REX RINGER
Once A Ringer - Always A Ringer

Rex was the Ringers' bass player and sang lead on almost all of their songs. He was also the creative force of the group and during his time in the band wrote all of the original material. Rex explains that the diversity in style of the songs is due to his personality: "I was a crooner; even though I became a rock artist, that never left me. Because of my knowledge of old standards - jazz, etc - I incorporated them into my music".

Rex was born Stanley Joseph Bonaccorso in San Jose, 23 May 1940. He's a third generation Italian American and in keeping with his roots, his first instrument was the accordion. He joined a band while in high school. The group had a Canadian drummer/vocalist and an Hawaiian guitarist. Rex initially attempted the guitar as well, but the Hawiian soon convinced him to switch to bass: "I think you better play the bass guitar - not as many strings!". Rex says "I was a pioneer of [the electric] bass guitar, which was a brand new instrument when I started to play it".

Rex at home

It was around 1955-56 when all the big names like Elvis and Bill Haley used a double-bass. Rex's band did folk music and some early rock & roll. After graduating to college, Rex joined the Original Galaxies (they let Rex join because he had two big fender amplifiers).They used to travel with the famous San Jose DJ Frank Darrin who had a local program called Record Hop, and they appeared with him on his TV shows. Rex left the band to become a more professional entertainer, hooking up with Ernie & the Fanatics, a rock combo who played for the beach bunnies.Then he went on the road with the Royals, a piano-bass-drums trio and started singing more. After the Royals he went to Hollywood "to make a go of it". It was here that he met the Ringers. He stayed with them until the early '70s. After the Ringers, Rex worked in San Diego with Dean "Wish For A Star" Holly.

Rex had to abandon rock & roll due to ear damage and became a piano bar entertainer. Then he joined Rose and the Arrangement, a very successful Las Vegas group, with whom he had the biggest hit of his music carrier, The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati - a novelty #1 in 1974. It was reissued on Rhino Records Greatest Hits Of Doctor Demento compilation. The band had another local hit called Chula Vista. Rex then left the group to return to his piano bar gig. Now Rex plans to record songs that he wrote in the '70s and new material including a song titled, Once A Ringer, Always A Ringer.

BILL RINGER
The Drummatic Bill Lynn

Bill Lynn was born in Bogota, Colombia. After his father's early death, his mother relocated to Miami, where Bill spent the next 18 years of his life. Bill's interest in playing drums developed early on and he practised along to the records of Duane Eddy, Jimmy Reed, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. He formed his first group at the young age of eleven to perform at sock hops. At 16 he 'adjusted' his age up by a couple of years in order to play in bars with various bands

Always in demand for his services, he was invariably asked to perform a drum solo; he soon earning the nickname 'The Drummatic Bill Lynn'. In 1957, a vocalist friend of Bill's extended an invitation to travel to Los Angeles to record. When the band was questioned about their name, they replied, 'The Champs'. Their manager was Gene Autry and one track they recorded that same day was Tequila - a national number one song for 16 weeks, and a smash hit right around the world.

In 1960, ABC Paramount Records signed Bill as their Nashville 'studio drummer'. He was an integral part of sessions with Ray Charles, Brian Hyland, Jimmy Velvet and Tommy Roe.

Bill and Elvis in MGM movie "Speedway"

In the same period, Bill was introduced to Elvis at the old RCA Studio B during a recording session by the King. As luck would have it, Presley's scheduled drummer had not returned from a coffee break. Bill was asked to pick up the sticks for the next song, It's Now Or Never. Bill migrated to L.A. in 1963 where he joined the Ringers.

When Elvis was filming in Hollywood, Bill visited and was invited to perform in Easy Come, Easy Go. The only hitch - Bill was committed to playing with the Ringers in Sacramento. But he had no intention of missing out on the Elvis movie, so he commuted by air every day between gigs. His schedule had him depart Hollywood-Burbank at 7 p.m., play with the Ringers in Sacramento til 2 a.m., then return to Hollywood after a few hours of sleep at 5:30 a.m.
One of Elvis's pals related the story to Presley, who was so impressed by Bill's determination and talent that he asked him to stay on as a sideman for future recording and movie sessions. Bill stayed with Presley until 1969-70.

The "Drummatic" Bill Lynn - 1965

He went on to record with other top names in the business, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Three Dog Night, and Hall & Oates. He then formed a company to represent various U.S. instrument manufacturers exclusively in Latin America. After 16 years as marketing director for the Elvis Presley Museum, Bill is now a businessman running his own company, American & Country Music Holidays, in Missouri. He produces, promotes and performs with his own shows, mainly Rock ´n` Roll in Europe and Latin America. His other company TCB Enterprises produces and manages artists, mainly female singers.

