The Grodes Biography & Awards

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Artist Info

Formed

1964

Disbanded

1968

Members

Rich Cota Robies, Dale Smith, Patti McCarron, John Lee White III, Rick Lust, Keith Craig, Manny Freiser, Rick Mellinger

Biography

One of the more talented garage bands of the mid-'60s, with a more professional and pop/rock bent than the average garage outfit. The Grodes cut a half-dozen singles between 1965 and 1967, several of which charted in their hometown of Tucson, AZ. They sported a pleasantly driving, melodic sound with obvious debts to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Zombies, the Kingsmen, the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas, and frat rock, but ultimately didn't offer anything original enough to make them stand out from the pack. Their most lasting contribution arose when they briefly changed their names to the Tongues of Truth and cut the uncharacteristically tough punker "Let's Talk About Girls," which was covered in a much more famous version (later anthologized on Nuggets) by the Chocolate Watchband. The Grodes broke up in 1968 after briefly adding female singer Patti McCarron; lead singer and songwriter Manny Freiser married her and teamed up with her professionally in the soft rock duo Fire & Rain, who released an album for Mercury in 1973. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide