The Rip Chords

The Rip Chords
Origin	Inglewood, California
Genres	Pop, surf rock, hot rod music
Years active	1962–1965

The Rip Chords were an American singing duo originally called the Opposites, composed of Phil Stewart and Ernie Bringas.^[1] This original twosome (Phil and Ernie) eventually expanded into four primary voices, adding Columbia producer, Terry Melcher and co-producer, Bruce Johnston best known as a member of the Beach Boys. The group came to be associated with the hot rod and surf genres of the day, although their first single release, "Here I Stand", did not reflect those styles. They recorded at Columbia Records in Hollywood from 1962-1965. The group placed five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. They are best known for their number four single, "Hey Little Cobra", one of the highest ranking hot rod songs of all time.

History of the original group

Early history (the original two)

Phil and Ernie became acquainted in the mid-1950s during their school days at Inglewood High in California (about ten miles south of Hollywood). They discovered some complimentary musical talents, and struck up a friendship. Encouraged by their singing compatibility, they were determined to secure a recording contract. They eventually came to the attention of Arwin Records in 1962.^[2]

Actress/singer Doris Day and her husband, Marty Melcher (an American film producer) owned Arwin Records and Daywin Music. Their son, Terry Melcher, had recently been hired at Columbia Records as an A&R (artists and repertory) producer. Bob Crystal, vice president of Arwin Records, saw potential in Phil and Ernie’s voices, and quickly arranged for an audition at Columbia Records.^[3] Following the audition, Terry Melcher signed Phil and Ernie to a recording contract at Columbia. Their moniker, the Opposites, seemed apropos at the time because Ernie was studying for the ministry and Phil was a “private eye” (a tracer). But shortly before their first release, the name the Opposites was changed to the Rip Chords.^[4] The change was prompted by concerns that the name the Opposites could falsely imply a positive versus negative image of the two friends; ergo, the name Rip Chords was adopted. According to Terry Melcher: “Actually, I gave them the name and it was just a play on words. It had nothing to do with the TV show Ripcord” ^[5] (spelled without the h).

The Wrecking Crew

The Rip Chords were a vocal group. They were not a band (no musical instruments, although Phil played some limited guitar).^[6] Accordingly, Phil and Ernie needed to be backed instrumentally by studio musicians. These musicians, such as guitarist and singer Glen Campbell, drummer Hal Blaine, bass guitar player Ray Pohlman, and other prominent instrumentalists, came to be known as the Wrecking Crew. As a common practice, The Wrecking Crew backed many of the '60s groups; such as the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the 5th Dimension, Jan and Dean, the Mamas & the Papas, the Monkees, and many other groups that had chart-topping and Grammy-winning hits.^[7]

First single released (″Here I Stand″)

Terry Melcher produced the Rip Chords' first release, ″Here I Stand″ (a remake of the Wade Flemons version). Recorded December 17, 1962,^[8] it peaked at #51 on The Billboard Hot 100 in early 1963. Ernie sang the lead, the falsetto, and also joined Phil with the background vocals. (They are the only vocalists on this recording).^[9] Both Phil and Ernie agreed that: "Glen Campbell, a member of the Wrecking Crew, gave the song a great lift with his lead guitar. Recent remix attempts have watered down his contribution, but on the original release, the imprint of his lead guitar is indelible." ^[10]

Phil and Ernie made several personal appearances to promote their first release. They appeared as an act with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra for a charity benefit in L.A.; a DJ rock concert in San Francisco; and two personal TV appearances, that included the Wink Martindale and Lloyd Thaxton shows. Prior to their first release, they performed at the famous, Hollywood Palladium. This particular appearance (12/8/62) featured an unreleased single, ″Ding Dong", the precursor to ″Here I Stand″.^[10][11] Ernie had educational responsibilities, so the above live appearances would be the only ones made by him.

