Features: 60's Garage Bands: Other Influences

 PERSONNEL:
RANDY BOYTE - organ, piano A B C D E (1966-1970)
DAVID DUFF - bass A B C D E (1966-1970)
WAYNE PROCTOR - lead guitar A B
TOMMY TALTON - guitar A B C (1966-1968)
TOM WYNN - drums A (1966)
LEE FERGUSON - drums A B (1966-1967)
TERRY COX - drums C D E (1967-1970)
CARL CHAMBERS - guitar D (1968-1969)
SKIP SKINNER - guitar E (1969-1970)

 45s:
(A) My Brother The Man/Proceed With Caution (Hot Line 3680) 1966
(B) Mirror Of Your Mind/The Color Of Your Love (Challenge 59333) June 1966
(B) He Doesn't Go About It Right/You Burn Me Up And Down (Challenge 59340) 1966
(B) St. John's Shop/In The Past (Challenge 59351) 1966
(C) Follow Me Back To Louisville/Fluorescent Hearts (RCA Victor 47-9292) 1967
(C) Love Is A Beautiful Thing/The Day She Dies (RCA Victor 47-9393) 1967
(C) Ain' t Gonna Find Nobody (Better Than You)/When I Arrive (RCA Victor 47-9498) 1968

 CD ALBUMS: Available at Amazon.com
• DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
(Collectibles COL-CD-0532) 1993

• MIRROR OF OUR MINDS
(Sundazed SC 11056) 1998
a double CD retrospective, from the master tapes, with no less than forty tracks and an excellent biography of the group in the member's own words.

This highly regarded band hailed from Orlando, Florida, and despite their lack of national success at the time are nowadays regarded in the same league as The Chocolate Watchband, Standells, Music Machine etc.. This view is entirely justified, as their 45s reveal a depth and diversity of talent, from the raucous punk of When I Arrive or You Burn Me Up And Down through to melodic drifting ballads such as St. John's Shop and The Day She Dies. We The People also have a unique quality in their songwriting, with My Brother The Man, Mirror Of Your Mind, In The Past and numerous others all standing out as top quality stuff.

The band were formed out of two acts - the Trademarks and Offbeets, at the suggestion of Ron Dillman, who managed both bands. Within a week of their first meeting/rehearsal in early 1966, they were recording their first 45, My Brother, The Man, but shortly afterwards Tom Wynn was replaced by Lee Ferguson and the band signed a production and publishing deal with Nashville-based Tony Moon.

Whilst their first two 45s contained punchy psychedelic rockers, He Doesn't Go About It Right contains a dollop of Kinks style humor, and St. John's Shop is a beautiful slow ballad. All were big regional hits in Florida and Tennessee, but under threat of the draft, and frustrated by the lack of national success, Wayne Proctor quit early in 1967. Shortly before his departure they recorded Love Wears Black (None), at Bradley's Barn in Nashville in early 1967, which was intended for release under the pseudonym Fresh Air. He also co-wrote The Skunks 1967 track, Don't Ask Why with Clark Taylor, which has recently been given another airing on The Quill Records Story (CD).

With Wayne pursuing a career in song-writing, the group continued, although Lee Ferguson was then drafted and replaced by Terry Cox from Those Four Guys. Now signed to RCA, national success still proved elusive, although the later 45s are still pretty good (and When I Arrive remains a complete stormer).

Tom Talton too left the group in 1968 and later resurfaced with Tom Wynn in Cowboy. We The People soldiered on for a while with guitarist Carl Chambers and finally Skip Skinner, but they eventually called it a halt in 1970.

In addition to their 45s, the band also had two French EPs with picture sleeves: the first (London 10181) 1966 contains the four tracks that comprise the first two Challenge 455: the second (London 10184) 1967 contains St John's Shop, In The Past, Declaration Of lndependence and Lovin' Son Of A Gun - the last two being non-US 45s tracks.

The band have also been the subject of three retrospective compilations, with Sundazed's Mirror Of Our Minds being the latest and best. A double CD package, with extensive liner notes/interviews by Jeff Jarema, it includes no less than forty tracks. All their 45 cuts are featured, plus all the "previously unreleased" cuts that have cropped up elsewhere on other comps etc. and a whole bundle of other tracks also make their first appearance anywhere... All in all a thoroughly recommended package!