The Kingsmen are a 1960s

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band from

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and ...

", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' charts for six weeks and has become an enduring classic. In total, the Kingsmen charted 13 singles from 1963 to 1968 and five consecutive albums from 1963 to 1966. Their first album, '' The Kingsmen in Person'', remained on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs chart for 131 weeks from January 1964 to August 1966. Their early albums were released internationally in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, and Taiwan.

Early years

Lynn Easton and Jack Ely started performing at an early age in local newspaper-sponsored reviews the Journal Juniors and the Young Oregonians, respectively. In 1957, they started performing together, with Ely singing and playing guitar and Easton on the

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

. The two teenagers had grown up together, as their parents were close friends. Easton and Ely performed at local parties and events, and soon added Mike Mitchell on guitar and Bob Nordby on bass to round out the band. They called themselves the Kingsmen, taking the name from a recently disbanded group. The Kingsmen began their collective career playing at fashion shows,

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

events, and supermarket promotions, generally avoiding rock songs on their setlist. In 1962, Don Gallucci, a high school freshman at the time, was recruited from another local group, the Royal Notes, to play keyboards.

"Louie Louie"

In 1962, while playing a gig at the Pypo Club in

Seaside, Oregon Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The name Seaside is derived from ''Seaside House'', a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population ...

, the band noticed

Rockin' Robin Roberts Lawrence Fewell Roberts II (November 23, 1940 – December 22, 1967), known as Robin Roberts and in his music career as "Rockin' Robin" Roberts, was an American singer best known for his performances in the early 1960s with the Wailers, a rock a ...

's version of "

" being played on the jukebox for hours on end with the entire club dancing. Ely convinced the Kingsmen to learn the song, which they played at dances to a great crowd response. Unknown to him, he changed the beat because he misheard it on a jukebox. Ken Chase, host of radio station KISN, formed his own club to capitalize on these dance crazes. Dubbed "The Chase", the Kingsmen became the club's

house band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

and Ken Chase became the band's manager. On April 5, 1963, Chase booked the band an hour-long session at the local Northwestern Inc. studio for the following day to record a demo tape for a summer cruise ship gig. Adding to the hurried atmosphere, the band had just played a 90-minute "Louie Louie" marathon the night before. Despite the band's annoyance at having so little time to prepare, on April 6 at 10 am the Kingsmen walked into the three-microphone recording studio. "

Jamaica Farewell "Jamaica Farewell" is a Jamaican-style folk song (mento). The lyrics for the song were written by Lord Burgess ( Irving Burgie), an American-born, half- Barbadian songwriter. It is about the beauties of the West Indian Islands. Harry Belafonte ...

", one partial and one full take of "Louie Louie", and "Haunted Castle" were recorded. For "Louie Louie", the only vocal number, Ely was forced to lean back and sing to a microphone suspended from the ceiling. "It was more yelling than singing", Ely said, cause I was trying to be heard over all the instruments." In addition, he was wearing braces at the time of the performance, further compounding his infamously slurred words. Ely sang the beginning of the third verse two bars too early but realized his mistake and waited for the rest of the band to catch up. The Kingsmen were not proud of the recording and wanted to fix their mistakes, but Chase liked the energy and rawness and assured them that the demo version could be redone before a record was released. The one hour session cost either $36, $50, or somewhere in between and the band split the cost. With a competing "Louie Louie" version from Paul Revere and the Raiders getting heavy play on a competing station, Chase began playing the Kingsmen's demo version on his show at KISN. He then contracted with Jerry Dennon's Jerden Records to press a single. The B-side was "Haunted Castle", composed by Ely and Don Gallucci, the new keyboardist; however, Lynn Easton was credited on both the Jerden and

Wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which ...

releases. "Louie Louie" reached No. 1 on the '' Cashbox'' and ''

Music Vendor ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' and ''Cashbox (magazine), Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', b ...

'' charts and No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Additionally it reached No. 1 on the CHUM Canada chart and in the UK it reached No. 26 on the ''

Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The titl ...

'' chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The band attracted nationwide attention when "Louie Louie" was banned by the

governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state governmen ...

Matthew E. Welsh Matthew Empson Welsh (September 15, 1912 – May 28, 1995) was an American politician who was the 41st governor of Indiana and a member of the Democratic Party, serving from 1961 to 1965. His term as governor saw a major increase in statewide ...