Second single released (″Gone″)

Terry Melcher’s second effort for the Rip Chords was a song called ″Gone,″ recorded April 26, 1963.^[12] As was the case with their first release, Ernie sang the lead, the falsetto and, along with Phil, the background vocals. Bruce Johnston, a friend of Terry’s, added an interjecting falsetto that really kicked the song into overdrive. Only Ernie, Phil, and Bruce appear on this recording.^[13] Although the song did penetrate The Billboard Hot 100, it did not fare as well as the previous hit, ″Here I Stand.″ However, ″Gone″ did very well wherever it was played, e.g., in San Antonio, Texas, during the week of August 1, 1963 (on KTSA’s top 55 survey), ″Gone″ climbed up to number two, right above Elvis Presley’s song, ″Devil In Disguise.″

Ernie Bringas' hiatus

Following the release of ″Gone,″ Ernie Bringas left to pursue his ministerial education in September 1963. He had just graduated from California State University at Long Beach and was headed for three years of graduate work at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, where he eventually earned his Master of Divinity degree.^[14]

At that point in time, it was not at all certain that Ernie would be allowed to return to the group since church officials were concerned about a possible conflict of interests. As it turned out he would rejoin the group within three months. But during those three intervening months, from September through November 1963, the Rip Chords future was in question as a recording and live performance entity. Ernie's departure left Phil without a singing or touring partner. The touring problem was quickly remedied.

The touring Rip Chords

When Ernie was absent from the group during those three months, and his return remained uncertain, two young men (Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus) were brought on board to tour with Phil as the Rip Chords. Thus, Phil, Rich, and Arnie became the official touring wing of the Rip Chords. Thus, Phil, Rich, and Arnie became the official touring wing of the Rip Chords. It is important to note that Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus were never vocally involved in any Rip Chords’ recordings. Their participation was limited to touring. [14]

Having solved the touring issue, Phil was still without a singing partner. The solution was in-house.

The Bruce and Terry vocal component

The recording issue was easily resolved. Producer Terry Melcher and, now, co-producer Bruce Johnston (AKA: Bruce & Terry) stepped in vocally to fill the void created by Ernie’s brief absence. Bruce had already sung with Phil and Ernie on their second single, ″Gone.″ Bruce and Terry would prove to be a significant addition as the Rip Chords prepared to record and release their third single.

Third single released (″Hey Little Cobra″)

The third Rip Chords’ release was the mega hit single, ″Hey Little Cobra,″ vocally layered by Bruce and Terry (recorded 10/15/63). Terry sang the lead. He and Bruce did the background vocals.^[15] The song peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in February1964.^[16] Initially, of course, when the ″Cobra″ single was released, Bruce and Terry did not receive any credit for their vocal participation because, at that point in time, they were ghost singers; similar to a ghostwriter. Bruce and Terry would remain ghost singers for the remainder of the Rip Chords’ journey.

Ernie Bringas returns

Following the ″Hey Little Cobra″ single, Bringas, having been absent for three months, rejoined the group in December 1963. There was a ruling by church authorities that allowed him to record, but not tour (as touring would impede his theological studies).^[17]

Based on the success of the ″Cobra″ single, the original Rip Chords (Phil Stewart and Ernie Bringas) would now expand into four primary voices, adding producer Terry Melcher and co-producer Bruce Johnston. Expediently, Johnston and Melcher continued on as ghostsingers. Within this coalition of four, all Rip Chords’ music of the 1960s would be recorded.^[18]

Aside from Bruce and Terry, no other singers ever recorded with the Rip Chords. This fact was not only affirmed by producer Terry Melcheer to Ernie Bringas a few years prior to Terry's demise, but also by co-producer Bruce Johnson, who is now a singing member of the Beach Boys. Bruce met with Ernie following a Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour concert (July 7, 2012) in Phoenix, Arizona, and Bruce reaffirmed that fact (see photo on right). These assertions for vocal credits were also substantiated by the 2006 CD release from Sundazed Music.^[19] (See Historical Clarification section below.)