Tom Ringer
My Life as a Ringer -
(Feb. 1964 through Nov. 1965)

Joining the band was intimidating at first - a lot of new material to learn, and the other three guys were really great musicians that seemed very at ease being on stage in front of big crowds - while I was pretty nervous at first. But after a short while I became more confident - because they were so confident, and the only time (in all my years of playing for various audiences) that I was ever nervous was one night we played for 800 people (most of them black) at the Coconut Grove, one of the top clubs in the U.S. - probably the world. Our first song was "Down Home Girl" by the Rolling Stones, and I had to kick it off with a solo intro - my knees were actually shaking.Great times !!! Great memories !! Meeting, and spending time with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys; playing and singing a couple of the Righteous Brothers songs while Bill Medley sat in the audience listening to us...

1965 live at the pussycat A GoGo

I just knew they were going to be hits --- little did I know that it would be 36 years later!!!

Hey - it's still a thrill to know that somebody thinks your group sounds good.

Like with all (most) musicians, we had our good times, and then there were times when things seemed to get a little too quiet and (non-prosperous). But it's all part of the game. The jobs were each unique and hold special memories. The Mirage; the audition at The Whiskey A Go-Go; an absolute blast playing at the Red Velvet... and "Gazzarri's". Talk about the big time!
Great memories. I keep saying that phrase , but that's what that period of my life gave me - great memories. We'll all miss Keith when we get back together for a reunion, but we'll have a great time. If it's here in Oregon, we'll have to all sit around a hot wood stove and pick, grin, and spit on the stove between songs.
I was blessed for eighteen months of my life - to be included in a band comprised of excellent musicians that became good friends - brothers.

Best of luck with your efforts with our songs, and your endeavors in the future.

Very Sincerely, Tom Crockett

PAUL RINGER

Paul Indelicato looks back

In the fall of 1964 I left my native St. Louis, a very young man in search of a big dream. With all that I owned, carelessly packed in a U Haul trailer, I headed for the West Coast in search of that dream.

Paul Indelicato

In 1966, after a series of fun but mediocre gigs, I was referred to four young men who were in the process of redefining their band. The Ringers, as they were called, were looking for a lead guitarist to join them in doing a mix of cover tunes (mostly Beatles), and originals. The Beatles had captured the hearts of America, and in 1966 were still quite the rage. That, and my passion for original material, brought me to a successful audition and I spent the next 3 and-a-half years with the band. During that time we played many West Coast venues such as Cyro´s, the Hollywood Paladium, and Gazzarri´s. We also made an appearance on Sam Riddle´s Ninth Street West, a popular TV show at the time, and even did a two nighter in Las Vegas. Big Stuff!!

Ringers inviting for a 1965 cavestomp
in the A Go Go Room

My friendship with the guys in the band continue to this day. Bill Lynn, the drummer, is a show producer in South American and Europe and we have worked many parts of the world together. Rex Paris, the bass player lives near San Diego and although we don´t see each other often, we maintain regular contact. My good friend, Keith Johnson, rhythm guitar player and singer extraordinaire, is sadly no longer with us and is sorely missed. Two other ex-Ringers, drummer Louis Porrazzo and guitarist Tommy Crockett are still good friends. As far as my dream, I´m still looking for it. But my time with the Ringers has left me with great memories and I am happy to know that some of our music will be re-released. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as we did.

(Paul Indelicato)

THE RINGERS STORY
LET IT BE KNOWN

The Ringers' story starts sometime in 1963. Musician Stan Bonaccorso had just moved from San Jose to L.A. and was looking for a job. An agent told him to contact a certain Dick Gabriel who was looking for a bass player. Rex went to the local 47 union HQ, where Dick, Bill Lynn and Keith Johnson held an audition for a bass player in their rehearsal room. The four hit it off and became Richard & the Bowmen, cultivating a Robin Hood-type image - neat green shirts, really big boots and tight black pants. Rex played bass, Keith guitar, Bill on drums and Dick (Richard) contributed sax and keyboards. Keith and Rex were responsible for most of the lead vocals. It transpired that Stan Bonaccorso belonged to a different musicians' union than the rest of the group - a situation that would make it very difficult for the band of merry men to get regular gigs. The problem was deftly circumvented when Stan adopted a stage name: Rex Paris.

Richard and the Bowmen continued on for almost a year, playing regularly in L.A. Richard tended to take charge and make all the decisions, a situation the rest of the band wasn't too happy about. The inevitable break came while the Bowmen were playing at Strafford on Sunset - on the Strip across from Ciro's, a local club where a duo formerly known as Caesar & Cleopatra were having their debut under their new moniker, Sonny & Cher. The singing couple were on the verge of releasing their first record and they approached Richard to ask if he and the Bowmen would like to be their road band. Richard declined, without consulting any of the other members.

