The Sandpipers - Kumbaya

Topic: Religious Folk Music Revival
The audience for Easy Listening radio in the late 1960s heard a mix of original songs from Broadway musicals and rearrangements of popular songs, often sung by artists who performed in Las Vegas. Herb Alpert marketed records for the genre by artists like Liza Minelli [1] and the Carpenters. [2] Artists weren’t judged by the originality of their songs, but by their renditions.

Alpert formed a recording company with Jerry Moss in 1962. Its first release was credited to Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. With the profits from that venture, A&M signed other artists. [3] Since Albert was a musician, he tended to let artists define themselves, and only intervened when necessary. [4] Moss handled the business side.

The Sandpipers were three men in their early twenties who were performing at a Lake Tahoe night club when they were signed by A&M. The first record by Jim Brady, Mike Piano, and Richard Shoff did not do well, and Alpert apparently asked Tommy LiPluma to take a more active part in producing their records. [5] The first change was their name: they had called themselves the Grads. [6]

In those years, record companies released single records, which were what were used by radio stations. If a song got air play, and hence record sales, the company would spend the money to release an album containing it and other songs. One of those would be released with the album to generate more interest among disc jockeys.

The Sandpipers’ first single under LiPluma was "Guantanamera." It had been introduced by The Weavers in 1963. [7] The trio sang the solos, while a woman joined them on the chorus. LiPluma did the recitation with the woman doing the part sung by Ronnie Gilbert. [8]

It was an immediate hit, rising to #9 on Billboard’s popular music chart and #3 on its Easy Listening one. The album, when it was released later, peaked at #13 on Billboard. [9]

The Sandpipers began touring the same sorts of places as the Heightsmen, mentioned in the post for 27 October 2019. They played the Boise State College homecoming in 1966 [10] and the Air Force Academy in 1967. [11] Unlike some folk groups, they also continued to be booked by casinos, usually in their lounges. [12]

The Guantanamera album set a pattern for the group: their subsequent releases featured one foreign-language song and one well-known folk-revival song, along with a mix of new materials and arrangements of songs made popular by others. They included John Denver’s "For Baby" on their second album, [13] the New Christy Minstrels’ "Today" on their third, [14] and Gordon Lightfoot’s "Softly" on their fourth. [15]

By 1969, LiPima was bored with the sameness at A&M, and left. [16] Allen Stanton produced the Sandpipers’ album that included "Kumbaya." Before the album was released, The Sandpipers toured Europe where they appeared on television in London, Madrid, and Berlin. A&M released "Kumbaya" in each city. [17]

What A&M did not realize was that Europeans would prefer a group version of Leonetti’s "Kumbaya" to his solo one. The record reached the charts in England, [18] and the album was called Kumbaya there [19] and in Germany, [20] rather than The Wonder of You.

Cash Box implied "Kumbaya" would be their single in the United States, [21] but instead "The Wonder of You," the album’s title song, and "Let Go!" were released. The latter made it to #36 on the Easy Listening chart, but the other made no dent. [22]

The Sandpipers’ version was close to that of Leonetti. His recitation fit the treatment they first used with "Guantanamera." Ann Lawton changed the final verse from "hears you" to "needs you," but it was hard to detect the difference. The instrumentation was close, with the addition of sleigh bells to the hand drum in the introduction.

Performers
Vocal Soloist: male recitation [23]

Vocal Group: Jim Brady, Mike Piano, Richard Shoff, and unidentified woman

Instrumental Accompaniment: guitar
Rhythm Accompaniment: drums, bells

Credits
A. Lawton. [24]

Good Sam Music [25]

Ann C. Lawton copyrighted "Kumbaya" in April 1969 for Good Sam music. The only thing known about her is she requested the copyright from New Mexico. [26]

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: KUM by yah
Verses: kumbaya, crying, praying, come by here, needs you

Vocabulary
Pronoun: Someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none

Basic Form: 3-verse song with spoken interlude between verses 2 and 3

Verse Repetition Pattern: A-x-x-x-x-A-A
Ending: repeat "kumbaya" verse
Unique Features: recitation
Influences: Tommy Leonetti

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Tempo: moderate

Basic Structure: changes in key and volume underscore the progression of the lyrics

Singing Style: one syllable to one note, except for final "Lord;" hummed one iteration

Harmony: parallel chords

Vocal-Accompaniment Dynamics: introduction by hand drum and bells; strummed guitar added on "praying"

