The Beau Brummels

The Beau Brummels
The Beau Brummels in Village of the Giants (1965). From left: Ron Elliott, Declan Mulligan, Sal Valentino, Ron Meagher, John Petersen.
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California, United States
Genres	Rock, pop, folk rock, country rock
Years active	1964–69, 1974–75, 2013
Labels	Autumn, Vault, Warner Bros., Bay Sound Records
Website	http://www.beaubrummels.com/
Past members	Sal Valentino Ron Elliott Ron Meagher Declan Mulligan John Petersen Don Irving Dan Levitt

The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino (lead vocals), Ron Elliott (lead guitar), Ron Meagher (bass guitar), Declan Mulligan (rhythm guitar, bass, harmonica), and John Petersen (drums). They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to the Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.

The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, "Laugh, Laugh", for which they would later be credited for setting one of the aesthetic foundations for the San Francisco Sound, along with other bands such as the Charlatans; the song is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's Introducing The Beau Brummels, and the Top 10 single "Just a Little". The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by Warner Bros. Records. After recording an album of cover songs, Beau Brummels '66, the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: Triangle in 1967 and Bradley's Barn in 1968.