Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids

Formed during March 1969 in Colorado, USA, Flash Cadillac And The Continental Kids belonged to the wave of groups that sent up 1950s rock following the example of Sha Na Na. The founding members, all students at the University of Colorado, were Kris ‘Angelo’ Moe on keyboards and vocals, Linn ‘Spike’ Phillips III on guitar and vocals, Mick ‘Flash’ Manresa on guitar and vocals, George Robinson on saxophone, Warren ‘Butch’ Knight on bass and vocals, and Harold ‘Marty’ Fielden on drums. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1971, the ensemble attracted the attention of pop svengali Kim Fowley and began attracting industry notice. Mick ‘Flash’ Manresa and Harold ‘Marty’ Fielden departed, with Sam ‘Flash’ McFadin on guitar and vocals and John ‘Ricco’ Masino on drums taking their places; Masino inaugurated a succession of percussionists that later included Jeff ‘Wally’ Stewart and Paul ‘Wheaty’ Wheatbread. The band secured notable roles in the films American Graffiti and Apocalypse Now as well as on the television programs American Bandstand and Happy Days. Its 1973 debut album offered solid interpretations of rock ‘n’ roll standards. The follow-up, No Face Like Chrome, drew from 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s idioms and echoed the spirit of Britain’s pub rock movement. Three modest national singles—“Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night),” “Good Times, Rock & Roll,” and “Did You Boogie (With Your Baby)”—briefly raised their profile, while saxophonist Dwight ‘Spider’ Bement assumed a larger share of the arrangements. By the close of the 1970s the group had receded from the broader music landscape. Operating thereafter as Flash Cadillac, the musicians established a private studio near Colorado Springs, maintained a schedule of summer fair engagements that occasionally featured a full symphony orchestra, and supplied music for the syndicated oldies program Supergold. Both Linn ‘Spike’ Phillips III and Sam ‘Flash’ McFadin died of heart attacks, the former in March 1993 and the latter on 31 August 2001 in Colorado Springs.