The Castaways
| The Castaways | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, United States |
| Genres | Garage rock, rock and roll, frat rock |
| Years active |
1965-1968 Present |
| Website |
www |
| Members |
James Donna Bob Donna Rick Snider Ralph Hintz |
| Past members |
Denny Craswell Robert Folschow Dick Roby Roy Hensley Dennis Hayes |
The Castaways are an American frat/garage rock band from the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
Their first and only hit single was "Liar, Liar". Written by band leader James Donna and Denny Craswell, produced by Timothy D. Kehr and released by Soma Records, it reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. "Liar, Liar" is featured in the films Good Morning, Vietnam and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The Castaways performed "Liar, Liar" in the 1967 beach movie It's a Bikini World. Their followup, "Goodbye Babe," was another local hit, but did not break nationally.[1]
"Liar, Liar" is noteworthy for the scream that precedes a guitar-led instrumental segment between verses.
Band history
The original members were James Donna on keyboards, Robert Folschow and Dick Roby on guitar, Roy Hensley on bass guitar and Dennis Craswell on drums. Folschow contributed the distinctive falsetto vocal on "Liar, Liar".
In the early 1980s two members, Folschow and Craswell, led a West Coast version of the band under the name The Castaways in Pismo Beach, California. Folschow, who was using the stage name of Bob LaRroy, played guitar and a keytar on many songs, including "Liar, Liar", which had the distinctive piano intro/riff. The two had local musicians such as B3 organist Dennis Hayes providing additional keyboard and bass backup.
Bass guitarist Hensley died on 8 June 2005 and was buried in Fairmont, Minnesota. The Castaways continue to perform today, although according to their website, Donna is the only founding member still in the line-up.
Discography[2]
- Singles
- "Liar, Liar" / "Sam" (1965)
- "Goodbye Babe" / "A Man's Gotta Be a Man" (1965)
- "She's a Girl in Love" / "Why This Should Happen to Me" (1967)
- "I Feel So Fine" / "Hit the Road Jack" (1967)
- "Walking in Different Circles" / "Just On High" (1968)
- "Lavender Popcorn" / "What Kind of Face" (1968)
References
- ↑ The billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, by Joel Whitburn, ISBN 0-8230-7518-4
- ↑ Joynson, Vernon (2007). Fuzz Acid and Flowers Revisited. Glasgow, United Kingdom: Borderline Productions. p. 154. ISBN 1-899855-14-9.