Psychedelic Pop to Southern Fried Rock

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

I admit this is a bit off-the-wall, but . . .

I've always thought that Ed King was the best of the four guitar players in Lynyrd Skynyrd -- he could really wring some twang out of that Strat he played. I haven't been able to find out much about him. However, I just read somewhere that Ed was one of the founding members of the 60's group, "Strawberry Alarm Clock"(!?!)

So how did Ed King, from a California psychedelic band, get into a Southern Rock group which was started by a bunch of high school buddies in Jacksonville, FL?

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

I never met Ed King so I don't know his personal saga,but I know and have played in bands with two other alumni of TSAC.Gene Gunnels who was the drummer for "The Clock" went on to play for several years w/the Everly Bros and was with them that night in the early 70s at Knotts Berry Farm when they smashed their guitars in the dressing room and broke up.I later played with Gene for several years in country bands around L.A. including gigs with Tex Williams and he was and is still a great country/roots drummer.He lives in Las Vegas these days.
Paul Marshall(nee Solomon)was also in "The Clock" and he went on to play bass with Hank Thompson among many others and continues to be a fixture in the country/roots scene around L.A.as a singer/songwriter/bass player.Paul and I went on the road with Dale Watson in 1990 and I've played lotsa country gigs with him before and since.
BTW,rent the tacky 60s "B" movie "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" for an extended party scene featuring "The Clock" -MJ-

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Aah, yes TSAC, by about 1971 the group was relegated to second and theird rate tours, real tough going for a former hit band.
Paul Marshall was indeed the bass player, I think he came in around 1969 and toured with the group through their leanest years.
(in an interview Ed said "I met Skynyrd on a tour in Florida in 1970.That was a real fun tour, the most fun I'd had in years. We got ripped off by the promoters day after day. Totally screwed over. But we made the best of it. Haven't had that much fun since. When the tour ended, I told Ronnie to call me if he ever needed a guitar player or bass player.")

Ed got a call to work with the band when their bass player quite during the recording of their first album, so Ed came in as a bass player, although he did add some guitar to the recordings. Whie touring the first set they got Ed to play guitar as long as they could draft back the bass player, which they did, thus the killer line-up was born.

Leon Wilkson, the bass player that Ed replaced had this to say on the topic of the three guitar lineup: "I’ve been in the band (Skynyrd) since Feb of 1972. I was in before Pronounced and then left but I was back before Second Helping. The first song that we cut when I came back was Sweet Home Alabama.
I['d] left the band and they hired Ed King from Strawberry Alarm Clock to play bass and my life long buddy Billy Powel they brought in on piano. Ed King did some guitar overdubbing during Pronounced. After they finished the album, they found out I was back in Jacksonville working in a ice cream factory called Farm Best Dairy Products. Of course I kind of liked that job cause I had all the ice cream products I could eat! Anything on a Popsicle truck! I could grow my hair and hang out with the other guys. We worked down in a tank where it was 30 degrees below zero! Fortunately they sent Billy and Bob Burns over to drag me over to where Ronnie was fishing. They told me they had finished the Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd album and that Ed King really did not want to be a bass player, he wanted to play guitar and that they did not have time to look for another bass player, so they wondered if I would oblige them and come back. I said ‘when do we start practicing, in 5 minutes?’ Ronnie told me to cast his fishing pole over by them little tads, so I took the fishing pole and cast it where he told me and he said, "I guarantee in less that a minute, you will catch a fish. Immediately....boing went the line and I reeled the fish in and I said, "Damn Ronnie, how did you know that shit?" We considered it an omen and he said, "I’ll see you at rehearsal tomorrow." So that’s how the 3 guitar line up started. Plus groups like Buffalo Springfield inspired us with their 3 guitarists."

I suggest if you want to know more, check out the internet, there's plenty of material on LS and some fantastic websites with info on each bandmember, look for the Grits website, there's plenty of Southern rock folks being interviewed. Most enjoyable.

