Harper's Bizarre
| Harpers Bizarre | |
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Harpers Bizarre in 1967
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Santa Cruz, California, United States |
| Genres | Sunshine pop, baroque pop |
| Years active | 1967–1970; 1976 |
| Labels | Warner Bros., Forest Bay, Sundazed |
| Past members |
Ted Templeman |
| Audio sample | |
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"High Coin"
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Ted Templeman
Dick Scoppettone
Tom Sowell
Eddie James
Dick Yount
John Petersen
Randy Newman
Harpers Bizarre was an American sunshine pop band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/sunshine pop sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."
Harpers Bizarre was formed out of the Tikis, a band from Santa Cruz, California, that had some local successes with Beatlesque songs in the mid 1960s. The Tikis had been signed to Tom Donahue's Autumn Records from 1965 to 1966 and had released two singles on that label. In 1967, record producer Lenny Waronker got hold of the Simon & Garfunkel song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," determined to make it into a hit single. The Tikis recorded it using an arrangement created by Leon Russell, featuring extended harmonies reminiscent of the work of Brian Wilson or even the Swingle Singers. The song was released under a new band name, "Harpers Bizarre" (a play on the magazine Harper's Bazaar), so as not to alienate the Tikis' fanbase. The Harpers Bizarre version of the song reached No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1967, far exceeding any success that the Tikis thus far had. The track reached No. 34 in the UK Singles Chart.
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