The Mojo Men was an American rock band based in San Francisco. Formed in 1965, the group underwent several name and personnel changes until their 1969 breakup. Their highest-charting ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single was a cover of

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...

's " Sit Down, I Think I Love You", which peaked at number 36 in 1967.

History

Singer/bassist Jim Alaimo (), guitarist Paul Curcio, drummer Dennis DeCarr (Potokar), and keyboardist Don Metchick were bandmates in Florida who moved to San Francisco in 1964 to form a new band. There they met Sylvester Stewart, later known as

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (March 15, 1943 – June 9, 2025), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, was an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the development ...

, then a record producer at Autumn Records for acts such as The Beau Brummels and The Vejtables. Stewart and the band recorded a few songs under the name Sly and the Mojo Men but Stewart, unsatisfied with the results, chose not to release them. He continued working with the band as a songwriter and producer on "Dance with Me" (1965), the Mojo Men's first song to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and "She's My Baby" (1966). DeCarr (Potokar) left the group in 1966 and was replaced by drummer/vocalist Jan Errico, formerly of the Vejtables. The Mojo Men then moved from Autumn to

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

, where the band's earlier

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...

-influenced

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

style evolved into pop/

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

. In 1967, the band released a

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cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

's " Sit Down, I Think I Love You". Written by

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

and arranged by

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...

, the song became the Mojo Men's first and only top 40 single. Metchick left the band in 1968, and the remaining trio shortened their name to The Mojo, and then just Mojo, before they released their lone studio album, ''Mojo Magic'', on

GRT Records GRT Records was the name of both a U.S. and a Canadian record label, both created by General Recorded Tape, a California-based company that existed from 1965 to 1979.Richard GreenGRT of Canada, Ltd. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2013-02-26 ...

.Uncredited
Profile of The Mojo
Bad Cat Records. Retrieved April 19, 2013. The group disbanded in 1969. "Sit Down, I Think I Love You" was included on the seminal 1972 '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' garage rock compilation album.

Sundazed Music Sundazed Music is an American independent record label founded and based in Coxsackie, New York. It was initially known as a '60s-centric surf, garage, and psych label. Over time with the additions of imprints such as Modern Harmonic, American ...

released three Mojo Men compilation albums between 1995 and 2003, and in 2008 Big Beat Records released the compilation ''Not Too Old to Start Cryin': The Lost 1966 Masters''. The band's single "She's My Baby" was sampled on

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's "Hell of a Life", a song from his 2010 album ''

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010. Retreating to a self-imposed exile in Hawaii after a period of ...

''. Curcio founded the Music America Studios in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, and produced Kill 'Em All,

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

's debut studio album (1983). He died on September 10, 2018, at age 74.

Discography

Studio album

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mojo Men, The Garage rock groups from California Folk rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1969 Musical groups from San Francisco Psychedelic rock music groups from California Autumn Records artists Warner Records artists