Jump to content

The Astronauts (band)

From Alfawiki
The Astronauts
Company typeRock band
IndustryMusic
Founded1961 in Boulder, Colorado, United States
FounderJon "Storm" Patterson, Bob Demmon, Brad Leach (as The Stormtroupers)
Headquarters
Boulder, Colorado
,
United States
Area served
United States, Japan
Key people
Rich Fifield, Jon "Storm" Patterson, Bob Demmon, Dennis Lindsey, Jim Gallagher
ProductsAlbums, singles

For the American rock ensemble, see Astronauts (band)

The Astronauts were a rock group from the United States, best known for their 1963 modest hit "Baja" and their enduring popularity, especially in Japan. Alongside the Trashmen, they are considered one of the leading surf bands originating from the landlocked Midwest during the 1960s. Prominent members included Rich Fifield, Jon "Storm" Patterson, Bob Demmon, Dennis Lindsey, and Jim Gallagher.

Career

The Astronauts originated from The Stormtroupers, a band formed in 1956 at Boulder High School, Boulder, Colorado by Jon "Storm" Patterson (vocals, guitar), Robert Graham "Bob" Demmon (guitar), and Brad Leach (drums). In 1961, after adding Richard Otis "Rich" Fifield (vocals, guitar) and Dick Sellars (guitar), they changed their name to The Astronauts to move away from the controversial implications of their former name and to pay tribute to astronaut Scott Carpenter. Patterson switched to bass; Leach was replaced by Jim Gallagher on drums; Sellars enlisted in the Navy and Dennis Lindsey took his place. This lineup—Demmon, Patterson, Fifield, Lindsey, and Gallagher—established a solid local following, toured as far as Chicago and Dallas, and released their debut single "Come Along Baby" in 1962 under Palladium Records. Their gig at Denver’s Tulagi nightclub led to a recording deal with RCA Records.

Their first RCA release was "Baja," an instrumental originally composed by Lee Hazlewood for guitarist Al Casey, which showcased surf music characteristics with prominent Fender reverb and energetic drumming. Issued in early 1963, it climbed to #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. RCA aimed to leverage the surf music craze by releasing additional singles that mirrored styles similar to the Beach Boys. Music critic Richie Unterberger noted that their instrumental tracks—highlighted by dual rhythm guitars and Fender reverb—represented their finest output, whereas their vocal songs were less compelling. Lead vocals were shared between Patterson and Fifield. Their catalog incorporated compositions by Roger Christian, Gary Usher, Dick Dale, and Henry Mancini. Fifield played a Fender Jazzmaster guitar equipped with an early prototype Fender reverb unit provided by Leo Fender. Their 1965 tune "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" was subsequently covered by The Monkees.

Between May 1963 and early 1964, they released four albums: Surfin' with The Astronauts, which reached #61 on the Billboard 200 chart; Everything Is A-OK!—a live recording from Denver's Club Baja; Competition Coupe; and The Astronauts Orbit Campus, recorded live in Boulder.

The group made several appearances on the television program Hullabaloo and featured in more beach party films than any other surf band of the era: Surf Party, Wild on the Beach, Wild Wild Winter, and Out of Sight. Their rendition of “Surf Party” is regarded as one of the finest surf instrumentals ever recorded.

By 1964, The Astronauts had developed a significant following in Japan, surpassing even The Beach Boys in sales there and touring alongside The Ventures. They secured five albums and three singles within Japan’s top ten charts; notably, "Movin'," renamed "Over The Sun," achieved the number one spot.

In total, they produced nine albums. With Gallagher and Lindsey drafted for service in Vietnam, Mark Bretz and Rod Jenkins took over their roles before the release of their final album Travelin' Men in 1967. Demmon also left the band and was replaced by Robert Carl McLerran. Following an Asian tour in 1968, Fifield and Patterson decided to retire The Astronauts name.

Associated acts

The identical group—Fifield, Patterson, McLerran, Bretz, and Jenkins—also performed in the United States under the name SunshineWard, issuing the single "Sally Go Around The Roses" in 1967. Following Patterson's departure from both the ensemble and the music business, Fifield and McLerran established Hardwater alongside Tony Murillo and Peter M. Wyant. In 1968, Hardwater produced two singles and a self-titled album, Hardwater, released through Capitol Records with production by David Axelrod. Additionally, Fifield assisted Axelrod and engineer David Hassinger in assembling musicians to rejuvenate The Electric Prunes for their Mass in F Minor project, reaching out to Colorado-based artists Richard Whetstone, John Herron, and Mark Kincaid to create one of the band's final formations.

Reunion

The Astronauts came together once more for a handful of shows in Boulder, Colorado during the years 1974, 1988, and 1989.

Later years

In 1997, Collectables released a comprehensive four-CD compilation titled The Complete Astronauts Collection, encompassing the band's recordings.

Dennis Lindsey passed away in Boulder on May 4, 1992. Mark Bretz died on August 15, 1999, at the age of 54. Robert "Bob" Demmon pursued a career in education in Coronado, California, where he mentored students such as George Sanger. He succumbed to cardiac arrest on December 18, 2010, aged 71.

