The Royal Guardsmen
The Royal Guardsmen are an American rock band, best known for their 1966 hit single "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" and the Christmas follow up "Snoopy's Christmas" .
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Originally known as the Posmen, the Ocala, Florida-based sextet adopted their anglophile moniker during the British Invasion, led by The Beatles and other British artists. The group was originally composed of Bill Balough (bass), John Burdett (drums), Chris Nunley (vocals), Tom Richards (guitar), Billy Taylor (organ), and Barry Winslow (vocals/guitar).
The Guardsmen's first single, "Baby Let's Wait", failed to make the charts, but their second offering, "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron", rode the Peanuts craze all the way to #2 in the Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the bestsellers for 12 weeks, with an eventual one million sale and a gold record from the R.I.A.A. in February 1967.[1]
Snoopy, the Red Baron, and aircraft became recurring themes in their music, though they did have some chart singles on other topics, including "Any Wednesday", "I Say Love", and the Top 40 hit "Baby Let's Wait", a re-release of their first single.
The original group split in 1969, but a band with some replacement players continued for another year. Two compilation albums and the original albums (doubled up) have been released on compact disc. Tom Richards died in 1979 and Pat Waddell became lead guitarist.
Today
The Royal Guardsmen made a comeback in December 2006, when they released a new Snoopy song, "Snoopy vs. Osama", which became a hit on The Dr. Demento Show. Rick Cosner has been the alternate drummer since 2006, substituting for John Burdett as needed. The current band performs regularly around the United States.
Discography
ALBUMS:
- Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron (1966) #44
- Return of the Red Baron (1967) did not chart
- Snoopy And His Friends album (1967) #46
- Also on Billboard's Christmas Album chart at #6 in 1967 and #19 in 1968
- Snoopy For President album (1968, re-released 1976) #189 in 1968, did not chart in 1976
- Merry Snoopy's Christmas (1980)
- Anthology (CD, April 1995)
- Best of The Royal Guardsmen (CD, May 1998)
- Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron / Snoopy & His Friends (CD re-release, June 2001)
- Return of the Red Baron / Snoopy for President (CD re-release, June 2001)
SINGLES:
- "Baby Let's Wait" b/w "Leaving Me" (1966) did not chart
- "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" b/w "I Needed You" (1966) #2 US, #8 UK
- "The Return of the Red Baron" b/w "Sweetmeats Slide" (1967) #15 US, #37 UK
- "Airplane Song (My Airplane)" b/w "Om" (1967) #46
- "Wednesday" b/w "So Right (To Be In Love)" (1967) #97
- "Snoopy's Christmas" b/w "It Kinda Looks Like Christmas" single (1967)
- Charted on Billboard's Christmas charts three times: #1 (1967), #15 (1968), #11 (1969)
- "I Say Love" b/w "I'm Not Gonna Stay" (1968) #72
- "Snoopy For President" b/w "Down Behind The Lines" (1968) #85
- Original version contains intro mentioning real 1968 candidates; later re-issues omit this
- "Baby Let's Wait" b/w "Biplane 'Evermore'" (1968; re-release of first single) #35
- Some versions contain "So Right (To Be In Love)" as the b-side
- "Magic Window" b/w "Mother, Where's Your Daughter" (1969) b-side charted at #112
- "Snoopy For President" b/w "Down Behind The Lines" (1972; re-release) did not chart
- "Snoopy For President" b/w "Sweetmeats Slide" (1976; re-release) did not chart
- 1972 and 1976 re-issues do not include original 1968 intro (see above)
- "Snoopy's Christmas" b/w "The Smallest Astronaut" (1970?) b-side credited to Barry Winslow; did not chart
- "Snoopy vs. Osama" (2006) did not chart
References
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 211. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
External links