Biography
During the summer of 1966 in Los Angeles, Palace Guard drummer Emitt Rhodes departed that ensemble and started rehearsals inside the Rhodes family garage alongside high school companion Gary Kato. After several weeks featuring friends Mike Rice and Doug Harwood on bass and drums, the pair connected with two experienced L.A. musicians: bassist Bill Rinehart, formerly of the Leaves, and drummer Joel Larson, who had played with the Grass Roots. Both Rinehart and Larson had also appeared in the brief Gene Clark Group during 1966 before contributing to Clark’s 1967 album Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers. Rhodes, Kato, Rinehart, and Larson cut demos that drew label interest, resulting in a contract with A&M. Early 1967 saw the release of “Live” as a single that rapidly became a major local success in Los Angeles and eventually climbed to number 63 on the Billboard singles chart. Its B-side, “Time Will Show the Wiser,” gained additional recognition when Fairport Convention included a version on their 1968 debut album.
The follow-up single, the elaborately arranged and orchestrated “You’re a Very Lovely Woman,” achieved only modest chart placement, peaking at number 90 toward the end of 1967. Sensing the group’s commercial window might be narrowing, A&M rushed out the album The Merry-Go-Round in November 1967. Although the record is strong, it comprises singles, their B-sides, and various demos; it ultimately reached only number 190. Rinehart exited shortly afterward and was succeeded by Rick Dey, previously a member of San Francisco’s the Vejtables and the Wilde Knights—the latter outfit having recorded the original “Just Like Me,” a song Dey wrote that later became a major hit for Paul Revere & the Raiders. Two further singles appeared in 1968 (“Listen, Listen”/“Missing You” and “Highway”/“’Til the Day After”), yet neither charted, attendance at live shows declined, and booking offers diminished. When plans for a second album collapsed, Rhodes dissolved the Merry-Go-Round in 1969 and turned to solo work.
His debut album, The American Dream, incorporated solo recordings made with session musicians together with several studio-enhanced Merry-Go-Round demos. Rhodes subsequently issued several well-regarded solo albums, most notably the 1970 release Emitt Rhodes. Kato later formed Bullet and joined the group Derek, which scored a hit with the bubblegum track “Cinnamon.” Dey pursued session work, including a period with the Monkees, and recorded an early-’70s album alongside his brother Tony and Barry Melton of Country Joe & the Fish. Kato died in 1973. In 2005 Rev-Ola issued Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection, which compiled the band’s complete recordings and appended Rhodes’ The American Dream. Emitt Rhodes passed away on July 19, 2020, at age 70.
The follow-up single, the elaborately arranged and orchestrated “You’re a Very Lovely Woman,” achieved only modest chart placement, peaking at number 90 toward the end of 1967. Sensing the group’s commercial window might be narrowing, A&M rushed out the album The Merry-Go-Round in November 1967. Although the record is strong, it comprises singles, their B-sides, and various demos; it ultimately reached only number 190. Rinehart exited shortly afterward and was succeeded by Rick Dey, previously a member of San Francisco’s the Vejtables and the Wilde Knights—the latter outfit having recorded the original “Just Like Me,” a song Dey wrote that later became a major hit for Paul Revere & the Raiders. Two further singles appeared in 1968 (“Listen, Listen”/“Missing You” and “Highway”/“’Til the Day After”), yet neither charted, attendance at live shows declined, and booking offers diminished. When plans for a second album collapsed, Rhodes dissolved the Merry-Go-Round in 1969 and turned to solo work.
His debut album, The American Dream, incorporated solo recordings made with session musicians together with several studio-enhanced Merry-Go-Round demos. Rhodes subsequently issued several well-regarded solo albums, most notably the 1970 release Emitt Rhodes. Kato later formed Bullet and joined the group Derek, which scored a hit with the bubblegum track “Cinnamon.” Dey pursued session work, including a period with the Monkees, and recorded an early-’70s album alongside his brother Tony and Barry Melton of Country Joe & the Fish. Kato died in 1973. In 2005 Rev-Ola issued Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection, which compiled the band’s complete recordings and appended Rhodes’ The American Dream. Emitt Rhodes passed away on July 19, 2020, at age 70.
Albums
