Fact of the Day: The band was founded in 1964 by John Mouse Michalski (born 1948, Cleveland, Ohio) (lead guitar) and Roy Chaney (born 1948, Indianapolis, Indiana) (bass guitar), two high school friends who had previously played in several short-lived bands. After going by the name The Squires for a short time, along with several line-up changes, the Count Five were born. John Sean Byrne (1947-2008, born Dublin, Ireland) played rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Kenn Ellner played tambourine and harmonica while sharing lead vocals and Craig Butch Atkinson (1947-1998, born San Jose, California) played drums. The Count Five gained distinction for their habit of wearing Count Dracula-style capes when playing live. Psychotic Reaction, an acknowledged cornerstone of garage rock, was initially devised by Byrne, with the group refining it and turning it into the highlight of their live sets. The song was influenced by the style of contemporary musicians such as The Standells and The Yardbirds.[citation needed] The band was rejected by several record labels before they got signed to the Los Angeles-based Double Shot Records. Psychotic Reaction was released as a single, peaking at #5 in the U.S. charts in late 1966. The band enjoyed limited success for a short time, dropping out of view altogether when their only hit had fallen from public memory. Another setback to a potential career in the music business was the decision of the five members (who were between the ages of 17 and 19) to pursue college degrees. https://youtube/watch?v=fBTT3VPriV8
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 06:00:01 +0000
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