Royal Coachmen (Adrian MI)

[franku]

I just found this cool photo of the Royal Coachmen from Adrian MI in a 1967 high school yearbook from nearby Jackson. These guys cut the elusive "You Can't Get Me Down" 45 on Kool Kat, which is one of the toughest Michigan garage 45s to score (I've never seen a copy and know of only one local collector who has one). They obviously were a very professional group, with the matching custom outfits, cool logo design, powerful Sunn amps, etc. They also managed to appear on the Swingin' Time TV show in Windsor, Ontario at least once.

 

[franku]

And here they are on Swingin' Time doing a tune apparently called "Renee" that seems unreleased? Or did it come out?

 

[franku]

And the classic Kool Kat 45:

 

[Al.Burnett1966]

Great info, thanks a lot!

 

[greenfuzz]

And here they are on Swingin' Time doing a tune apparently called "Renee" that seems unreleased? Or did it come out?

I think I have some unreleased songs from an acetate but ‘Renee’ isn’t one of them.

 

[franku]

I may also have this - a CD-R with four songs. But I think it's just the single and alternate versions? The photo on Discogs of the 45 shows it has a copyright date of 1968 and Kool Kat's few other releases seemed to be mostly soul. I wonder if the disc is so rare because the band had already broken up by the time it came out and the label didn't bother to promote it?

 

[greenfuzz]

There’s definitely an alternate version of “You Can’t Get Me Down” but I think the fourth song is unique. I remember a ton of hiss throughout. I was in touch with Rick Coscarelli years ago, and he informed my they also recorded “Renee” and a cover of “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love” but I don’t have those songs.

 

[franku]

For anyone that's interested, I found an excellent article about the band's history on the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends site. Put together by a (now-) retired teacher, this site has some great in-depth pieces on dozens of MI acts from all eras, often based on interviews. Highly recommended. https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/hall-of-fame/artists/373-royal-coachmen