October Country

October Country emerged as a six-piece harmony pop ensemble based in Los Angeles, chiefly noted today for its close ties to the multifaceted producer, composer, and songwriter Michael Lloyd. By the time he turned thirteen Lloyd had already secured a publishing agreement through L.A. producer Kim Fowley, who soon arranged an introduction to entertainment executive Mike Curb. Although Fowley had envisioned placing Lloyd’s material in the “teensploitation” pictures Curb was then overseeing, Curb instead extended the young songwriter the chance to helm sessions for several acts on his Tower label and its Sidewalk offshoot, among them Lloyd’s own outfit the Laughing Wind. Lloyd was fifteen when Fowley produced his debut single in 1966; a few years afterward the same unit—featuring guitarist Stan Ayeroff and drummer Steve Baim—issued a series of “songbook” LPs, among them the Cream Songbook, though they appeared under the billing “the Rubber Band.” As Lloyd’s standing within the Los Angeles music scene continued to climb, fresh projects came his way. One such assignment involved producing a folk-rock collective in the vein of We Five, fronted by vocal siblings Caryle De Franca and her brother Joe. The pair had already appeared on the Sunset Strip, where they supported the Rivingtons and the Coasters. The musicians convened at Columbia Records and, with Lloyd guiding the session, cut the original composition “October Country.” Once the basic tracks were finished Lloyd replaced many of the instrumental parts with his own overdubs. The ensemble thereafter adopted the name October Country, signed to Epic Records, and saw its inaugural single issued in late 1967. The follow-up, “My Girlfriend Is a Witch,” arrived in spring 1968, and a third 45, “Cowboys and Indians,” followed several months later. A self-titled album appeared the same year, yet none of the releases extended their reach beyond Los Angeles. Impressed nonetheless, Curb granted Lloyd unrestricted access to Hollywood Boulevard Studios for the ensuing half-year, during which Lloyd and two additional players wrote, performed, and tracked a full-length collection of Laurel Canyon-styled psych-folk for Sidewalk Productions; the resulting album surfaced under the name the Smoke and featured Lloyd alongside the remaining members of the studio ensemble formerly known as the Rubber Band. In 1969 Curb and Lloyd supplied bubblegum material for the animated series Cattanooga Cats, including a pop-punk rendition of “My Girlfriend Is a Witch” whose lead vocal has been attributed to Rupert Holmes.