, also attracting the attention of the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

because of alleged indecent

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...

in their version of the song. The lyrics were, in fact, innocent, but Ely's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities. (Ironically, the FBI totally missed Lynn Easton yelling "Fuck!" at 0:54 after fumbling a drum fill.) All of this attention only made the song more popular. In April 1966 "Louie Louie" was reissued and once again hit the music charts, reaching No. 65 on the ''Cashbox'' chart and No. 97 on the ''Billboard Hot 100'' chart. In 1985,

Ross Shafer Ross Alan Shafer (born December 10, 1954) is an American comedian, network television host, and motivational and leadership speaker/consultant. He has authored nine business books, won a stand-up comedy competition, and earned six Emmys as a net ...

, host and a writer-performer of the late-night comedy series ''

Almost Live! ''Almost Live!'' was a local sketch comedy television show in Seattle, Washington, USA, produced and broadcast by NBC affiliate KING-TV from 1984 to 1999. A re-packaged version of the show also aired on Comedy Central from 1992 to 1993, and episod ...

'' on the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

TV station

KING King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

, spearheaded an effort to have "Louie Louie" replace "

Washington, My Home "Washington, My Home" (sometimes stylized "Washington My Home") is the state song of Washington, in the United States. It was composed in 1951 by Helen Davis and set to music by Stuart Churchill under the name "America, My Home". Subsequently, ...

" by Helen Davis as

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

's official

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

. Picking up on this initially prankish effort,

Whatcom County Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Co ...

Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No. 85–12 in the state legislature, citing the need for a "contemporary

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at s ...

that can be used to engender a sense of pride and community, and in the enhancement of tourism and economic development". His resolution also called for the creation of a new "Louie Louie County". While the House did not pass it, the Senate's Resolution 1985-37 declared April 12, 1985, "Louie Louie Day". A crowd of 4,000, estimated by press reports, convened at the

state capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

that day for speeches, singalongs, and performances by the Wailers, the Kingsmen, and Paul Revere and the Raiders. Two days later, a Seattle event commemorated the occasion with the premiere performance of a new, Washington-centric version of the song written by composer Berry. Over the years the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie" has been recognized by organizations and publications worldwide for its influence on the history of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. Rankings and recognition in major publications and surveys are shown in the table below.

Kingsmen history

Before the success of "Louie Louie", the members of the Kingsmen took varied paths. Easton, whose mother had registered the name of the group and therefore owned it, declared that from this point on he intended to be the singer asserting, "It's my band because I own the name" (he and his mother had registered the name), and forcing Ely to play the drums. This led Ely and Nordby to quit the group in 1963, and Gary Abbott and Norm Sundholm were added to play drums and bass, respectively. Don Gallucci was forced out because he wasn't old enough to tour and later formed

Don and the Goodtimes Don and the Goodtimes were an American garage rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1964. Fronted by Don Gallucci, former keyboardist of the Kingsmen, the group made a name for itself in the Northwest rock scene performing in ...

, which morphed into the short-lived

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position ( proprioception), and pain. It ...

. Later, Gallucci became a record producer with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between th ...

, with his most famous production being

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Da ...

' seminal second album '' Fun House''. The two remaining original Kingsmen, Lynn Easton and Mike Mitchell, were joined by Gary Abbott, Barry Curtis and Norm Sundholm to record their first album and tour as the official band. Dick Peterson (not

Dickie Peterson Richard Allan Peterson (September 12, 1946 – October 12, 2009)lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...

to Ely's vocals, and subsequent releases of "Louie Louie" were required to have the text "Lead vocal by Jack Ely" below the title. Unable to perform using the Kingsmen name, Ely continued with his groups the Squires and the Courtmen. He also received a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

for "Louie Louie" as part of the settlement. The Kingsmen's 1964 follow up to "Louie Louie" was a party version of "

Money (That's What I Want) "Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, di ...

" which hit the ''Billboard Hot 100'' at No. 16 and on ''Cashbox'' at No. 17. Then came " Little Latin Lupe Lu" peaking on ''Billboard'' at No. 46 and ''Cashbox'' at No. 49. After that it was "Death of An Angel" No. 33 on Cashbox and No. 42 on Billboard. After starting 1965 with their own float in the Rose Bowl Parade, the Kingsmen returned to the Top 10 nationally with "

The Jolly Green Giant "The Jolly Green Giant" is a song written by Lynn Easton, Don Harris, and Dewey Terry and performed by The Kingsmen. It reached #1 on the Canadian chart, #4 on the U.S. pop chart, and #25 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1965. It was featured on th ...

