932 Laura Nyro “Wedding Bell Blues” 1966

“Jan Nigro remembers seeing Laura’s list of possible name changes, all variations of Nigro. Her father recalls that she seriously considered ‘Niagra,’ a name she had used on her creative writing book in 1960. But Lou had pointed out to her that it would not lessen the wisecracks. ‘Laura,’ he said, ‘if you trip, someone will say, Niagra falls. She settled on Nyro—pronounced, coincidentally, the same as the surname of a well-known earlier Music and Art alum, pianist Peter Nero. Spelled with a y, though, it would almost always be mispronounced as Nigh-ro—just as her father also warned. Perhaps the NY represented New York (NY); perhaps it had a resonance to a kindred spirit Bob Dylan’s name (which was often similarly mispronounced as Die-lan. ‘I think it was just an unusual name that she liked the sound of,’ says Jan Nigro. Whatever it stood for to her, Nyro was certainly unique: There was not another in any New York City phone book” (Michele Kort, Soul Music: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro, 2002). 

Laura Nyro “Wedding Bell Blues”

931 Aaron Neville “Tell It Like It Is” 1966

“When his singing career hit its stride in 1966, ‘Tell It Like It Is’ had zoomed to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on two of the most respected music charts in the country and generated millions of dollars in record sales. But the money didn’t find its way into Neville’s pockets. He got no royalties, he says, and a 45-rpm that his friends spray painted gold was just about all he had to show for his effort...’Somebody made off with the money, and that song made somebody rich.’ Not Neville. At the height of the song’s popularity, Aaron was breaking his back working on the New Orleans docks to support his family. And over the next few years, he had to move from one job to another—digging ditches, painting houses and even driving a truck to deliver cigarettes and candy for a mere S50 a week” (W. Leavy, Ebony, Dec. 1991). 

Aaron Neville “Tell It Like It Is”

930 Fred Neil “The Dolphins” 1966

“Neil started his music career in 1955 when he moved from St. Petersburg to Memphis, Tenn…The singer became a cult favorite in New York City’s Greenwich Village folk scene after Roy Orbison released a blues recording of Neil’s ‘Candyman’ in 1960. The following year, a young Bob Dylan joined Neil on stage during a show at a Greenwich Village nightclub. Some of Neil’s other big-name fans in that era included musicians John Sebastian, Paul Kantner, Richie Havens, David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Neil moved to Miami’s Coconut Grove district after releasing his first solo album, ‘Bleecker & MacDougal,’ in 1965. While in South Florida, Neil took an interest in protecting dolphins and frequently visited Kathy, the star of television show ‘Flipper’” (The Associated Press State & Local Wire, 9 July 2001).  

Fred Neil “The Dolphins”

929 Napoleon XIV “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa” 1966

“Popular music is underwritten by advertisers. If a song is TOO controversial, and enough folks scream into their phones about it, its hit potential gets instantly curtailed. Witness Napoleon XIV’s #3 7-66 ‘They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa.’ Napoleon’ Jerry Samuels of New York claimed a million-seller, but after two days stations reeled from a fiery flurry of negative calls saying the song made vicious fun of the emotionally ill—which it did” (Maury Dean, Rock and Roll: Gold Rush, 2003).  

Napoleon XIV “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa”

928 Mouse and the Traps “A Public Execution” and “Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice” 1966

“Tyler’s Mouse and the Traps…were actually to what would become the punk ethic. They were formed in 1964 by Ronnie ‘Mouse’ Weiss (vocals/guitar), Bugs Henderson (lead guitar), Dave Stanley (bass), Jerry Howell (organ), and Ken ‘Big Nardo’ Muray (drums). Produced by Robin Hood Bryans, they had two hits with ‘A Public Execution’ and ‘Maid of Sugar, made of Spice,’ and , all told, released thirteen 45s and an album for RCA. Though the band was legendary in Texas, struggles to gain attention elsewhere were less than successful, and they broke up in 1969. They still convene every decade for much-anticipated reunions” (Rick Koster, Texas Music, 1998). 

Mouse and the Traps “A Public Execution”

Mouse and the Traps “Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice”

927 The Mothers of Invention “Who Are the Brain Police” 1966

“What people heard was arguably the first conceptual pop LP and way ahead of its time. Frank Zappa already had a clear vision of the mixture of music and satire that he wanted to put onto record. The LP’s sleeve came complete with a letter from the fictitious Suzy Creemcheese Salt Lake City, Utah. The letter implied just what Zappa wanted to get over about the group. With its talk of bearded weirdos who all smelled bad, it almost seemed to imply that the whole thing was an elaborate joke—which of course it wasn’t. Zappa couldn’t have been more serious about the music itself. However, he appeared to be smart enough to realize that the Mothers didn’t stand a chance in hell of gaining success in the rock world with their type of music if they came across as serious musicians” (Billy James, Necessity Is…The Early Years of Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, 2000).

The Mothers of Invention “Who Are the Brain Police”

926 Tony Mossop with The Soulseekers “He Bought My Soul at Calvary” 1966

Lead singer Tony Mossop was born in Jamaica and “started singing in a church choir as a boy of nine” (album notes). Based in London, the Soul Seekers performed country gospel from 1964 to 1969. “The Soul Seekers began as The Celestial Chords, who were formed in the early 1960s by Carl and Denver Grant, who played bass and lead guitar respectively. They were from Calvary Apostolic Church in Camberwall, London. By 1966, the group had expanded to include tony Mossop (vocals), Way Powell (rhythm guitar) and Barry Forde (drums). The group were determined from the outset to make a career in the music industry and they employed the managerial services of a South London manager called Ken McCarthy. McCarthy organized tours in Europe and secured radio airplay at a time when many stations refused to play black Gospel music.” Mossop died in a car crash in 1970 (Steve Alexander Smith, British Black Gospel, 2009).   
  
Tony Mossop with The Soulseekers “He Bought My Soul at Calvary”