Harpers Bizarre

Harpers Bizarre

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1967
Headquarters	Santa Cruz, California , United States
Products	Sunshine pop music, albums, singles

Harpers Bizarre was a 1960s American group associated with the sunshine pop genre, distinguished by their Broadway-inspired style and their successful rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."

Career

The origins of Harpers Bizarre trace back to the Tikis, a band from Santa Cruz, California, which achieved regional popularity during the mid-1960s. Between 1965 and 1966, the Tikis were signed to Tom Donahue's Autumn Records and released two singles under that label. In 1967, producer Lenny Waronker sought to transform Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" into a commercial hit. The Tikis recorded the track with an arrangement crafted by Leon Russell, characterized by rich harmonies reminiscent of Brian Wilson’s style. To prevent alienating the Tikis’ existing fans, the single was issued under the new name "Harpers Bizarre." This release climbed to No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

Capitalizing on this achievement, Harpers Bizarre proceeded to record their first album. The band’s lineup featured Ted Templeman (vocals, drums, guitar), Dick Scoppettone (vocals, guitar, bass), Eddie James (guitar), Dick Yount (bass, vocals), and John Petersen (drums, percussion, vocals), who had previously found success with the Beau Brummels. After their sophomore album, Eddie James left and was succeeded by Tom Sowell. Under Waronker’s production guidance and Templeman’s direction, the group cultivated a unique sound marked by dense vocal harmonies and light, orchestral arrangements incorporating strings and woodwinds—elements typical of sunshine pop and baroque pop styles.

Their repertoire included interpretations of classics such as Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" and Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo," alongside contemporary compositions by Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, and Harry Nilsson. Although these songwriters contributed as session musicians or arrangers, they never became official members of the ensemble. A notable recording was Newman’s somewhat provocative "The Biggest Night of Her Life," which addressed themes considered daring for that era.

Following their breakout hit, subsequent singles failed to reach similar commercial heights. Nevertheless, their version of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" achieved No. 1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart despite containing subtle drug references. The group dissolved shortly after releasing their final album in 1969 due to internal disagreements about continuing collaboration with producer Waronker—Templeman supported maintaining the partnership while other members opposed it.

In 1967, Harpers Bizarre performed the theme song for ABC-TV’s brief series Malibu U, which starred Ricky Nelson. Additionally, their music appeared in the 1968 motion picture I Love You, Alice B. Toklas.

On October 31, 1969, during their return from a Pasadena concert, their TWA flight was hijacked. All passengers were safely released in Denver before the aircraft proceeded to Rome where authorities apprehended the hijacker. Covering a distance of 6,900 miles—the longest hijacking flight recorded—this event garnered significant media attention for the band.

That same year, they featured on NBC's musical special The Spring Thing, hosted by Bobbie Gentry and Noel Harrison alongside other prominent artists.

Their rendition of "Anything Goes" is used in both the opening sequence and trailer of the 1970 film The Boys in the Band.

After disbanding, Ted Templeman established himself as a leading record producer working with notable artists such as Van Morrison, Bette Midler, Carly Simon, and played a key role in launching careers for acts including The Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, Montrose, and Van Halen.

In 1976, a partial reunion excluding Templeman resulted in the album As Time Goes By, which has often been overlooked within their catalog.

Drummer John Petersen passed away from a heart attack in November 2007; Dick Yount died in March 2019.

Albums

• Feelin' Groovy (Warner Bros., 1967)
• Anything Goes (Warner Bros., 1967)
• The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (Warner Bros., 1968)
• Harpers Bizarre 4 (Warner Bros., 1969)
• As Time Goes By (Forest Bay, 1976)
• Feelin' Groovy: The Best of Harpers Bizarre (Warner Archives, 1997)
• The Complete Singles Collection (1965–1970) (Now Sounds, 2016)

Big Beat Records anthologies Dance with Me: The Autumn Teen Sound (1994) and Someone to Love: The Birth of the San Francisco Sound (1996) feature the Tikis' two singles along with previously unreleased material.

Singles

Year	Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated	Chart positions			Album
		US	US AC	UK
1965	"If I've Been Dreaming" b/w "Pay Attention to Me"				Non-album tracks
1966	"Lost My Love Today" b/w "Bye Bye Bye"
The two singles above were released under The Tikis
1967	"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" b/w "Lost My Love Today" (Non-album track)	13	4	34	Feelin' Groovy
	"Come to the Sunshine" b/w "The Debutante's Ball"	37
	"Anything Goes" b/w "Malibu U." (Non-album track)	43	6	33	Anything Goes
	"Chattanooga Choo Choo" b/w "Hey, You in the Crowd"	45	1
1968	"Cotton Candy Sandman" b/w "Virginia City" (from Anything Goes)				Harpers Bizarre 4
	"Both Sides Now" b/w "Small Talk"	123	38		Non-album tracks
	"Battle of New Orleans" b/w "Green Apple Tree"	95	21		The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre
	"I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" b/w "Look to the Rainbow" (from The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre)				Harpers Bizarre 4
1969	"Knock on Wood" b/w "Witchi Tai To"
1970	"Poly High" b/w "Soft Soundin' Music" (from Harpers Bizarre 4)				Non-album track
	"Anything Goes" b/w "Virginia City"				Anything Goes
	"If We Ever Needed the Lord Before" b/w "Mad" (from The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre)				Non-album tracks