Blues Magoos




Formed in the Bronx, New York, USA, in 1964 and initially known as The Trenchcoats, the founding line-up of what would become Blues MaGoos consisted of Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm, vocals, guitar, Dennis LaPore, lead guitar, Ralph Scala, organ and vocals, Ron Gilbert, bass, and John Finnegan, drums. The group quickly became an important part of the emergent Greenwich Village Rock scene and in 1966 secured a residency at the fabled Night Owl club. Near the end of '66, the band was calling itself Bloos Magoos and Mike Esposito was brought in as their new lead guitarist. Esposito had at one time been in a college band with Lou Reed, and his inventive guitar playing, utilizing controlled feedback and tape-echo devices, added a new dimension to the group's sound. Having recorded flop singles for Ganim and Verve Records, the band was signed to Mercury Records, where they became the subject of intense grooming. Drummer Geoff Daking replaced Dennis LaPore in time to record their debut album, "Psychedelic Lollipop", which was released in November 1966. The band was now using a more traditional spelling of their name, Blues Magoos.

In February of 1967, Mercury released a single called ("We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet", written by band members, Gilbert, Scala and Esposito. The song was a Billboard #5 hit for the Magoos in America and finished at number 72 for the entire year, but failed to achieve the same success in the UK. A follow up hit was even harder to come by and their next effort, "Pipe Dream" stalled at #60. Subsequent efforts like "So I'm Wrong and You Are Right" (DNC), "One By One" (#71), and "I Wanna Be There" (#133) also failed to gain much attention. One last single release on Mercury called "I Can Hear The Grass Grow", issued in 1968, also missed the charts. By now, tensions were growing among the members of the band and the original line up split.

On the strength of their name alone, the band's management team re-signed the group to ABC Records, and as Emil Thielhelm had accumulated a backlog of material, suggested he front a revamped line-up. John Leillo played vibes, Eric Kaz was now on keyboards, Roger Eaton played bass and Richie Dickon became the drummer. In 1969, the band completed the album "Never Goin' Back To Georgia", while the same group, except for Eaton, was augmented by session musicians for the disappointing 1970 LP, "Gulf Coast Bound". Neither of these sold well, and after hanging on for another two years, The Blues Magoos packed it in. Thielhelm took a role in the Rock musical Hair using the name Peppy Castro. He later pursued a varied career as a member of Barnaby Bye, Wiggy Bits and Balance, while Cher and KISS are among the artists who have recorded his songs. Organist, Eric Kaz went on to form American Flyer.

In later years, The Blues MaGoos name reappeared at various times, including November 9th, 2000, when Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm and Ralph Scala played at a garage band revival show called Cavestomp. In July, 2008, original members Ralph Scala and Geoff Daking, reunited for two concerts, including one with The Zombies, at the Fillmore in New York. A year and a half later they traveled to Spain for the Purple Weekend festival. In 2014, The Blues Magoos releases their first new album in 41 years, titled "Psychedelic Resurrection". A nationwide tour followed in 2015. The band officially released their last recording, "Nowhere is Somewhere", in 2022. The song and accompanying video were featured at the 2021 Woodstock Film Festival. The band announced on their Facebook page that they would be appearing on the 2024 Flower Power Cruise, which was slated to sail out of Miami from March 21st to March 28th.

On a sad note, original bassist Ron Gilbert passed away on February 16th, 2024 at the age of 77.

Although they were sometimes called "one hit wonders", Blues Magoos, with their electric suits and giant, onstage lava lamps, are fondly remembered as a classic example of the Psychedelic Rock era.

Be sure to read Gary James' Interview With The Blues Magoos' Ralph Scala