The Routers

The Routers were an American instrumental group in the early 1960s.

The Routers
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
GenresPop, surf rock
Years active1962–1970
LabelsWarner Bros. Records

Career

Formed in 1961 by Michael Z. Gordon,[1][2] the Routers'[3] recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who also formed another successful group, the Marketts.[4] Gordon composed the award-winning composition, "Out Of Limits"[5] with the Marketts. Gordon played on almost all of the Routers and Marketts sessions. The original line-up of the Routers was Al Kait, lead guitar; Lynn Frasier, tenor saxophone; Michael Zane Gordon, rhythm guitar, vocals; Scott Walker (then recording as Scott Engel), bass guitar; Randy Viers, drums.[6]

The Routers' first release in September 1962 was the guitar-driven instrumental "Let's Go (Pony)",[3] which reached #19 on the Billboard chart. Its infectious "clap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clap Let's Go!" chant became a favorite of cheerleaders and crowds worldwide. The songwriting credits are given to local singer Lanny Duncan and his brother Robert Duncan. Lanny Duncan had previously recorded the original demo of the song in 1961 as a member of the Starlighters, featuring Tony Valentino on guitar and Jody Rich on bass. The demo was recorded in Glendale with engineer Eddie Brackett.[7][8] Valentino and Rich went on to form the Standells in 1962.

The Routers'[3] recording was instigated by record producer Joe Saraceno and his co-producer and composer Michael Z. Gordon,[9] who also went on to compose "Apologize" by Ed Ames.[10] Like many pop instrumentals recorded in Los Angeles, California, at this time, such as those by B. Bumble and the Stingers, "Let's Go (Pony)" involved Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Gordon (guitar) , Plas Johnson (saxophone) and Earl Palmer (drums), and probably with Plas’ brother Ray Johnson on bass guitar as well.

Later Routers recordings were also written by Gordon,[9] including the songs "A-ooga" and "Big Band". Their recordings continued to be issued up to 1964 but with less commercial success, and involved Gordon (guitar) , Leon Russell (piano) and Hal Blaine (drums). The same group also recorded over the same period as the Marketts. Various studio and touring versions of the band also included Gordon, Randy Viers, and Scott Engel (later of the Walker Brothers).

The band appeared in the 1964 film Surf Party.[11]

Members
Original line-up
Later sessionmen used

Discography

Studio albums
  • Let's Go! With The Routers [Warner Bros. Records. WS 1490] February 1963.
  • The Routers Play 1963's Great Instrumental Hits [Warner Bros. Records. WS 1524] November 1963.
  • Charge! [Warner Bros. Records. WS 1559] August 1964.
  • The Routers Play The Chuck Berry Song Book [Warner Bros. Records. WS 1595] April 1965.
  • Superbird [Mercury. SRM 1-682] September 1973.

Singles
Year Title Peak chart
positions		 Record Label B-side Album
US
Pop		 UK
1962 "Let's Go (Pony)" 19 32 Warner Bros. "Mashy" Let’s Go! With the Routers
1963 "Make It Snappy" — — "Half Time" (BB #115)
"Sting Ray" 50 — "Snap Happy"
"A-Ooga" — — "Big Band" Non-album singles
"Snap, Crackle and Pop" — — "Amoeba"
1964 "Crack Up" — — "Let's Dance"
"Stamp and Shake" — — "Ah-Ya"
1966 "The Time Funnel" — — RCA Victor Walkin' Back
1973 "Superbird" — — Mercury "Sack of Woe" Superbird

References
  1. "Pipeline Instrumental Review #66: Michael z. Gordon of the Marketts and The Routers". Pipeline: Instrumental Review. Pipeline Magazine. January 2005. ISSN 1470-8353.
  2. "IMDb Pro: The Routers Business Details". Pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  3. "The Routers". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  4. "The Marketts". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  5. "Repertoire - Title". Archived from the original on 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
  6. "The Routers". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  7. "Duncan Brothers". Soulfuldetroit.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  8. Burgess, Chuck (2007). Love That Dirty Water! The Standells and an Improbable Red Sox Victory Anthem. Rounder Books. ISBN 978-1-57940-146-7.
  9. "Michael Z. Gordon". IMDb.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  10. "BMI | Repertoire Search". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  11. Crowley, Kent, Surf Beat: Rock ’N’ Roll’s Forgotten Revolution, A Backbeat Book, 2011, p. 169
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