The Invictas
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Rochester, New York, United States |
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| Years active | 1961-1970, 2004-present |
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The Invictas (sometimes called Herb Gross & the Invictas) are an American garage rock band from Rochester, New York who were active in the 1960s, but re-formed in 2004 and have been intermittently active since. They were one of the most popular local bands in the Rochester scene during the 1960s, scoring a regional hit with "The Hump" in 1965.
The band was formed by Herb Gross (aka Herb McGovern) in Rochester, New York in 1960.
The initial lineup consisted of the leader Gross on guitar and vocals, Bruce Hickey on guitar, and Dave Hickey on drums. In 1961, while Gross was attending the Rochester Institute of Technology, he expanded the band to include Jim Kohler on bass and Mark Blumenfeld on lead guita. The band renamed themselves the Invictas. The name was inspired by the Buick car of the time known as the Invicta, meaning "invincible" in Latin. The Invictas, who used a black hearse with their band logo painted on the side to haul equipment and travel from gig to gig, became a regular fixture at Tiny's Bengal Inn, a local club.
The group attracted the attention of Steve Brodie's Sahara label.
A USA Today article says that the band recorded their debut single, "The Hump", in 1963, but this time frame is unlikely, because, according to Markesich's book, it was not released until June of 1965, which places the period of recording between late 1964 and mid-1965. "The Hump" b/w "Long Tall Shorty" was released on Sahara. Just before going into the studio to record the single, the band had to bail their keyboard player out of jail. The song received airplay on the East Coast and was a hit in western New York, reaching a #1 position in Rochester and other places, leading the band to claim that they "outsold the Beatles" locally.
The band's popularity exploded, and they opened for famous acts such as the Beach Boys, Jay and The Americans, the Shirelles, Gary Lewis and The Playboys, the Young Rascals, and Otis Redding. According to Gross, "Girls were chasing us. We could play pretty much wherever we wanted to play."
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