Bob Gonzalez studied the alto sax in school and was asked to join his first rock band called The Pharoahs in 1961, followed by the rhythm and blues band The Nightmen in 1963. Bob’s interest then turned to bass and he joined a surf band for a time until he and high school buddy Don Baskin formed another group called The Syndicate of Sound in 1964. The band recorded its first single in 1965 as the result of winning the Vox Bay Area Battle of the Bands. The record, "Prepare for Love," went largely unnoticed, but they followed up with another, which was a collaborative effort written by Gonzalez and Baskin called "Little Girl." The song immediately caught on with the San Jose DJs and quickly spread through the airwaves around the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area. Bell Records out of New York got wind of this and purchased the record from Hush Records and offered the group a recording contract. Bell got behind the band promotionally by putting them out on tour with hit acts like The Young Rascals, The Yardbirds, Jefferson Airplane, and many other greats bands. "Little Girl" started climbing the charts and eventually peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1966.
No comments:
Post a Comment