It’s difficult to speak about music in the 1960/1970s without mentioning The Beau Brummels. The band is especially recognized in the evolution of the country-rock music genre and what has come to be referred to as the San Francisco Sound.
The band whose original lineup was made up of a group of friends were discovered by local disc jockeys with a new record label looking for musicians to sign. In their early career, their sound was a blend of folk and beat music but as their career progressed, they incorporated various musical genres like country rock and psychedelic rock.
The band was active between 1964 to 1969 and then 1974 to 1975. Some of their well-received songs like Laugh, Laugh has made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the songs that shaped Rock and Roll. During the height of their popularity, they were considered teen idols and appeared on various television music variety shows like Shindig, American Bandstand, Hullabaloo, and films like Wild Wild Winter and Village of Giants.
Who are the members of The Beau Brummels Rock Band?
Sal Valentino was the brain behind the band when it first began. He was the one who dreamed of it before going on to introduce others to form The Beau Brummels.
He began to perform at a young age with a series of appearances on television. His performances got him a regular gig at a club (El Cid, San Francisco). To form a much-needed band he called on his childhood friend Ron Elliot who was a guitarist and songwriter. Ron then recruited the other members which included Declan Mulligan (singer/ rhythm guitarist), Ron Meagher (bassist), and Victor Savant (pianist).
As they performed at the club, they got a more lucrative deal to perform at another club (Morocco Room, San Mateo, California. The owner of the club (Rich Romanello) invited disc jockeys Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell to listen to them at the club as they were looking for new acts to sign to their upcoming record label (Autumn Records). They quickly signed them and their early records were produced by Sly Stone.
The Beau Brummels band’s original members include the following
- Sal Valentino as lead vocalist, tambourine. (1964- 1969, 1974-75)
- Ron Elliott as lead guitarist, backing vocals and occasional lead vocals. (1964- 1969, 1974-75)
- Ron Meagher as bassist and backing vocals (1964- 1967, 1974)
- Declan Mulligan as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocals and harmonica.(1964- 1965, 1974-75)
- John Peterson as the drummer. (1964- 1966, 1974-75)
The subsequent members of The Beau Brummels include
- Don Irving as guitarist and backing vocals. (1965-1966)
- Dan Levitt played the banjo and guitar (1974-1975)
- Peter Tepp played the drums for their 1975 tour.
As much as they tried to keep it together, the band naturally went through changes in personnel over time. Mulligan left the band in 1965 and was replaced by Don Irving.
Elliott left the group next as he constantly suffered seizures due to his diabetic condition. So he had difficulty touring with the band.
In 1966, Irving got inducted into the armed forces so had to leave. Peterson left the band to join Harpers Bizarre. Meagher was also drafted into the military.
In 1974, four of the original members with a new member came together to work on another album which was then released in 1975.
Where are they?
After recording a self-titled studio album that was released in 1975, The Beau Brummels members split up again but continued to appear in several incarnations between the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. They featured in shows alongside The Dinosaurs, The Smithereens, and performed at shows like the Baypop Festival 2000, Summer of Love Festival 2002.
Despite the band split of several years, Valentino didn’t release his first solo album until 2006. The album was titled Dreamin’ Man and he went ahead to release two more solo albums in late 2006 and 2008. Unfortunately, John Peterson died on the 11th of November 2007 due to a heart attack.
As recently as 2013, the original band members came together again to record a studio album that was released on Bay Sound Records in March. The new album contained fifteen songs written by Elliott and some drum tracks recorded by late Peterson in 1965. They did the re-recording of some of their well-known songs including “Laugh, Laugh”, “Just a Little” and “Don’t Talk to Strangers”.
Although the band members continue to concentrate on their individual lives and careers, the band remains a favorite for Classic Rock Lovers.
