The music industry can be a peculiar one in that no one can ever know what song will turn out to be a hit. After all, who would have thought that a novelty song about a giant green man who is spurned by his girl would rise to the number four position on the U.S. pop charts in 1965 (and reach number one in Canada)?
In fact, it was the success of that particular song, “The Jolly Green Giant,” based on a popular food brand’s mascot, that inspired a group of Central Washington State College (CWSC) students from the Seattle area to write and record a song based on a popular canned tuna television ad slogan that same year.
The group, The Scotsmen, had formed several years earlier under the name, The Avengers (probably should have kept that name in light of the success of a recent movie franchise). Two years later, the band decided they needed a better gimmick to draw attention to themselves, so they changed their name to The Scotsmen and began wearing kilts on stage.
Soon, the band was appearing in venues throughout the state of Pacific Northwest. The Scotsmen’s line up included Mike DeChenne and Tom Yook on keyboards, Richard Lawson on drums, David Lucas on bass guitar, Gary Reynolds and Bruce Robertson on vocals, and Robert Shomer on guitar.
In 1965, the group agreed to cut a 45-record for Seattle-based Panorama Records, which had been launched by recording impresario Jerry Dennon, who also founded the more well-known Jerden Records (famous for releasing the Kingsmen’s hit songs, “Louie Louie” and “The Jolly Green Giant”) and about a half-dozen other smaller labels.
Side A of The Scotsmen’s record was “Sorry Charlie,” a Jolly Green Giant-style novelty song based on the then-popular TV ads for Star-Kist canned tuna. The song told the story of a tuna named Charlie who was feeling “down and neglected” because he was always being thrown back by the fishermen for not tasting good (similar to his story lines in the TV ads).
The flip side was a song titled, “Tuff Enough,” a catchy but slightly misogynistic song about a troublesome girlfriend. The song is typical of its era, with the heavy use of an electronic keyboard coupled with fast-paced drumming and clashing cymbals. The 7-inch single was released to record stores and radio stations in August and September of 1965 and achieved some airplay but not enough attention to merit a follow up record.
Despite being from the Seattle area, band members affected British-style accents in “Sorry Charlie,” perhaps to take advantage of the popularity of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands that were appearing on the music scene in the U.S. at that time.
A scan of mid-1960s Washington newspapers shows the band appearing several times at the Chehalis Civic Auditorium and the Masonic Temple in Spokane. A September 1965 advertisement in the Tacoma News Tribune for a Back-to-School Extravaganza listed several bands performing including the Dynamics and Busy Boy Jimmy Hanna (“the band that backed Sonny and Cher”) as well as Sir Raleigh and the Coupons, and the Scotsmen, in what was described as their “First Tacoma Appearance in Their Bright Kilts.”
In April 1965, the band performed at Central Washington State College for the annual World University Service Week. They returned to Central in February 1966 for a Battle of the Bands competition in the Student Union Building.
“The Young Republicans Club has teamed up with Seattle disk-jockey Dick Curtis of Pat O’Day and Associates to bring to Central two of the region’s top rock and roll bands, The Scotsmen, Thee Unusuals, and Thee Unusual’s singer, Kathy McDonald, will be on hand for a full evening’s entertainment,” the CWSC student newspaper, The Campus Crier, reported.
“The Scotsmen bring with them an international flavor. Their most recent tour was with the Vegetables, and other tours have taken them to all parts of Pacific Northwest and Canada,” the paper continued. “The Scotsmen also have a recent record release, ‘Sorry Charlie.’”
There was no follow up story on which band won the battle, but the Crier did note that during their performances, Thee Unusuals were accompanied by an eight-foot-long Boa Constrictor named “Herky.”
According to the website, www.pnwbands.com, the Scotsmen continued to perform in the region until disbanding in 1968. Some of the members would go on to play in other Pacific Northwest bands. For example, vocalist Bruce Robertson performed with several groups including The Statics, the Accents, and International Brick. Keyboardist Mike DeChenne became a member of the Hustlers during its short time in existence in the mid-60s.
The Scotmen’s small discography (two songs) was rediscovered in 2001 with the release of The Northwest Battle of the Bands, Vol. 2, Knock You Flat!, which featured a number of largely forgotten 1960s era PNW rock ‘n roll bands. The CD included both “Sorry Charlie” and “Tuff Enough,” and introduced a new generation to the guitar and organ-driven sound of what has been described as “fuzz-punk” rock, considered a precursor to later so-called garage bands.
In attempt to appeal to modern-day hipster audiophiles, the songs were also reissued by Sundazed Records in 2018 on a bright green-colored vinyl record version. Here is a link to the Scotmen’s two recordings: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XcfInqIq5I.
Rock on.
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