Renegades - Temptation. Surf band???

[Hicksville Hogwash]

OK I got you here under false pretenses.

Anyone heard of this a surf band out of California, 1963 called THE RENEGADES? Recorded a instrumental demo one side called Temptation other??? I can't remember.

I have a new part time job working for the WV Music Hall of Fame and we were in Bluefield WV with our mobile museum yesterday. There are a few antique stores nearby and I got to rummage through some stuff. While I'm flicking through some jazz books an old guy says they are not sorted yet and I tell him I'm looking for things with local musicians in.

We get chatting and he starts telling about the jazz and blues musicians that came through the town in the 30's, 40's and 50's. I tell him I love 50's and 60's rockin' stuff. Then he starts reminsing about his band from way back early 60's - The Tempters, then called The Renegades, then something else... anyway he gets his phone out and plays me a recording they made (MCA I think were interested and another label). What he played me had my hairs on end. Over reverbed intense speedy surf. He tells me how they were a R n' B band before the Brit Invasion but in Ca they could not get much working doing that They wanted to hear surf at the time so that is what his band started playing.

Just when agents and record companies got interested in them through this recording some band members got drafted.

He said he'd send a mp3 of the recording to me. If he forgets, he was old? sorry oldies, I'm there too. Does anyone have this or heard it at all and direct me to a sample? I'd be grateful.

 

[beccabear67]

I looked through what surf reference stuff i have back to the older Bomps and they don't seem to get mentioned, but I'm sure there must have been a lot of bands by 1963 doing the Dick Dale thing. They sort of sound like the PNW groups that started out grounded in R&B too, could be a real gem of a recording!!! The so-called surf thing goes back to Ritchie Valens(uela) and Dick Dale playing those fenders, which leads back to Chuck Berry and some of the Chicago blues players (some of whom came up from the south more recently than others). Should mention Eddie Cochrane was bending strings on his Gretsch too, which were not the strings supplied.

It's really an honor to get to talk to someone from those days sometimes.

When I saw the Renegades name the first thing I thought of was that Brumbeat group on Artone that i like a lot, and then 'Tonto & The...' of course.

 

[chas_kit]

Manuel & the Renegades ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dM2oviA7i0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-7faxlgIGE

 

[Hicksville Hogwash]

Thanks guys,

the man, named Pete.???, said they just demoed two tunes so I'm 97.8% sure it is not Manuel and the Renegades. I remember now the other names his band used and not much help considering that every other surf, beat, frat and garage band used them. The Tempters, The Renegades and The Thunderbirds in which order I'm not sure.

....and Chas whilst I was chatting to him he pulled up your garagehangover.com site and showed me his best friends, who just lived up the street, band - THE KICKIN' MUSTANGS.

 

[beccabear67]

The song Temptation is an 'old standard', although I first really noticed it on a Doctor Demento show where he played a sort of hicked up hillbilly version after a more typical Perry Como style version. The Renegades do a pretty cool fast-picking surf style version... a lot of fun to hear!

 

[eargasm!]

@ Hicksville....maybe you should drop a line to John Blair. He always seemed to be the go to guy about surf. He may be able to put some light on your mystery.

 

[Hicksville Hogwash]

Thanks all. The gentleman Pete sent me samples of his demo - and this is part of the email.

"...... recorded in Hollywood CA in April of 1963 by the Renegades also known as the Tempters a band out of the Santa Barbara CA area. We signed a contract of Temptation with a record company that never progressed as the band was done when we all went our separate ways the following year.

Lead guitar by Craig Medlen, Rhythm by Pete Sternloff and drummer Ron Bryan,"

I stuck a sample of Temptation in the "How Unknown Can You Go" thread. and you can find it here too. The flip is "Lonesome Traveler" and is also very cool.

https://soundcloud.com/agentugly/temptation.

No bass guitar? the freakin' Cramps or what!

 

[Creme tangerine]

I found a 10” acetate of 6 songs by this band (i think?) a while back. I’ve been looking for more info on it and I spoke with a member of Manuel and the Renegades today & conformed that this is not the same group. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[abc]

I found a 10” acetate of 6 songs by this band (i think?) a while back. I’ve been looking for more info on it and I spoke with a member of Manuel and the Renegades today & conformed that this is not the same group. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Marijuana Mary

Do you have any soundclips you could post?

 

[Creme tangerine]

Marijuana Mary

Do you have any soundclips you could post?

I have a couple videos I took (acetate sounds rough but it’s definitely listenable). Too large to upload here. Fee free to email me at [email protected] and I’ll forward em your way.

 

[13th Floor Garage]

Thanks for not only sharing the music, but your story. These are always fun to read.
As to the song, I liked it. I'm sort of reminded of the song Jezebel to a slight degree, but the style and reverb holds its own quite well!