label and he claimed that Glen Campbell mentioned them on the Johnny Carson Show. Hill’s group went through many personnel changes; around 1981 it consisted of drummer Earl Sidbury and saxophonist/flautist Kenny May, along with Hill. Dave Burgess had his attorney serve Hill with a cease and desist order; Hill said, “I begged them to sue; win, lose or draw I’d have gotten publicity in all the trades.”

 

Epilogue

Gene Alden (2/14/31; Sioux Falls, S.D.) continued to work with Danny Flores after leaving the Champs. He recorded with jazz artists Charlie Ven­tura and Vido Musso. He worked in Hawaii in the mid-70s and Palm Springs after that. In 1980 he was living in Desert Hot Springs.

Dean Beard (8/31/35; Santa Anna, TX-4/4/89; Cole­man, TX) did much more solo recording after leaving the Champs but rheumatoid arthritis forced him to quit performing in 1978.

Dave Burgess (b: 12/13/34; Beverly Hills, CA) was very successful as a songwriter and publisher. Besides those previously mentioned, other song successes include “Everlovln’”, a top 20 hit for Rick Nelson in 1961, and “Everybody But Me,” a top five c&w song for Ernest Ashworth in 1962. He became president of Singletree Music In Nashville. In 1976 he produced a disco version of “Tequila” using Nashville studio musicians.

Joe Burnas (8/15/23; Chicago, IL) also recorded with Gene Autry and Johnny & Jonie Mosby. He worked in Las Vegas for 14 years, at the Sands, Frontier and other spots. He also worked as a roofing contractor.

Buddy Bruce was not located.

Glen Campbell (4/22/36; Billstown, AR) did some of his first solo recording about the time he left the Champs and became a very successful studio guitarist before his major breakthrough as a singer/entertainer. In 2011 he embarked on a farewell tour after announcing that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Jerry Cole (9/23/39; Green Bay, WI - 5/28/08; Corona, CA) recorded both instrumentally and vocally for various labels and remained very active in studio work, producing and publishing in Los Angeles. Cole did many things in the music business, but not all the things he claimed to have done. Because he was from Green Bay he was included in my book covering Wisconsin music of the 50’s & 60’s. In one phone interview he claimed to have driven Buddy Holly to the airport after his appearance in Green Bay. This was only minutes after he gave me his birth year as 1947, which would have made him 12 when Holly died. I was on a few gigs with Cole and he often announced well-known songs such as “Splish Splash” as songs the he had written.

Dash Crofts (8/14/43; Cisco, TX) said, “Being on the road with the Champs was like being in the Army. Someone told you when to get up, how to dress, where to go, what to play, and how to play it.” He continued working with some of the same musicians briefly upon the demise of the band, but subsequently returned to Texas where he played on a 1966 Dean Beard release on Sims. Within a year he flew back to California to rejoin Jimmy Seals. After be­ing introduced to the Baha'i Faith they formed a group called the Dawnbreakers before going on to their great success as a duo.

Chuck Downs (4/2/42; Kansas City, MO- dec) became a firefighter for the Kansas City Fire Department while continuing to play drums part time. In 1968 he joined a group known as the Entertainers and traveled for two years. Eventually he became involved in police work and worked for the Lee's Summit, Missouri Police Depart­ment. Although he made no mention of it in our conversations, he had reportedly claimed to have written “Last Kiss”, a hit for J. Frank Wilson in 1964 with writer’s credit to Wayne Cochran.

Danny Flores (7/11/29; Santa Paula, CA- 9/19/06; Westminster, CA) continued performing in clubs in the Long Beach, California area through the '00s. He did occasional larger shows as the Champs, including at least one oldies show at the Fabulous Forum. In later years he recorded, along with his wife, for the Los Angeles based Mexican label, Raff Records, under the name Sharee Con Tequila. I did several gigs with Danny in the late 80’s-early 90’s and he was always enjoyable to work with. One idiosyncrasy was that, on club gigs, he never took a break, preferring to play the entire evening straight through, though he allowed the other band members to break when necessary.

Rich Grissom (1/28/46; Wetumka, OK) worked with a country/bluegrass group known as Oklahoma Grass. In 1981 he was living in Holdenville, Oklahoma, while writing for country artist Jody Miller. Cliff Hils (11/15/18; Pittsburgh, PA) worked in the orchestra at Harrah's at South Lake Tahoe for over 10 years. He also wrote songs and one was used in a Danny Thomas show.

