The Knickerbockers
| The Knickerbockers | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Bergenfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Garage rock |
| Years active | 1964–1970 |
| Labels | Challenge |
| Past members | Beau Charles John Charles Skip Cherubino Ned Brown Peter Glitz Buddy Randell Jimmy Walker Richie Walker Barry McCoy John Deleone Pete LoCasio Ritchie Costanza Eric Swanson |
The Knickerbockers were an American rock band, formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1964. They were best remembered for their 1965 hit single "Lies".
The band was formed in 1962 in Bergenfield, New Jersey, by brothers Beau Charles (guitar and vocals) and John Charles (bass and vocals) (birth names: Robert and John Carlos Cecchino respectively) with fluctuating personnel until 1964, when they met Buddy Randell (vocals and sax) (birth name: William Crandall). Randell was previously of the Rockin' Saints and the Royal Teens, who had a hit with "Short Shorts" in 1958. They took their name from Knickerbocker Road, which ran through the town next to their hometown.
The classic line-up consisted of Randell, the Charles brothers and drummer Jimmy Walker (previously the drummer with the Massena, New York-based Atco Records act The Castle Kings). They were spotted by producer and singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller playing the University Twist Palace in Albany, New York, and he subsequently signed them to Los Angeles-based Challenge Records.
Throughout The Knickerbockers' three years of recordings, the group tirelessly pursued current trends; the vocals on "Jerk Town", for example, are heavily derivative of the Four Seasons. (Furthermore, the song's lyrics refer to "hot rods", like so many other popular songs of the day). The Knickerbockers had top-20 hits in early 1964 and 1965 with "All I Need Is You" and "Lies".
The follow-up to "Lies" was "One Track Mind", and it was nearly a hit as well. The band's label, Challenge Records, couldn't handle the distribution, and the single only reached number 45. The Knickerbockers soldiered on, appearing in the movie Out of Sight (1966) and as regulars on Dick Clark's ABC-TV program, Where the Action Is (1965–1967).
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