A Conversation with Reb Blake of the Wyld Ones

2010-04-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

By Shelley Champine

Marin County has had a Wild Ones band since 1964.

Reb: The original Wild Ones started at Redwood High School [Larkspur, CA] and joined the San Francisco Summer of Love Music revolution playing both the Fillmore and Avalon Ballrooms with Chuck Berry and the Young Rascals as the Electric Train.

Why was it called Electric Train?
Reb: The name Electric Train was chosen as a better name for the Summer of Love (Fillmore and Avalon) music scene. When the band played for Bill Graham it was for union minimum wage and Jack Simpson would take the check from Graham and then hand it back to him; The band played for the publicity.

Did the same performers play in each band?
Reb: The same players from the Wild Ones were in the Electric Train. Jack Simpson guitar/vocals, John Burk vocals, Paul Burch keyboards/vocals, Keith Taylor drums, Steve Marshall bass. The band was known for its arrogant pictures and a rocking guitar sound à la Moby Grape.

What happened after that?
Reb: In 1967 or 1968 the manager’s house burned up in San Francisco. The masters and most copies of the recordings were lost. The band broke up. (More about the Wild Ones in just a minute)

What bands did you play with in high school?
Reb: My high school bands were the Casuals, an all instrumental band featuring Bruce Walford that I managed as I put my band the Teen Tones together. Other high school bands were the Surf Time, and The Reb Blake Band which became popular in the early small Marin scene doing shows mainly in the many US military enlisted men's clubs around the bay area and Treasure Island. I became fairly well known during this period and had sit-in privileges with the top pop band in the Bay Area from Marin: Butch Engle and the Styx.
(Butch Engle and the Styx were related to the more popular Beau Brummels since Ron Elliott of the Beau Brummels wrote songs for both bands.)

When did you first start playing music?
Reb: I started playing in the third grade when a fellow student, Rich Castleman (of the Marin band The Warlocks) introduced me to the first Ray Charles album. Rich died outside the rock club in Squaw Valley during the middle 60's freeing up the name to be adopted by what became the Grateful Dead. I played in grammar school bands as the guitarist and lead singer for a short while then switched to bass for 7th and 8th grades in the late 50's and early 60's.
(Reb later tells me, “I had to hurt my brain to come up with those names.” referring to the names of his school bands.)

What did you do after high school?
Reb: I returned from Viet Nam in April of 1968 and learned how to play again. I started a band called the Confederate Air Force and toured around the west for several years. The band that I toured with in the late 70's was a quartet: Michael Sklar guitar and vocals (Neville Brothers/Charles Brown), Bruce Walford guitar/vocals, (founder of the Church studio, produced the first Sons of Champlin double album as well as their last). Mitch Howie drums (Clover) and me. I also worked in my family's shipyard and as a firefighter during this time. Then got bored with not performing so I started playing with Sons of Champlin spin-off creations in the local market I then worked as a staff producer at the Church Studio in San Anselmo for a couple of years.

(During that time he also formed a band with veteran Brit studio musician Nicky Hopkins (Beatles, Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones as well as Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Excerpted from the Wikipedia article about Nicky Hopkins: “At the Church Studio in San Anselmo, Marin County, a small jam band formed around Nicky: Bruce Walford, guitar, Larry Holman, drums, and Reb Blake, bass. Hopkins would play his songs and spin tales of his time in London's early rock scene and his father's piano playing in England during World War Two. Hopkins never allowed any of these sessions to be recorded, citing his complete disgust with the music business.”)

Getting back to theThe Wild Ones...The band reformed in the 70s. John Bird, who ended up playing with Quicksilver Messenger Service, was an original (1964) member and you and Bruce Brymer then became part of this group, right?
Reb: Yes. The original reformed Wild Ones were Jack Simpson from the original band and John Bird who worked at Prune Music (and played with Lee Michaels and Dan Hicks) on guitars [along] with Bruce Brymer and myself. A few years down the road Jack Simpson quit and was replaced by Chuck Steaks (Janis Joplin, Frank Sinatra, Beach Boys, Quicksilver Messenger Service) on keyboards. When Chuck pulled out in 1980 we became a trio with John Bird, Bruce and me. We toured the west coast and other western states doing every kind of musical gig from military bases to auto dealerships. John left to join Gary Duncan and the Quicksilver Messenger Service. When John died around 2002 (before his 50th birthday), Bruce and I decided not to go on with the band.

