Beauregard Ajax & Deaf Priscilla

Imagine my surprise when I googled the name of my band from the late 60's on the internet and came across an album of my group that was released in Germany 38 years after we first recorded it in 1968! That's what happened at the end of 2005. I joined a band called the Dumplings when I was 18 years old and a senior at Hueneme High School in my home town of Oxnard, California in 1967. The band was composed of David Ferguson (guitar, singer, songwriter- http://www.davidfergusonmusic.com/links.html), Charlie Hendricks (singer, songwriter), John Boutell (rhythm guitar-http://www.johnboutell.com/), Clint Williams (bass), and myself (drums). Not only did we play music by the Jefferson Airplane and other 60's psychedelic groups, we played our own original music. The group played at the local recreation centers, dances, and parties in Ventura County.

When we came in second at a Ventura County Battle of the Bands things opened up for us. Jim Salzar, a local record store owner and producer (http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jul/22/still-in-the-groove/), started getting us some gigs all over the county. We even played on the same bill as the Birds at Earl Warren Showgrounds in Ventura. My friend, Pat Landerville, even says we played on the same bill as the Doors, which I can't recall. Not because I was doing drugs, but memory fails me. Pat, who first introduced me to the group, got some of our demo tapes in the hands of Bob Keane at Del-Fi Records (http://www.del-fi.com/), which was located a block south of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles, California. Bob Keane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Keane) is known as the producer of Ritchie Valens (La Bamba), Bobby Fuller Four (I Fought the Law), numerous surf groups and some early Barry White and Frank Zappa recordings.

In 1968 our band moved to L.A. and all lived together in a two bedroom apartment. We began recording an album at Del-Fi records, played at places like the Troubador, Gazarri's on the Sunset Strip, local concerts, for the Hell's Angels in the desert, and other dives around L.A. Several bands members, including me, attended Los Angeles City College. I was majoring in art and hoped to become an illustrator someday.

We eventually changed the band's name to Beauregard Ajax, then to Sleep. After we finished the album Bob Keane lost his studio. We came to Del-Fi Studios only to find the doors chained and padlocked! The master tapes were copied and eventually ended up circulating in Europe. Shadoks Records, which releases old '60's psychedelic music, released our recordings as an album in 2006 and as a CD the following year with nthe title Deaf Priscilla, from the name of one of our songs.

I have seen the album all over the internet, including Amazon.com, and in some foreign countries. I still find it amazing that our recorded music now has an audience after 38 years!

The story of Beauregard Ajax:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=113096639&blogID=228187840

Listen to samples:

http://www.mystrands.com/album/615130

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7114941&style=music&cart=352668936&BAB=E

Deaf Priscilla reviews:

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2981

http://shop.vh1.com/Deaf-Priscilla-Psychedelic_stcVVproductId4512959VVcatId424127VVviewprod.htm

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Beauregard-Ajax

http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/BEAUREGARDajax.htm

http://chrisgoesrocks.blogspot.com/2008/05/beauregard-ajax-deep-priscilla-good-us.html