The Turtles

Not to be confused withTurtles (South Korean band).

The Turtlesare an American rock band formed inLos Angeles,California in 1965. The band achieved severalTop 40hits throughout the latter half of the 1960s, including "It Ain't Me Babe"(1965),"You Baby"(1966),"Happy Together"(1967),"She'd Rather Be with Me"(1967),"Elenore"(1968), and"You Showed Me"(1969).

The Turtles
The Turtles in 1967 (left to right): Al Nichol,Chip Douglas,Johnny Barbata,Mark Volman,Jim Tucker,Howard Kaylan
Background information
Also known as	The Nightriders (1963) The Crossfires (1963–1965)
Origin	Los Angeles,California, U.S.
Genres	Folk rock psychedelic pop
Discography	The Turtles discography
Years active	1965–1970 1983–present ( "featuring Flo & Eddie" )
Labels	White Whale,Sundazed Music
Members	Mark Volman Ron Dante
Past members	Howard Kaylan Al Nichol Jim Tucker Chuck Portz Don Murray Chip Douglas Joel Larson Johnny Barbata Ronald Gostel Jim Pons John Seiter
Website	theturtles.com

The original six members wereHoward Kaylan,Mark Volman,Al Nichol, Jim Tucker, Chuck Portz, andDon Murray,with subsequent members beingChip Douglas,Joel Larson,Johnny Barbata,Jim Pons,andJohn Seiter.As the Turtles' commercial success waned by the end of the 1960s, they became plagued with management problems, lawsuits and conflicts with their label,White Whale Records,leading the group to break up in 1970. Kaylan and Volman then joinedFrank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention,where, for contractual reasons, they performed under the nameFlo & Eddie(Volman as Flo, Kaylan as Eddie). After leaving Zappa at the end of 1971, Kaylan and Volman continued to perform under the Flo & Eddie name, becoming popular as acomedy rockact, and also went onto long-lasting success assession musicians.In 1983, Kaylan and Volman began touring asThe Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie.Kaylan ceased touring in 2018, while Volman continues to tour with the Turtles.

History

1963–1966: Formation, initial success and first personnel changes

The Nightriders, the Crossfires and the Tyrtles

In early 1963, New YorkerHoward Kaylanand CalifornianMark Volmanattended the same school,Westchester HighinLos Angeles(Kaylan had moved fromNew York Cityas a child). The two sang in the school's a cappella choir, where Volman soon heard about Kaylan's instrumentalsurf musicband,the Nightriders,which included Kaylan on saxophone and choir members Al Nichol on lead guitar,Don Murrayon drums and Chuck Portz on bass. Volman joined the group as a saxophonist, just before the group changed its name tothe Crossfiresin the same year. After high school graduation, the band continued on while its members attended area colleges, picking up rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker as a sixth member along the way.

They released a single, "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" b/w "Fiberglass Jungle", on the local "Capco Records" label, always in 1963. With the help ofKRLAandKFWBDJ and club ownerReb Foster,the Crossfires signed to the newly formedWhite Whale Records.Adhering to the prevailing musical trend, the group rebranded itself as afolk rockband under the namethe Tyrtles,an intentionally stylized misspelling inspired bythe Byrdsandthe Beatles.However, the trendy spelling did not survive long, and they had to name themselvesthe Turtles.

Because of the stylistic change from "Surf music" to "Folk rock", Kaylan and Volman dropped the saxophones to become the band's vocalists. Kaylan became the group's lead singer, and keyboardist (although he would give up most of the keyboard parts to Nichol in their hits). Volman began to harmonize with Kaylan's lead singing becoming a third guitarist, as well as a percussionist, for the band.

"It Ain't Me Babe" and "You Baby"

As with the Byrds, the Turtles achieved breakthrough success with a cover of aBob Dylansong. "It Ain't Me Babe"reached theBillboardTop 10 in the late summer of 1965, and was the title track ofthe band's first album."Let Me Be",their second single, reached the Top 30, and"You Baby"charted in the Top 20 in early 1966." You Baby ", with its intricate vocal harmonies and upbeat tempo, was influential in the band's sound as it departed from the political, Byrds-type folk rock;the band's new sound ranged fromchamber popto straightforwardpop music.

