The Flamin' Groovies

The Flamin' Groovies forged their path by underscoring the appeal of revisiting earlier musical eras. Although they first attracted notice in San Francisco during the late 1960s, the group showed scant enthusiasm for the psychedelic sounds dominating the Bay Area. They instead championed the spirit of foundational rock & roll and classic R&B alongside the gritty edge of early-1960s rock. From their 1971 album Teenage Head came the standout track "Teenage Head," yet personnel shifts soon steered them toward British Invasion influences whose material evoked the Beatles' peak alongside touches of the Byrds' ringing twelve-string style. The 1976 album Shake Some Action yielded its title song, a ringing, reflective piece that captured the gentler strain of mid-1970s power pop. Guitarist Cyril Jordan remained at the helm as various lineups continued sporadic activity through subsequent decades, issuing what appeared to be a concluding effort, Rock Juice, in 1993. Jordan reactivated the ensemble during the 2000s, enabling multiple classic configurations to appear at festivals and on tour. Their first full-length in over twenty years, Fantastic Plastic, surfaced in 2017.

Cyril Jordan, a guitarist drawn to Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles while still a high-school sophomore, launched the story in 1965. He had already performed alongside drummer Ron Greco before encountering fellow musician George Alexander on bass. Alexander collaborated with Roy Loney on vocals and guitar plus Tim Lynch on guitar; the pair asked Jordan and Greco to join an evening jam session. The five players quickly mastered twenty numbers and recognized the foundation for a genuine group. Jordan and Greco united with Loney, Lynch, and Alexander under the initial names Chosen Few and then Lost and Found. This lineup performed at teen dances and battles of the bands yet dissolved temporarily before regrouping in August 1966 with Danny Mihm taking over on drums. Greco later switched to bass in the pioneering San Francisco punk outfit Crime.

The Flamin' Groovies' high-energy approach and backward-looking perspective placed them outside the prevailing San Francisco circuit. Their original manager's tense dealings with local promoter Bill Graham further distanced them. The band secured shows at bars and modest venues, then issued their first recording independently in 1967: the ten-inch EP Sneakers. Two runs of 1,500 copies each sold through, and a third pressing was nearly exhausted when Epic Records extended a deal. Entering the studio under producer Steve Goldman with unlimited time stipulated in the contract, the members refined their Epic debut at length. The 1969 release Supersnazz adopted a noticeably more polished surface than Sneakers while still conveying the group's core commitment to vitality and authentic rock & roll drive, drawing favorable notices. Commercial returns remained modest, prompting Epic to release them. They promptly signed with Kama Sutra Records, which issued the 1970 follow-up Flamingo, a leaner and more forceful collection featuring stronger original material. Teenage Head arrived the next year with added refinement to their approach and apparent commercial momentum, yet creative tensions between Jordan and Loney intensified until Loney departed by late 1971; Tim Lynch exited shortly afterward. One of Loney's final performances appears on the 1997 Norton Records collection The Flamin' Groovies in Person!!!!.

Now firmly in charge, Jordan recruited singer-guitarist Chris Wilson and guitarist James Farrell. The refreshed lineup cut fresh tracks with producer Dave Edmunds and anticipated a United Artists contract that ultimately collapsed, leaving the band inactive for several years aside from scattered European singles on minor labels. Danny Mihm also exited during this stretch, replaced on drums by David Wright. Not until 1976 did Sire Records restore steady international support with the album Shake Some Action. Its title track emerged as the group's signature number and attracted a fresh cult audience without mainstream breakthrough. The British Invasion shading of Shake Some Action together with the raw drive of earlier work both left marks on the emerging punk and new-wave movement. For a moment the Flamin' Groovies seemed aligned with the cultural moment. Their next releases, 1978's Flamin' Groovies Now and 1979's Jumpin' in the Night, generated limited response from listeners or reviewers. Those albums also registered another personnel adjustment: James Farrell stepped away, and Mike Wilhelm, previously of the pre-psychedelic San Francisco band the Charlatans, joined as lead guitarist.

Sire ended its association in 1980, and Chris Wilson departed. Occasional concerts continued with guitarist-vocalist Jack Johnson and drummer Paul Zahl, yet no new studio material appeared until the live-in-the-studio set One Night Stand in 1987, recorded in a single session amid an exhausting Australian and European tour. An album was tracked in 1991 but the band dissolved before its release; Rock Juice finally reached stores two years later.

Enthusiasm for the Flamin' Groovies persisted through ongoing reissues and archival projects from major and independent sources alike. Cracker's 1995 cover of "Shake Some Action" for the Clueless soundtrack generated royalties for songwriters Jordan and Wilson. Roy Loney maintained a solo touring and recording schedule while Jordan formed Magic Christian, yet devoted followers retained their attachment. Jordan and Loney shared a stage for the first time since 1971 at the 2009 Ponderosa Stomp Festival in New Orleans, supported by members of the A-Bones. A-Bones drummer Miriam Linna had once overseen the Flamin' Groovies Fan Club in the 1970s. The reunion prompted a brief tour and reconnected Jordan with Chris Wilson and George Alexander. By 2013 Jordan had reassembled the group with Wilson, Alexander, and drummer Victor Peñalosa. Following multiple tours they began recording anew; the Jordan-Wilson original "Crazy Macy" appeared online in April 2016. Fantastic Plastic, the first album in twenty-four years, arrived in 2017, featuring cover artwork by Jordan in the manner of Mad Magazine illustrator Jack Davis plus contributions from Tubes drummer Prairie Prince and members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Roy Loney, who substituted for Wilson during an abbreviated tour in May 2019, passed away on December 13, 2019.