Spanky & Our Gang

Spanky & Our Gang occupies an unusual niche among 1960s ensembles. Between 1967 and 1969 the act notched several Top 40 singles yet remains largely overlooked in standard accounts of the era’s pop landscape. Tracks such as “Sunday Will Never Be the Same,” “Lazy Day,” “Like to Get to Know You,” and “Give a Damn” helped define the sonic atmosphere of those years in much the same way as material by the Mamas & the Papas, a comparison frequently drawn at the time. The quartet never achieved the same iconic status as their West Coast counterparts, however; they possessed neither the latter’s instantly recognizable group persona nor the visual charisma of its individual members, and they lacked an in-house songwriting team of comparable caliber. Strong vocal blend and solid musical intuition nevertheless marked their work, which extended well beyond the buoyant singles that brought them initial recognition.

Although folk-rock textures figured prominently in their recordings, the ensemble drew equally from a pop-jazz heritage. Elaine McFarlane had already immersed herself in blues and jazz when she began performing professionally with the Jamie Lyn Trio in 1962. By early 1963 she had moved to the New Wine Singers, a unit that combined folk and topical material with Dixieland elements. During this period she formed a close association with trombonist and vocalist Malcolm Hale and acquired the nickname “Spanky” after fellow member Arnie Lanza noted her resemblance to George “Spanky” McFarland of the Little Rascals comedies.

After the New Wine Singers disbanded in 1965, McFarlane traveled to Florida that winter and encountered Oz Bach and Nigel Pickering at a hurricane party. Three days of impromptu music-making while the storm kept them indoors led to an offer for the pair to relocate to Chicago later that year. McFarlane had taken a job as a singing waitress at Mother Blues when owner Curly Tait asked her to form an opening act for visiting performers. She enlisted Bach and Pickering, who quickly shaped a three-part vocal repertoire and, mindful of limited preparation time, added comic sketches in the manner of earlier folk trios.

The resulting trio, equipped with bass, guitar, washboard, and kazoo, projected the loose, humorous energy of a ramshackle jugband akin to the early Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They adopted the name Spanky & Our Gang in jest, yet favorable local press coverage caused the moniker to endure. Malcolm Hale soon joined on guitar and percussion as the group advanced to larger venues, with Tait assuming managerial duties.

Mercury Records, headquartered in Chicago, took interest as folk-rock gained momentum during 1965–1966. By late 1966 the label had signed the act. Producer Jerry Ross guided their initial sessions, imparting a refined studio sheen reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas. At their debut New York date the group received “Sunday Will Never Be the Same,” a composition previously declined by the Mamas & the Papas and the Left Banke. Hale devised the track’s signature vocal introduction. Issued in May 1967, the single climbed to number nine by June, standing out among the Summer of Love’s folk-inflected releases.

Drummer John Seiter came aboard in summer 1967 precisely as the ensemble gained traction. A follow-up single, “Making Every Minute Count,” reached number 22, while “Lazy Day” peaked at number 14 later that year. Their polished harmonies and sleek arrangements overlapped with both pop-jazz and contemporary advertising jingles; these qualities informed the preparations for their first album.

Late in 1967 Mercury rushed the debut LP into release before all tracks were finalized, supplementing the three charting singles with new material and several works still in progress. Among the unexpected inclusions was “Five Definitions of Love,” a jazzy setting of dictionary entries for the word “love.” The band expressed disappointment that an incomplete version of “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” also appeared.

In early 1968 Oz Bach departed; Kenny Hodges took over bass and brought guitarist-singer Lefty Baker, born Eustace Britchforth. Dissatisfied with the glossy results obtained under Jerry Ross, the revised lineup turned to Stuart Scharf and Bob Dorough, producers previously associated with the Chad Mitchell Trio on Mercury. Working with this team, the group fashioned the Top 30 hit “Sunday Morning,” notable for its expanded six-part harmonies. During sessions for the second album the title track “Like to Get to Know You” emerged. In contrast to the debut, the Like to Get to Know You LP embraced blues, 1940s vocal jazz-pop, the luminous harmony piece “Stardust” that later inspired the Manhattan Transfer, and the socially pointed “Give a Damn,” which reached number 43 despite widespread radio bans prompted by its title.

Their third album, Anything You Choose/Without Rhyme or Reason, was conceived as an unbroken musical sequence saturated with blues, jazz, folk, and pop elements. Studio musicians handled most instrumental duties, yet the greater obstacle proved the absence of an immediately commercial single in the style of earlier successes. The material’s sophistication and gravity kept all but the previously issued “Give a Damn” below number 90 on the charts. Vocal execution remained strong and Scharf and Dorough supplied arrangements that challenged the singers’ capabilities. In October 1968, however, Malcolm Hale died suddenly of pneumonia at age twenty-seven; the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and arranger had been central to the band’s cohesion.

Following Hale’s death the members fulfilled existing tour dates and then reconsidered their direction. McFarlane was expecting a child and intended to limit future performances, while Seiter received an invitation to join the Turtles on drums. Rather than rebuild around these departures, the group elected to disband. McFarlane and her husband Charly Galvin, the former road manager, assembled Spanky’s Greatest Hits, a collection whose remixed versions of key tracks sparked some controversy.

Mercury issued one further release, Spanky & Our Gang Live, in 1970. Compiled from an amateur yet high-quality tape of an early post-signing performance from 1966, the album captured the group’s sound prior to any studio work. The members voiced reservations about the project, though dedicated listeners valued the window it provided into their formative stage.

In 1975 Nigel Pickering and Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane reconstituted the act with a country-western orientation and recorded the album Change for Epic Records. Although the stylistic shift was pronounced, the concerts of 1975 and 1976 drew many longtime supporters; original member Oz Bach rejoined after the LP appeared. McFarlane later became most visible as the replacement for the late Cass Elliot in the revived Mamas & the Papas during the 1980s, yet she continued to honor her folk and blues origins, appearing at events such as the 1996 benefit for terminally ill songwriter Bob Gibson. Oz Bach succumbed to cancer in September 1998.