Mike, cool post on Gene Gunnels, wow I had totally forgotten about him working with the Everly Bros, (they split in 1973).. he was also involved in some 1970s Jesus-Rock projects..

Mike's right, the party scene in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls is a classic. The weird thing is that the film came out in 1970 and the SAC were pretty much chart dead and practially uncool by then, in fact everything in the film looks like 1968!
It may have been held up in production, or simply that filmaker Russ Meyer was always a bit out witht he trends.
One of the best rock and roll psychedelic soap-operas ever made in my humble opinion.

Geoff Brown · From: Nashvegas

Cool thread. Speaking of B movies (of which I am hopelessly addicted), another one worth checking out is "The Trip". This film is one of Roger Corman's many gems, starring Peter Fonda in a role not unlike that which he played in "Easy Rider". There's a scene in the movie that takes place in a barroom, with everyone under the influence of (insert your favorite hallucinogen here). There's a band onstage playing. Who is it? Gram Parsons with the International Submarine Band. Pass the sugar cubes, please

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Geoff,

Is the movie you're talking about the one where Peter Fonda is in a Motorcycle gang, and Bruce Dern and his wife at the time Laura Dern are in it too? If that's the one, then I have seen it and it's pretty cool.

Michael,

Did any of the SAC guys you know ever tell you how it came about that Greg Munford (who was only 16 years old at the time and not even in the band) ended up singing the lead vocal to "Incense and Peppermints" and, why he was not credited on the album (to my knowledge).

Jason,

Thanks for the info. What's interesting to me is that Ed King must have either been sandbagging while he was in the SAC, or he really learned his chops in between SAC and LS, because I think he really did some phenomenal playing with LS.

[This message was edited by Tom Olson on 15 March 2002 at 08:24 AM.]

Al Udeen · From: Hendersonville Tn

In 63 I was living in Denver,& one evening I got a call from a business associate, that knew I played steel, he was calling from LA, where he lived & he said listen to this, I heard some unbelievable steel, sounded like Chalker! I said, who the hell is that? he said his name is Glen Campbell & he's 15 & he's in my sons band, "Strawberry Alarm Clock" the gentleman calling was, Dick Seal, I'm sure you guys can elaberate on this, I seem to think his sons name was Randy? age 15 also? au

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Hey Tom,
I agree the Ed King was a great player but my favorite of the Skynyrd guitar slingers would have to be Steve Gaines! Look at his work on "I Know a Little" or there version of Haggard's "Honky Tonk Nightime Man". He was awesome and played some great clean tone stuff without distortion. I have the LS Box Set and in the notes Ronnie Van Zant stated that when Steve came on board they all had to practice to be able to keep up with him as he was so far ahead of them musically. Have a good 'un.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Jerry,

I agree with you -- Steve Gaines was an awsome guitar player. He could play slide too. I believe that's him playing slide on "You Got That Right."

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Al, hang on with me on this one... okay... now the Strawberry Alarm Clock actually evolved out of Thee Sixpence (1966 - March 1967); with Ed King - guitar/vocals, who had played with surf-rockers, the Irridescents.

Thee Sixpence were Lee Freeman -guitar/harmonica, Steve Rabe -guitar-rhythm, Gary Lovetro-bass, Gene Gunnels- drums, and Mike Luciano- lead vocals.

Mark Weitz joined the band while it was still named Thee Sixpence in late '66. Mike Luciano quit the band soon after.
Not long after Steve Rabe quit
Line-up was then renamed to the Strawberry Alarm Clock with:
Ed King -Bass/Lead Guitar/vocals
Mark Weitz -Keyboards/organ/vocals
Gary Lovetro-Bass guitar
Gene Gunnels-Drums
Lee Freeman-Rhythm guitar/harmonica/vocals

Gene Gunnels left the group. Randy & George joined in late 1967, this version did the bulk of the first album.
Mark S. Weitz - Leader-Keyboards/organ/Vocals
Ed King-Lead Guitar/Vocals
Lee Freeman-Rhythm guitar/Harmonica/ Lead Vocals
Randy Seol-Drims/Vibes/Percussion/Lead Vocals
George Bunnell-Bass/Vocals
Gary Lovetro-Bass as well!
In 1968 Gary Lovetro was dismissed from group and they continued as a five piece.

