Post by Rob Durkee on Dec 28, 2011 23:44:42 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Sean Bonniwell, the lead singer of the one-hit wonder group the Music Machine who wrote its only top 40 hit, "Talk Talk," died on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at a Visalia, California medical facility. He was 71. According to a spokesman for the Tulare County coroner and Los Angeles Times writer Valerie J. Nelson, Bonniwell died of lung cancer.
"Talk Talk" peaked at #21 on the Cash Box magazine pop chart during its popularity in late 1966 and early 1967. According to Wayne Jancik, author of the book "One Hit Wonders," Bonniwell wrote the song in about 20 minutes. "I was waiting for my girlfriend to get ready," Bonniwell told Jancik. "I just sat down with the guitar and wrote it. All the good ones happen like that. I wrote it in '65, so it laid around for about a year."
Jancik in his book described the Music Machine as "one of the most loved--if least played--garage bands of the 1960's." Meanwhile, Richie Unterberger, author of the 1998 book "Unknown Legends Of Rock And Roll," described the song "Talk Talk" as "the most radical single" and "garage psychedelia at its most experimental and outrageous stage."
The Music Machine just couldn't match the success of "Talk Talk" with a followup single that could make the Top 40. The reasons for that range from Bonniwell's arguing with DJ-Record mogul Art Laboe over which song to record to the group getting tired of Bonniwell's bossy ways. Bonniwell wanted the Music Machine to record "Hey Joe," which hadn't been recorded by anyone yet though the Leaves would hit with the song in the summer of 1966. Whatever the case, two followups would chart in 1967 but not make the top 40--"The People In Me" (#79) and "Double Yellow Line." Bonniwell blamed the band's breakup by late 1967 to bad management and poor pay.
Thomas Harvey Bonniwell was born on August 16, 1940 in San Jose. He came from a musical family. His mom was a ballerina while his dad played trumpet. Sean started his first band after being influenced by the song "Only You" by the Platters. After short stints with groups like the Noblemen and the Wayfarers, Bonniwell formed the Ragamuffins. Keith Olsen, who was the bassist for Gale Garnett of "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" fame and drummer Ron Edgar were essentially the Ragamuffins. By the time guitarist Mark Landon and keyboardist Doug Rhodes joined the group, it was renamed the Music Machine. All Music Machine members dyed their hair black, wore all black outfits and wore one black glove. "I wanted to make a statement that was rebellious, but not for the sake of rebellion," Bonniwell told Jeff Tamarkin of Goldmine. "It was for the sake of a unified image."
Producer Brian Ross discovered the group when it was performing at a bowling alley.
While some rock music historians felt Bonniwell was the grandfather of punk, Sean himself didn't feel that way. Instead, he noted, "Rock and roll was a teenager in the 1960's. I used that climate to express my confusion, my anger, at the injustice of the world. Early rock and roll was really electrified folk music."
Olsen, who would go on to work with Fleetwood Mac, the Babys, Kim Carnes, Foreigner, the Grateful Dead, Heart and Santana, said, "The Music Machine was looked on as an early punk rock band. Even though we wore all black and dyed our hair black, we were still perfectionists. That was kind of our trademark."
Sean Bonniwell, the lead singer of the one-hit wonder group the Music Machine who wrote its only top 40 hit, "Talk Talk," died on Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at a Visalia, California medical facility. He was 71. According to a spokesman for the Tulare County coroner and Los Angeles Times writer Valerie J. Nelson, Bonniwell died of lung cancer.
"Talk Talk" peaked at #21 on the Cash Box magazine pop chart during its popularity in late 1966 and early 1967. According to Wayne Jancik, author of the book "One Hit Wonders," Bonniwell wrote the song in about 20 minutes. "I was waiting for my girlfriend to get ready," Bonniwell told Jancik. "I just sat down with the guitar and wrote it. All the good ones happen like that. I wrote it in '65, so it laid around for about a year."
Jancik in his book described the Music Machine as "one of the most loved--if least played--garage bands of the 1960's." Meanwhile, Richie Unterberger, author of the 1998 book "Unknown Legends Of Rock And Roll," described the song "Talk Talk" as "the most radical single" and "garage psychedelia at its most experimental and outrageous stage."
The Music Machine just couldn't match the success of "Talk Talk" with a followup single that could make the Top 40. The reasons for that range from Bonniwell's arguing with DJ-Record mogul Art Laboe over which song to record to the group getting tired of Bonniwell's bossy ways. Bonniwell wanted the Music Machine to record "Hey Joe," which hadn't been recorded by anyone yet though the Leaves would hit with the song in the summer of 1966. Whatever the case, two followups would chart in 1967 but not make the top 40--"The People In Me" (#79) and "Double Yellow Line." Bonniwell blamed the band's breakup by late 1967 to bad management and poor pay.
Thomas Harvey Bonniwell was born on August 16, 1940 in San Jose. He came from a musical family. His mom was a ballerina while his dad played trumpet. Sean started his first band after being influenced by the song "Only You" by the Platters. After short stints with groups like the Noblemen and the Wayfarers, Bonniwell formed the Ragamuffins. Keith Olsen, who was the bassist for Gale Garnett of "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" fame and drummer Ron Edgar were essentially the Ragamuffins. By the time guitarist Mark Landon and keyboardist Doug Rhodes joined the group, it was renamed the Music Machine. All Music Machine members dyed their hair black, wore all black outfits and wore one black glove. "I wanted to make a statement that was rebellious, but not for the sake of rebellion," Bonniwell told Jeff Tamarkin of Goldmine. "It was for the sake of a unified image."
Producer Brian Ross discovered the group when it was performing at a bowling alley.
While some rock music historians felt Bonniwell was the grandfather of punk, Sean himself didn't feel that way. Instead, he noted, "Rock and roll was a teenager in the 1960's. I used that climate to express my confusion, my anger, at the injustice of the world. Early rock and roll was really electrified folk music."
Olsen, who would go on to work with Fleetwood Mac, the Babys, Kim Carnes, Foreigner, the Grateful Dead, Heart and Santana, said, "The Music Machine was looked on as an early punk rock band. Even though we wore all black and dyed our hair black, we were still perfectionists. That was kind of our trademark."