" reaching No. 4 on Billboard and No. 8 on Cashbox. The novelty number also made No. 25 on the Billboard R&B chart and hit No. 1 on the

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...

Canada chart. The follow-up song was "The Climb", No. 45 on Cashbox and No. 65 on Billboard. "Annie Fanny" was released next reaching No. 43 on Cashbox and No. 47 on Billboard. Next came " (You Got) The Gamma Goochee", No. 98 on Cashbox and No. 122 on Billboard. The group also appeared in the beach party movie ''

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini ''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' is a 1965 Pathécolor beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Bev ...

'' singing "Give Her Lovin'" (released as a B-side to "Annie Fanny") which appeared on the soundtrack album along with their recording of the title song. In 1966 the Kingsmen continued to hit the charts with "Killer Joe" reaching No. 77 on Billboard and No. 81 on Cashbox. Their original recording of "Louie Louie" was re-released as "Louie Louie 64-65-66" and re-entered the Billboard, Cash Box, and Record World charts. They also released a promotional item, a "picture-sleeve-clad potato-chip ad jingle 45" titled "The Krunch", their only picture sleeve single, which did not chart. In 1967 they made the charts for the last time with "Bo Diddley Bach" reaching No. 128 on Billboard. Later that year, founding member Lynn Easton left the group. He worked for an advertising firm and hosted ''this is IT'', a "bandstand-type" show for Portland television station

KGW KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city's ...

. In late 1968 with the original group on a recording and touring hiatus, the Kingsmen's management team worked with the Kasenetz-

Katz Katz or KATZ may refer to: Fiction * Katz Kobayashi, a character in Japanese anime * "Katz", a 1947 Nelson Algren story in ''The Neon Wilderness'' * Katz, a character in ''Courage the Cowardly Dog'' Other uses *Katz (surname) *Katz, British Colum ...

production organization and studio musicians to release a single on the Earth label ("Feed Me"/"Just A 'B' Side"). A separate lineup was formed with new members (including lead singer

Yank Barry Yank Barry (born 29 January 1948 as Gerald Barry Falovitch) is a Canadian businessman and musician. He is the founder and CEO of VitaPro Foods, a company that makes textured vegetable protein for use as a meat substitute and an apple pectin p ...

) to tour for a time during 1968–1969 on the East Coast of the United States while the main lineup of the band was inactive. In 1973 the reactivated group signed with

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerou ...

and released one single which did not chart. In addition to Jack Ely's groups and re-recordings, several of the Kingsmen pursued other solo projects. Dick Peterson and Barry Curtis as the Other Two released two singles in 1966, and Lynn Easton re-recorded "The Jolly Green Giant" in 1976. Peterson as Dick St. Nicklaus released two albums, ''Magic'' (1979) and ''Sweet and Dandy'' (1980), and multiple singles. In 1983, the group successfully sued

K-tel K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including ''The Super Hits'' series, ''The Dynamic ...

over the release of the 1982 ''60's Dance Party'' album because it featured a 1976 Jack Ely re-recording of "Louie Louie" billed as by "The Kingsmen" and displayed the text "These selections are rerecordings by the original artists" on the back cover. K-tel had also similarly marketed the Lynn Easton re-recording of "The Jolly Green Giant". In 1993, members of the group brought legal action against

Gusto Records Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based record company that specializes in reissuing and licensing recordings. The catalogues that Gusto owns include King Records (except for recordings by James Brown), Starday, Scepter (except for reco ...

to have all of their original recordings returned. Gusto had acquired the Kingsmen song rights from Springboard International Records, Inc., who had purchased the entire Scepter-Wand catalog in 1977 after

Florence Greenberg Florence Greenberg (September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. Greenberg was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is ...

's retirement, but the group had not been paid royalties since 1968. In 1998, the Kingsmen were awarded ownership of all their early recordings, including "Louie Louie". The Kingsmen were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the

2008 Universal fire On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm asph ...

. Mike Mitchell died on April 16, 2021, on his 77th birthday. At the time of his death, he was the only remaining member of the Kingsmen's original lineup who still performed with the band. His "Louie Louie" guitar break has been called "iconic", "blistering", and "one of the most famous guitar solos of all time". ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political ...