Recording Rip Chords versus touring Rip Chords

Although Ernie Bringas was back in the studio to record, he did not tour because of his educational commitment and the restrictions imposed by church officials. As for Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher, they had no interest in touring because they were busy as Columbia producers. Also, they were not the Rip Chords, at least not legally and not in the public’s eye. From an ongoing royalty payment perspective, the Rip Chords were, and have always been, Phil Stewart and Ernie Bringas.^[20] But with Terry, Bruce, and Ernie unable or unwilling to tour, the group still needed representation in the field. Therefore, as a practicality, the arrangement of Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus, touring with Phil Stewart, remained in place until the group disbanded in 1965.

Unbeknownst to the public, however, Columbia’s powerful marketing machine never made a distinction between the recording Rip Chords and the touring Rip Chords. On the contrary, it was only the touring Rip Chords (Phil, Rich, and Arnie) that were exclusively promoted in all of the publicity campaigns. Their names and pictures appeared in ads, interviews, photo shots, magazines, album covers, and so forth. This arrangement was necessary because, as we have already noted, Rich and Arnie were on the touring end of the equation. They, along with Phil, would be the only ones showing up on stage.

Accordingly, this touring ensemble was invited to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, and toured with him on his 1964 Caravan of Stars (which included The Supremes and other notables). They also performed in the 1965 Hollywood movie, A Swingin’ Summer, with Raquel Welch.

Not surprisingly, then, to most of the music industry and the public at large, no one realized that the touring Rip Chords and the recording Rip Chords—with the exception of Phil—were not the same people.^[21] In other words, Rich Rotkin, Arnie Marcus, and Phil Stewart, continued on as the touring arm of the Rip Chords ^[22] while Terry Melcher, Bruce Johnston, Ernie Bringas, and Phil Stewart, made the recordings.

In summation: Ernie flew in from seminary to record, but he did not tour; Rich and Arnie toured, but they did not record; Phil recorded and also toured; Bruce and Terry certainly did not tour although they recorded with Phil and Ernie as ghost singers. But no one outside of the studio knew about these intrigues. In the words of author Stephen J. McParland, “It was like a cloning experiment in a Saturday morning cartoon gone wild.”^[23] This unconventional arrangement would eventually undermine the true identity of the Rip Chords and their musical legacy.

First album (Hey Little Cobra and other Hot Rod Hits)

Their next release, in early 1964, was the Hey Little Cobra and other Hot Rod Hits album. It peaked at No. 56 on the national charts. This album featured strong contributions by all four singers (Terry, Bruce, Ernie, and Phil). Within this coalition of four, the Cobra album seems to feature an equal smattering of both the Phil and Ernie “sound” and the Bruce and Terry “sound.” ^[24] For example, when one examines the original Columbia issue of the 1964 Hey Little Cobra and other Hot Rod Hits album (CS 8951 or CL 2151)—featuring 11 vocal recordings—one discovers that Terry carried 45% (5 of the 11), while Ernie also carried 45% (5 of the 11), and Phil carried 10% (1 of the 11). The Wrecking Crew instrumentals served as album fillers, but they really had nothing to do with the Rip Chords per se (see discography below).

The album jacket correctly listed Phil and Ernie as vocalists, but then neglected to mention Bruce and Terry, while incorrectly listing Rich and Arnie as vocalists.^[25][26]

Fourth single released (″Three Window Coupe″)

The fourth single released was ″Three Window Coupe″ (April, 1964), with Terry singing the lead. It peaked at No. 29 on the national charts.^[27] Although all four singers contributed to the recording, the Bruce and Terry sound was prominent. Their imprint became indelible.

Ernie and Phil acknowledge, as others have also noted, that the vocal contributions made by Bruce and Terry were a major factor in shaping the Rip Chords’ music and to what is now known as the California Sound.

Second album (Three Window Coupe)

The Three Window Coupe album (CS 9016 or CL 2216) followed the single three weeks later.^[27] This album featured another 11 vocal recordings. On one of those songs, Terry and Ernie shared the lead. Of the remaining 10, Terry carried 60% of the leads (6 of the 10), while Phil and Ernie evenly split with 40% of the leads (4 of the 10).^[28][29] See California Sound and discography below.

Just like the group’s previous album, the liner notes erroneously listed Rich and Arnie as vocalists. And once again, Bruce and Terry’s vocal involvement with Phil and Ernie went unmentioned. The Rip Chords’ public persona remained in tact.^[27][30][31]

Fifth and sixth singles released (″One Piece Topless Bathing Suit″ and ″Don't Be Scared″)

The Rip Chords’ last release of any consequence was the single, ″One Piece Topless Bathing Suit″ (June, 1964), with Terry and Ernie singing lead.^[32] It managed to break into the national charts, but failed to generate major activity.

In February 1965 a final single was released called ″Don’t Be Scared.″ No national chart success ensued.^[33]

Disbandment and summary

Shortly after the ’65 release, the group disbanded. All in all, the Rip Chords had managed to place five singles on The Billboard Hot 100, a major achievement by any standard. They had also released two very cool albums that reflected the surf genre of the day. Stephen J. McParland sums it up this way: “But something as trendy and timely as the Rip Chords’ sound and image also had a built-in clock, something like those little pop-up thermometers they used to implant in roasting chickens. When your time’s up, you’re done.” ^[34]

Terry Melcher, Bruce Johnston, Ernie Bringas, and Phil Stewart never recorded any music under the Rip Chords’ moniker after disbanding in 1965.^[35]

The new Rip Chords

As stated earlier, back in the 1960s, Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus were hired to go on tour with Phil Stewart because, aside from Phil, the other three singing Rip Chords (Terry, Bruce, and Ernie) were unavailable to tour for various reasons already noted. Although Rich and Arnie never appeared vocally on any of the 1960s Rip Chords’ recordings,^[19][36] in the mid-1990s they revived the Rip Chords with additional new members. This new group tours extensively, and produces new recordings under the Rip Chords’ name. However, none of the original singers from the 1960s are part of this group, or their new recordings.

Historical clarification solved in the 2006 Sundazed CD release

In 2006, Sundazed Music set the record straight when they issued their final Rip Chords’ release, Summer U.S.A.! The Best of the Rip Chords,^[19] (Not to be confused with the CD issued by the new group, The Best of the Rip Chords…Today.) The Sundazed CD booklet specifies the fact that Rich and Arnie comprised only the touring aspect of the group, but were not part of the recording Rip Chords. The 2006 booklet states: [Ernie] “Bringas, in the middle of his divinity school studies, was slated to attend the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio and would be unavailable to tour. To resolve this dilemma, two musicians, Arnie Marcus and Rich Rotkin, were hired, essentially creating two separate groups of Rip Chords; a recording act, and a touring entity.”^[19]

Ernie Bringas, founding member of the Rip Chords (who now teaches religious studies at Glendale Community College (Arizona)), was there at the very inception of the group, until its disbandment in 1965, and states that there is misinformation, disinformation, and wide-ranging confusion about the group’s identity. The misinformation is perennial, pervasive, and wide-ranging, especially on the Internet.^[37]

The identity problem is based on how difficult it is to explain the group’s tri-components; that is, (1) the founding and recording Rip Chords of Phil Stewart and Ernie Bringas, (2) the vocal additions made by Bruce Johnson and Terry Melcher as ghost singers and, (3) the non-recording touring appendage of Rich Rotkin and Arnie Marcus.

The 2006 CD slipcover clearly identifies the recording Rip Chords: “No group epitomized the sun-soaked California Sound better than the fabulous Rip Chords… Led by legendary producer Terry Melcher along with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and ace-vocalists Ernie Bringas and Phil Stewart, these long-board big-guns left an indelible mark on the surf’n strip sounds of the ‘60s….”^[38] Moreover, for the first time, there is a picture of this foursome—Terry Melcher, Bruce Johnston, Ernie Bringas, Phil Stewart—on the inside cover of the 2006 CD booklet (accomplished by bringing four separate photographs together). But ironically, all other photos in that booklet are pictures of the touring Rip Chords. Therefore, the booklet photos don’t mesh with each other (including the CD slipcover). According to vice president, Tim Livingston, of Sundazed Music, they had no choice because those were the only photos they found in the Columbia archives.^[39]

The Rip Chords' sidelights

Previously unissued material surfaces

In 2006, when Sundazed Music, Inc.^[40] released the CD called Summer U.S.A.! The Best of the Rip Chords, it featured four additional songs of interest, three of them previously unissued. The three unissued songs were as follows: ″Wiameah Bay,″ an instrumental by The Wrecking Crew, and two hot rod songs by the Rip Chords called ″Sting Ray″ and ″XKE.″ They had been in Columbia’s vault since 1965.

The other fourth song of interest was ″Red Hot Roadster.″ Originally, it was scheduled to be released as a single but was sidetracked in 1965 for the soundtrack to the movie, A Swingin’ Summer.^[41] Aside from the movie, it made its first appearance in 1996 on the Three Window Coupe CD issued by Sundazed Music, and then again in 2006 (as mentioned above).

Background vocals for the Hot Doggers, Frankie Lane, and Eddie Hodges

Terry Melcher, working with other Columbia artists, asked Phil and Ernie if they would do the background vocals for Frankie Laine, and also for Eddie Hodges. He also asked Phil and Ernie if they would do the background vocals for the 1963 album Surfin’ USA by The Hot Doggers ^[42] (AKA: Bruce And Terry). Phil and Ernie agreed since Bruce and Terry had already helped them on their recording efforts.^[43] Surfin’ USA was reissued by Sundazed Music in 2006.

Discography

Original singles

• 1962/63 A-side—Here I Stand (Ernie Bringas on lead vocal) and B-side – Karen (Phil Stewart on lead)
• 1963 A-side—Gone (Ernie on lead) and B-side—She Thinks I Still Care (Ernie on lead)
• 1963/64 A-side – Hey Little Cobra (Terry Melcher on lead) and B-side – The Queen (Terry on lead)
• 1964 A-side – Three Window Coupe (Terry on lead) and B-side – Hot Rod U.S.A. (Terry on lead)
• 1964 A-side –One Piece Topless Bathing Suit (Terry and Ernie on lead) and B-side – Wah-Wahini (Terry on lead)
• 1965 A-side – Don’t Be Scared (Terry on lead) and B-side – Bunny Hill (Instrumental by The Wrecking Crew.)

Original albums

Hey Little Cobra and Other Hot Rod Hits - - 1964 (in the order they appear on the original Columbia album)

• Hey Little Cobra (Terry on lead)
• Here I Stand (Ernie on lead)
• The Queen (Terry on lead)
• 409 (Ernie on lead)
• Trophy Machine (Terry on lead)
• Gone (Ernie on lead)
• Little Deuce Coupe (Terry on lead)
• ’40 Ford Time (Instrumental by the Wrecking Crew)
• She Still Thinks I Care (Ernie on lead) note: the correct title of this song should have been, "She Thinks I Still Care".
• Shut Down (Ernie on lead)
• Drag City (Terry on lead)
• Ding Dong (Phil on lead)

Three Window Coupe - - 1964 (in the order they appear on the original Columbia album)

• Three Window Coupe (Terry on lead)
• Bonneville Bonnie (Phil on lead)
• Gas Money (Ernie on lead)
• This Little Woodie (Terry on lead)
• Hot Rod U.S.A. (Terry on lead)
• Old Car Made In ’52 (Phil on lead)
• Surfin’ Craze (Ernie on lead)
• Beach Girl (Terry on lead)
• My Big Gun Board (Terry and Ernie on lead)
• Surf City (Terry on lead)
• Summer U.S.A. (Terry on lead)
• Big Wednesday (instrumental by the Wrecking Crew)

Footnotes