Influences: Tommy Leonetti

Notes on Performance
When The Sandpipers were appearing on college campuses in the early years, their promotion materials implied they were their own instrumentalists: Brady and Piano on guitar, and Shoff on string bass. They made a point of saying they were self-trained. [27]

By 1969, when "Kumbaya" was recorded, The Sandpipers had a backup group led by Larry White. [28] In Ottawa, before they left for Europe, it included White on piano, bass, drums, and two female backup singers. [29] In Windsor, Ontario, after their return, they had one singer. A Detroit reporter observed they "have a good gimmick going with the secrecy surrounding Pamela Ramcier who stands in the shadows and sings all the high notes for the trio. She hands out guitars and wears a mean mini." [30]

Audience Perceptions
The Sandpipers promoted themselves as the clean-cut alternative to rock and folk-music-revival musicians, in the same way Easy Listening music was poised as the alternative to popular music. [31]

In 1966, Carol Deck noted they "all have rather short hair, dress in suits, sports jackets or maybe a sharp sweater at their casualest, can carry a tune in 11 different languages." She added: "They have a sort of novelty act—they can sing very well and have proven it." [32]

In New York City, after "Kumbaya" was released, Ed Ochs reported the

"Eight -year veterans who have held their ground in the middle of the road by nature of their smooth, rhythmic hymns, the Sandpipers bring to the classy Rainbow Grill youth with the usual youthful cliches distilled out. The result is a fountain of youth as strained and purified as spring water, but cool and refreshing going down." [33]

Notes on Performers
Brady, Piano and Shoff worked together from 1955 [34] to 1960 [35] in the Richard Mitchell Boys Choir in Los Angeles. They began when they were 11-year-old [36] sopranos, [37] and left when their voices changed.

Mitchell had begun the choir for Saint Brendan’s Roman Catholic church in 1934. The choir sang for masses on radio, then was hired by film producers. [38] Then, the group had 33 members, but by the 1950s film studios only were willing to pay for 8 singers. [39]

Originally, the choir was part of the church’s parochial school. [40] In 1954, Mitchell began hiring his own tutors to teach the boys in the morning. The afternoons were spent learning music and rehearsing. [41]

The most important choir member when the three were there was Tony Butala. He sang with the group until 1954, then stayed as an assistant while he finished high school. In 1961, just after the future trio outgrew the school, Butala began making hit records with his group, The Lettermen. [42] In many ways, they were the prototype for The Grads. [43]

Availability
Album: The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya." The Wonder of You. A and M Records. SP 4180. 1969.

YouTube: The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya" Uploaded by Universal Music Group North America on 21 November 2014.

End Notes
1. Minelli recorded for A & M records from 1968 until 1971. [44]

2. The Carpenters recorded for A & M records from 1969 until Karen Carpenter’s death in 1983. [45]

3. Wikipedia. "Herb Alpert." It was actually just Alpert overdubbing himself on trumpet. When demand developed for personal appearances, he had to hire musicians to be the Tijuana Brass.

4. "‘If there was ever the perfect label for a musician at that time, it was A&M,’ Frampton says. ‘They wanted the artists to become themselves’." Peter Frampton was quoted by Mandalit del Barco. "A&M Records: Independent, With Major Appeal." National Public Radio website. 14 November 2012.

5. Wikipedia. "The Sandpipers." The casino was Harrah’s Lake Club.

6. Brady recalled: "They stuck us in a library for two days with a dictionary, looking up names of animals and we had to choose from three. We chose Sandpipers because we disliked it the least." Quoted by Mary Campbell. "Sandpipers Cultivating Smooth Sound." Associated Press published by Gettysburg [Pennsylvania] Times. 26 December 1968. 2.

7. Weavers. "Guantanamera." Reunion At Carnegie Hall. Vanguard VSD 2150. Recorded in March 1963. Pete Seeger recorded it later that year and his version became the more popular. [46] The Weavers were discussed in the post for 3 October 2017.

8. Michael Bourne. Interview with Tommy LiPuma. Billboard. 16 September 1995. Tribute to LiPuma section. On how he produced "Guantanamera," L18, L20.

9. Wikipedia, Sandpipers.

10. Kathy Amos. "‘The Sandpipers’ To Appear In Concert." Boise College Roundup. 13 October 23 1967. 2. They performed in the gymnasium.

11. "Sandpipers Show Slated." [Air Force Academy] Falconews. 26 April 26 1968.

12. They played the lounge in the Golden in 1966. [47] This probably an abbreviated name, since everyone in Reno would know the reference.