You Baby,the band's second album, failed to reachBillboard'sTop LPschart, and of several singles released in 1966, "Grim Reaper of Love"and" Can I Get to Know You Better "barely entered theBillboardHot 100.One single, the tough "Outside Chance",written byWarren Zevon,did not chart. In 1966, the Turtles made an appearance inUniversal's filmOut of Sight,singing "She'll Come Back" on screen.

The band in 1966. Top: Al Nichol, Jim Tucker,John Barbata.Middle:Howard Kaylan,Mark Volman.Bottom: Chuck Portz.

In early 1966, drummer Don Murray and bassist Chuck Portz quit the group. Murray was replaced byJoel Larsonfor a few months, beforeJohn Barbatabecame the band's new drummer in late 1966. Portz was replaced byChip Douglason bass.

1966–1968: Peak years

"Happy Together"

"Happy Together",the first of several key Turtles singles co-written by Garry Bonner andAlan Gordon,had been rejected by countless performers. "Happy Together", both their biggest hit and their signature song, signaled a turning point for both the Turtles and for Chip Douglas, who provided the arrangement.The single replaced the Beatles' "Penny Lane"at number one on theBillboardHot 100 in the spring of 1967. The Turtles' only No. 1 remained there for three weeks. An album of the same name followed and peaked at No. 25. "Happy Together" reached No. 12 on theUK Singles Chart.This same year saw the Turtles performing the title song (composed byJohn Williamswith lyrics byLeslie Bricusse) for theTwentieth Century-Foxbedroom farceA Guide for the Married Man.

Impressed by Chip Douglas's studio arrangements,Michael Nesmithapproached him after a Turtles show at theWhisky a Go Goand invited him to becomethe Monkees' producer as that band wanted to break out of their "manufactured" studio mold. Douglas accepted and left the Turtles, producing the Monkees' next three albums:Headquarters;Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.(both 1967); andThe Birds, the Bees & the Monkees(1968), the last of which he co-produced with the band. Meanwhile, the Turtles continued with new bassistJim Ponsreplacing Douglas.

"She'd Rather Be with Me", "You Know What I Mean" and "She's My Girl"

Other hits, all written by Gordon/Bonner, followed "Happy Together", making 1967 a lucrative year for the Turtles. A follow-up, the brassy "She'd Rather Be with Me",reached No. 3 on the US charts in late spring and actually out-charted" Happy Together "overseas, reaching No. 4 in the UK.Two successive Top 15 songs followed: "You Know What I Mean"and"She's My Girl".Both45sshowed a psychedelic side in the band's style. During that year, the band released two albums,Happy TogetherandGolden Hits,the former reaching the Top 30 and the latter reaching the Top 10. The similar album covers forGolden Hitsand its 1970 companionMore Golden Hitswere designed byDean TorrenceofJan & Dean.

By the end of 1967 the band were reduced to a five-piece, when rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker departed, citing the pressure of touring and recording new material. He moved to Grass Valley, California where he became an electrical contractor. He has denied that he left the band becauseJohn Lennonwas rude to him, as Kaylan later suggested.

The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands

The band in 1968. From left:Jim Pons,Howard Kaylan,Mark Volman,Al Nichol,John Barbata.

"Sound Asleep" and "The Story of Rock and Roll", the first two singles in 1968, stalled somewhere in the middle of the Top 100. The band's fortunes changed when former member Chip Douglas returned to work with them as a producer. Late in 1968 the band released aconcept albumcalledThe Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands,in which the group pretended to be 11 different bands (with fanciful names including the Bigg Brothers, Nature's Children, the US Teens featuring Raoul, and the Fabulous Dawgs), each with a song in a different genre. The album yielded two singles: "Elenore"and"You Showed Me",both peaking at No. 6." Elenore "also reached No. 7 in the UK chart.Although both singles were successful, they did not help to boost the album's sales, which peaked at No. 128 on theBillboardPop Albums. The 1969 hit "You Showed Me" had been written by the Byrds'Gene ClarkandRoger (then Jim) McGuinnin 1964. It was their last Top 10 single. Television appearances included a February 1968 spot onThe Mike Douglas Show,to which they returned in April 1969. 1969 saw the band undergo another personnel change, with drummer John Barbata being replaced byJohn Seiter.