About 1969 the group split and there was briefly two versions of the group, legal actions ensued, etc.

Randy Seol - drums/vocals; was a former member of the Goldtones, a group which played surf, but included a steel player by the name of Glenn Campbell, later with the Misunderstood and Juicy Lucy the latter which he led in the late 1960s while based in the UK. Not the Rhinestone Cowboy dude we all know.
Al, I believe your buddy was talking about the Goldtones. (great story by the way...)

[This message was edited by Jason Odd on 15 March 2002 at 07:21 PM.]

Al Udeen · From: Hendersonville Tn

Jason! Thanks for the correct info! the part I had wrong was, that in 66 I moved to San Diego, & it had to be then when Dick Seol, told me the band name that Randy was a part of,was"SAC" but I had the 63 part right,Guess what< I just called a # in La Mesa, Ca. listed to a Richard Seol & who answers? Randy Seol, he was with his dad, who recently had his legs removed, due to complications from Diabetes! I also spoke to Dick, Randy told me he was now in, or had 2 bands & one was called Blues something? he said Glen Campbell was living in New Zealand doing some recording! I took the liberty to ask him his age, & he said 52 but he sounded much younger! This is so small world,it almost sounds made up, but it shore aint! let me know what you think! Thanks! au

Al Udeen · From: Hendersonville Tn

Correction! actually I did have the 63 part wrong! It was 66, see how being 3 yrs off can make a big difference, & Randy told me he joined SAC in 67 so I'm still a few mo. off? au

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Hiya Ray, well Mr. Campbell and Mr. Seol had different bands by the mid 1960s, although I imagine they still jammed together, maybe Glenn Ross Campbell did a stint with the SAC that no-one has mentioned?

Either way, it still remains a cool story.
I'd say Randy's group would be the Blues Invaders.
Glenn is in New Zealand, but do you think I can track him down, nuh-uh.
Al, what were you doing in San Diego, still picking?

Al Udeen · From: Hendersonville Tn

Jayson! I transferred from Denver to San Diego in 66, & Dick Seol was a Regional Mgr. for the same co. although I played with some of the west coast artists, while living in Tucson in 59-60, I had mostly quit playing when I was in Denver 63-66 I discovered that Bobby Garrett was playing in National City, & after going every nite to hear him,I got the bug to resume playing, I later returned to Mn. & have been playing since, including a 1yr stint in Nashville,in 69,I still play here some weekends & an occasional steel show! Thanks for the correspondence! au

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Al, thanks for the reply, I'd like to email you and chat some more, I lost your email address way back, so I'm going to assume that the forum one is your current email and send you one.

J

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The future ain't what it used to be

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Probably my favorite Ed King lick is the guitar intro to "Workin' for MCA".
I saw them in Pheonix around '88-ish and Ed introduced the show and then ripped into that lick, just like the record, but better.
He blazed trail all night long that night.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

JASON......I thought this item would be of interest to you: (paraphrased)"Oklahoma native guitarist JESSE ED DAVIS has been named to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, (along with six others including Dave Brubeck, Patti Page, and jazz basist Wayman Tisdale, former basketball star). Inductions will be June 19, 2002. www.genejones.com

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

I guess it just goes to show that some former basketball stars are not totally worthless!!

Kim West · From: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

woo. first time straying from buy/sell and those topics nearby. this is VERY interesting stuff for the steel guitar forum... thanks, folks, and might i say it is an honor to hear the story straight from the source, from a band (sac) that i have always enjoyed. you guys compelled me to play rock and roll. thank you, thank you. amazing...