13. Sandpipers. "For Baby." The Sandpipers. A&M Records. SP 4125. 1967. Discogs website.

14. Sandpipers. "Today." Misty Roses. A&M Records. SP-4135. December 1967. Discogs website.

15. Sandpipers. "Softly." Softly. A&M Records. SP4147. 1968. Discogs website.

16. LiPuma interview. L20. "It had gotten to the point where I felt I needed a change." A&M recognized the general problem and began signing rock acts in 1969. They included Joe Cocker and the Flying Burrito Brothers. [48]

17. "Sandpipers On Tour." Cash Box. 15 March 1969. 59.

United Kingdom: The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya." A and M Records AMS 744 . 1969. [Discogs website.]

Germany: The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya." A&M Records 210 063. 1969. [Discogs website.]

France: The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya." A&M Records 210 064. 1969. [Discogs website.]

Madrid: The Sandpipers. "Kum-ba-yah." Hispavox H 455. 1969. [Discogs and WorldCat websites.]

18. Wikipedia, Sandpipers.

19. The Sandpipers. "Kumbaya." A&M Records AMLS 935. United Kingdom 1969. [Discogs website.]

20. The Sandpipers. "Kumbayah." A&M Records 212 066. Germany, 1969. [Discogs website.]

21. Cash Box. "The next single, ‘Kum-Ba-Ya’ b/w ‘Lo Mucho to Quiero,’ will be released in all countries they will be visiting within the next week." Perhaps the version was too close to that of Leonetti to pass legal muster, or perhaps A&M’s promotion people felt the U. S. market for the song was then still saturated by Leonetti.

22. Wikipedia, Sandpipers.

23. LiPuma had done the recitation on the recording of "Guantanamera," but when The Sandpipers toured, Mike Piano took the part. Michael Kirby said he had a "soothing knack for recitation." [49] I don’t know if A&M hired someone for the "Kumbaya" recording session, or if Piano took the role.

24. Discogs website for United Kingdom single.
25. Discogs website for United States promotion version of album.

26. United States Copyright Office. Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series. January-June 1969. 349.

27. Campbell.

28. Wikipedia, Sandpipers, said White was their musical director from 1964 to 1966. White only said on his website that "after college he toured world-wide, performing with the vocal group ‘The Sandpipers’." He gave no birth date.

29. Bill Fox. "Sandpipers Get Along Just Fine without Teenage Audience Hysteria." Ottawa [Canada] Citizen. 17 February 1969. 28.

30. Detroit [Michigan] Free Press. 7 June 1969. 28. Posted by svjim on 2 March 2019 without the headline or byline.

31. Amos probably was quoting their publicity when she mentioned "their cleancut, well-groomed appearance" in her story published before they performed.

32. Carol Deck. "The Sandpipers Are Following Herb Alpert’s Good Example." [Hollywood]　Beat. 31 December 1966. KRLA, Glendale, California, edition. 10.

33. Ed Ochs. "Sandpipers Come in Soft And Clear at Rainbow Grill." Billboard. 29 November 1969. 22. He observed, they were "supported by a combo and lone femme soprano."

34. Campbell wrote in 1968 they had known each other for "more than 13 years."
35. Deck.
36. Wikipedia, Sandpipers, said all three were born in 1944.
37. Deck.

38. Valerie J. Nelson. "Bob Mitchell dies at 96; silent-movie organist was house musician for Dodgers." Los Angeles Times. 9 July 2009.

39. Warren M. Sherk. "The Robert Mitchell Choirboys." Dimitri Tiomkin website. January 2009; last updated February 2009.

40. Wikipedia. "Robert Mitchell (Organist)."
41. Sherk.
42. Wikipedia. "Tony Butala."

43. Kirby wrote "From the beginning, the Grads were an ‘easy listening’ vocal act following a path set by comparable trio The Lettermen."

44. Discogs website entries for Minelli.
45. Wikipedia. "The Carpenters."

46. Pete Seeger. "Guantanamera." "We Shall Overcome." Columbia CL 2101. Recorded 8 June 1963.

47. Item. Reno [Nevada] Gazette-Journal. 29 January 1966. 68.

48. Patrice Eyries, Dave Edwards, & Mike Callahan. "A&M Album Discography." Both Sides Now Publications website. Last updated 9 August 2001.

49. Michael Jack Kirby. "The Sandpipers: Guantanamera." Way Back Attack website. "The next single. ‘Santo Domingo’ utilized Mike Piano's soothing knack for recitation (as had ‘Guantanamera’)."