The Leaves

Emerging among the earliest folk-rock ensembles in Los Angeles after the Byrds' breakthrough in the mid-'60s, the Leaves earned lasting notice chiefly through their groundbreaking rock arrangement of "Hey Joe." That performance, among the most commercially potent renditions, entered the national Top 40 in 1966 and scored an outsized regional triumph across California. "Too Many People" later surfaced as a local favorite, yet nothing else from the band replicated the earlier impact. Over their short run the quartet issued a respectable catalog of incisive covers and self-written material. Their approach leaned more overtly on the Rolling Stones and the Beatles than did the Byrds', although they never forged an identity as sharply defined as those of their rivals the Byrds and Love. Even so, they showed real aptitude for harmony-rich rockers that blended folk-rock textures with British Invasion energy. After releasing several singles and an album on the small Mira imprint, the group transferred to Capitol. Their association ended with the 1967 album All the Good That's Happening, whose comparatively ordinary songs and softer sonic focus proved disappointing. Bassist Jim Pons later spent time in the late '60s with the Turtles.