Biography
Individuals outside the Corpus Christi, Texas region, or anyone who missed their pair of 1969 Smash singles, probably never encountered the Sherwoods. The five-piece group generated enough local attention from 1968 through 1969 to land a Mercury Records deal, yet the label’s official releases never reached listeners.
Michael Claxton handled lead and backing vocals, Johnny Clary played drums while contributing lead and backing vocals, David Franklin covered lead and rhythm guitar plus backing vocals, Jim Frye also handled lead and rhythm guitar with backing vocals, and Kenny Blanchet anchored the bass. The band operated as a psychedelic punk unit comparable to the Moving Sidewalks, which featured Billy Gibbons, and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. Their sound mixed extended guitar explorations with vocals that shifted between dreamy, unhurried passages and urgent, R&B-inflected bursts.
Strong stage performances, particularly one in Austin, prompted the Mercury signing, though only two of the three singles they recorded ever appeared, both without impact. After two years together the members parted ways in early 1970, citing personal strains and Vietnam-era draft complications. Franklin and Frye later performed with Feo Y Loco, while Blanchet joined the Houston-based Hightailers; all three remained musically active into the 1990s.
Michael Claxton handled lead and backing vocals, Johnny Clary played drums while contributing lead and backing vocals, David Franklin covered lead and rhythm guitar plus backing vocals, Jim Frye also handled lead and rhythm guitar with backing vocals, and Kenny Blanchet anchored the bass. The band operated as a psychedelic punk unit comparable to the Moving Sidewalks, which featured Billy Gibbons, and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. Their sound mixed extended guitar explorations with vocals that shifted between dreamy, unhurried passages and urgent, R&B-inflected bursts.
Strong stage performances, particularly one in Austin, prompted the Mercury signing, though only two of the three singles they recorded ever appeared, both without impact. After two years together the members parted ways in early 1970, citing personal strains and Vietnam-era draft complications. Franklin and Frye later performed with Feo Y Loco, while Blanchet joined the Houston-based Hightailers; all three remained musically active into the 1990s.
Singles