Spanky & Our Gang

...I don't have any direct connection with the Gang, but set this up as a "fan page" a few years ago, and as a result, have been in touch with members and fans of the band since that time. If you have pictures, news, or whatever about "the gang" that you'd be willing to share, email me and I'll work on making it available here!

You can send email to Spanky at MizzSpankyMc@aol.com.

You can also visit the Curelyfest website, which has some news about some of Spanky's recent (and upcoming) performances, and another fan site at http://www.tunefan.com/spanky_ourgang.htm. The widow of Gang member Oz Bach also has a site at http://www.spankyandourgang.com/ozbach.

Most of the old Spanky & Our Gang albums have been released on CD in one form or another, and a new "Best Of" compilation was released in 1999. Check amazon.com and elsewhere - be aware that some of the CDs are available only as rather expensive imports, but they are out there!


Recent News and Pictures

Gang member Nigel Pickering recently (May 2002) underwent hip replacement surgery; a week after the surgery, "he is doing better, one week after the hip replacement, than he has since the fall. He is doingtherapy, in a nursing facility for a coupleof weeks, and then it's home for him. When Nigel gets back in the swing of things, he will be back playing at the Trade Winds Lounge.

For more Nigel news, click here.

Nigel is also looking for a new home for the "Grey Goose," the Spanky & Our Gang Tour Bus. Click here to see some pictures and information about the bus.


A Brief History

"Spanky And Our Gang" was a vocal/instrumental group, popular 1967 - 1969. Their folk/rock style was similar to that of the Mamas & the Papas. The Penguin Encycolpedia of Popular Music (Viking, 1989) contains a brief biography of the group. As far as I've been able to determine, there is no connection between anyone in this group and anyone involved in the "Our Gang" comedies of the 1920's - 30's.

The original group formed in 1966, disbanding in 1969. Two members of the original group re-formed the band in 1975 and put out "Change," a country-western album.

The "Greatest Hit(s)" album is the only one I've ever seen on CD; the others are available on LP only, and, as you might guess, rather difficult to come by.

I never saw the original Spanky and Our Gang, but my brother and I did see the re-formed group in San Francisco, at the Great American Music Hall, sometime in 1975 - 1976.

The song "5 Definitions Of Love" from their first album is the definition of "love" from Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, set to music. I remember hearing Blossom Dearie sing the song on Merv Griffin, several years before I found the song on the Spanky And Our Gang album.

My favorite Spanky And Our Gang album is probably "Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme Or Reason" (or, if you look at the back cover of the album, it's called "Without Rhyme Or Reason b/w Anything You Choose." The two sides of the album itself were labelled "Side 1" and "Side A.") The Live album is pretty good too; it was recorded in the group's early days, but not released until after the group broke up.

Members of the group included Elaine 'Spanky' McFarlane, Oz Bach, Malcolm Hale, Nigel Pickering, John Seiter, Kenny Hodges, and Lefty Baker (real name Eustace Britchforth). Spanky and Nigel were members of the 1975 re-formed Spanky And Our Gang.

According to a note in the CD version of "Spanky's Greatest Hit(s)", Spanky joined the new Mamas and Papas in 1981.



Maintained by Charles Wolff; last updated May 2002

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