Red Rubber Ball - Cyrkle, The

The Cyrkle was a short-lived American rock and roll band active in the mid-1960s. Though not officially a one-hit wonder (the group charted two top-40 hits), they are best known for their 1966 version of the song Red Rubber Ball, which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and still receives significant airplay on oldies radio stations across the United States.

The band was formed by guitarists and lead singers Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes (bass guitar), who met while studying at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The other members were Earl Pickens on keyboards and Marty Fried on drums. They were originally a "frat rock" band called The Rhondells but were later discovered and managed by Brian Epstein, who was better known as manager of The Beatles. Epstein's partner was New York attorney Nathan Weiss, who heard the band in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Labor Day in 1965. He became their manager and renamed them. John Lennon provided the unique spelling of their new name. They were produced by John Simon.

In the summer of 1966, they opened on fourteen dates for the Beatles during their U.S. tour. On August 28, they headed the opening acts performing prior to The Beatles at Dodger Stadium. The other artists who appeared were Bobby Hebb, The Ronettes, and The Remains. Before touring with The Beatles, The Cyrkle had a successful engagement at the Downtown Discotheque in New York City.

The Cyrkle is best known for their 1966 song "Red Rubber Ball," which went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was co-written by Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. It was released on the Columbia record label. The band had one more Top 20 hit, "Turn-Down Day," later in 1966. After the release of their debut album, Red Rubber Ball, they recorded a second album, Neon, in late 1966, and a movie soundtrack, The Minx, in 1967. They followed that with various singles and then disbanded in late 1967.

Both Dawes and Danneman became professional jingle writers after The Cyrkle disbanded. Dawes later wrote the famous "plop plop fizz fizz" jingle for Alka-Seltzer. Danneman wrote jingles for Continental Airlines and Swanson Foods. He penned the original 7Up Uncola song. In 1977, Dawes produced Foghat. [Source: Wikipedia]

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• subtitles
• deaf
• hard
• of
• hearing
• 60s
• cyrkle
• red
• rubber
• ball
• Don
• Dannemann
• Tom
• Dawes
• Earl
• Pickens
• Marty
• Fried
• Subtitleman

[wingobingo]

Err....who did first? Cyrcle or the seekers?

Thnx

[deafsubtitles]

CYRCLE are original artist.

[erny04]

It was co-written by Paul Simon (of Simon and Garfunkel) and Bruce Woodley (of The Seekers).

[deafsubtitles]

Thanks I already know....the info is in the space underneath the video.

[deafsubtitles]

CYRCLE was original artist NOT Seekers. According to Cyrkle guitarist Tom Dawes, Simon offered it to The Cyrkle when they were opening for Simon and Garfunkel on tour.

[Rambler003]

Finally found out who sang this song. Haven't read the other comments here but incase no one else has mentioned it this song was co-written by Paul Simon. In this video The Crykle are lip syncing to a recording.

[deafsubtitles]

COULD have saved time and read the info I posted with the song. Got it from Wikipedia.

[nick123456ist]

I came to this because of Streetlight Manifesto.

[deafsubtitles]

Are you Deaf, Deafened or Hard of Hearing? Deaf cannot follow the singer if subtitles are one solid line, they cannot follow the rhythm or cadence. I MAKE my subtitles to follow the natural flow of the singer so that Deaf can sing along with their hearing friends and family w/o being embarrassed they are missing the tempo.

BTW, I am Deafened, Hearing person who became Deaf.

[RonN448]

I was fortunate enough to see The Beatles when they appeared at the Amphitheater in Chicago, and The Cyrkle was their opening act. I was really happy about that because Red Rubber Ball was a favorite of mine back then, and it still is. But, what a thrill it was not only to see The Beatles, but to see The Cyrkle that same day.

[mmluk100]

Love this song. I remember hearing it in the 60's on my older sister's radio and I thought then, that it was a great, solid song with several catchy characteristics. I recently heard it at a cafe in Toronto and I couldn't stop singing along with it. Tks for all the info on it.

[kawajimg]

I think this is one of the definitive "bubblegum" songs. Maybe the comments here will make me revisit the song, in a painstaking effort to find one molecule of redemption here.

[lovethe60sman]

Someone mentioned this was the best break up song ever. You mean when someone broke up with you. I was depressed and grieved for many days over a girl who broke up with me and then this song came out. I would start singing along with it and it got me over it. I was 14 at the time and she dumped me for an older guy. The good part is she came running back to me a few years later and I got the pleasure of telling her there is nothing to recall.

[PC3900]

As perfect as a two minute pop song can get - simple, melodic, to the point, and it even has an edge to it.

[1o5o2]

uncle jerry, rip, gave me a promo copy in his new teen magazine in '66 or '67 or so -thought it was the coolest. pulled it out of the mag and played this paper 45. Ah, seems like a thousand years ago

[charliebe28]

My complements to "deafsubtitles" for the very interesting, well-researched biography text posting for this song. It just goes to show how inter-related many of the personaliies in the music business often were, back during `60s (and sometimes still are in todays music world, for that matter).

[charliebe28]

The keyboard on this song is probably a Farfisa organ. They were "compact organs" commonly used by Pop bands from about the mid-`60s until the mid-`70s. It was an organ that had full-sized transistor circuit boards, instead of vacuum tubes like the "tone-wheel" (Hammond-type) organs; and so were much lighter in weight.

Until the Mini-Moog Model D became significantly available around 1972, Moogs were only occasionally heard on Pop recordings; and only were used by the wealthier groups.

[dlhanson100]

If I could have recorded this for Paul Simon, my life would have been complete. So metaphorical and so strident in simplicity. Such great song writing! And so catchy! Can't quit singing it.

[oscee09]

Love this one too! Today's music sucks! My son is 22 and he hates it. I know I must be old to say this...the kids today don't know what they're missing!