The Association -

The Association was an American soft-rock band that released two 1966 albums on Valiant Records and six 1967–71 albums on Warner Bros. They are best known for the harmony pop ballads “Never My Love,” “Along Comes Mary,” “Everything That Touches You,” and the Billboard No. 1’s “Cherish” and “Windy.”

Members: Ted Bluechel, Jr. (drums, vocals, percussion, 1965-85), Terry Kirkman (vocals, woodwinds, 1965-72, 1979-85), Brian Cole (bass, clarinet, vocals, 1965-72), Russ Giguere (guitar, vocals, percussion, 1965-71, 1979-2014), Jules Alexander (guitar, vocals, koto, bass, 1965-66, 1969-74, 1979-89, 2011-present), Bob Page (guitar, banjo, vocals, 1965), Jim Yester (guitar, keyboards, saxophone, vocals, 1965-73, 1974-78, 1979-83, 2007-present), Larry Ramos (guitar, harmonica, vocals, saxophone, 1967-75, 1979-2011, 2012-14), Richard Thompson (keyboards, vocals, 1971-73), Maurice Miller (vocals, drums, percussion, 1973-78), David Vaught (vocals, bass, 1973-78), Art Johnson (vocals, guitar, 1973-75), Jerry Yester (guitar, keyboards, vocals, 1973-74)

Background

The Association formed in February 1965 in Los Angeles when singer-reedist Terry Kirkman and guitarist Gary “Jules” Alexander regrouped after the breakup of the Men, a thirteen-piece folk-rock ensemble that played the Troubadour. They retained bassist Brian Cole, drummer Ted Bluechel Jr., and singer-guitarist Russ Giguere and added guitarist-banjoist Bob Page.

Kirkman grew up in Chino, California, where his parents played music and encouraged his studies on marimba, brass, and reeds. He attended Chaffey College and befriended fellow student Frank Zappa, with whom he played folk and blues at coffeehouses across Southern California. Alexander hailed from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and learned guitar before joining the Navy. The two met in Honolulu in 1964 while Alexander served in the military and Kirkman worked as a salesman. They reunited in Los Angeles and participated in the Monday-night hootenannies at the Troubadour, where the Men developed a repertoire that combined folk, rock, and jazz.

Cole was born in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He worked as an actor and comedian before joining the musical-comedy group Gnu Folk, which also included Page. Giguere came from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and worked as a lighting and sound technician at the Ice House in Pasadena, where he helped organize folk performances. Bluechel played guitar and sang with the Cherry Hill Singers before switching to drums.

The Association took their name from a suggestion by Judy, the fiancée of Kirkman. Page departed during the initial rehearsal period, and the musicians recruited singer-guitarist Jim Yester, who grew up in Burbank and performed folk songs with his brother Jerry under the name the Yester Brothers. Jim spent 1961–64 in the Army, where he toured Germany and France with a folk-comedy trio. Jerry joined the New Christy Minstrels and later the Modern Folk Quartet.

The revised sextet rehearsed for five months at a shared house on Ardmore Avenue in Hollywood. They played the Ice House clubs in Pasadena and Glendale and expanded onto the Southern California folk-club and college circuits. Jubilee issued their June 1965 first single, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (b/w “Baby, Can’t You Hear Me Call Your Name”).

Hi-Lo’s singer Clark Burroughs helped the band develop a vocal arrangement of the Bob Dylan song “One Too Many Mornings,” which the Association performed at the Troubadour for executives from Valiant Records, who offered a contract. Label head Barry De Vorzon produced the November 1965 Valiant single “One Too Many Mornings” (b/w “Forty Times”), which received Los Angeles airplay.

Alexander subsequently played bass on a demo of “Along Comes Mary,” a Tandyn Almer song that entered the Association’s repertoire. The musicians selected Yester for the lead vocal and brought in producer Curt Boettcher for their March 1966 Valiant single “Along Comes Mary” (b/w “Your Own Love”). They worked with Boettcher on further sessions at the home studio of engineer Gary S. Paxton and Columbia Studios in Hollywood for the debut album And Then… Along Comes the Association.

Discography:

And Then… Along Comes The Association (1966)
Renaissance (1966)
Insight Out (1967)
Birthday (1968)
Goodbye Columbus (1969)
The Association (1969)
Live (1970)
Stop Your Motor (1971)
Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972)

Sites:

References and notes

Cash Box — July 9, 1966. Contemporary band profile establishes the February 1965 formation, original six-piece recording lineup, early concert circuit, and forthcoming debut album. (Archive, p. 32)
Music Connection — Russ Giguere interview. Giguere recounts the Troubadour origins, Ice House work, Clark Burroughs arrangement, Tandyn Almer demo, and Curt Boettcher sessions. (Interview)
The Washington Post — September 27, 2023. Kirkman obituary documents his musical family, Chino upbringing, Chaffey College studies, and early performances with Frank Zappa. (Biography)
Fred Bronson — The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (1988). Establishes the Honolulu meeting between Kirkman and Alexander, the Men formation, and early Association history. (“Cherish,” p. 208)
AllMusic — Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel. Member biographies establish the Gnu Folk connection, Cole theatrical background, and Bluechel tenure with the Cherry Hill Singers. (Cole; Bluechel)
Gary James — Jim Yester interview. Yester recalls the Yester Brothers, Unicorn Coffee House, military service, and folk-comedy tours through Germany and France. (Interview)
Vocal Group Hall of Fame — The Association. Documents Bob Page replacement, shared Hollywood residence, five-month rehearsal period, and Ice House engagements. (Induction biography)
No Depression — September 18, 2017. Jim Yester identifies the Valiant audition, Barry De Vorzon production, Clark Burroughs contribution, and recruitment of Curt Boettcher. (Interview)
45cat — Association singles discography. Confirms the 1965 Jubilee and Valiant releases and the March 1966 issue of “Along Comes Mary.” (Singles chronology)
AllMusic — The Association. Bruce Eder documents the Men breakup, early label arrangements, and debut sessions at the Paxton and Columbia studios. (Band history)