'' magazine noted, "Raw, lightning-fast, and loud, the solo's unbridled energy helped make the song a No. 2 pop hit, but also helped set the template for garage-rock – and later hard-rock – guitar."

Members

Current

*Dick Peterson – drums, vocals (1963–present) *Steve Peterson – guitar, vocals (1988–present) *Kim Nicklaus – keyboards (1982–1984, 2000–present) *Todd McPherson – bass, guitar, vocals (1992–present) *Dennis Mitchell – guitar, vocals (2006–present) *Marc Willett – bass (1984–1992), (2021–present)

Former

*Mike Mitchell – vocals, guitar (1959–2021; died 2021) *Lynn Easton – vocals, drums, saxophone (1959–1967; died 2020) *

Jack Ely Jack Brown Ely (September 11, 1943 – April 28, 2015) was an American guitarist and singer, best known for singing the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie". Classically trained in piano, he began playing guitar after seeing Elvis Presley on tel ...

– vocals, guitar (1959–1963; died 2015) *Bob Nordby – bass (1959–1963) *Don Gallucci – keyboards (1962–1963) *Gary Abbott – drums (1963; died 2015) *Norm Sundholm – bass (1963–1967) *Barry Curtis – keyboards, guitar (1963–2005) *Kerry Magness – bass (1966–1967; died 2004) *J.C. Rieck – keyboards, vocals (1966–1967; died 2019) *Turley Richards – vocals, guitar (1967) *Pete Borg – bass (1967; died 2010) *Jeff Beals – bass (1967–1968); died 2016 *Steve Friedson – keyboards (1967–1973) *Yank Barry – vocals (1968–1969) *Fred Dennis – bass (1972–1984) *Andy Parypa – bass (1982–1984)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1959 till:01/12/2021 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1959 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Sax value:yellow legend:Saxophone id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:live value:gray(0.5) legend:Live_album LineData = layer:back color:studio at:28/12/1963 at:01/01/1964 at:20/02/1965 at:04/11/1965 at:20/08/1966 at:01/12/1966 layer:back color:live at:01/12/1992 at:29/08/1994 at:01/01/1995 at:01/01/2003 at:01/03/2011 BarData = bar:Mike text:Mike Mitchell bar:Jack text:Jack Ely bar:Turley text:Turley Richards bar:Steve text:Steve Peterson bar:Dennis text:Dennis Mitchell bar:Lynn text:Lynn Easton bar:Gary text:Gary Abbott bar:Dick text:Dick Peterson bar:Bob text:Bob Nordby bar:Norm text:Norm Sundholm bar:Kerry text:Kerry Magness bar:Pete text:Pete Borg bar:Jeff text:Jeff Beals bar:Fred text:Fred Dennis bar:Andy text:Andy Parypa bar:Marc text:Marc Willet bar:Todd text:Todd McPherson bar:Don text:Don Gallucci bar:Barry text:Barry Curtis bar:JC text:J.C. Reick bar:SteveF text:Steve Friedson bar:Kim text:Kim Nicklaus PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Mike from:start till:16/04/2021 color:vocals width:3 bar:Mike from:start till:16/04/2021 color:guitar bar:Lynn from:start till:01/01/1967 color:vocals width:3 bar:Lynn from:start till:01/01/1963 color:drums bar:Lynn from:01/01/1963 till:01/01/1967 color:sax bar:Jack from:start till:01/01/1963 color:vocals width:3 bar:Jack from:start till:01/01/1963 color:guitar bar:Bob from:start till:01/01/1963 color:bass bar:Don from:01/01/1962 till:01/01/1963 color:keyboards bar:Gary from:01/01/1963 till:01/06/1963 color:drums bar:Norm from:01/01/1963 till:01/01/1967 color:bass bar:Barry from:01/01/1963 till:01/01/1966 color:keyboards bar:Barry from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/2005 color:keyboards bar:Kerry from:01/01/1967 till:06/01/1967 color:bass bar:JC from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/1967 color:keyboards bar:JC from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/1967 color:vocals width:3 bar:Turley from:01/01/1967 till:01/06/1967 color:vocals width:3 bar:Turley from:01/01/1967 till:01/06/1967 color:guitar bar:Pete from:06/01/1967 till:06/01/1969 color:bass bar:Jeff from:06/01/1969 till:01/01/1972 color:bass bar:SteveF from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1973 color:keyboards bar:Fred from:01/01/1972 till:01/01/1982 color:bass bar:Andy from:01/01/1982 till:01/01/1984 color:bass bar:Kim from:01/01/1982 till:01/01/1984 color:keyboards bar:Kim from:01/01/2000 till:end color:keyboards bar:Marc from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1992 color:bass bar:Marc from:01/01/2021 till:end color:bass bar:Dick from:01/06/1963 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Dick from:01/06/1963 till:end color:drums bar:Todd from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/2021 color:bass bar:Todd from:01/01/2021 till:end color:guitar bar:Todd from:01/01/1992 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Dennis from:01/01/2006 till:end color:guitar bar:Dennis from:01/01/2006 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Steve from:01/01/1988 till:end color:guitar bar:Steve from:01/01/1988 till:end color:vocals width:3

