The Cascades
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The Cascades were an American vocal group best known for their hit single "Rhythm of the Rain" in 1963, which has been described as one of the last great songs of the pre-Beatles era.[citation needed]
In 1960, the Silver Strands were a group of U.S. Navy personnel serving on the USS Jason based in San Diego, who were led by guitarist Len Green and played local shows. They recruited John Gummoe, and left the Navy to become The Thundernotes. Green had the idea of performing rock and roll music with an exotic twist, along the lines of Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny. To help capture this new sound, they introduced an electric piano, and Gummoe became the group's lead singer. However, their first release was an instrumental on Bob Keene's Del Fi Records record label called "Thunder Rhythm". It was not a hit, and Green left the group eventually becoming a successful songwriter in Nashville.
At this point, the group's membership consolidated as John Gummoe (born in Cleveland, Ohio, 2 August 1938) (lead vocals), Eddy Snyder (guitar), David Szabo (keyboardist), Dave Stevens (bassist), and Dave Wilson (drummer).
The group then started to get more interested in vocal harmony, influenced by the Beach Boys. They recorded demos which ended up with Barry De Vorzon at Valiant Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, who signed them up and also changed their name to The Cascades – supposedly inspired by a nearby box of detergent. Their first release, "There’s A Reason", became a small regional hit, and, in summer 1962, they went to Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles and recorded a song which Gummoe had written in his Navy days while on watch during a thunderstorm. The musicians on the recording included the "Wrecking Crew" - Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass and Glen Campbell on guitar - and it was arranged by Perry Botkin. "Rhythm of the Rain" was issued in November 1962. It rose to #3 on the U.S. pop charts in early 1963, and became a major hit in over 80 countries.
The Cascades continued to record, producing an album and several further singles, including the follow-up "The Last Leaf", but none matched the charm or success of their big hit. The group did continue to receive major radio airplay in their hometown, San Diego. The Cascades' cover version of Bob Lind's "Truly Julie's Blues" received spins on KCBQ and KGB in 1966, and their song "Maybe The Rain Will Fall" did fairly well on San Diego radio charts in the summer of 1969. The group stayed active for some years, playing local San Diego clubs like The Cinnamon Cinder, and at other times, touring widely. John Gummoe left the group in 1967 to pursue a solo career and later formed the band Kentucky Express. A compilation CD of the Cascades’ best moments was issued in 1999.
One key player in the band, Dr. Ron Lynch is now working as a drama director and teacher at The Bear Creek School in Redmond, Washington.
