The Knickerbockers

The Knickerbockers were a '60s garage rock group from Bergenfield, New Jersey, that formed in 1962. The original line-up was: vocalist/sax player Bobby Randell, drummer Jimmy Walker, guitarist/vocalist Beau Charles and bassist/vocalist John Charles (Beau and John are brothers). The band started out playing various clubs in New Jersey and New York. The Knickerbockers were discovered by producer/singer/songwriter Jerry Fuller playing at a teen dance party in Albany, New York. They were signed to the Los Angeles-based Challenge Records. They first began recording singles in New York in the summer of 1965 and subsequently recorded additional singles in Los Angeles in late 1965. The band was a popular attraction at the famed Red Velvet club in Los Angeles for almost two years. They scored their only smash hit with the punchy and exciting "Lies," which peaked at #20 on the Billboard pop charts in early 1966. The song boasted a rousing and vibrant sound that was extremely similar to The Beatles, but a bit more raw and punky. Their follow-up singles "One Track Mind" and "High on Love" were only modest successes. The band made guest appearances on the TV shows Shivaree (1965) and Where the Action Is (1965). In addition, they popped up as themselves in the silly teen spy spoof beach comedy romp Out of Sight (1966). They also composed the theme songs for the films The Pad (and How to Use It) (1966) and They Ran for Their Lives (1968). Unfortunately, the band suffered from inept handling by their label and underwent several personnel changes before breaking up in 1970. The Knickerbockers reunited in 1983 and again in 1990. Randell passed away in 1998.