Keith MacKendrick (9/18/40: Youngstown, OH) continued to work with Curtis Paul, John Trombatore, Dash Crofts and another musician named Steve Loudon immediately after the end of the Champs. They were known as the Impossibles. Keith then returned to West Palm Beach, Florida where he went as K.D. Mack. He was a member of Amarillo, a country band that recorded for the NSD label.

Mo Marshall (5/1/42; Cravelbourg, Saskatchewan) returned to Canada and played in jazz dubs while completing his master’s degree in industrial design at the University of Alberta. He had his own recording studio, Woodbend Music, LTD., near Edmonton and scored films for Canadian TV and movies.

Dean McDaniel (6/28/43; Arkansas City, KS) worked with singer Jerry Fisher after leaving the Champs (Fisher later replaced David Clayton-Thomas in Blood, Sweat & Tears). In late 1969 he recorded some demos with Kenny Rogers. McDaniel quit playing in 1979 to study electronics and became a technician for Cox Cable of Oklahoma City.

Johnny Meeks (4/16/37; Gaffney, SC) lived in Santa Paula, California while continuing to play in area clubs for several years. He published a book and later returned to South Carolina.

Bob Morris ((2/3/30; Hasty, AR-12/3/81; Boone Cnty, AR) had many songs recorded by country artists, including “I'm Gonna Feed You Now,” a 1965 hit for Porter Wagoner; “Pitty Pitty Patter,” a top ten hit for Susan Raye in 1971; Buck Owens' theme song “Buckaroo”; and “The Matador,” a 1981 hit for Sylvia. He had been in semi-retirement in Arkansas for a number of years when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Gary Nieland (1/2/41; Oregon City, OR) produced four songs for Gene Vincent after leaving the Champs. These were sold to Vincent's widow after his death and reportedly released on a European album. Gary also produced 38 singles on various local artists around the Salem, Oregon area on his own Garland and Hoot labels from 1965 to 1970. He and his wife performed at their own dub, Gary & Carol's Westerner in Albany, Oregon.

Dale Norris (5/7/34; Maple Grove, MO) ran a trading stamp store briefly, but returned to music, working mostly in country-western clubs around Los Angeles and Orange counties until 1977, when he became a house musician at Knott's Berry Farm, the famous Orange County amusement park. He subsequently completed a course in arranging, played a wide variety of gigs around the greater L.A. area, and moved back to his home state of Missouri in 20 xx

Curtis Paul (4/12141; Kansas City, MO) worked for many years with Hughie Burns & The County Line Band out of West Palm Beach. Florida. They had local hits and saw one of their records reach Billboard's country chart in March of 1980.

Jerry Puckett (11/4/39; Brandon, MS) played piano on Rick Nelson's "Album Seven" and eventually returned to Mississippi, where he was involved in the production of chart singles by Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson. He joined Malaco Records as A&R Director and worked with King Floyd, Jean Knight and other artists. In Jackson he owned Mississippi Recording Co., which was used by Paul Simon, Hank Williams, Jr. and many others. He recorded some of his own material in Nashville with sidemen from Eddie Rabbit's band.

Leon Sanders toured the northern states Gary Nieland and with his own group for seven or eight years after leaving the Champs. He became ill and died in 1974.

Jimmy Seals (10/17/46; Sidney, TX) continued writing and doing session work upon leaving the Champs. Seals and Crofts did their first ap­pearance as a duo at a small club in Riverside, California in 1969. Their major success began in 1972 and ran through 1978. Of all the members I found, Seals was the only one who did not respond

Dave “Snuffy” Smith was not located.

John Trombatore (12/13/38; Monterey Park. CA) joined the Greenmen, a touring show group previously known as Roscoe & His Little Green Men, and later with worked with Goodness And Mercy, who had an LP on MGM in 1970. In 1980 he was in Palmdale, CA working as an aircraft mechanic for Lockheed. He did oil painting and still played music on weekends.