Over the years, the Wild Ones opened for many legendary bands and a lot of notable people sat in. Can you name some?
Reb: … The Ventures to Sammy Hagar, Jessie Collin Young, and Commander Cody and [we had] had sit-ins such as Gary Duncan (Quicksilver) and Terry Haggerty from Sons of Champlin.

Who are the Wyld Ones now?
Reb: Today’s lineup contains no original members but showcases the best musicians ever to be Wild Ones starting with singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, Drew Youngs who has played with Herbie Hancock, Del Pompadours, Steve Miller and was lead vocalist and guitarist for the Tazmanian Devils (signed by Warner Bros). Bruce Brymer, drummer, singer, songwriter who was in bands with Berry Melton (Country Joe and the Fish), Rosie Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) and 19 Broadway legend Chuck Day (Mamas and Papas) plus singer, songwriter, keyboardist David Kessner (Graham Nash, Cold Blood). David Kessner was one of the original partners in Mill Valley's Prune Music Store.

(Rounding out the band are singer, songwriter, bassist, Reb Blake who was also a former manager for Sons of Champlin and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Blake had been gigging as the Reb Blake Show until recently when he decided to change the name to The Wyld Ones as a nod to Marin’s own Summer of Love band. Says Blake, “We just tweaked the spelling of the name because there are now many Wild Ones over the world.”)

Lots of these guys are still playing around the area - Greg Errico, Country Joe, Barry Melton, Kathi McDonald, Sam Andrew, Sly Stone, Rosie Stone, Nick Gravenites, David LaFlamme, Linda LaFlamme, Peter Albin, Roy Blumenfeld, Austin DeLone, etc. Have you thought of having some of them sit in on your gigs?
Reb: Yes I will invite some of those good folks to sit in with us starting with Barry Melton, a dear and valued friend.

Tell us a little bit about that whole scene Prune Music/Mesa Boogie scene.
Reb: Prune was and is famous as the location where Mesa Boogie amplifiers were invented as sonic tools by Randy Smith, another owner, for Carlos Santana so he could achieve his trademark Santana guitar sound.

(According to the Dave Hunter in his book, Guitar: A complete guide for the player, Randall Smith took the "hot-rodded" Princeton into the front store. Coincidentally, Carlos Santana was present and played through the amp. Impressed, Santana told Smith, "Man, that little amp really boogies!", thus providing the current name for the amplifier and the company.)
Reb: I did the first publicity promo for Mesa Boogie while I worked at Prune when I first returned from Nam. Larry Craig, another owner, became known as the guitar tech and repair man to the stars. His clients included Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show, Tom Johnson of the Doobie Brothers and many other guitar gods and rock stars.

Any final thoughts?
Reb: We never became social movements or important for making money but a lot a lot of people danced and smiled to our music over those years. And today, with the addition of musician, singer extraordinaire Drew Youngs from Palo Alto High School, the Wyld Ones present a musical uniqueness of lifetime artistic achievement by every member of the Wyld Ones, complex and simple, jazz, pop, blues, rock, classic rock, original singing and instrumental arrangements nobody else is doing in Northern California.
Armed with a combination of dancing tunes from the entire history of Rock and Roll and spectacular original rockers and ballads singing about everything from the environment, war, love and “catching your face on fire smoking cigarettes,” the Wyld Ones offer a show few Marin bands can come near to for sheer musicianship and showmanship.

