The Yellow Balloon (band)

The Yellow Balloon was an American sunshine pop band, produced by Gary Zekley, friend of "Jan and Dean" for whom he wrote one of his best songs, "The Restless Surfer". The group is notable for featuring Don Grady (sometimes billed as "Luke R. Yoo")cite web |url=http://www.spectropop.com/hgaryzekley.html |title=Gary Zekley at Spectropop |work=spectropop |accessdate=2007-07-19] of Mouseketeers and My Three Sons fame. Cult hero Gary Zekley (under the alias of "Yodar Critch") produced the single and created the band to record the album. Zekley is also known for his work with "The Clique, The Fun and Games, a bubblegum group. Other band members hailed from Oregon and Arizona. They were led by Alex Valdez (lead singer), and included Frosty Green (keyboards), Don Braught (bass guitar), and Paul Canella (lead guitar). [cite web |url=http://www.answers.com/topic/yellow-balloon?cat=entertainment |title=Yellow Balloon |work=answers.com |accessdate=2007-07-19] The band at one time also included Daryl Dragon, later the male half of "Captain & Tennille".cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=21742&aid=54027 |title=Yellow Balloon Biography |accessdate=2007-07-19 |work=Billboard.com ]

The Yellow Balloon released multiple singles including Billboard Magazine Pop 100 #25 hit "Yellow Balloon" and "Good Feelin'Time". [cite web |url=http://pnwbands.com/yellowballoon.html |title=Pacific Northwest Bands |accessdate=2007-07-19 |work=pnwbands.com] and one album.

The 1967 album LP, self-titled, through Canterbury Records included the group's only hit single, the self-titled "Yellow Balloon", along with two songs co-written by former The Mamas & the Papas singer Jill Gibson, a painter and the one - time girlfriend of Jan Berry.

The album was re-released in 1998 as a CD by Sundazed Music, including all 11 songs from the original album, a few songs Grady released as singles, a demo, and a Zekley recorded interview conducted by the music historian Domenic Priore.

Gary Zekley produced very obscure things, only singles as he felt washed up by his experience with the Clique album.Fact|date=April 2008

Discography

1967: "The Yellow Balloon"

References

External links

* [http://www.freewebs.com/theyellowballoon/ Unofficial Fan Website]
* [http://www.spectropop.com/hgaryzekley.html Unofficial Gary Zekley Website]
* [http://www.sundazed.com/artists/yellowb.html 1998 CD Website]
* [http://www.canterburyrecords.com/ Canterbury Records]
* [http://www.sundazed.com/ Sundazed Records]