1969–1970: Commercial waning and break-up

Turtle Soup

Towards the end of 1969, the group released its next album,Turtle Soup,a critically well-received LP produced byRay Daviesofthe Kinks.Inspired by the revered 1968 concept albumThe Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society,this was Davies's only released production work for another band (but Davies had previously produced demo recordings forthe Iveys). Notable tracks include "Somewhere Friday Nite" and "Love in the City". In spite ofTurtle Soup's positive reception from the music press, its commercial success was marginal, and the band began to disintegrate.

Conflicts with White Whale and disintegration

Long disillusioned with their record label and its growing financial problems by this time, Kaylan and Volman resisted White Whale's efforts to turn the Turtles into something approaching an assembly-line pop act, like the early Monkees. The label apparently encouraged Kaylan and Volman to fire the rest of the band, tour with hired musicians and make records by adding their vocals to backing tracks recorded byMemphis session players.Such pressure convinced the band to record a single called "Who Would Ever Think That I Would Marry Margaret?", which they disowned after its release.

The Turtles wound down their career in 1970 withMore Golden Hits,a second compilation album, andWooden Head,aB-sidesand rarities album. With the demise of the Turtles, White Whale Records lost its biggest moneymaker, had few commercially viable bands, and soon ceased operations.

Post-Turtles

1970s

In mid-1970, Kaylan and Volman joinedFrank Zappa's bandthe Mothers of Invention,with Pons also joining in early 1971.As well as the Turtles' name, Kaylan and Volman were unable to use their real names in billings due to them being prohibited by their contract with their labelWhite Whale Records.Because of this, Volman and Kaylan began performing under the nicknames the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie orFlo & Eddiefor short. Kaylan, Volman, and Pons worked with Zappa until December 1971, when the infamous attack on Zappa at the Rainbow Theatre in London left him no choice but to cease touring for a while. During their time together the former Turtles appeared on several Zappa albums, as well as starring in his 1971 film200 Motels.Volman and Kaylan then went on to make several duo albums, still using the Flo & Eddie name.

Volman and Kaylan sang backing vocals on several recordings by the bandT. Rex,including their worldwide 1971 hit "Get It On (Bang a Gong)"and the albumsElectric WarriorandThe Slider.When White Whale's master recordings were sold at auction in 1974, the duo won the Turtles' masters, making them the owners of their own recorded work. They promptly licensed the tracks toSire Records,which issued them as a compilation album titledHappy Together Again.In the mid-1970s, Volman and Kaylan started their syndicated radio show titledFlo & Eddie by the Fireside,which originated fromKMETin Los Angeles.

1980s

In the 1980s, the duo began hosting their radio show onKROQ-FMin Los Angeles andWXRKin New York City and recorded soundtrack music for children's shows like theCare BearsandStrawberry Shortcake.In 1980, Flo and Eddie performed backing vocals onAlice Cooper'sFlush the Fashionand sang backup onBruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart"from his albumThe River.1982 saw the re-release of the Turtles' original albums throughRhino Records.

In 1983, they also contributed backing vocals to the self-titled debut album of BritishNew wavebandEspionage,produced byRoy Thomas Bakerand released byA&M Records.Also in 1983, Howard Kaylan appeared in the comedy filmGet Crazy,starringMalcolm McDowellandDaniel Stern:Kaylan played the part of Captain Cloud, a spiritual guru, leader of a caravan of time-losthippies.In the same year, Kaylan and Volman legally regained the use of "the Turtles" name and began touring as the Turtles Featuring Flo and Eddie; instead of trying to reunite with their earlier bandmates, they began featuring sidemen who had played with different groups. In 1984, the Turtles embarked on a U.S. Happy Together tour withGary Puckett & the Union Gap,Spanky & Our Gangandthe Association.

In 1987, Kaylan and Volman appeared in a music video of their 1967 song "Happy Together"to promote the romantic comedyMaking Mr. Right.That year also saw the debut of the previously unreleasedShell Shockalbum, as well as a new retrospective CD20 Greatest Hits,both released by Rhino. The latter compilation was followed in 1988 withTurtle Wax: The Best of the Turtles, Vol. 2,which featured the best of their "album tracks" and previously neglected single B-sides.

