Ross - The Kingsmen

I have never heard of the Kingsmen up until the assignment when I researched them. I chose them as their name is the same name of a recent movie that I enjoyed watching. When I did more research on them I found that they were actually a pretty interesting band for just being a garage band. Their band formed in the year 1959 on the west coast of America in Oregon. The band's style of music was surf music which during the 60's was very popular on the west coast, especially in California. However their most popular song wasn't actually their song to begin with, it was actually a cover of the rhythm and blues song "Louie, Louie" sung by Richard Berry. Their version, however, became an instant hit, and actually more recognizable when you think of the song "Louie, Louie". It became so popular that it was no. 2 on Billboards Top 100 for that year and earned a gold disc when it sold over one million copies. There was also bad times for this band as they also got into trouble with the state of Illinois and even the FBI because of the song, as at this time parents and the government didn't like obscene or bad lyrics in songs meant for the public ear. This was a mistake however as the lead singer of the band, Ely, just had trouble enunciating some of the lyrics, which made them sound like something they weren't and ended up causing trouble for the band. In conclusion, they are an example of what an amateur band can do, even sometimes heightening the fame of a song that they only meant to cover. Below is the cover song and then the original by Richard Berry.