The Lemon Pipers
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Oxford, Ohio , United States |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
The Lemon Pipers were a 1960s American rock ensemble originating from Oxford, Ohio, best remembered for their 1968 chart-topping single, "Green Tambourine", which is often cited as the inaugural bubblegum pop number one hit.
The group consisted of drummer William (Bill) E. Albaugh (1946–1999), guitarist Bill Bartlett (born 1946), lead singer Dale "Ivan" Browne (born 1947), keyboardist Robert G. Nave (1944–2020), and bassist Steve Walmsley (born 1948), who succeeded original bassist Bob "Dude" Dudek.
Career
Established in 1966 by university musicians from Oxford who had previously played in bands such as The Wombats, Ivan and the Sabres, and Tony and the Bandits, The Lemon Pipers blended elements of blues, hard rock, and folk rock. Their repertoire included covers of artists like The Byrds and The Who. They frequently appeared at Oxford’s The Boar's Head and various Cincinnati venues including The Mug Club and The Ludlow Garage before issuing their first single "Quiet Please" through Carol Records. Initially a four-piece, they gained recognition by advancing to the finals of the Ohio Battle of the Bands held at Cleveland Public Auditorium in 1967, finishing as runners-up to the James Gang.
Signing a record deal
The band brought in Miami University student Browne as their frontman and enlisted Ohio music industry veteran Mark Barger, who facilitated their connection with Buddah Records, then managed by Neil Bogart. Acting on Barger's counsel, they secured a recording contract and a music publishing agreement with Buddah. This led to performances at larger venues nationwide, including Bill Graham's Fillmore West in San Francisco where they shared the stage with groups like Traffic, Moby Grape, and Spirit in March 1968. Buddah Records concentrated on marketing them within the bubblegum pop niche rather than traditional rock music, positioning them alongside contemporaries such as Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Producer Paul Leka was assigned to oversee their work.
Number one hit
Their initial release under Buddah, a Bartlett-penned track titled "Turn Around and Take a Look," failed to gain chart traction. Consequently, the label commissioned Leka and his songwriting collaborator Shelley Pinz, operating out of a Brill Building office on Broadway, to compose a new piece. This collaboration produced "Green Tambourine," which the band recorded somewhat reluctantly. Released toward the end of 1967, the single climbed to No. 1 on both Billboard and Cashbox charts by February 1968 and reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. With sales exceeding two million copies, it was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.).
Following the triumph of "Green Tambourine," Buddah insisted that the band continue producing bubblegum pop material. In March 1968, another Leka/Pinz composition titled "Rice Is Nice" was released, peaking at No. 46 on US Billboard charts and No. 41 in the UK by May. The group regarded these tracks as "funny-money music," recording them primarily to maintain their contract with Buddah. Their song "Ordinary Point of View," written by Eric Ehrmann and featuring a country-style solo by Bartlett, was rejected by Buddah. Disenchanted with both the label and the music business overall, Ehrmann ceased songwriting activities and became an early contributor to Rolling Stone magazine. Similar to numerous acts from the 1960s era, unresolved copyright and royalty disputes persist concerning Buddah Records' catalog under current ownership by Kama Sutra's publishing rights holders.
Stereotyped
The Lemon Pipers experienced a transformation from their 1960s rock origins to becoming a pop group with a gold record, which Nave described as "the duality of the Lemon Pipers": evolving from a live rock ensemble into studio musicians who were guided on their performance approach.
This contrast between the record label's objectives and the band's own musical tastes was apparent on their initial album, Green Tambourine. Under Leka's production, it included five tracks written by Leka and Pinz alongside two lengthy compositions crafted by the band, "Fifty Year Void" and "Through With You" (the latter influenced by The Byrds and lasting 8:31). Also featured was "Ask Me If I Care," penned by Ehrmann. Similar to Nave and Albaugh, Ehrmann was affiliated with the Kappa chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon. According to Gary Pig Gold in Bubblegum is the Naked Truth, the band's succinct pop tunes such as "Rainbow Tree," "Shoeshine Boy," and "Blueberry Blue" demonstrated a level of musical refinement comparable to that of The Move and even the Magical Mystery Beatles.
Their follow-up Buddah release, Jungle Marmalade, further emphasized this dual nature—featuring another Leka/Pinz composition, "Jelly Jungle (of Orange Marmalade)" (a single that reached No. 51 on Billboard and No. 30 on Cashbox in the US), a rendition of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s "I Was Not Born to Follow," and an 11-minute suite titled "Dead End Street"/"Half Light".
Dissolution
In 1969, the group parted ways with Buddah Records before eventually breaking up. Bartlett, Walmsley, and Nave went on to establish Starstruck; their version of Lead Belly’s "Black Betty" was later reworked by Super K Productions’ Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffry Katz and released in 1977 under Ram Jam, featuring Bartlett. Browne relocated to California to pursue his music career while Walmsley continued playing bass locally around Oxford. Following the passing of his wife Dee Dee, Bartlett withdrew from public life. Nave transitioned into jazz radio hosting on WVXU Cincinnati and occasionally performed organ with The Blues Merchants.
Drummer Bill Albaugh passed away on January 20, 1999, at age 53.
Keyboardist Bob Nave (born November 3, 1944) died on January 28, 2020, aged 75.
Members
Timeline
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Label | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Green Tambourine | Buddah BDS-5009 | 90 |
| Jungle Marmalade | Buddah BDS-5016 | — | |
| "—" indicates the album did not chart. | |||
Compilation albums
- Best of the Lemon Pipers (Camden/BMG, 1998)
- Green Tambourine: The Best of the Lemon Pipers (Buddha 99798, 2001)
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Catalogue | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US CB | CAN | AUS | NZ | UK | |||
| 1966 | "Quiet Please" / "Quiet Please" (long version) | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dana Records 70610 |
| 1967 | "Turn Around and Take a Look" / "Danger" | 132 | — | — | — | — | — | Buddah BDA-11 |
| "Green Tambourine" / "No Help from Me" | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Buddah BDA-23 / AU: Astor AP-1445 / UK: Pye International 7N-25444 | |
| 1968 | "Quiet Please" / "Monaural 78" (instrumental) | — | — | — | — | — | — | Carol Records 107 |
| "Rice Is Nice" / "Blueberry Blue" | 46 | 42 | 40 | 37 | 6 | 41 | Buddah BDA-31 / AU: Astor AP-1466 / UK: Pye International 7N-25454 | |
| "Jelly Jungle (of Orange Marmalade)" / "Shoeshine Boy" | 51 | 30 | 20 | 26 | — | — | Buddah BDA-41 / AU: Astor AP-1492 / UK: Pye International 7N-25464 | |
| "Wine and Violet" / "Lonely Atmosphere" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Buddah BDA-63 | |
| "Love Beads and Meditation" / "The Shoemaker of Leatherware Square" | — | — | — | — | — | — | AU only: Astor AP-1558 | |
| 1969 | "Rainbow Tree" / "Hard Core" | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | Buddah BDA-124 |
| "I Was Not Born To Follow" / "Rainbow Tree" | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | 87 | align=center | — | align=center | — | align=center | — | Buddah BDA-136 | |
| "Green Tambourine" / "Jelly Jungle" (re-issue) | 1975 | UK only: Buddah BDS-422 | ||||||
See also
- List of artists who have achieved number one hits in the United States
- List of 1960s American one-hit wonders
External links
- [Overview on Allmusic]
- Rick Kennedy, "Off the Charts", Cincinnati Magazine, May 11, 2012, including interviews with band members.
- (archived version)