The Goldcoast Singers

Please Mr. Kennedy

1962 · World Pacific WP-1806 · Los Angeles, California

Artist
The Goldcoast Singers
Title
Please Mr. Kennedy
Release
Here They Are!
Year
1962
Label
World Pacific # WP-1806
Format
LP · Album
Language
English
Country
Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre
Folk · Contemporary Folk

Annotation

The Goldcoast Singers took a satirical approach to the draft, expressing their reluctance to head out to war in the song "Please Mr. Kennedy" (World Pacific Records # WP-1806). The duo met in 1959 while at college in Fresno, California, and formed the group soon after while studying in Monterey, probably around 1960-1961. George Cromarty, seen on the left of the album cover, and Ed Rush, seen on the right, were occasionally joined by the female vocalist Melinda Stevens. While in San Francisco in March 1962, the San Francisco State Folk Festival (held at the state college) invited the duo to play to an audience of 1000, which they recorded and released on this LP. Produced by Richard Book, well-known on the West Coast jazz scene. (1) Billboard reviewed the album on 3 November 1962, giving it four stars, and saying that "the two men that make up this pop-folk group have an iconoclastic bent, and their material is funny as well as irreverent. Each of the tunes is something of a story and almost all have a touch of humor. The album was recorded in concert at San Francisco State College". (2) In the spoken-word introduction, the duo explained how they were required to attend the draft…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Draft Songs

The Goldcoast Singers took a satirical approach to the draft, expressing their reluctance to head out to war in the song "Please Mr. Kennedy" (World Pacific Records # WP-1806). The duo met in 1959 while at college in Fresno, California, and formed the group soon after while studying in Monterey, probably around 1960-1961. George Cromarty, seen on the left of the album cover, and Ed Rush, seen on the right, were occasionally joined by the female vocalist Melinda Stevens. While in San Francisco in March 1962, the San Francisco State Folk Festival (held at the state college) invited the duo to play to an audience of 1000, which they recorded and released on this LP. Produced by Richard Book, well-known on the West Coast jazz scene. (1) Billboard reviewed the album on 3 November 1962, giving it four stars, and saying that "the two men that make up this pop-folk group have an iconoclastic bent, and their material is funny as well as irreverent. Each of the tunes is something of a story and almost all have a touch of humor. The album was recorded in concert at San Francisco State College". (2) In the spoken-word introduction, the duo explained how they were required to attend the draft…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Formed Monterey, California, USA.

Themes

Draft · JFK · LBJ · Nixon · Khrushchev · Atomic

In collections

Draft Songs

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