Jordan Parker Review –Ginger Bread Man/Tell Her –Sire 45-4115 (1969 US)
Ginger Bread Man is an obscure, but totally wonderful tough Bubblegum creation. It has all the obvious trappings of the genre with its instant hook, driving beat and organ break, but the performance has a real edge with snotty Jagger-like moves as well as featuring some neat rough and ready crunchy guitars. Tell Her is a sprightly uptempo number which is nearly as good as the A side so the single is a definite two-sided winner. I can’t find any info on the band, but I have been led to believe that members of the band went on to form The Hopple Street Exit, so my guess is that they were probably from the Cincinnati area...
Listen to a full version of Ginger Bread Man
Here is the background on the band. Thanks for the information!
Jordan Parker Revue was a four piece group originally made up of two sets of brothers from the Dayton , OH , area. Their first single was a UMAC production on Night Owl Records: “Man of the Hour/Mardi Ellen” writers H. Urschel (aka Jordan Parker) & Eric Smith, respectively. The band tracks for this single were recorded in 1967 at UMAC Studio, Miamisburg , OH ; however, if I recall correctly, the vocals were re-done at Chess Studios, Chicago.
Sometime in 1968 one of the brothers decided to leave the group and was replaced on drums by one of the band’s producers. There was a brief association with Calvert/Marzano, who recorded JPR at ODO Recording, NYC, but no record deal resulted. “Ginger Bread Man” (writers Urschel/Albert) on Sire Records was the groups’ second single, released in Oct. 1969, produced by Opus 65. All tracks for this record were done at Jewel Recording, Mt. Healthy, OH (there was also a mix done w/Richard Gottehrer at Bell Sound, NYC, but it is unknown if this or the Mt. Healthy mix made it on to the record).
JPR's “third” single, if you will, was an unaccredited performance on “Monday Morning Man” (Urschel/Albert) by Trudi on 20th Century Fox Records, released in 1970; this was also recorded entirely at Jewel Recording & produced by Opus 65. Actually, by this time Jordan Parker Revue had ceased to exist under that name but had been wholly absorbed into Trudi & Hopple Street Exit, a seven piece band that was formed when JPR merged with a group featuring Trudi & her husband (also one of JPR’s producers). Hopple Street became a popular local act in Dayton , OH , & there was a second Trudi & Hopple Street single (“Together/Hang on to Your Heart”) released on Counterpart Records, but by then there was only one remaining JPR member in the band.
11 comments:
Jordan Parker Revue was a four piece group originally made up of two sets of brothers from the Dayton, OH, area. Their first single was a UMAC production on Night Owl Records: “Man of the Hour/Mardi Ellen” writers H. Urschel (aka Jordan Parker) & Eric Smith, respectively. The band tracks for this single were recorded in 1967 at UMAC Studio, Miamisburg, OH; vocals re-done, as I recall, at Chess Studios, Chicago, but this my not be correct. Sometime in 1968 one of the brothers decided to leave the group and was replaced on drums by one of the band’s producers. There was a brief association with Calvert/Marzano, who recorded JPR at ODO Recording, NYC, but no record deal resulted. “Ginger Bread Man” (writers Urschel/Albert) on Sire Records was the groups’ second single, released in Oct. 1969, produced by Opus 65. All tracks for this record were done at Jewel Recording, Mt. Healthy, OH (there was also a mix done w/Richard Gottehrer at Bell Sound, NYC , but it is unknown if this or the Mt. Healthy mix made it on to the record). JPRs’ “third” single, if you will, was an unaccredited performance on “Monday Morning Man” (Urschel/Albert) by Trudi on 20th Century Fox Records, released in 1970; this was also recorded entirely at Jewel Recording & produced by Opus 65. Actually, by this time Jordan Parker Revue had ceased to exist under that name but had been wholly absorbed into Trudi & Hopple Street Exit, a band that was formed when JPR merged with a group featuring Trudi & her husband (also one of JPR’s producers). Hopple Street became a popular local act in Dayton, OH, & there was another Trudi & Hopple Street single (“Together/Hang on to Your Heart”) released on Counterpart Records, but by then there was only one original JPR member still in the band.
Dear Anonymous
Now that's what I call background information. Thank you so much for providing it
All the best
Robin
This is years before the Edison Lighthouse hit. What happened here?
Great information. Anonymous must have been there. He remembers better than I do and I was the "M" in UMAC Productions. I co-owned the studio which was located in a music store that I owned called the The Sound Shop, located in the Plaza Center in Miamisburg. I also played with Harry and Trudi in the original Trudi group called the Tad Spencer Group. We played to standing room only crowds at the Tijuana Lounge in the Salem Mall in Dayton for several years. I closed the music store and studio in 1969 and left UMAC just before Gingerbread Man. There was a lot of talent in that group of people and it is disappointing that they never got the big break.
dmac--I assume you're Dale. I played for a while in a later version of that band and found these comments as I was looking to see if I could find my old drummer friend, Bill A. If you know how to reach him could you post the info here. Thanks.
I was looking for Billy also when I found this information. I, too, played with H.S. Exit at Tiajuana Lounge and later at another club in Dayton whose name I don't recall. I still have a pair of speakers I bought from Bill--who'd gotten them from a studio in Nashville.
I was there also, for part of the time. I met Harry when he was teaching guitar at Dale's store and years later I played with H.S. Exit at the Tiajuana Lounge and another club whose name I don't recall. I, too, was looking for Bill A. and searching for him led me to this information. I have a pair of speakers I bought from Bill who gotten them from a studio in Nashville. Whenever I see those speakers I think of Billy and my time with that band.
I was looking for Bill A. also. I played with H.S. Exit for a few years at Tiajuana Lounge and another club. Anyone know where Bill is?
Harry was my guitar teacher and friend in the mid 60s. Took lessons in Dales music shop in Miamisburg. Neat to see all the comments here. If I had not know Harry I probably would never had heard of Bob Dylan. lol Thanks
I remember JPR playing at the YMCA in Mansfield in the mid to late 60's. I played for a band called The Sound and we were always interested in Their lineup of Sound Amps. Did they have some type of endorsement deal at that time with Sound Electronics. I currently own a Sound X305. Great amp by the way. Not much info for on the internet , both JPR and Sound amps . Was glad to find this posting. Great band by the way.
Looking for Malcolm McCloud who was in the band with Trudi
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