Rich Fifield died on November 18, 2021. Jim Gallagher passed away two days later on November 20, 2021, at age 78. John "Storm" Patterson died on May 24, 2022, aged 81.

Members

Classic line-up highlighted in bold
Group name The Stormtroupers The Astronauts The Astronauts The Astronauts The Astronauts SunshineWard Hardwater
Years 1956-1961 1961-? ? ?-1967 (Line-up from 1962-1967) 1967 1967 1967-1969
Jon "Storm" Patterson vocals, guitar vocals, guitar vocals, bass vocals, bass vocals, bass vocals, bass
Richard Otis "Rich" Fifield vocals, guitar vocals, guitar vocals, lead guitar vocals, lead guitar vocals, lead guitar vocals, lead guitar
Robert Graham "Bob" Demmon guitar guitar guitar guitar
Dick Sellars guitar guitar
Dennis Lindsey guitar
Mark Bretz guitar guitar
Robert Carl McLerran guitar guitar bass
Peter M. Wyant guitar
Brad Leach drums drums
Jim Gallagher drums drums
Rod Jenkins drums drums
Tony Murillo drums

The Astronauts

  • "Come Along Baby" / "Tryin' To Get To You" (Palladium, 1962)
  • "Baja" / "Kuk" (RCA Victor, 1963) – reached #94 on the Billboard Hot 100
  • "Hot-Doggin'" / "Every One But Me" (RCA Victor, 1963)
  • "Competition Coupe" / "Surf Party" (RCA Victor, 1963) – peaked at #124 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart
  • "Swim, Little Mermaid" / "Go Fight For Her" (RCA Victor, 1964)
  • "Main Title From 'Ride The Wild Surf'" / "Around And Around" (RCA Victor, 1964)
  • "I'm A Fool" / "Can't You See I Do?" (RCA Victor, 1964)
  • "Almost Grown" / "My Sin Is Pride" (RCA Victor, 1965)
  • "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" / "Razzamatazz" (RCA Victor, 1965)
  • "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" / "The La La Song" (RCA Victor, 1965)
  • "Main Street" / "In My Car" (RCA Victor, 1966)
  • "I Know You, Rider" / "Better Things" (RCA Victor, 1967)

SunshineWard

  • "Sally Go Around The Roses" / "Pay The Price" (RCA Victor, 1968)

Hardwater

  • "City Sidewalks" / "Not So Hard" (Capitol, 1968)
  • "Plate Of My Fare" / "Good Old Friends" (Capitol, 1969)

EPs (United States)

  • The Astronauts (Wurlitzer Disco EP Vol I WLP-9-100), a 33 RPM stereo jukebox EP
  • The Astronauts (Wurlitzer Disco EP Vol II WLP-10-100), a 33 RPM stereo jukebox EP

Singles (Japanese market)

  • Numerous releases on RCA Victor including:
 - "Che Che Che," "Unchain My Heart"/"Twist and Shout"
 - "James Bond Theme"/"Goldfinger"
 - "Pipeline"/"Movin'"
 - "Heartbreak Hotel"/"A Big Hunk of Love"
 - plus additional titles highlighting their significant presence in Japan

EPs (Japanese market)

  • Hit Parade (Victor SCP-1209), a 33 RPM stereo EP
  • Movin' (Victor SRS-13), a gatefold-covered 33 RPM stereo EP
  • The Astronauts (Victor SCP-1111), a 33 RPM stereo EP
  • Surfin' (Victor CP-1128), a 33 RPM stereo EP
  • Go Fight!! (Victor SCP-1191), a stereo EP

Albums (United States)

The Astronauts

  • Surfin' With The Astronauts (1963)
    • Available in Mono LPM-2760 and Stereo LSP-2760
    • Produced by Al Schmitt; engineered by Dave Hassinger
    • Peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in August 1963
  • Everything Is A-OK! (1963) – live album; reached No. 100 on the Billboard Top LPs
  • Competition Coupe (1963) – attained No. 123 on the Billboard Top LPs
  • Astronauts Orbit Kampus (1964) – live recording made at The Tulagi in Boulder, Colorado; issued in both US and UK markets
  • Go...Go...Go!! (1965)
  • Rockin' With The Astronauts (1965) – promotional LP released in limited quantity alongside Lipton's Iced Tea
    • Mono PRM-183 (SNRM-3465)
  • (Favorites) For You, (Our Fans), From Us (1965)
  • Down The Line (1966)
  • Travelin' Men (1967)

Hardwater

  • Hardwater (1968)

CD Releases

The Astronauts

  • Rarities issued in Germany, 1991
  • The Complete Astronauts Collection, a four-CD box set released in the US, 1997

Filmography

Appearances as themselves and soundtrack contributions

1964

  • Surf Party – featured performing the tracks "Fire Water" and "Surf Party"

1965

  • Wild on the Beach – performed songs including "Rock This World," "Little Speedy Gonzalez," "Pyramid Stomp," and "Snap It"; additionally provided backing for Sonny & Cher on the track "It's Gonna Rain"

1966

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=The_Astronauts_(band)&oldid=78849"