List of the Association members

The Association are an American pop band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. When their breakthrough came in 1966, their line-up consisted of Terry Kirkman, Russ Giguere, Jules Alexander, Jim Yester, Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel Jr. Following Alexander's departure in 1967, Larry Ramos came in and filled his place.

History

In 1962, Jules Alexander was in Hawai'i, serving in the navy. Whilst there, he met traveling salesman Terry Kirkman. The two became close friends and remained in contact. When Jules was discharged from the navy a year later, the two moved to Los Angeles and played in clubs all in different parts of the city. The two became members of a thirteen-piece folk group called The Men. In 1965, the Men split up and six of their members, Alexander, Kirkman, Russ Giguere, Bob Page, Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel Jr., formed their own group. The band decided to spend six months practicing before performing on stage, during that time, Page left and Jim Yester replaced him. In late 1965, they signed to Jubilee Records. Jubilee label issued a single of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (a song originally recorded by Joan Baez, later popularized by Led Zeppelin), but nothing happened. Finally, Valiant Records offered them a contract, with the first result being a version of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings", which was produced by Valiant's owner, Barry De Vorzon, at Gold Star Studios.

In 1966, they signed to Warner Bros Records and their debut album, And Then... Along Comes the Association, was released in July, that same year. The track Along Comes Mary was an instant hit, charting at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their song Cherish would be proven to be more successful, as it hit number one on the Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks straight, before being beaten by The Four Tops' Reach Out I'll Be There. In November 1966, their second album, Renaissance was released, although none of their songs managed to meet the success that Along Comes Mary and Cherish did. In March 1967, Alexander left to move to India, and Larry Ramos (previously of New Christy Minstrels fame) came in and filled his place. Insight Out, their third album, was released on June 8, 1967. Two tracks from that album include Windy and Never My Love. Windy went to number one on four different American and Canadian charts. Never My Love charted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, but was a chart-topper on the Cash Box 100 and Canadian RPM Top Singles. Alexander returned in 1969, and they were now a seven-man band.

Four more albums were released from 1968 to 1972, Birthday (1968), The Association (1969), Stop Your Motor (1971), and Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972). A few months after the release of Waterbeds in Trinidad, bassist Brian Cole died aged 29 from a heroin overdose. In 1978, the band split up, however, the split was proven to be short, and they regrouped again the following year. The band has been performing non-stop since. The current version of the band is led by Jules Alexander and Jim Yester, as well as Del Ramos, brother of Larry Ramos, and Jordan Cole, son of Brian Cole. During the 1970s and 80s, the band went through numerous line-up changes, with, at one point, only one original member in the band. Past notable members include Jerry Yester, Andy Chapin, and Ray Pohlman.

Members

Current

Former

Timeline

Lineups

References