Sounds from the Land of Lincoln

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I love rock ‘n’ roll. You don’t have to hang around me very long to find that out.

And there would be a special place in my heart – if I had one – for groups that originated or called Illinois home.

The disc jockeys back in the mid ’60s and early ’70s lumped every group from the environs of Chi-Town as a “Chicago group.”

For example, The New Colony Six, which was from Chicago. The NCS, most closely identified by keyboardist-guitarist and lead vocalist Ronnie Rice, placed 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1966 and 1971.

But for every Chi-Town group, there was also a mislabeled band. Take for example, The Cryan’ Shames with most of the members from Hinsdale. And a group that basically was a one-hit wonder (“Sweets For My Sweet” in 1967) in The Riddles, who hailed from various suburbs such as Addison, Elmhurst and Villa Park.

The Buckinghams churned out hit after hit from March of 1966 to the end of 1967 when Chicago mega-stations WLS and WCFL battled for fan supremacy not only in Chicagoland and the ‘burbs but as far out in the Midwest as their transmitters would carry.

Chicago sound.

That is the mystique of what historians try to pigeonhole as the range of audibility for the myriad of instruments invoked by different members of the various bands trying to create a cogent and convincing concoction of musical mixture augmented and amplified by a diverse and disparate range of vocal renditions.

But for all the Chicago bands, one of my favorite groups from the Land of Lincoln hailed from downstate. At least that was the birthplace of the lead singer in the four-member band that could be more closely identified as having pop or folk-rock roots.

Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane was the vocal force for Spanky and Our Gang, augmenting her pipes by performing on kazoo and washboard. The group first charted in the Midwest in June of 1967 with “Sunday Will Never Be The Same,” a track that was previously turned down by the Mamas and Papas.
“Making Every Minute Count” made a brief ripple on the WCFL Top 40 charts two months later although the song did not make the Silver Dollar Survey of WLS. Both super stations, though, got plenty of airplay for “Lazy Day” in November of that year.

A self-titled debut album was hastily assembled. A second album, entitled “Like To Get To Know You” followed and was highlighted by the single of the same name that was played endlessly in the summer of 1968. The harmonic and symphonic gem peaked at No. 6 on WCFL and No. 9 on WLS.

“Well I can’t promise that I’ll spend a day with you;

I can’t promise that I’ll find a way with you;

I can’t promise –

no, I can’t promise  –

that I’ll love you.”

That was the third stanza, interspersed by a melodic chorus of “But I’d like to get to know you (Yes I would ... if I could).

Which left a lot of teenagers and young adults mesmerized by the lyrics.

The group’s third album was basically recorded by studio musicians, with very little input from the band itself. Later that year, 37-year-old Malcolm Hale — who played lead guitar and did background vocals — died suddenly of pneumonia. The group played out its concert commitments and then disbanded.

Mike Cunniff is a sports writer for the Morris Daily Herald. He can be reached at (815) 942-3221 x 2026 or by e-mail at mcunniff@morrisdailyherald.com

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