THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,909) The Candymen — “Lonely Eyes”
Here is some real ear candy: Roy Orbison’s backing band (which later transmogrified into the Atlanta Rhythm Section) turns in “a real beauty, [its] influence coming from The Zombies [see #1,138] but with a taste of The Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’ [see #1,312] – who’s gonna complain?!” (Paul Vidal, https://www.bigvjamboree.com/THOSE-SWEET-SWEET-CANDYMEN.html) Not me!
Paul Vidal writes that:
Their vocal harmonies were superb and Rodney Justo’s singing was simply amazing. . . . The Candymen were top class musicians; they could duplicate other people’s wizardries with such ease that, ultimately, it was reflected too much in their own material and somewhat proved to be a creative dead end.
https://www.bigvjamboree.com/THOSE-SWEET-SWEET-CANDYMEN.html
Bruce Eder unwraps the Candymen:
The Candymen were an Alabama-spawned band probably best remembered today as the backing group for Roy Orbison. The group started life as the Webs, co-founded by guitarist John Rainey and a young lead singer/guitarist named Bobby Goldsboro, in Dothan, Alabama, in the mid-1960s. . . . They were good enough to attract the attention of local producer and studio owner Ed Boutwells in Birmingham, who made a few recordings of them. The band was making something of a living locally and even managed to survive the departure of Goldsboro for what became an immensely successful solo career; Rodney Justo, a drummer turned singer who had previously led a band called Rodney & the Mystics, replaced him on vocals. And they had a songwriter-in-residence of sorts in the person of Buddy Buie, a friend of Goldsboro. Their breakthrough came when they discovered that Roy Orbison was going to be appearing locally and would be in need of a backing band. As they were already conversant with his work, it wasn’t a stretch to pick up all the finer nuances of his repertory, and the result was that the legendary Texas-born singer asked them to become his regular touring band. In the process, picking up the name from one of his biggest hits, the Webs became the Candymen. Additionally, Buie was taken on as Orbison’s tour manager, and moved to Atlanta, where he became a top producer as well. Meanwhile, the Candymen worked regularly behind Orbison onstage, a gig that, in other times, would have gotten them huge exposure. However, the second half of the 1960s were not good times for Orbison at least commercially in the United States; signed to MGM since 1965, he released some very good records and sold a lot of them in Europe, but in the United States his career and his concerts passed with little notice, despite the quality of his music and the Candymen’s playing. . . . [They also] developed a serious reputation as a great live band in their own right. They became known for doing . . . Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band live, amidst other repertory that was usually considered beyond the reach of a lot of bands. They also cut a series of LPs as the Candymen for ABC Records. Ultimately, their gig with Orbison ended . . . . Buie’s career as a songwriter and producer brought the members of the band, in conjunction with members of the Classics IV, into what became the Atlanta Rhythm Section and a decade or more of hit records and healthy album sales.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/candymen-mn0000992319#biography
Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise
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