Needing a band, he called childhood friend and songwriter/guitarist Ron Elliott, who recruited drummer John Petersen, rhythm guitarist/singer Declan Mulligan, and bassist Ron Meagher. In early 1964, following a string of appearances as a singer on local television, Valentino received an offer to play a regular gig at El Cid, a San Francisco club. Sal Valentino grew up in the North Beach section of San Francisco. 1.4 Solo works, other projects and reformation (1969–2013).1.3 Beau Brummels '66, Triangle and Bradley's Barn (1966–68).1.2 Introducing the Beau Brummels and The Beau Brummels, Volume 2 (1965).Four of the original Beau Brummels re-formed in 1974 with one new member and the band released a self-titled album the following year. The duo worked with prominent Nashville session musicians to record Bradley's Barn before parting ways in 1969 to focus on solo material and participate in projects by other artists. Meagher was drafted for military service in 1968, leaving Valentino and Elliott as the only remaining band members. Petersen left to join Harpers Bizarre, reducing the Beau Brummels to a trio for the recording of Triangle. Shortly after the release of Beau Brummels '66, Irving left the group when he was inducted into the armed forces. Guitarist Don Irving joined the band in late 1965 when Elliott began to suffer seizures resulting from a diabetic condition, leaving him unable to tour with the band. The band underwent several personnel changes, beginning with Mulligan's departure in 1965. After recording an album of cover songs, Beau Brummels '66, the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: Triangle in 1967 and Bradley's Barn in 1968. The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by Warner Bros. The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's Introducing The Beau Brummels, and the Top 10 single " Just a Little". The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, " Laugh, Laugh", for which they would later be credited for setting one of the aesthetic foundations for the San Francisco Sound, along with other bands such as the Charlatans the song is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". From left: Ron Elliott, Declan Mulligan, Sal Valentino, Ron Meagher, John Petersen.Īutumn, Vault, Warner Bros., Bay Sound Records He closes the show with "Dancing In The Moonlight," a different song than the Top 40 hit by King Harvest.The Beau Brummels in Village of the Giants (1965). There are severe technical problems in the first four songs, including a nasty buzz, which eventually is cleaned up. The band would change members throughout the year, and would be put on hold in 1974 when Valentino, Elliott, and the other original members would reform the Beau Brummels.įeatured here is material from various periods of Valentino's career, and several tracks that were never recorded. This recording from the Bill Graham archives is from 1973, and features Valentino's own solo band, formed weeks after the demise of Stoneground. Stoneground made three albums for Warner Brothers. After the Beau Brummels split in 1968, Valentino formed Stoneground, a ten-piece, high-energy blues-rock-jazz outfit.
The Beau Brummels burst onto the international music scene with a handful of hits that included "Laugh Laugh" and "Just A Little." The Brummels had a short but bright star during their heyday, even getting a cartoon characterization on the Flintstones. The Beau Brummels were signed early on to DJ/music entrepreneur Tom Donahue's Autumn Records (where they were produced by Donahue's radio DJ associate, Sly Stone, prior to his own stardom).
In 1964, responding to the success of the Beatles, he formed the Beau Brummels, with songwriter Ron Elliott. His earliest bands were formed in the Bay area in 1961 and '62 and were essentially garage bands. Sal Valentino has been a mainstay on the Northern California music scene for nearly half a century. Ralph Walsh - guitar Sal Valentino - vocals, guitar John Blakely - keyboards Doug Killmer - bass John Chambers - drums Lydia Moreno - vocals