Chessmen on Ted Mack Amateur Hour

[greenfuzz]

Just found this on YouTube. My records indicate it's from July 26, 1964 (unless that was the date of their first appearance). They're from Montclair, NJ. Any record of known recordings?

 

[MopTopMike]

Let's hope so!
This must've been a turn-off to the adults.

 

[Derf66]

Cool! The 64 date seems too early.

 

[greenfuzz]

Cool! The 64 date seems too early.

I thought so, too. The date I provided is from TV Guide data...but it's possible this is a different Chessmen than the one listed from '64.

 

[Ned]

I doubt the lead singer would have had the Mick Jagger expressions & moves down in 1964. I'd guess post TAMI Show.

Ned

 

[Andreas]

So did they win?

 

[greenfuzz]

Whoever posted this cut short of showing the winner so my guess is "no".

 

[howlin' hoosier]

Did other garage type groups make it onto the Mack show?

 

[greenfuzz]

Did other garage type groups make it onto the Mack show?

The best example - and probably the very first "long-haired" rock group to ever perform on national TV - the Hedds from Frisco also appeared. I recently scored the footage but the sound was off during the taping. The Knight Walkers from Oklahoma appeared in their Revolutionary War outfits. The Gentrys and The Traits appeared. Other groups with names like The Hitchhikers and The Starfires turned out to be folk or other non-rock acts. The Hedds and Chessmen are by far the best examples of garage-type groups appearing.

 

[howlin' hoosier]

Thanks for the info!

 

[madmanman]

I was kinda looking forward to the singing textile worker from Newburn, N.C.

 

[rgmilt]

The guitarist in this band is Steve "Nat" Burgess. I played in a short-lived band with him in the early 80's
He now owns an entertainment agency in CO.

Here's a recent clip of him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQw6HK5XjzA

 

[The Raven]

"you don't gotta bring'em all the way from England you just gotta go to New Jersey to find'em..." sounds very Animalsy, or even like the Druids Of Stonehenge, solid stuff

 

[chas_kit]

It was their second performance on the show, probably from mid August '64:

Mack says "it's hard to believe summer's practically over but fortunately talent knows no season" ...

then says "three weeks ago some young men from Maplewood, Metuchen and Montclair NJ opened our show with an instrumental number but due to technical difficulties on a good portion of the network most of the people couldn't see their full musical turn, so we thought it only fair we bring them back and give them another chance so here they are the Chessmen"

If you view a bunch of these shows I guess you could cross check it with Mack saying he'll "spin the wheel of fortune for the 1,504th time"

Also you could check the TV Guide for the next act "Ike Jones".

'64 does seem kinda early, despite the band's look & the Rickenbacker, their material is very Stones-like & the singer has a definite Jagger influence. The Stones did a brief US tour in June '64 and appeared on Dean Martin's TV show in Hollywood, but hadn't really hit in the US yet. 'Hoochie Coochie Man' wasn't too well known either, until Manfred Mann put it on their LP in Sept. 64. Not impossible though.

Great clip!

 

[Andreas]

I'm also picking up a strong Animals vibe, especially the organ, but also the overall arrangement. The harmonica solo is pure Jagger though. If this is mid-64, then these kids were definately ahead of the game.