Discography

U.S. albums and singles, plus major compilation releases and appearances on 1960s various artist compilations.

Studio albums

Listed in chronological order with peak chart positions (''Billboard''/''Cashbox'') noted. *'' The Kingsmen in Person'' (Wand WDM/WDS-657) 1963 (#20/#16) *''

The Kingsmen Volume II ''The Kingsmen Volume II'' is the second album by the rock band The Kingsmen, released in 1964. Release and reception The Kingsmen released Volume II (subtitled "More Great Sounds From The Group That Gave You "Louie, Louie") to capitalize on th ...

'' (Wand WDM/WDS-659) 1964 (#15/#20) *''

The Kingsmen Volume 3 ''The Kingsmen Volume 3'' is the third album by the rock band the Kingsmen, released in 1965. Release and reception The Kingsmen's third album featured "The Jolly Green Giant", a novelty number which reached #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop ...

'' (Wand WDM/WDS-662) 1965 (#22/#10) *'' The Kingsmen on Campus'' (Wand WDM/WDS-670) 1965 (#68/#53) *''

15 Great Hits ''15 Great Hits'' is the fifth album by the rock music, rock band The Kingsmen, released in 1966. Release and reception The Kingsmen's fifth album was an amalgam containing seven new songs, one previously released single, four alternate versions ...

'' (Wand WDM/WDS-674) 1966 (#87/–) *''

Up and Away ''Up and Away'' is the sixth album by the rock band The Kingsmen, released in 1966. Release and reception The Kingsmen's sixth album represented a departure from previous efforts with new producers and a revamped line-up. Barry Curtis had b ...

'' (Wand WDM/WDS-675) 1966

Live albums

* ''Plugged'' (Kingsmen CD 1) 1995 * ''Garage Sale'' (Louie Louie Records) 2003

Releases of earlier material

* ''Louie Louie – Live & Unreleased'' (Jerden 7004) recorded 1963, released 1992 *''Since We've Been Gone'' (

Sundazed Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio ...

6027) recorded 1967, released 1994 *''Live At The Castle'' (digital only) recorded 1964, released 2011

Compilation albums

*'' The Kingsmen Greatest Hits'' (Wand WDM/WDS-681) 1967 *''The Best of the Kingsmen'' (Scepter/Citation Series CTN-18002) 1972 *''A Quarter to Three'' (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3329) 1980 *''Ya Ya'' (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3330) 1980 *''House Party'' (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3346) 1980 *''The Kingsmen Greatest Hits'' (Picc-A-Dilly PIC-3348) 1981 *''The Best of the Kingsmen'' (Rhino RNLP 126) 1985 *''Rock & Roll – Kingsmen'' (Starday N5-2125) 1985 *''Louie Louie – The Kingsmen'' (Prime Cuts 1322) 1986 *''The Kingsmen – 12 Greatest'' (Golden Circle CS 57582) 198? *''The Kingsmen – Louie, Louie'' (Golden Circle GC57881) 1987 *''The Jolly Green Giant'' (Richmond 2125) 1988 *''The Kingsmen – Louie Louie'' (Highland Music/Richmond 2138) 1988 *''The Best of the Kingsmen'' (Rhino 70745) 1989 *''The Kingsmen – Louie Louie and More Golden Classics'' (Collectables 5073) 1991 *''The Kingsmen – 20 Greats'' (Highland Music/Festival FST FCD 4417) 1991 *''The World of the Kingsmen/Louie Louie'' (Trace 0400612) 1992 *''Louie Louie'' 1994 *''The Best of the Kingsmen'' (Laserlight/Delta 124 24) 1995 *''The Very Best of the Kingsmen'' (Varèse Sarabande/Varèse Vintage 5905) 1998 *''The Kingsmen's Greatest Hits'' (K-tel K4185-2) 1998 *''Louie Louie: The Very Best of the Kingsmen'' (Collectables 5628) 1999 *''The Kingsmen – America's Premier 60s Garage Band'' (Edel America 70172) 2000 *''The Kingsmen – Gold'' (N'Dagroove Records NDA5331) 2012 *''The Kingsmen – Louie Louie and Other Great Hits'' (digital only) 2021

