- The Cascades
The Cascades were an American
vocal group best known for their hit single "Rhythm of the Rain " in 1963.Career
In 1960, the Silver Strands were a group of
United States Navy personnel serving on the USS Jason based in San Diego,California , who were led byguitarist Len Green and played local shows. They recruited John Gummoe, and left the Navy to become The Thundernotes. Green had the idea of performingrock and roll music with an exotic twist, along the lines ofArthur Lyman andMartin Denny . To help capture this new sound, they introduced anelectric piano , and Gummoe became the group's leadsinger . However, their first release was aninstrumental on Bob Keene's Del Fi Records label called "Thunder Rhythm". It was not a hit and Green left the group eventually becoming a successfulsongwriter in Nashville,Tennessee .At this point, the group's membership consolidated as John Gummoe (born John Claude Gummoe,
2 August 1938 , Cleveland,Ohio ) (lead vocals), Eddie Snyder (guitar), David Szabo (keyboardist ), Dave Stevens (bassist ), and Dave Wilson (drummer ).The group then started to get more interested in vocal
harmony , influenced by the Beach Boys. They recorded demos which ended up with Barry De Vorzon atValiant Records , a subsidiary ofWarner Brothers , who signed them up and also changed their name to The Cascades – supposedly inspired by a nearby box ofdetergent . Their first release, "There's A Reason", became a small regional hit, and, in summer 1962, they went toGold Star Studios in Los Angeles and recorded asong which Gummoe had written in his Navy days while on watch during athunderstorm . Themusician s on the recording included the "Wrecking Crew" -Hal Blaine on drums,Carol Kaye on bass andGlen Campbell on guitar - and it was arranged byPerry Botkin . "Rhythm of the Rain" was issued in November 1962. It rose to #3 on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1963, and became a major hit in over 80 countries. The Cascades continued to record, producing analbum and several further singles, including the follow-up "The Last Leaf", but none matched the charm or success of their big hit. The group did continue to receive majorradio airplay in their hometown, San Diego. The Cascades'cover version ofBob Lind 's "Truly Julie's Blues" received spins onKCBQ and KGB in 1966, and their song "Maybe The Rain Will Fall" did fairly well on San Diegoradio charts in the summer of 1969. The group stayed active for some years, playing local San Diego clubs like The Cinnamon Cinder, and at other times, touring widely. John Gummoe left the group in 1967 to pursue a solo career and later formed the band Kentucky Express. A compilation CD of the Cascades’ best moments was issued in 1999. The Cascades reformed in the late 90s, and currently tour the nostalgia circuit with Gummoe on vocals.One key player in the bandFact|date=February 2008, Dr. Ron Lynch, is now working as a drama director and teacher at
The Bear Creek School inRedmond, Washington .ources
* [http://www.rhythmoftherain.com/ Rhythm of the Rain — John Gummoe & The Cascades]
*amg | id = 11:5kq3g40ttv1z | label = The Cascades
* [http://www.destinationdoowop.com/cascades.htm The Cascades biography at Destinationdoowop.com]
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