Biography
From Long Beach, California, the Emperors ranked among the standout garage outfits to surface from the West Coast teen circuit during the 1960s. Equally at home delivering gritty, R&B-tinged garage punk, introspective pop numbers, or lively dance tracks, the group earned status as one of the city’s top draws of the period. Although the original lineup never issued a full-length album, their scarce single sides later surfaced on the 2024 compilation I Want My Woman, which also incorporated several previously unheard tracks.
The band took shape in the early 1960s with Bill Hughes handling guitar and vocals, Randy Siegers on lead guitar, Stan Foat on bass, Steve Watts on drums, and saxophones supplied by Brian Cameron and Mike Elam. They rapidly built a following through performances at teen clubs, school dances, and local “Battle of the Bands” events, eventually securing opening slots for acts such as the Rolling Stones, the Righteous Brothers, and Peter & Gordon while making frequent appearances on regional television. Rising local demand led to a deal with Best Records, which issued a 1963 single credited to Steve & the Emperors that paired a high-energy reading of the Jerry Lee Lewis staple “Great Balls of Fire” with a brisk surf rendition of “The Breeze and I,” originally popularized by Jimmy Dorsey in 1940. Dropping the “Steve &” prefix, the group shifted to Best’s sister imprint Wickwire Records and delivered a 1964 45 containing two Bill Hughes compositions, “A Fool for You I’ve Been” and “Searchin’ Around the World.” Wickwire followed with another Emperors single later that year, featuring a cover of “Blue Day,” written by Tony Barber of the Australian beat band the Aztecs, backed by the original “Laughin’ Linda.”
Sabra Records, a subsidiary of Texas-based Lynn Records, next paired the Emperors with producer Lelan Rogers—brother of Kenny Rogers and future collaborator with the 13th Floor Elevators—for a 1965 single released under the slightly altered billing “The Emperor’s.” The A-side, “And Then,” offered a brooding folk-rock cut rich in jangling guitars, while the flip, “I Want My Woman,” delivered a fierce garage-punk outburst that became the band’s signature track and later appeared on multiple garage compilations. Rogers also placed the song on his International Artists rarities collection Epitaph for a Legend, despite the track never having been issued on that label. Before 1965 ended, the group recorded one final single for California’s Two + Two label, coupling the playful “Love Pill” with the understated “You Make Me Feel So Good.” Although that release marked the last output under the Emperors name, Steve Watts kept the core unit active locally; by the 1970s the musicians had rebranded as Emperor, releasing a 1974 single on RCA and a 1977 album on Private Stock. The project disbanded in the 1980s, yet a warmly received 2002 reunion concert in Long Beach prompted a return to performing, mixing oldies, classic rock, and their own 1960s hits. In 2024, BeatRocket Records assembled the group’s vintage single sides on the anthology I Want My Woman, appending four unreleased recordings to the set.
The band took shape in the early 1960s with Bill Hughes handling guitar and vocals, Randy Siegers on lead guitar, Stan Foat on bass, Steve Watts on drums, and saxophones supplied by Brian Cameron and Mike Elam. They rapidly built a following through performances at teen clubs, school dances, and local “Battle of the Bands” events, eventually securing opening slots for acts such as the Rolling Stones, the Righteous Brothers, and Peter & Gordon while making frequent appearances on regional television. Rising local demand led to a deal with Best Records, which issued a 1963 single credited to Steve & the Emperors that paired a high-energy reading of the Jerry Lee Lewis staple “Great Balls of Fire” with a brisk surf rendition of “The Breeze and I,” originally popularized by Jimmy Dorsey in 1940. Dropping the “Steve &” prefix, the group shifted to Best’s sister imprint Wickwire Records and delivered a 1964 45 containing two Bill Hughes compositions, “A Fool for You I’ve Been” and “Searchin’ Around the World.” Wickwire followed with another Emperors single later that year, featuring a cover of “Blue Day,” written by Tony Barber of the Australian beat band the Aztecs, backed by the original “Laughin’ Linda.”
Sabra Records, a subsidiary of Texas-based Lynn Records, next paired the Emperors with producer Lelan Rogers—brother of Kenny Rogers and future collaborator with the 13th Floor Elevators—for a 1965 single released under the slightly altered billing “The Emperor’s.” The A-side, “And Then,” offered a brooding folk-rock cut rich in jangling guitars, while the flip, “I Want My Woman,” delivered a fierce garage-punk outburst that became the band’s signature track and later appeared on multiple garage compilations. Rogers also placed the song on his International Artists rarities collection Epitaph for a Legend, despite the track never having been issued on that label. Before 1965 ended, the group recorded one final single for California’s Two + Two label, coupling the playful “Love Pill” with the understated “You Make Me Feel So Good.” Although that release marked the last output under the Emperors name, Steve Watts kept the core unit active locally; by the 1970s the musicians had rebranded as Emperor, releasing a 1974 single on RCA and a 1977 album on Private Stock. The project disbanded in the 1980s, yet a warmly received 2002 reunion concert in Long Beach prompted a return to performing, mixing oldies, classic rock, and their own 1960s hits. In 2024, BeatRocket Records assembled the group’s vintage single sides on the anthology I Want My Woman, appending four unreleased recordings to the set.
Albums