Keith, Rex and Bill
as a trio in 1964

Duly unimpressed, the trio of Rex, Bill and Keith took their leave of Richard and formed a new combo of their own, the Dead Ringers. Their main influence at that time was the Beatles. Rex recalls, "We could sound like the Beatles... we could go for three hours straight without stopping and do nothing but Beatles songs". They soondropped the too-morbid 'Dead' from their name and continued simplyas the Ringers. It was hard for a trio to sound like the Fab Four - the guys needed another guitar player. Keith met Tom Crockett through a mutual friend and invited him to join. Tom completed the first four piece lineup of the group, which marks the starting point for the 'true' Ringers, late in the summer of 1964.

The Ringers were advised by an agent that long hair was on its way out and persuaded them to all to get a trim. That's the reason why in the early Ringers pics as a trio, they have Beatles-style mop tops and in some of the later shots as a quartet, they wear their hair short. When it became obvious that every other rock musician's hair was only getting longer, the Ringers resolved to boycott the barber in earnest.

In late '64, H.B. Barnum 'discovered' the Ringers, became their manager and produced their first record - Mersey Bounce b/w Graduation Doll (Bil-Lou Records 1001). Mersey Bounce was written by Rex. Although the title is an obvious nod to the Beatles, the song is a beat-style version of Bob & Earl's Harlem Shuffle. The more sentimental B-side was written by Rex as early as 1959.

After this initial release failed to catch on, the band changed their management. Keith was a friend of actor Joey D. Vieira, (who as a child appeared on Lassie - and more recently in the movie, The Patriot) and asked him to talk to Tommy Rettig (Jeff in the Lassie series) about co-managing the Ringers. Tommy agreed, and in 1965 the Ringers recorded several songs: their two most 'garage' sounding tracks Let It Be Known and Ask Me No Questions, the surfish Never Too Young, a delightful pop-garager titled Echo, the Beatlesque ballad The Sun Also Rises, and the fresh mersey-punker Sad And Lonely.

On the Stonesy Let It Be Known Bill Lynn, who usually didn't sing on record, was responsible for the crazed, screaming vocal part. Rex was hard-pressed to convince the other two Ringers to let Bill sing on it, but it was definitely the right decision; Bill's menacing vocal is amazing - 60s punk at its finest!

Not to be outdone, Rex sneers the lead on the Them inspired Ask Me No Questions, another group original written by him and Joey D. Vieira. It's a perfect combination of two Them recordings, coupling the hypnotic I Can Only Give You Everything riff with shades of Gloria. Classic 1965 garage punk with the same commercial potential as a Dirty Water or Pushin' Too Hard - but it never made it onto vinyl. Looking back, Rex seems not to regret that fact: "If it had been a hit I would not have a voice any more. I had to rip my voice to get that sound... I'm a romantic ballad singer and to scream like that would have destroyed my voice!" The song later was released in a Ray Charles-style soul/funk rendition by Eddie Armon on Capitol Records.

The story behind the Tommy Rettig co-written Never Too Young is quite interesting. One day Tommy visited Rex's at home, explaining that he had a good chance of starring in a new soap opera with Tony Dow and David Watson. Tommy said: "Rex we gotta write a song today, through the night, and we have to record it tomorrow!". And that's what they did. Bill was out of town and was replaced by Larry Bropsky for the recording. "I can't believe we did such a good job in such a quick time", Rex reflects. "It was one of those high pressure things. It's one of the songs I'm most proud of, because it's like the Beach Boys and the Beatles, both."

They gave the song to a fellow called Nephew, at the time one of the biggest TV executive producers on the east coast. He let all the cast of Never Too Young listen to the song and they liked it so much they wanted it as the theme for the series. Ultimately it wasn't accepted and the composition of a co-producer's relative made the cut. About the varying styles of their songs, Rex recalls: "We were musical chameleons. We could do different kind of sounds and weren't locked into a particular rock sound as you can hear. From the Beach Boys to the Rolling Stones to the Animals type, Them, or whatever - we could do 'em all."

In 1966 two of the recorded tracks were released as the band's second 45. Let It Be Known b/w Never Too Young came out on the Velvet Tone label under the name TR-4 (Tommy Rettig Four). The name was chosen with the hope of getting automobile advertising endorsements. Both tracks got local radio airplay without clicking nationwide. At that time the band was at its peak and enjoying huge local popularity. They played the Hollywood Palladium, the Coconut Grove and the Whiskey A Go Go, and shared stage with the Knickerbockers, Dick Dale & the Delltones, and Sonny & Cher. Among others, they backed Roy Head and Dobie Gray during their visits on the west coast. The Beach Boys, The Standells and Elvis visited their shows regularly when they were in L.A.