The Reb Blake Show has changed its name back to The Wyld Ones

2010-02-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

Marin County has had a Wyld Ones Band since 1964. The original Wild Ones started at Redwood High School and joined the San Francisco Summer of Love Music revolution playing both the Filmore and Avalon Ballrooms with Chuck Berry and the Young Rascals as the Electric Train. A fire destroyed all the master recording tapes and the band broke up. Reformed with one original member and Reb and Bruce with legendary, passed on, Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Bird, the name changed back to the Wild Ones in the 70’s and has been rockin along ever since. Over the years, the Wild Ones opened for many legendary bands from the Ventures to Sammy Hagar, Jessie Collin Young, and Commander Cody and had sitins such as Gary Duncan (Quicksilver) and Terry Haggerty (Sons of Champlin). Today’s lineup contains no original members but showcases the best musicians ever to be Wyld Ones starting with singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, Drew Youngs who has played with Herbie Hancock and the Del Pompadours: and Bruce Brymer, drummer, singer, songwriter who was in bands with Berry Melton(Country Joe and the Fish), Rosie Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) and 19 Broadway legend Chuck Day (Mamas and Papas). Rounding out the band are singer, songwriter, bassist, Reb Blake (former manager Sons of Champlin, Quicksilver Messenger Service) and singer, songwriter, keyboardist David Kessner (Graham Nash, Cold Blood). Armed with a combination of dancing tunes from the entire history of Rock and Roll and spectacular original rockers and ballads singing about everything from the environment, war, love and “catching your face on fire smoking cigarettes,” the Wyld Ones offer a show few Marin bands can come near to for sheer musicianship and showmanship. Come and experience 100 years of musical excellence aimed at showing off how good we are as singers and players for your listening and watching excitement. The Wyld Ones

Jumping Off the Cliff Laughing

2009-08-27T12:35:00.001-07:00

Reb Blake music update: Last night, Monday the 24th, I played in the open mike house band at the 19 Broadway night club in Fairfax, California. The band was Bruce Brymer on drums, Mark Milan of the Electric Prunes on shredding guitar and me, your humble correspondent. Mark, who is a studio musician in Las Angles, was in town for the 40th anniversary of his Redwood High school graduation. We backed up ten or twelve acts that covered a wide swath of musical genres. It was a blast. The music was great as we had no idea what the other musicians and singers would perform. Ron Woods caklled it jumping off the cliff; laughing.
We are going to do this type of show again utilizing some local monster guitar players instead of Mark who has to return to LA. Will keep you advised. This kind of sideman playing continues what I have been doing all summer: sitting in with great local bands like Michael Sklar’s band the Hip Shakers on Frenchman Street in the Quarter in New Orleans and singing for friends in Chicago.

Reb's New Music News

2009-08-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

This is the first upgrade to this site in awhile. The Reb Blake album project is entering its final phase of recording. Hopefully within a month the final mixing and CD printing can commence. As songs become available I will park them here at rebblake.com for listening or MP3 download.

The Reb Blake Band has formed and learned two hours of material. The amazing Drew Youngs, ex Buddy Miles and Herbie Hancock sideman, on guitar and vocals, Bruce Brymer, ex Barry Melton and the Fish, on drums and vocals and original songs, been playing with the great vocalist Bruce since freshman year in high school, The ex Graham Nash sideman David Kessner on keyboards including B-3, Smooth Dave Westerbeke on guitar and vocals and I am pushing bass and singing. The band is very good as everyone else is a much better musician and singer than I am.

The band, on some shows being joined with the great singer, songwriter and slide guitar player Kent Earl Houseman, whom I have played with since grammar school, has done shows at UC Berkeley’s International House, an outdoor show in San Rafael California, a live webcast from the Digital College Expressions in Emeryville, California and will be appearing September 26, 2009 at the Redwoods retirement complex in Mill Valley California from noon to three at a classic car show. Come on out and catch some great music.

RebBlake.com News

A Conversation with Reb Blake of the Wyld Ones

The Reb Blake Show has changed its name back to The Wyld Ones

Jumping Off the Cliff Laughing

Reb's New Music News