 

 

DISCOGRAPHY (Original releases only; underlined titles charted in Billboard/Cash Box) 
     
Challenge Date Date Position
1016 TEQUILA/TRAIN TO NOWHERE Jan-58 1
59007 EL RANCHO ROCK/MIDNIGHTER Apr-58 30/94
59018 CHARIOT ROCK/SUBWAY Jul-58 59
59026 TURNPIKE/ROCKIN' MARY Nov-58  
59035 GONE TRAIN/BEATNIK Feb-59  
59043 CARAMBA/MOONLIGHT BAY Apr-59  
59049 NIGHT TRAIN/THE RATTLER Jun-59  
59053 SKY HIGH/DOUBLE EAGLE ROCK Aug-59  
59053 DOUBLE EAGLE ROCK/CIELITO LINDA Aug-59  
59063 TOO MUCH TEQUILA/TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES Dec-59 30
59076 RED EYE/THE LITTLE MATADOR Mar-60  
59086 ALLEY CAT/COCOANUT GROVE Jul-60  
59097 TOUGH TRAIN/THE FACE Dec-60  
59103 HOKEY POKEY/JUMPING BEAN Mar-61  
9113 SOMBRERO/THE SHODDY SHODDY Sep-61  
9116 CANTINA/PANIC BUTTON Oct-61  
9131 LIMBO ROCK/TEQUILA TWIST Jan-62 40/99
9143 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR/LA CUCARACHA May-62  
9143 WHAT A COUNTRY/I'VE JUST SEEN HER Jul-62  
9162 LIMBO DANCE/LATIN LIMBO Sep-62 97
9174 VARSITY ROCK/THAT DID IT Oct-62  
9180 MR. COOL/3/4 MASH Jan-63 111
9189 NIK NAK/SHADES Apr-63  
9199 CACTUS JUICE/ROOTS Aug-63  
59219 SAN JUAN/JALISCO Dec-63  
59236 ONLY THE YOUNG/SWITZERLAND Apr-64  
59263 KAHLUA/FRATERNITY WALTZ Aug-64  
59277 BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY/FRENCH 75 Dec-64  
59314 THE MAN FROM DURANGO/RED PEPPER May-65  
59322 BUCKAROO/ANNA Nov-65  
Republic       
246 TEQUILA '76/ (Long Version) /76   
       
Challenge 1016 second pressing released on green vinyl, 1016, 59007 and 59018 also released on 78 rpm
       
EP's (Challenge)     
7100 TEQUILA/I'LL BE THERE/TRAIN TO NOWHERE/LOLLIPOP     
7101 CARAMBA/MIDNIGHTER/BEATNIK/JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN     
       
LP's       
Challenge 601   GO CHAMPS GO     
GO CHAMP GO/EL RANCHO ROCK/I'LL BE THERE/SKY HIGH/    
WHAT'S UP BUTTERCUP/LOLLIPOP/TEQUILA/TRAIN TO NOWHERE/    
MIDNIGHTER/ROBOT WALK/JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN/NIGHT BEAT     
Challenge 605 mono; 2500 stereo   EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN'     
EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN'/CHARIOT ROCK/THE CATERPILLAR/TURNPIKE/ LAVENIA/MAU MAU
STOMP/ROCKIN' MARY/SUBWAY/THE TOAST /BANDIDO/ALI BABA/FOGGY RIVER
Challenge 613 mono; 2513 stereo   GREAT DANCE HITS OF TODAY     
TEQUILA TWIST/LIMBO ROCK/BRISTOL STOMP/CATERPILLAR STROLL/    
RED EYE/THE TWIST/THAT'S ALL I WANT FROM YOU /TIJUANA TWO STEP/  
TOO MUCH TEQUILA/HOKEY POKEY/THE BUNNY HOP/    
THE SHODDY SHODDY     
Challenge 2514   ALL AMERICAN     
WHAT A COUNTRY/PHYSICAL FITNESS/ONCE UPON A TIME/REAL ME/    
I'VE JUST SEEN HER/ALL AMERICAN TWIST/OUR KIDS TWIST/    
SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE/NIGHT LIFE/ALL AMERICAN    
       
We're Back       
1 TEQUILA '77/FROM ME TO YOU /77   
This is a bogus group from Texas led by Chuck Hill; flip is not the Beatles tune.    

 

DISCOGRAPHY (Original releases only; underlined titles charted in Billboard/Cash Box) 
     
Challenge Date Date Position
1016 TEQUILA/TRAIN TO NOWHERE Jan-58 1
59007 EL RANCHO ROCK/MIDNIGHTER Apr-58 30/94
59018 CHARIOT ROCK/SUBWAY Jul-58 59
59026 TURNPIKE/ROCKIN' MARY Nov-58  
59035 GONE TRAIN/BEATNIK Feb-59  
59043 CARAMBA/MOONLIGHT BAY Apr-59  
59049 NIGHT TRAIN/THE RATTLER Jun-59  
59053 SKY HIGH/DOUBLE EAGLE ROCK Aug-59  
59053 DOUBLE EAGLE ROCK/CIELITO LINDA Aug-59  
59063 TOO MUCH TEQUILA/TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES Dec-59 30
59076 RED EYE/THE LITTLE MATADOR Mar-60  
59086 ALLEY CAT/COCOANUT GROVE Jul-60  
59097 TOUGH TRAIN/THE FACE Dec-60  
59103 HOKEY POKEY/JUMPING BEAN Mar-61  
9113 SOMBRERO/THE SHODDY SHODDY Sep-61  
9116 CANTINA/PANIC BUTTON Oct-61  
9131 LIMBO ROCK/TEQUILA TWIST Jan-62 40/99
9143 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR/LA CUCARACHA May-62  
9143 WHAT A COUNTRY/I'VE JUST SEEN HER Jul-62  
9162 LIMBO DANCE/LATIN LIMBO Sep-62 97
9174 VARSITY ROCK/THAT DID IT Oct-62  
9180 MR. COOL/3/4 MASH Jan-63 111
9189 NIK NAK/SHADES Apr-63  
9199 CACTUS JUICE/ROOTS Aug-63  
59219 SAN JUAN/JALISCO Dec-63  
59236 ONLY THE YOUNG/SWITZERLAND Apr-64  
59263 KAHLUA/FRATERNITY WALTZ Aug-64  
59277 BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY/FRENCH 75 Dec-64  
59314 THE MAN FROM DURANGO/RED PEPPER May-65  
59322 BUCKAROO/ANNA Nov-65  
Republic       
246 TEQUILA '76/ (Long Version) /76   
       
Challenge 1016 second pressing released on green vinyl, 1016, 59007 and 59018 also released on 78 rpm
       
EP's (Challenge)     
7100 TEQUILA/I'LL BE THERE/TRAIN TO NOWHERE/LOLLIPOP     
7101 CARAMBA/MIDNIGHTER/BEATNIK/JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN     
       
LP's       
Challenge 601   GO CHAMPS GO     
GO CHAMP GO/EL RANCHO ROCK/I'LL BE THERE/SKY HIGH/    
WHAT'S UP BUTTERCUP/LOLLIPOP/TEQUILA/TRAIN TO NOWHERE/    
MIDNIGHTER/ROBOT WALK/JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN/NIGHT BEAT     
Challenge 605 mono; 2500 stereo   EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN'     
EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN'/CHARIOT ROCK/THE CATERPILLAR/TURNPIKE/ LAVENIA/MAU MAU
STOMP/ROCKIN' MARY/SUBWAY/THE TOAST /BANDIDO/ALI BABA/FOGGY RIVER
Challenge 613 mono; 2513 stereo   GREAT DANCE HITS OF TODAY     
TEQUILA TWIST/LIMBO ROCK/BRISTOL STOMP/CATERPILLAR STROLL/    
RED EYE/THE TWIST/THAT'S ALL I WANT FROM YOU /TIJUANA TWO STEP/  
TOO MUCH TEQUILA/HOKEY POKEY/THE BUNNY HOP/    
THE SHODDY SHODDY     
Challenge 2514   ALL AMERICAN     
WHAT A COUNTRY/PHYSICAL FITNESS/ONCE UPON A TIME/REAL ME/    
I'VE JUST SEEN HER/ALL AMERICAN TWIST/OUR KIDS TWIST/    
SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE/NIGHT LIFE/ALL AMERICAN    
       
We're Back       
1 TEQUILA '77/FROM ME TO YOU /77   
This is a bogus group from Texas led by Chuck Hill; flip is not the Beatles tune.    

 

© 1982/2011 by Gary E. Myers/MusicGem, PO Box 4777, Downey, CA 90241-1777 
gem777@earthlink.net