The 1989 debut album byhip hopcomboDe La Soul,3 Feet High and Rising,featured an uncredited sample from the Turtles (specifically, the introduction to "You Showed Me" ), in the song "Transmitting Live from Mars." Kaylan and Volman sued, winning a large settlement, setting a legal precedent, and causing the music industry to begin carefully crediting (and paying royalties for) sampled works on future rap music and other recordings in general. As they explained: "We don't hate sampling; we like sampling. If we don't get credit, we sue, and all that stuff (a share of the royalties plus punitive damages) comes back to us!" It was incorrectly reported in 2009 that Volman was involved in another lawsuit against rapperGucci Manefor an unauthorized sample; the sample of "Keep It Warm" used in Mane's "Lemonade" was cleared legitimately before the release of the song. Also in 1989, the Turtles' recording ofHappy Togetherwas featured in the eponymous romantic comedy filmHappy Togetheras well as in the film soundtrack album.

1990s

In 1991 Music Club Records released a Turtles' anthology in the United Kingdom:Happy Together: The Best of the Turtles.In 1993, Rhino Records presentedCaptured Live,a live album of their 1992 tour. In 1994Sundazed Musicre-released all of the Turtles' original albums, and in 1999Varèse SarabandereleasedHappy Together: The Best of White Whale Records,which included many of the Turtles' singles.

Original drummerDon Murraydied on March 22, 1996, at age 50.

2000s

In 2002, the filmAdaptationused their song "Happy Together" extensively as a device to portray the closeness of the two brothers Kaufman, both played byNicolas Cage;this film closes with the Turtles' version over the final credit scroll and time lapse photography.

Also the 2005 filmImagine Me & You,the title of which was taken from the first line of the song "Happy Together", used this song in its end credits. In 2009, a Turtles compilation CD titledSave the Turtles: The Turtles Greatest Hitswas issued on their FloEdCo Record label and distributed byManifesto Records.

2010s

Starting in the summer of 2010, the Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie toured throughout the United States as part of the Happy Together: 25th Anniversary Tour, anoldiesconcert series that retained the "Happy Together" moniker in subsequent years. They performed alongside other 1960s and 1970s pop stars, includingGary Puckett,Mitch Ryder,Mark Lindsay,Mark Farner,Gary Lewis,andMicky Dolenz.The 2015 tour featuredthe Buckinghams,the Cowsills,the Grass Roots,andthe Association.In 2016, the complete output of the Turtles was reissued as two box sets, titledThe Complete Original Album CollectionandAll the Singles.The expanded editions of the six albums contained in the former were issued separately in 2017.

In 2018, since Kaylan required heart and back surgery, he was told by his doctors to cease touring, soRon Dante(a prolific session musician ofthe Archies,the Cuff Linksandthe Detergentsfame) replaced him.

2020s

Original rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker died on November 12, 2020, at age 74.

Drummer John Barbata died on May 8, 2024, at age 79.

Personnel

Current members

• Mark Volman– harmony and backing vocals, guitar, percussion(1965–1970, 1983–present)
• Ron Dante– lead vocals, guitar(2018–present)

Former members

• Howard Kaylan– lead vocals, keyboards(1965–1970, 1983–2018)
• Al Nichol – lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals(1965–1970)
• Jim Tucker – acoustic and electric rhythm guitars, backing vocals(1965–1967; died 2020)
• Chuck Portz – bass guitar(1965–1966)
• Don Murray– drums(1965–1966; died 1996)
• Chip Douglas– bass guitar, backing vocals(1966–1967)
• Joel Larson– drums(1966)
• John Barbata– drums, percussion(1966–1969; died 2024)
• Jim Pons– bass guitar, backing vocals(1967–1970)
• John Seiter– drums(1969–1970)

Timeline (Original incarnation of the band, 1965–1970)

Discography

Main article:The Turtles discography

• It Ain't Me Babe(1965)
• You Baby(1966)
• Happy Together(1967)
• Golden Hits(1967)
• The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands(1968)
• Turtle Soup(1969)
• More Golden Hits(1970)
• Wooden Head(1970)

See also

• 1960s portal

External links

• Official website