Flamin' Groovies

The Flamin' Groovies forged a lasting path by championing the virtues of earlier eras rather than chasing contemporary trends. Emerging in San Francisco during the late 1960s, the group showed scant enthusiasm for the psychedelic sounds dominating the Bay Area and instead embraced the spirit of foundational rock & roll, classic R&B, and the gritty edge of early-1960s rock. Their 1971 album Teenage Head introduced the enduring track "Teenage Head," yet subsequent personnel shifts steered the outfit toward British Invasion influences that evoked the Beatles' peak alongside Byrds-style 12-string textures. The 1976 release Shake Some Action featured its chiming, reflective title song, which helped shape the gentler strain of power pop during that period. Under guitarist Cyril Jordan's steady guidance, various configurations of the band persisted with intermittent activity across subsequent decades, issuing what appeared to be a concluding effort, Rock Juice, in 1993. Jordan reconvened the ensemble in the 2000s, allowing classic lineups to perform at festivals and on tour. Their return yielded Fantastic Plastic in 2017, marking the first collection of new material in over two decades.

Cyril Jordan, a guitarist drawn to Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles, launched the story as a high school sophomore in 1965. Already performing alongside drummer Ron Greco, Jordan connected with fellow teenager George Alexander on bass. Alexander had been collaborating with Roy Loney on vocals and guitar plus Tim Lynch on guitar, and the pair extended an invitation for Jordan and Greco to join an evening jam session. The five musicians quickly absorbed 20 songs that night and recognized the foundation for a genuine group. Initially operating as the Chosen Few before adopting the name Lost and Found, Jordan and Greco united with Loney, Lynch, and Alexander to play teen dances and Battles of the Bands. A brief dissolution preceded their reformation in August 1966, at which point Danny Mihm took over drums from Greco, who later switched to bass with the pioneering San Francisco punk outfit Crime.

The group's revved-up sound and backward-looking perspective positioned them outside the prevailing San Francisco music community, a situation compounded by their original manager's tense dealings with local promoter Bill Graham. They secured performances at bars and modest venues, self-releasing the 10-inch EP Sneakers in 1967. Two runs of 1,500 copies sold through, and a third was nearly exhausted when Epic Records extended a deal. Entering the studio with producer Steve Goldman under terms granting unlimited time, the band refined their debut for the label. Supersnazz appeared in 1969 with a noticeably more polished sheen than the earlier EP, yet it conveyed the ensemble's core commitment to high-energy, authentic rock & roll and drew favorable notices. Commercial returns proved insufficient, prompting Epic to release the Groovies, who promptly landed at Kama Sutra Records for their 1970 follow-up Flamingo. That set delivered a more direct and forceful approach while showcasing improved original material. Teenage Head, released the next year, brought added refinement to their approach and suggested growing commercial traction, though mounting creative differences between Jordan and Loney led to the latter's departure by late 1971, soon followed by Tim Lynch. A 1997 Norton Records collection titled The Flamin' Groovies in Person!!!! captures one of Loney's final performances with the band.

Now firmly in charge, Jordan recruited singer and guitarist Chris Wilson along with guitarist James Farrell. The refreshed lineup began tracking material with producer Dave Edmunds and appeared ready to finalize an agreement with United Artists, but that arrangement collapsed and left the group in a holding pattern for several years, during which isolated tracks surfaced on limited European singles. Danny Mihm departed in this interval, with David Wright assuming drumming duties. Sire Records ended the uncertainty in 1976 by issuing Shake Some Action, whose title cut emerged as the band's signature song and cultivated a dedicated following without mainstream breakthrough. The British Invasion leanings of that album and the raw vitality of prior releases both left marks on the developing punk and new wave movements, briefly aligning the Groovies with the prevailing moment. Subsequent efforts, 1978's Flamin' Groovies Now and 1979's Jumpin' in the Night, garnered limited enthusiasm from audiences or reviewers; those releases also reflected James Farrell's exit and the addition of Mike Wilhelm, previously of the pre-psychedelic San Francisco group the Charlatans, as lead guitarist.

Sire ended its association by 1980, and Chris Wilson stepped away. Occasional shows continued with guitarist and vocalist Jack Johnson plus drummer Paul Zahl, yet no fresh recordings appeared until the live-in-the-studio album One Night Stand in 1987, captured in a single session amid an exhausting Australian and European tour. An album tracked in 1991 remained unreleased until the band split, finally surfacing two years later as Rock Juice.

Reissues and archival material kept interest alive across ensuing years. Cracker's 1995 version of "Shake Some Action" for the Clueless soundtrack generated royalties for songwriters Jordan and Wilson. Roy Loney maintained a solo career while Jordan formed Magic Christian, yet core supporters retained their allegiance. A 2009 reunion at the Ponderosa Stomp Festival in New Orleans marked the first joint appearance by Loney and Jordan since 1971, supported by members of the A-Bones whose drummer Miriam Linna had once led the Flamin' Groovies Fan Club. The event prompted a brief tour and reconnected Jordan with Chris Wilson and George Alexander. By 2013 Jordan had reassembled the group featuring Wilson, Alexander, and drummer Victor Peñalosa. Following extensive touring, the band prepared new material and unveiled the Jordan/Wilson original "Crazy Macy" online in April 2016. Fantastic Plastic arrived the following year, its artwork rendered by Jordan in the style of Mad Magazine illustrator Jack Davis and featuring contributions from Tubes drummer Prairie Prince plus members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Roy Loney, who filled in for Wilson on a shortened tour in May 2019, passed away on December 13, 2019.