Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - L to Z»Artists - S
    Artists - S Music - 1960s 2 Mins Read

    Sonics, The

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    A five-piece rock & roll band from Tacoma, Washington (USA), The Sonics combined the classic Northwest-area teen-band raunch with early English band grit (particularly influenced by The Kinks), relentless rhythmic drive and unabashed 1950s-style blues shouting for a combination that still makes their brand of rock & roll perhaps the raunchiest ever captured on wax.

    The idea of a “garage band” was not exactly new before The Sonics, but it was clear from their debut single, The Witch, that The Sonics were going to shake things up. After the single became the biggest-selling 7″ in the Northwest, the band recorded their album, Here Are The Sonics (1965) at Audio Cuts in Seattle.

    For those unfamiliar with the band, this is as primal as Rock & Roll gets; shredded fuzz guitar, shrieked vocals and nutter songs (Psycho, Strychnine, Boss Hog and, of course, Louie Louie). The Cramps (and, indeed, The Hives) owe a huge debt to these original subterranean garage monsters!

    Lead singer Gerry Roslie was no less than a white Little Richard, whose harrowing soul-screams were startling even to the Northwest teen audience, who liked their music powerful and driving with little regard to commercial subtleties.

    With hit after hit on the local charts – and influencing every local band that ever took the stage – the band inexplicably was never able to break out nationally, leaving their sound largely undiluted for mass consumption.

    Breaking up in the late ’60s (after one ill-fated album attempt to water down their style for national attention), The Sonics continue today to be revered by ’60s collectors the world over for their unique brand of rock & roll raunch.

    During their mid-60s heyday, they were unknown outside of their native Pacific Northwest but these days Land Rover use their Have Love Will Travel in their commercials and The Sonics are racked in high street music stores.

    In recent years the band have reunited for one-off gigs.

    TRIVIA
    During the Vietnam War, Saxophonist Rob Lind served as a fighter pilot.

    Gerry Roslie 
    Vocals, organ, piano
    Larry Parypa 

    Guitar, vocals
    Andy Parypa 

    Bass
    Rob Lind 

    Sax, harmonica, vocals
    Bob Bennett 

    Drums

    Related Posts

    • Fats Domino
      Fats Domino
      He was born Antoine Domino in New Orleans in February 1928, and since his first professional appearance at the age…
    • Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The
      Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The
      The Sensational Alex Harvey Band placed five albums in the UK Top 20 in three years and were considered capable…
    • New Vaudeville Band, The
      New Vaudeville Band, The
      The 1966 UK #1 single Winchester Cathedral was actually recorded by a group of studio musicians assembled by writer, producer and…
    • United States of America, The
      United States of America, The
      A registered Communist starts a band called The United States of America and lands a major label record deal before…
    • Master's Apprentices, The
      Master's Apprentices, The
      Formed in Adelaide, Australia, in 1964, the Masters' early music was raw R&B with echoes of The Rolling Stones and The Animals, but…
    • Tages
      Tages
      Tages were a Swedish rock and roll/psychedelic/folk band formed in the early 60s near Gothenburg. The band released a number…
    • Samson
      Samson
      Focusing on the talents of guitarist and occasional vocalist Paul Samson (who sadly passed away from cancer on 9 August…
    • Stars
      Stars
      Adelaide (Australia) band Stars were dubbed "rock & roll cowboys" early in their careers because they wore western-style boots and…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleSolomon King
    Next Article Sonic Youth

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off (1973)
      Black Vietnam vet/urban warrior Slaughter (Jim Brown) returns to […]
    • Compact
      1 9 6 2 – 1 9 6 5 (UK) 373 x 25 minute episodes The 1960s […]
    • The 1990s
      The recession of 1990, after the boom of the 1980s, provided a […]
    • Frontier Doctor
      1 9 5 6 – 1 9 5 7 (USA) 39 x 30 minute episodes Frontier […]
    • Addams Family, The
      1 9 9 2 – 1 9 9 4 (USA) 21 x 30 minute episodes Another […]
    • Trumpton Riots
      On Christmas Day 1995, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a short documentary […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.