The Mynah Birds was a Canadian R&B band formed in Toronto, Ontario, that was active from 1964 to 1967. Over its short lifespan, the group featured a large number of artists in its many different configurations. Its most memorable lineup included Rick James, Rickman Mason, John Taylor and Neil Young and Bruce Palmer, both founder members of Buffalo Springfield. Goldy McJohn and Nick St. Nicholas would later become members of the rock band Steppenwolf. In early 1966, the Mynah Birds signed a seven-year deal with Motown Records. Shortly before recording began, their bass player, Bruce Palmer, invited an acquaintance of his to join the band: local folk musician Neil Young. An article about the Mynah Birds in a May 1966 Billboard magazine indicated that their first single would be an original song called “I’ve Got You In My Soul.” That never happened, likely because somebody noticed that “I’ve Got You In My Soul” sounded remarkably similar to a Them song called “Little Girl.” A planned single, Its My Time b/w Go On And Cry, assigned the catalog number V.I.P. 25033, was withdrawn just prior to its scheduled release. The band’s manager misappropriated their advance money from Motown and they fired him. In return, the manager informed Motown that the band’s singer was AWOL from the Navy, and Ricky Matthews (nee James) ended up going to jail for a year. Motown scrapped any future plans for the Mynah Birds, and Neil and Bruce left the band after Rick’s arrest.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 11:56:09 +0000