The Brymers
| The Brymers | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | San Joaquin Valley, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1963-1968 |
| Labels | Diplomacy |
| Past members |
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The Brymers were an American garage rock band from San Joaquin Valley, California who were active in the 1960s. They had a regional hit with the song "Sacrifice", which also received distribution overseas and managed to garnish airplay in parts of Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Although they only released one single, they recorded numerous unissued tracks, that would subsequently be released on CD between 2007 and 2008. The group reunited in 2007 and have since been active on stage and in the studio and have released five CD's containing old and new material. "Sacrifice" and their version of "House of the Rising Sun" were both featured in the film Job starring Ashton Kutcher. Their song "I Want to Tell You" was included in a scene from the ABC TV series, Once Upon A Time.
The Brymers were from San Joaquin Valley, California were founded by drummer Dick Lee in 1963, originally as the de-Fenders. Lee gathered several friends at Lemoore High School to form the band--all of whom in the graduating class of that year. The band's earliest lineup consisted of Lee on drums, Bob Virdin on bass, Ken Valentine on keyboards, as well as Jim Mellick and Mike Wagner on guitars. According to bassist Virdin, "Back then, a concert was a teen dance. Admission was $1.95 per person. Our band was the garage band of the ’60s. That’s where we practiced".
Mike Wagner departed shortly thereafter after being drafted by the Army. Eventually they changed their name to the Brymers. For a short time, at the recommendation of their talent agents, the group's members shaved their heads in the look of popular actor Yul Brynner, with the moniker "Brymers" as a pun on the famous actor's last name. They were taken to an upscale salon in Hollywood and filmed and photographed. "The result was four kids with bald heads and a band name no one could pronounce", remembers Dick Lee. They sometimes played on the same bill as a group called the Sullies, who opened for them, and became friends with their lead singer, Steve Perry, who later went on to fame with Journey in the 1970s.
Wishing to spend more time with his wife and raise a family, Virden left the group in 1966 and was replaced by bassist Bill Brumley and Ken Valentine eventually departed to be replaced by Ken Sinner. The group signed with the Los Angeles-based Diplomacy Records and in late 1966 released a single featuring the fuzz-drenched "Sacrifice", backed with "I Want to Tell You" that became a regional hit. The song also garnished airplay overseas in parts of Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. After the success of "Sacrifice", they began touring regionally and elsewhere around the country. According to Virdin, "When you are on the road, it’s not what it’s made out to be — unless you are at the top of the heap..." Virdin points out that one of the group's most memorable occasions was playing one night behind Chuck Berry as his pickup band. Uncharacteristic of many bands of the time, the Brymers avoided the use of alcohol and drugs. According to Lee, "There was no booze and no drugs. We stuck to that... That’s one of my proudest accomplishments was a band that did not do drugs or booze. The Brymers disbanded in early 1968.
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