Kingsmen Louie Louie Story
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On this date, August 16, 1963, during a band practice, Portland, Oregon
band The Kingsmen drummer Lynn Easton told the band's singer and founder
Jack Ely that he wanted to abandon the drums and become the frontman and singer. Ely would have to become the drummer, and since The Kingsmen was registered in Easton's name only, he technically led the band. Ely, who
sang on the band's recent recording of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie" was
not happy with this turn of events and left the band at once. At the
time, the record had sold roughly 600 copies and it was thought that The Kingsmen would disband. When he found out "Louie Louie" was climbing up
the Billboard charts, Ely attempted to rejoin the group, but was blocked
by Easton who was intent on adding replacements. Undeterred, Ely went on
to form his own "Kingsmen" group and also recorded "Love That Louie" in
1964 for RCA Records as Jack E. Lee and the Squires. A legal battle
ensued, resulting in Ely ceasing to call his group the Kingsmen and Wand Records, a subsidiary of Scepter Records, being required to credit Ely
as lead vocalist on all future "Louie Louie" pressings. Ely received
$6000 in royalties, and Easton had to stop lip-synching the song.
Meanwhile "Louie Louie" went on to sell over 2 million copies and become
a rock 'n' roll anthem. The Kingsmen toured on the strength of that song
with Lynn Easton as lead singer.
In 1962, while playing a gig at the Pypo Club in Seaside, Oregon, the
band noticed Rockin' Robin Roberts's version of Berry's "Louie Louie"
being played on the jukebox for hours on end. The entire club would get
up and dance. Ely convinced the Kingsmen to learn the song, which they
played at dances to a great crowd response. Unknown to him, he changed
the beat from 1-2-3-4, 1–2, 1-2-3-4, 1–2 to 1-2-3, 1–2, 1-2-3, 1–2 because he based it on the intro only. Ken Chase, host of radio station
KISN, became the band's manager. Ely was begging Chase to let the band
record their own version of "Louie Louie", and on April 5, 1963, Chase
booked the band an hour-long session at the local Northwestern Inc.
studio for the following day.
In order to sound like a live performance, the group's equipment was
arranged such that Ely was forced to lean back and sing into a boom
microphone suspended high above the floor. "It was more yelling than
singing," Ely said, "'cause I was trying to be heard over all the
instruments." In addition, he was wearing braces at the time of the performance, further compounding his infamously slurred words. Ely sang
the beginning of the third verse a few bars too early, but realized his
mistake and waited for the rest of the band to catch up. In what was
thought to be a warm-up, the song was recorded in its first and only
take. The Kingsmen were not proud of the version, but their manager
liked the rawness of their cover. The entire session cost $50. That
session yielded a true rock 'n' roll classic.
After a brief stint with Don and the Goodtimes, Ely began touring with
his renamed group, the Courtmen. In 1966, they released "Louie Louie
'66" and "Ride Ride Baby" with Bang Records; neither charted. With the
Vietnam War on the horizon, Ely was conscripted into the army, and found
his career had waned upon his return to the United States in 1968. Since
Ely was not the original author, he never received any money from the
radio play of "Louie Louie."
Ely died at his Oregon residence on April 28, 2015 at the age of 71. His
voice lives on in the song that continues to rock the world, "Louie
Louie".
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