The Syndicate of Sound

The Syndicate of Sound was an American rock band formed in San Jose, California, in 1965. The band became one of the most popular in the San Jose area, and won a "Battle of the Bands" contest (one of the bands they beat was called The Golliwogs, which later became Creedence Clearwater Revival). The prize was a recording shot with Del-Fi Records, but the record the band cut went nowhere and they remained in the San Jose area. In 1966 band members Don Baskin and Tom Gonzalez wrote "Little Girl", which the band recorded for San Francisco label Hush Records. It became a hit in the central California area, and New York's Bell Records soon bought the rights for national distribution. The song quickly shot to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band's follow-up song, "Rumors", didn't do very well, however, and they recorded several more singles that didn't do well, either. Band member John Duckworth was drafted into the army in 1970, and the group broke up. The band's signature song, "Littie Girl", has since become a classic (singer John Mellencamp has said that it's one of his favorite songs because he loves how "the drummer goes nuts!") and has been recorded by a variety of bands and solo artists (Dwight Yoakam among them). It is on permanent rotation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.