1910 Fruitgum Company

The 1910 Fruitgum Company embodied the classic bubblegum outfit and originated from the efforts of Buddah Records staff producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz, the same pair who devised the Ohio Express and the Music Explosion. Their approach proved straightforward, drawing on unnamed session players such as vocalists Mark Gutkowski and Joey Levine, the latter also fronting the Ohio Express, plus guitarists Frank Jeckell, Pat Karwan, and Chuck Travis, horn player Larry Ripley, and drummers Rusty Oppenheimer and Floyd Marcus. This lineup turned out a steady stream of lightweight, airy pop numbers that appealed directly to listeners seeking relief from the harder-edged rock sounds prevalent in the late 1960s. The Kasenetz-Katz partnership achieved its initial major success through the group with the 1968 Top Five hit "Simon Says," which ignited the bubblegum trend, while the same year brought further singles success via "1, 2, 3 Red Light" and "Goody Goody Gumdrops," each serving as the title track for one of the band's first three albums. The 1969 single "Indian Giver," drawn from the Fruitgum Company's fourth LP, marked their final Top Five entry, and following the release of one additional album, Hard Ride, the group dissolved, though several members later appeared in the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus.