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Revision as of 15:35, 3 April 2008
Thee Midniters were amongst the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States, and one of the best known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" and the instrumental "Whittier Boulevard" in 1965. They were amongst the first rock acts to openly sing about Chicano themes in songs like "Chicano Power" and "The Ballad of César Chávez" in the late 1960s.
The band was promoted by Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg on local radio station KTYM, Inglewood and by his fill-in Godfrey [Godfrey Kerr]. Huggy Boy was later the most popular DJ on KRLA.
Achievements
Thee Midniters are the only 1960s band from East LA that could -- and did -- release a greatest hits album. The band was one of the first to integrate horns and rock 'n' roll; Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears did the same only toward the end of the 1960's. Thee Midniters also stood for a level of professionalism and excitement that none of the other Chicano bands from Southern California have matched. They were regarded in East LA as the Beatles on a smaller scale. Furthermore, a well-known disc jockey Casey Kasem stated, "They were the best band I ever hired", who filled a regular slot on KRLA in the mid-1960s and promoted concerts and dances at the time[1]
The band members
Thee Midniters were akin to an East LA allstar band. No other group from the area, and not many from elsewhere for that matter, could boast such a collection of talent. At the top was Willie Garcia a.k.a. Little WIllie G., the lead singer. "Willie G. Was one of the most soulful Latin persons I ever hear," said the singer Brenton Wood. "He could really deliver a sermon, and he had a lot of feeling in his vocals." Willie took obscure soul ballads such as "The Town I Live In", or "Giving Up On Love" and made them more beautiful by his own special delivery. Then there was lead guitarist George Dominguez, whose forte was blues rock. Dominguez had a devoted following among younger players across East LA. For example, Cesar Rosas, later to gain fame as one of the leaders of Los Lobos, would stare at George on stage to see how Thee Midniters' guitarist played leads and riffs that Cesar could not figure out on his own. On several Midniters' songs, in particular the live version of "Land of a Thousand Dances", drummer George Salazar is a ferocious as the best rock players of the time.[1]
The Name
Thee Midniters adopted the unusual "Thee" not because they were aspiring Elizabethan, but to avoid the possibility of a legal challenge from the established R&B group Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.[1] Thee Headcoats and Thee Hypnotics are other bands using Thee.
See also
External links
References
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