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25-652: Eventually a number of huge hits would come out of their efforts at the studio, including the Fendermen 's " Muleskinner Blues ", Dave Dudley 's "Six Days on the Road", the Trashmen 's " Surfin' Bird ", and The Castaways ' "Liar, Liar". Those last two singles were hits from Minneapolis's golden, mid-1960s era of teenage rock, and their success inspired countless garage bands to entertain dreams of one-hit-wonderdom. Among those who traveled to Minneapolis to record were Bobby Vee 's band

50-558: A matrix starting with the letters KB followed by a 2,3, or 4 digit number. In the year 1960, Capitol records used the letters kb (lowercase) for their custom records division. These can be identified by the dash between the letters and numbers, which Kay Bank does not have. Beginning in December 1964, the matrix dropped the KB letters in favor of the year of production followed by a dash and a four digit number, such as 5-5477. This can be interpreted as

75-615: A roots and rockabilly revival centered on the downtown bar Lee's Liquor Lounge, which gained national attention in magazines such as Rolling Stone . Wolfe booked bands for the bar until 2004. Both the Vibro Champs and Subola's related band Bad Companions performed at the final show when Lee's closed in 2019. The group recorded a self-titled demo on cassette in 1993 with their first drummer, Mark Shumway, who also plays on several tracks on their official debut, The Stimulating Sounds of... The Vibro Champs . Second drummer Dan Hogan plays on

100-522: A touch of jazz razzmatazz." Paul Hempel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch praised the band's no-nonsense approach to rockabilly, saying that "It's amazing what a band can do with a pompadour, a sense of humor and a few rockabilly and surf riffs." The Vibro Champs formed in Minneapolis in 1992. Before joining the band, guitarist and main songwriter Alan Subola and bassist Bill Keefe, from Madison, Wisconsin , were in

125-468: A tribute to Buddy Holly . The group's third record, Ultra Modern , was released in 1999. It featured a guest performance on "Beach Party" by Fendermen guitarist Jim Sundquist , whose version of "Mule Skinner Blues" the band had covered on Stranger Than You Think . Phil Dirt of the surf-music website Reverb Central gave Ultra Modern four of four stars, calling the album "marvelous, slightly strange countrified pop'n'roll" and writing that "these cats are

150-470: A very fun band." In 2002, the Vibro Champs were featured on the second-season premiere of the Comedy Central TV series Let's Bowl . Around 2004, the group played less frequently as Wolfe relocated to Austin, Texas , Keefe moved to Switzerland , and Weiss moved to Pittsburgh . The group did not break up, but geographic distance limited their performances. In 2005, the Vibro Champs were

175-682: The Billboard Hot 100 , No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1960, and No. 2 in Canada. "Mule Skinner Blues" was the first song by a Minnesota band to reach the charts. The duo called themselves "the Fendermen" because they played Fender guitars (a Telecaster and a Stratocaster ), and they connected them both to the same amplifier . These guitars were the only instruments used in

200-576: The University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1950s under the direction of William Dreger, a music store owner in Middleton, Wisconsin . The duo had one hit single, " Mule Skinner Blues ", released in 1960 on the Cuca Records label which was picked up for national distribution by Soma Records . The song was originally recorded in the basement of Middleton Music on an aluminum disc. The song hit No. 5 on

225-577: The 5477th record produced by Kay Bank, in the year 1965. In the 1980s, the Nicollet Avenue building would become the headquarters of influential independent record label Twin/Tone Records . In 2015 the historic recording studio was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit by Eliot Skinner. This article on a recording studio is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Fendermen The Fendermen were an American rockabilly duo, composed of Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, active in

250-620: The Mood Swings and Phil Gnarly and the Tough Guys. Frontman and guitarist Dave Wolfe played in California punk bands such as Victim's Cause before leading the Twin Cities group Sci-Fi Western. The Vibro Champs were inspired by 1950s and '60s rockabilly musicians such as Duane Eddy , Gene Vincent , Dick Dale , and the Fendermen , whose goofy but spirited cover of " Mule Skinner Blues " was one of

275-606: The Shadows ("Susie Baby"), and Chad Allan and the Reflections (later the Expressions, who became The Guess Who ), who recorded "Shakin' All Over". The principle record labels who used Kay Bank services for recording, pressing and distribution: Applause, Bangar, Garrett, Golden Wing, Kay Bee, Lodestar, North Star, Pleasant Peasant, Re-Car, Soma, Studio City and Twin Town. Kay Bank employed

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300-495: The album Mr. International , released on Minneapolis label Eclectone Records. The disc also included two videos: A music video for the song "I'll Do Anything", and a short documentary about the band, The Vibro Champs In Vibro Vision . Star Tribune music critic Chris Riemenschneider praised the album's "fierce, punky instrumental jams" and said that Wolfe and Subola "get right back to the basics, trading off Duane Eddy/Gene Vincent-style guitar licks and lyrics about babes, hot rods and

325-408: The backing band for a two-show reunion of the Fendermen. The Vibro Champs contributed the song "I'll Do Anything For Baby" to the three-disc benefit CD Musicians for Minneapolis , which raised money for the victims of the 2007 I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse . Other musicians included Deke Dickerson , Los Lobos , Steve Vai , Dick Dale, and Les Claypool . The group reformed in 2009 for

