The Yachtsmen, August 28 1965
It's 1965, and The Yachtsmen are tearing it up on the world's tiniest stage in Tomorrowland! Quite a crowd has gathered to hear them rock out. I am guessing that The Yachtsmen performed various Beach Boys and Jan & Dean numbers. "Sloop John B", "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena", stuff like that. Hey, maybe they even sang "The Monkey's Uncle" theme song, that movie came out in '65! Whoa whoa, she loves the monkey's uncle, yeah yeah!
Nothing shows off your San Tropez tan (or in this case, your Huntington Beach tan) better than an all-white ensemble! Just look at 'em, they must have spent quite a bit of time catching some of those Southern California rays. Go get haircuts, ya darn hippies!
15 comments:
Tencennial Summertime Entertainment!
A standard UPS truck may be able to deliver their whole stage intact, but the crowds are bigger and hey, the girls have gravitated to the front so um... I'd guess they're doin' ok... ;)
.....and she's mad about his chimpanzee!
And I guess the Beatles song "Yellow Submarine" would be appropriate (especially now), but I guess that didn't happen. It was released in '66. Fantastic pics.
I want a tan like that! Well, maybe not so much.... Cool photo, I love that little stage. In the 2nd pic you can see the little stairs to access the stage, too cute! I wonder what their music sounded like with just two electric guitars and a large bass, oh and I see a tambourine too! Did they produce any records?
Look at the sound setup. Two mics for four guys. Hope nobody's got halitosis. The double bull-horn system on the roof looks more like a civil defense alarm than a sound system.
But with AM ears tuned to the Specter Patented "Wall of Sound", I'm sure everybody went home happy.
I remember the group well. They sang during the day too, and we would always make sure our airplane noises were not overlapping because that little conning tower stage was right around the corner in front of the Sub ride. The were great guys, and would always stop by after a show. We even let them fly a couple of planes when they had the time.
They had a sound very similar to the Kingston Trio, with a little Beach Boys harmony mixed in (a very popular "coffee-house" sound in those days). They did produce a couple of albums through Disney, and it was sold at the Emporium on Main street, and at the Music store on the opposite side of the street.
i would have enjoyed these guys :D
The Yachtsmen were true 60s folk singers! I have their album "High and Dry with the Yachtsmen" (Buena Vista Records) with a funny cover photo of the boys sitting in a canoe smack in the middle of the Nature's Wonderland desert. The songs they performed were not what you might expect for Tomorrowland - "Erie Canal", Darlin' Cory" and my favorite on the album, "Sinner Man"...
I love their banjo-pluckin, harmonizing "Kingston Trio-esque" sound. Wish they were better remembered today!
OH, and the Yachtsmen were:
Carl Berg, lead singer and guitar
Ray Gordon, banjo and bass
Jay Huling, guitar and bongos
and Bill Reed, bass
I'm stealing your pictures. Jay Huling is my father-in-law.
Thanks - great pix & great memories. Ray Gordon was my neighbor & Kevin Shipman was my friend (Kevin wasn't on the album, but is in the posted pix). They also appeared in local coffee houses I do wonder what happend to them, in particular Kevin.
Actually Ray Gordon, is Ray JORDAN, he's my dad! He is still singing, playing the banjo and enjoying life outside San Antonio, TX. He met my mom there at Disneyland, she was the Hostess at Carnation on Main St.
Hi. This is Kevin Shipman of The Yachtsmen. I am doing fine as are Carl and Mickey. We have lost Jay, Bill and Scotty. I miss them every day. We were all great friends. If you want to hear and see a bit more of our history you might check this out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxUTCp5rtBo
Hello Kevin! Wow, so cool to hear from an actual Yachtsman! It is sad to hear that some of your friends have passed... but I am happy to hear that you, Carl, and Mickey are still doing well, and that your friendship has endured. I will definitely check out that YouTube video. THANKS again for your comment! Take care.
This is Kevin again. Excuse me. I should have included Ray Jordan as still doing very well.
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