We The People

Emerging from the mid-1960s as one of the more skilled outfits within the garage realm, We the People stood apart because their pop sophistication and instrumental command placed them well beyond the typical garage-band mold. Florida gave them several substantial hits, yet national recognition never followed despite issuing material through RCA and Challenge. Orlando veterans who had previously played in the Trademarks, the Offbeets, and the Nonchalants eventually coalesced into We the People, cutting their debut single, “My Brother the Man,” for the local Hotline imprint in early 1966. That track delivered a frenetic, almost unhinged brand of hard garage punk that set the tone for their subsequent early Challenge releases, “Mirror of Your Mind” and “You Burn Me Up and Down.”

Their sound initially relied on grinding guitar chords, organ swells, forceful vocals, and especially unhinged distortion effects, such as the diving, feedback-laden intro to “You Burn Me Up and Down.” Even so, they could pivot to more delicate, harmonically refined originals, among them the shimmering tremolo ballad “(You Are) The Color of Love,” which appeared as the B-side of “Mirror of Your Mind.” Uncommonly for groups of their type, the band boasted two highly productive and gifted songwriters, Tommy Talton and Wayne Proctor. Proctor proved the more distinctive of the pair, authoring the intense raga-rock gem “In the Past,” later covered by the Chocolate Watch Band, along with the Baroque-psychedelic “St. John’s Shop” and “(You Are) The Color of Love.” These compositions featured unusually cryptic yet evocative lyrics for a regional band of the era; Proctor even composed a love song addressed to a nun titled “Love Wears Black [None],” though it remained unreleased for more than three decades.

We the People enjoyed solid regional chart success across Florida until Proctor’s exit early in 1967 created a serious setback. Material recorded afterward still yielded highlights, including the abrasive “When I Arrive,” which later surfaced on a Pebbles compilation, and “The Day She Dies,” written by Talton yet echoing Proctor’s style through its melodic pop foundation and off-kilter lyrical perspective. Several of their final studio sides veered toward derivative soul-rock, however, and Talton’s own departure at the close of the 1960s, coupled with the end of their recording contract, effectively ended the group’s run, though they lingered briefly. Among all members, only Talton sustained a visible post-1960s career, notably as part of the Southern rock outfit Cowboy. He died on December 28, 2023, at the age of 74.