350-520: The backing band. Sundquist died on June 4, 2013, of cancer at his home in Fairfax, Minnesota , at age 75. Humphrey died on March 29, 2016, at a Minnesota hospital, at age 78, due to heart failure. The Vibro Champs The Vibro Champs are a rockabilly band based in Minneapolis , Minnesota, founded in 1992. They have released four albums, most recently Mr. International in 2009. Reviewing

375-433: The band's second album, writer Jim Walsh said that "Minnesota has given birth to dozens of great rockabilly artists. The latest and perhaps greatest of the lot is the Vibro Champs." Minneapolis Star Tribune music critic Tom Surowicz described the Vibro Champs' sound as "classic rock 'n' roll, surf instrumentals, a dollop of R&B, some undiluted hillbilly fare, obscure cover tunes, a taste of agreeable lounge kitsch, plus

400-593: The early 1960s. They are best known for the 1960 hit single " Mule Skinner Blues ", a cover of a song written by Jimmie Rodgers . Jim Sundquist (lead guitarist; born James D. Sundquist, November 26, 1937, Niagara , Wisconsin ; later settled in Minnesota) and Phil Humphrey (rhythm guitarist; from Milwaukee, Wisconsin ). At this point, Humphrey lived in Stoughton, Wisconsin with his wife and daughter. Sundquist and Humphrey, both born on November 26, 1937, met as students at

425-459: The end of 1993. The third Vibro Champs drummer, Gary Weiss, joined in 1994. The Vibro Champs also toured frequently across the United States. Texas rockabilly singer Ronnie Dawson chose the Vibro Champs as his live backing band for his 1995 tour. The group has also opened for Dick Dale , El Vez , and Horton Heat , among others. The group's second album, Stranger Than You Think ,

450-437: The ending of the song " Mule Skinner Blues " in which the group could not come up with a viable way to end the song. Thus the ending was made one day when William said " Cha Cha Cha " and thus creating the ending to a wonderful folk song. William tried to keep in touch with the rest of the group but was never answered back, even though he kept track of them and watched them rise to stardom. He was never paid for work as producer for

475-509: The first rockabilly songs Subola heard as a teenager. The band took its name from a type of Fender guitar amp popular among bands during the original 1950s rockabilly boom. In the mid-1990s, the group was part of a national revival of swing and rockabilly that included Reverend Horton Heat , Forbidden Pigs, and Southern Culture on the Skids . The Vibro Champs were one of the leading such groups in Minneapolis, becoming known as an integral part of

500-570: The group, and died on August 3, 2019. He kept the legacy of the Fendermen alive by telling people of the group and how they were formed. He kept the original copy of the album along with a copy of the Soma Records 45 and an LP 33 with the Fendermen and many others who hit the top 10 in 1960. The Fendermen sat at the No. 3 spot at Johnny Rockets in Greenville, South Carolina for many years before being removed and

525-914: The men who love them equally." The band's lineup in 2024 includes founding members Subola, Wolfe, and Keefe, as well as drummer Morris Engel, who also plays in Subola's band Kinda Fonda Wanda. The Vibro Champs won two Minnesota Music Awards, in 2000 and 2001, for Best Rockabilly Group. Subola recorded a solo rockabilly album, Powderhorn Park , in 2003. Subola also performs in the roots-rock group The Bad Companions, which has released three albums, as well as rockabilly combo Kinda Fonda Wanda with vocalist Amanda White, specializing in songs by female artists such as Wanda Jackson (the group's namesake), Patsy Cline , Loretta Lynn , and Barbara Mandrell . The band also includes Boiled in Lead bassist Drew Miller and drummer Mo Engel. Wolfe has also fronted punk band Dave Wolfe and

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550-466: The recording of "Mule Skinner Blues". The Fendermen toured with Johnny Cash and many others on the road across the US. William Herbert Dreger was the original producer for the Fendermen and was later replaced due to a dispute amongst the group. He was responsible for helping the two man group get off the ground and onto charts where they were praised for their musical prowess. William Dreger was also responsible for

575-595: The rest of the album. Stimulating Sounds was well received by critics. Surowicz wrote that the album "gives ample evidence of this rockabilly band's strengths: Cornfed vocals, steamy surf-powered instrumentals, garage-band immediacy and self-deprecating wit." Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader wrote that the disc showed the band to be "adept revivalists. They span everything from instrumental surf sounds to roughneck psychobilly." The Vibro Champs were invited to play First Avenue 's annual Best New Bands showcase at

600-413: The restaurant being shut down. Sundquist was a guest on Minneapolis rockabilly group The Vibro Champs ' 1999 album Ultra Modern , playing guitar on the song "Beach Party." The Vibro Champs were longtime fans of the duo, and had covered their version of "Mule Skinner Blues" on the 1996 album Stranger Than You Think . In 2005, the Fendermen reunited for a two-show performance, with the Vibro Champs as

625-399: Was released in 1996. It was produced by Minneapolis musician Chris Strouth and released on his label Ultramodern Records. Music writer Jim Walsh praised the album for its respect for rockabilly history, and said that "it's abundantly clear that Dave Wolfe and his crew are passionate students of the genre." The band appeared on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion in 1996, performing

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