The Human Beinz

The Human Beinz are an American rock and roll / frat rock band from Youngstown, Ohio. Originally known as The Human Beingz, the band initially featured Dick Belly (vocals, guitar), Ting Markulin (vocals, guitar), Mel Pachuta (vocals, bass) and Gary Coates (drums, later replaced by Mike Tatman.)

Professional success

The Beinz started in 1964 as The Premiers, launching their professional career to build a devoted local fan base. In 1966, they changed their name to The Human Beingz because their old name was too 50's & early 60's. They recorded covers of songs by Them, The Yardbirds, The Who and Bob Dylan. The group was also the first to record a cover of "Gloria" by Them, which became a hit for The Shadows of Knight, and covered "The Pied Piper", which later became a hit for Crispian St. Peters. Overall, the Human Beingz enjoyed a reputation as masters of song interpretation.

The group signed to Capitol Records in 1967 and at that time Capitol misspelled their name, leaving out the "g". The Beingz were told it would be changed on the next release if "Nobody" didn't catch on. In September of 1967 "Nobody but Me" was released and became their only Billboard Top 40 hit, which meant that Capitol would not correct the spelling, so they were stuck with The Human Beinz, a name they hated then and still do. "Nobody But Me" (first recorded by the Isley Brothers, who wrote it) peaked at #8 in January 1968. An album, "Nobody but me", followed. The Beinz' next single, "Turn On Your Love Light," flopped in the United States (peaking at #80), but shot to #1 (for six weeks) in Japan. "Turn On Your Love Light" (a hit for Bobby Bland in 1962, and later covered by several artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis and the Grateful Dead) featured "It's Fun To Be Clean", a snappy tune reminiscent of the Beatles' "Penny Lane", as the B-side. In 1968, Capitol released a second album, "Evolutions". They also released the single, "Hold on Baby", exclusively in Japan, where it also hit the top of the charts. Despite their Japanese success, The Human Beinz actually broke up before they left for their tour of Japan in March of 1969. Due to contract obligations, however, they had to keep the band together to complete the tour.

Revival

In 2004, Quentin Tarantino used "Nobody But Me" on the soundtrack for his film, ""; also, the tune is featured on two compilation CDs: "ESPN's The Greatest Crowd-Rockin' Anthems Of All Time" and "J&R's Music World Presents Rock And Roll's Greatest Hits Of All Time". The song made yet another appearance in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film "The Departed".

The "new" Human Beinz played The Hard Rock Cafe at Foxwoods Casino, Bodles Opera House, county fairs and other venues in the Northeast. Their group also features original leader Ting Markulin. The Group has written and recorded two new songs, "McQ" and "Coyotes & Rattlesnakes", for "An American Rebel: Steve McQueen", a Richard Martin Film [http://anamericanrebel.com] (2007). The World Premier and gala were held at the Downing Film Center in Newburgh, N.Y. The Human Beinz and their founder Ting Markulin were in attendance as was Barbara McQueen and author Marshall Terrill.

Ting is currently living in Florida. The Human Beinz are currently recording some demos in Pennsylvania. They are one of the featured acts booked to appear at Vet Aid in Cleveland, Ohio in August 2008 at The Rockand Roll Hall of Fame. The three day event/ celebration will be the largest ever for veterans held in The United States.