The other tracks recorded at their 1965 session have remained unreleased until now. After a little over one year with the Ringers, Tom Crockett left. He decided music was too insecure of a profession and went back to his day job. Paul Indelicato replaced him on lead guitar and additional vocals. When Paul joined the group, Charlie Barnett Jr., the big band leader's son, became their new manager.

Under his guidance the band recorded a second, fuzz-bass version of Mersey Bounce, the ballad Not The Marrying Kind, a swingin' garage rocker titled Daydream and No Doggin, the only recording by the band that is lost forever. From that session the third and final 45 (credited again as 'The Ringers') was released on the AMP label (AMP #119/20): Daydream b/w Not The Marrying Kind. AMP Records was owned by Charlie Barnett's stepfather. Producer on that session was Pat Vegas of Redbone (Come And Get Your Love) fame. The Ringers did major L.A. TV with Daydream and appeared on Sam Riddle's 9th Street West TV show. Again, the 45 only made it locally. Most probably it was overshadowed by the Lovin' Spoonful's top ten hit of the same title.

The Ringers continued to work heavily on the Sunset Strip throughout 1966. But then Paul Indelicato left, and the Ringers were reduced to a three piece once again. They went into the studio for another time in 1967 recording the killer Snake Pit, the Buckinghams styled Give Me A Chance, You Captured My Eye Girl (dedicated to Rex's first wife) and the Left Banke inspired baroque psych-pop number If We Can Make It. For the Oriental sounding guitar break on the pulsating punker Snake Pit , Keith tuned down his 12-string guitar and Rex uses a Japanese bass instead of the Fender Jazz he usually played.

By 1968 Rex had decided to leave the band. He was going to become a father and needed a steadier, more reliable income than the fickle pop world could provide. The band continued to perform with replacement guitarist David Turner. This newly configured trio recorded two new pop songs: the goodtimey harmony number Bandsong and the rather melancholy Another Day. The first was written by David Turner, the latter by David and Keith Johnson. Bill was responsible for producing and arranging. It was also Bill who arranged for the band to tour parts of Central and South America.

surrounding Dennis
Wilson´s Ferrari

The Ringers appeared in Mexico, Colombia and Peru, enjoying great success. In Peru, they were booked for regular club dates and TV appearances. This brought the attention of El Vierrey Records, a local label that signed them to record an album. The Ringers pulled out the two tracks from their 1968 session and worked up rearranged versions of previously recorded songs from 1967. This backlog comprised the first side of the LP - a 'retrospective' of their recent career.The label paid for a recording session in Lima, which yielded current material

for side two of the album - released as Before And After on El Vierrey Records DVS 708 in 1970. Bill remembers: "Side two was totally recorded in Peru and mainly Dave Turner and myself. Horns, violins, congas, back up voices and some bass were Peruvian musicians. On Dreamland, Dave plays piano, congas, guitar and harmonica. I arranged the violins and horns on all the songs".

Following the release of the Peruvian LP, the Ringers returned to the U.S. David Turner left soon after to join Poco. Bill and Keith continued on for a while longer as the Ringers, with Rex helping out on bass during their gigs. Shortly before the Ringers split in 1972, Liberty Records expressed interest in releasing Before And After in the United States. When Bill asked Vierrey Records to send up the master tapes, the label had to admit they'd erased them to record something else!

While Rex says that the Ringers split in 1972, Bill believes that the band was more or less active until the late '70s. Bill remembers, "At that stage we played together only infrequently and each member had the option to play either with the group or with its sideprojects". Keith, for instance, joined the country rock band Mocassin, with whom he released an excellent album on MGM Records.

Whenever the group finally split, its members stayed in touch over the years and in 1985 the Ringers did it again - Paul, Rex and Bill got together to play a reunion show at Bill's nightclub. Tommy Rettig was there as a guest. Keith was ill and couldn't make it. Tragically, he died soon after. Tommy Rettig, a successful business man, died in the early '90s.

The remaining Ringers are alive and well. Rex is still playing music, Bill is a business man and musician. Tom has retired and lives in Oregon. Paul runs a studio in L.A. and also still works as a musician. He and Bill regulary tour Europe with Bill's country music show.

Looking back at it all, what does Bill think about it from today's point of view?
"We should have made it with the Ringers".

There´s nothing to add except... Let Them Be Known - now!