John Petersen

John Petersen handled drumming duties for the Beau Brummels before moving to Harpers Bizarre, where he remained from late 1966 through 1970. His presence in the Beau Brummels bolstered the band’s visual appeal because of his close resemblance to the Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones. Although he supplied no original material, Petersen took the occasional lead vocal, including on “Sometime at Night” from the group’s second album and on “That’s All That Matters,” a Kinks-like garage rock outtake from their debut album that surfaced only in the 1990s. Late in 1966 he exited the Beau Brummels to join the Tikis, a San Francisco act that, like the Beau Brummels, had begun on the independent Autumn label before being transferred to Warner Bros. The Tikis were then adopting the name Harpers Bizarre and had already cut the first Harpers Bizarre hit, “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).” Petersen stayed until the band dissolved in the early 1970s, experiencing modest commercial success even though its airy sunshine pop never matched the interest of his earlier Beau Brummels work. He rejoined the Beau Brummels for recording and performances during their mid-1970s reunion. In 1969 he married Roberta Templeman, sister of Harpers Bizarre member Ted Templeman. Ted Templeman later built a career as a successful producer, and Roberta Templeman rose to vice president at Warner Bros. Records in the 1980s.