Singles

Appearances (1960s releases)

*''Original Great Northwest Hits, Volume 1'' ( Jerden JRL 7001, 1964) – "Louie Louie" *''Original Great Northwest Hits, Volume 2'' (Jerden JRL 7002, 1964) – "J.A.J." *''The Groups are the Greatest – The Greatest of the Groups'' (

Scepter A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

518, 1964) – "Louie Louie", "Money", "Bent Scepter" *''

Murray The K Murray Kaufman (February 14, 1922 – February 21, 1982), professionally known as Murray the K, was an influential New York City rock and roll impresario and disc jockey of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. During the early days of Beatlemania, he freque ...

– The

Fifth Beatle The fifth Beatle is an informal title that has been applied to people who were at one point a member of the Beatles or who had a strong association with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The "fifth Beatle" claims fi ...

Gives You Their Golden Gassers'' (Scepter 524, 1964) – "Louie Louie", "Money" *''The Greatest on Stage'' (

661, 1965) – "David's Mood", "Money", "Louie Louie" *''

'' soundtrack (Wand 671, 1965) – "Give Her Lovin'", "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" *''The Hitmakers'' (Jerden JRL 7005, 1965) – "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brother ...

", "All the Little Animals" *'' KHJ Boss Goldens, Volume 1'' (

Original Sound Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs. History Th ...

KHJ 9365, 1965) – "The Jolly Green Giant" *'' Wolfman's Favorite Oldies'' (Scepter 564, 1967) – "Louie Louie", "Killer Joe" *''Battle of the Bands, Volume 2'' (Panorama 109, 1967) – " C.C. Rider" *''보칼 넘버원! 제1집'', (Daedo Records EU-138, 1968) – "Louie Louie" ;Discography notes

Other uses of the name

Prior to this group's formation, another group called The Kingsmen operated in 1958 and was made up of members of

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

who were moonlighting from their regular work with Haley. This group scored a

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

(#35) on Billboard with the instrumental entitled "Week End", written by

Rudy Pompilli Rudolph Clement Pompilii (April 16, 1924 – February 5, 1976) was an American musician best known for playing tenor saxophone with Bill Haley and His Comets. He was usually credited under the alternate spelling Rudy Pompilli and occasionally as ...

Franny Beecher Francis Eugene Beecher (September 29, 1921 – February 24, 2014) was the lead guitarist for Bill Haley & His Comets from 1954 to 1962, and is best remembered for his innovative guitar solos combining elements of country music and jazz. He co ...

, and Billy Williamson, backed with "Better Believe It" as the B side. They released a follow-up single on East West Records featuring "The Catwalk" backed with "Conga Rock". Although the Comets did the actual recordings, when the Kingsmen went on tour a different set of musicians performed instead of Haley's people. The band made at least one appearance on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

'' in 1958. Many other groups have used the name "The Kingsmen", including a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

formed in 1956 (also referred to as

The Kingsmen Quartet The Kingsmen Quartet (better known as The Kingsmen) is an American Southern gospel vocal quartet. Musical career and Awards The Kingsmen are a Southern Gospel vocal quartet based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Many singers of Southern G ...

), and bands that were later renamed as

Flamin' Groovies Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan. After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic (''Supersnazz'') and Kama Sutra (''Flamingo'' and '' Teenage He ...

The Gants The Gants was an American garage rock band that formed in 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi, in the cultural and geographic Deep South. History The Kingsmen – a different band from the Kingsmen that had a major hit with " Louie Louie" in the ...

and

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

. An a cappella group at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

is traditionally known as the Kingsmen; former members include

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 ...

and the original lineup of

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...

References

External links

Official Kingsmen webpage
* *
The Kingsmen at Northwest Music Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingsmen, The Musical groups established in 1959 Garage rock groups from Oregon Musical groups from Portland, Oregon 1959 establishments in Oregon Wand Records artists