The Munx

Biography

Sometimes the only thing wrong with a band is its name -- take the Munx. Better yet, take their name and throw it away somewhere, which is what they should have done. They sang pretty, they had charmingly weird flourishes on their instruments, and they obviously knew their way around a studio. Denny Earnest (guitar), Billy Earnest (keyboards), and Bob Bensick (drums) came from Ohio, in the area around Cleveland, and they not only harmonized beautifully but also knew how to get the most out of their instruments while striking a balance between rock and sunshine pop -- they were good enough in their mid-teens to open for the Velvet Underground one time when the latter passed through Ohio, and Lou Reed was reportedly mighty impressed with the playing.

With Denny and Billy Earnest's mother handling their management, they got to cut two singles for Clevetown Records, and while their first, "Sometimes I Dream," passed without notice, their second, "Our Dream" b/w "Girls Girls Girls," was something special. Released later in 1967, it did well enough in Ohio's major markets to get picked up nationally by Jubilee Records in 1968. It might have done better had it gotten out nationwide in the prior year, but it was still a compellingly pretty piece of pop-psychedelia, and good enough to get the band a television appearance on Upbeat and a direct signing to Jubilee for one record. When that single, "So Much in Love," vanished, so did the Munx -- who (belatedly, one would say) changed their name to Sheffield Rush and later broke up. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide