The String-A-Longs

Famed for their instrumental smash "Wheels," Plainview, TX rock & roll combo the String-A-Longs was formed in 1956 by singer/guitarist Keith McCormack, guitarist Richard Stephens and bassist Aubrey de Cordova. High school classmates who originally joined forces under the name the Patio Kids, the group expanded to a quartet with the addition of drummer Charles Jay Edmiston, and in early 1957 changed their name to the Rock 'n' Rollers to coincide with the arrival of second guitarist Jimmy Torres. Their growing local popularity inspired McCormack's mother to fund a recording session at producer Norman Petty's Clovis, NM studios, and after replacing Edmiston with drummer Don Allen, the band -- which had again changed its name, this time to the Leen Teens -- recorded the tracks "So Shy" and "Dreams About You," later issued on Imperial. The record stiffed, and although Petty produced several more sessions in the years to follow, none of the material saw an official release. While cutting a 1960 date, McCormack's voice gave out, and Petty suggested they record his TexMex-influenced instrumental composition "Wheels," backed by the Leen Teens' own instrumental "Tell the World." At Petty's insistence, the name "String-A-Longs" was installed prior to the single's release on Warwick; when both sides began earning airplay, the label split the disc into two A-sides, although "Wheels" (newly backed by the vocal performance "Am I Asking Too Much") became the far bigger hit, reaching the number three spot in the U.S. in early 1961. The follow-up "Brass Buttons" also hit the Top 40, a distinction narrowly missed by the String-A-Longs' third release, "Should I." A series of singles as well as an LP, Pick-A-Hit Featuring "Wheels," followed before Warwick filed for bankruptcy in 1962; the...