The Breakers (Memphis band)
| The Breakers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1965-1967 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
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The Breakers were an American garage rock band from Memphis, Tennessee who were active in the 1960s. They became one of the most popular bands in the Memphis area and enjoyed considerable success with their regional hit "Don't Bring Me No Flowers (I Ain't Dead Yet)". There has been a resurgence of interest in the Breakers amongst garage rock collectors and enthusiasts in recent years.
The Breakers were founded in early 1966 in Memphis, Tennessee. The band was led by guitarist Mike Ladd. Ladd, a fan of blues, had played as a young street musician on Beale Street, where he was eventually spotted and invited to back B.B. King at club gigs there with the blues legend. According to Ladd:
He tried to keep these activities secret from his parents, but eventually his father found out and sent him to military school. There, he met Duane Allman, who would later gain fame with the Allman Brothers. He eventually hooked up with several students from Whitehaven High School to start the Breakers. The group's lineup consisted of Ladd on guitar, Gary Johns of vocals, Tom Keckler on bass, Stu and Dick Lewis on guitars, Cully Powell on keyboards, and Eddie Tatum on drums.
Seymour Rosenberg became the group's manager and arranged for them to sign with Amy Records. The group went to Nashville to sign the contract. The Breakers chose two songs for the upcoming single written by a neighborhood friend, Donna Weiss: "Don't Send Me No Flowers (I Ain't Dead Yet)" and "Love of My Life". Weiss would later co-write the 1980s Kim Karnes hit "Betty Davis Eyes". "Don't Send Me No Flowers" was chosen as the A-side. The group went to Bill Justis' recording studio in Nashville to record the tracks which were released in August 1965. "Don't Send Me No Flowers" became a huge local and regional hit, reaching #1 on many of the local charts, was subsequently covered by several acts, such as the Gentrys. According to Ladd "We knocked the Beatles off the top of both WHBQ and WMPS' charts".
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