Jan Errico

Jan Errico
Also known as	Jan Ashton, Janet Errico
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1960s - ?
Associated acts	The Vejtables, The Mojo Men

Jan Errico is a female drummer and singer who was a member of two San Francisco rock groups in the 1960s, The Vejtables and The Mojo Men. She is notable for being one of the very few female drummers playing in rock bands at the time.

She is the daughter of Vincent Errico who, himself was an accomplished drummer. She is the cousin of Greg Errico, the original drummer for Sly and the Family Stone. It has been written that she changed her name from Errico to Ahston to sound more British.

The fact that there was a female drummer in a rock band in that period was quite significant.

Around 1962, 1963 when she was aged around 12 she recorded a single "It Was A Lie" bw "Come Along With Me" for the Shelby Records label. The backing group was The Twilights who were really Joe Piazza and the Continentals, a band that would at some stage feature Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone.

By 1964, she was a member of The Vejtables, both singing backup and playing drums. While with the Vejtables she contributed to a good part of their written material including their minor hit, "I Still Love You", which she sang lead on. By November 13, 1965 the song had spent four weeks in the charts, eventually reaching no 84. She also sang lead on the group's take of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind".

It appears that at some stage in 1966, there may have been a brief change of direction for her in attempting a solo career. A single "Cold Dreary Morning"/"Smile, Smile, Smile" was recorded but Autumn Records never released it.

She joined the Mojo Men around spring 1966, replacing the band's drummer Dennis DeCarr. In 1967, she and the band recorded 20 songs in one day at Coast Recorders.

The last single released by the group then known as The Mojo was "Everyday Love" bw There Goes My Mind in 1970.

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