“Louie, Louie” was especially popular with the younger local crowd. In fact, their garage-rock version of “Louie Louie” became so popular it was up for consideration as the official state song by the Washington Legislature in the 1980s ( The News Tribune). The Wailer’s version gained significant local popularity. The single was a cover of “ Louie, Louie,” a song originally written and performed by California singer, Richard Berry.
Instead, they released it under the name of their new lead singer, Rockin’ Robin Roberts. Though the song was recorded by The Wailers, they couldn’t release it under their name because they were still signed to Golden Crest Records. The first release under this new label had to be a single due to budgetary restraints. And that’s what they did.ġ961 was the beginning of Etiquette Records. It was decided, at the suggestion of Ormsby, that they would start their own label in Tacoma. The members, now consisting of Morrill, Dangel, Burk, Marush, and two new members, locals Buck Ormsby and Rockin’ Robin Roberts, sat down to discuss their options. They knew they’d need to find another way to record and release music, or else disband. Return to Tacoma and the Beginning of Etiquette Recordsĭispleased with the group’s decision to leave New York, Golden Crest Records no longer showed much interest in recording or touring The Wailers. The boys missed their girlfriends and families, and they needed to finish school. Their young age, while impressive, was part of what brought them back to their hometown. At the time, Greek, Morrill, and Barush were 18, and Burk and Dangel only 16. The song landed the Tacoma boys a promotional appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand in Philadelphia. “Tall Cool One” was one of those releases, and it was a hit. The Wailers were signed with Golden Crest and released a number of singles and an album under the label in 19. The boys were very young when they began jamming together in 1957 – still in high school – and were not much older when the band saw its first major success.Ī Seattle-recorded demo of the band’s lively instrumental song “Tall Cool One” drew the attention of Golden Crest Records, a record label in New York. The founding members of the Fabulous Wailers were John Greek, who played guitar and trumpet, Richard Dangel, who played lead guitar, Kent Morrill, who played piano and was the lead vocalist, Mark Marush, who played tenor sax, and Mike Burk, who played drums. The band is also notable for their cover of “Louie, Louie,” which gained local favor and was considered for the Washington state song in the 1980s. In Tacoma and beyond, The Wailers were an inspiration for many artists, and even produced some of them through their record label, Etiquette Records. Often considered one of the first garage bands, The Wailers and other local groups of the time laid the foundation for the grunge scene in the Pacific Northwest.
The Fabulous Wailers were a garage band formed in Tacoma, Washington in 1958 and are an integral part of the area’s musical history.
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