getting a record deal? It took some incredibly good fortune, that’s for sure.
Terry Williams was our guitar player, and his mother, Bonnie Williams, happened to be secretary to Jimmy Bowen, the A&R director at Warner Bros. Records. Lucky break number one. Bonnie had once been the female singer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra when Frank Sinatra was the male singer. She had maintained her friendship with Frank over the years. When Frank merged his own label, Reprise Records, with Warner Bros. in the early ’60s, he saw to it that Bonnie was hired to be Jimmy’s secretary, and Terry had actually worked for a stretch in the mailroom as well.
The only problem, Terry said, was that Bonnie herself was a little concerned for her job at Warner Bros. Their sales had been lagging and everyone was feeling really insecure. But, as the story goes, once Jimmy produced “Everybody Loves Somebody,” a huge record for Dean Martin, everyone there felt more secure, including Bonnie. Break number two.
Both Frank’s Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records were housed in the same building in L.A. So, as any mother worth her salt would do, Bonnie marched into Jimmy’s office and told him that her son, Terry, was starting a band. Jimmy, in his ultimate wisdom, said, “Well, bring ’em over and let me hear ’em.”
Chapter Eight
Just Dropped In
Okay, here we are, heading off to Warner Bros. Records like four elementary school kids going to our first “invited” school party. We were all at least an hour early and we were excited. We were about to meet and possibly record with the guy who had produced records for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. And maybe he was going to produce us!
None of the rest of us had actually met Jimmy Bowen, but when Terry had been working in the Warner Bros. mailroom a couple of years before, he had encountered him a time or two. The rest of us had all seen pictures of Bowen on the back of Dean’s, Sammy’s, and Frank’s albums, so at least we knew who to look for. This would be one of those moments none of us would ever forget. We went into his office, sang for him, and he signed us. I guess Terry knew him better than we thought.
Our plan was to leave the very day our New Christy Minstrels contract was up, on July 10, 1967, and head to Warner Bros. to begin our new album at nine A.M. on July 11. What else did we need?
Oh, yeah. We needed a name. We must have thrown around a thousand different ideas, but none of them felt right. Then Mike Settle was looking through an old book from the library hoping to find something unique, and in the front were the words First Edition.
That was the first name that had everything we were looking for. It had an image. It was then we all decided it would be in keeping with the name if we would wear all black and white on stage, like newsprint. Now we had a name, a dress style, a record contract, and some great Mike Settle songs to record.
It was only after we got to the studio and started rehearsing the band for our first song to record, Mike Settle’s “I Found a Reason,” that we noticed a guy our age or younger directing the operation. It didn’t take long to realize this unknown kid, and not the legendary Jimmy Bowen, was to be our producer. His name was Mike Post, and I’m not sure anyone, even the musicians, knew who he was at the time. As disappointed as we were, we realized very quickly that this guy was very good and very contemporary.
Jimmy Bowen had now given us two gifts: our first record contract and Mike Post.
Once we started to perform, the group immediately realized that two guitar players, a bass player, and a girl singer did not an exciting group make. There was something else we needed. We needed a drummer. So we started asking around for suggestions. The name Mickey Jones kept coming up everywhere we turned. He had great credentials. He had been the drummer for Trini Lopez for many years and had most recently
Terry Williams was our guitar player, and his mother, Bonnie Williams, happened to be secretary to Jimmy Bowen, the A&R director at Warner Bros. Records. Lucky break number one. Bonnie had once been the female singer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra when Frank Sinatra was the male singer. She had maintained her friendship with Frank over the years. When Frank merged his own label, Reprise Records, with Warner Bros. in the early ’60s, he saw to it that Bonnie was hired to be Jimmy’s secretary, and Terry had actually worked for a stretch in the mailroom as well.
The only problem, Terry said, was that Bonnie herself was a little concerned for her job at Warner Bros. Their sales had been lagging and everyone was feeling really insecure. But, as the story goes, once Jimmy produced “Everybody Loves Somebody,” a huge record for Dean Martin, everyone there felt more secure, including Bonnie. Break number two.
Both Frank’s Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records were housed in the same building in L.A. So, as any mother worth her salt would do, Bonnie marched into Jimmy’s office and told him that her son, Terry, was starting a band. Jimmy, in his ultimate wisdom, said, “Well, bring ’em over and let me hear ’em.”
Chapter Eight
Just Dropped In
Okay, here we are, heading off to Warner Bros. Records like four elementary school kids going to our first “invited” school party. We were all at least an hour early and we were excited. We were about to meet and possibly record with the guy who had produced records for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. And maybe he was going to produce us!
None of the rest of us had actually met Jimmy Bowen, but when Terry had been working in the Warner Bros. mailroom a couple of years before, he had encountered him a time or two. The rest of us had all seen pictures of Bowen on the back of Dean’s, Sammy’s, and Frank’s albums, so at least we knew who to look for. This would be one of those moments none of us would ever forget. We went into his office, sang for him, and he signed us. I guess Terry knew him better than we thought.
Our plan was to leave the very day our New Christy Minstrels contract was up, on July 10, 1967, and head to Warner Bros. to begin our new album at nine A.M. on July 11. What else did we need?
Oh, yeah. We needed a name. We must have thrown around a thousand different ideas, but none of them felt right. Then Mike Settle was looking through an old book from the library hoping to find something unique, and in the front were the words First Edition.
That was the first name that had everything we were looking for. It had an image. It was then we all decided it would be in keeping with the name if we would wear all black and white on stage, like newsprint. Now we had a name, a dress style, a record contract, and some great Mike Settle songs to record.
It was only after we got to the studio and started rehearsing the band for our first song to record, Mike Settle’s “I Found a Reason,” that we noticed a guy our age or younger directing the operation. It didn’t take long to realize this unknown kid, and not the legendary Jimmy Bowen, was to be our producer. His name was Mike Post, and I’m not sure anyone, even the musicians, knew who he was at the time. As disappointed as we were, we realized very quickly that this guy was very good and very contemporary.
Jimmy Bowen had now given us two gifts: our first record contract and Mike Post.
Once we started to perform, the group immediately realized that two guitar players, a bass player, and a girl singer did not an exciting group make. There was something else we needed. We needed a drummer. So we started asking around for suggestions. The name Mickey Jones kept coming up everywhere we turned. He had great credentials. He had been the drummer for Trini Lopez for many years and had most recently
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