“In 1968 when Bobbie was running for President, the Flamin’ Groovies were the rock band for the Democratic Party in California,” Jordan recalls. “I remember seeing Ted about five feet in front of me at this show we were playing. I went outside during one of the breaks to smoke a joint, and Herb Caen the San Francisco columnist asked me for the joint, so I gave it him, and Ted came out and started talking to Herb, who introduced me. And Herb gave the joint to Ted, and Ted being a big guy sucked that thing down about an inch!” Jordan laughs.
A few years beforehand, Jordan had been at high school in San Francisco when he met future Groovies bass player George Alexander. Alexander – whose initial claim to local fame was his ownership of a Honda 50, which Jordan remembers being the source of great excitement – was already friends with Roy Loney and Tim Lynch, both of whom would appear in the original lineup of the Flamin’ Groovies. In its original guise – then known as The Chosen Few – the band took its musical and stylistic influences directly from The Rolling Stones.
“We opened with the Stones’ version of Round And Round, and we closed with I’m Alright,” Jordan says. “It was a perfect union – I was a young guy who’d been learning Chuck Berry solos and intros to songs. I didn’t know much about chord structures. I could play Gloria on chords, but I was more of a lead guy. But by the time I met Tim and Roy and George they were accomplish guitarists – they could all finger-pick like Joan Baez! And they could do harmonies; they were all good singers.”
Having moved on to writing their own material, The Flamin’ Groovies released three albums with Loney on lead vocals, including the now classic Teenage Head in 1971. The album’s provocative title was inspired by legendary LA scenester Kim Fowley.
“I was on acid with Kim Fowley at the Big Sur Folk Festival for about eight hours backstage,” Jordan explains. “We were thrown out of one backstage area after another because we were so over the top. Fowley is one of the funniest human beings you could ever meet. He’s doing stand-up constantly! I was in hysterics that night – as a matter of fact, I laughed so much that night that the next day my mouth was wide open. I couldn’t close it because I’d been laughing for eight hours on acid. And all Kim was doing was saying he wanted to get some teenage head!”
While Teenage Head was a critical and notionally popular record – at least among garage rock fans – a less than favourable record deal with Kama Sutra records was the catalyst for lead singer Roy Loney’s departure. Loney was replaced by Chris Wilson, and the Flamin’ Groovies moved away from rhythm and blues and toward the power pop sound that reach its apex with the Dave Edmunds-produced Shake Some Action album in 1976.
“I was more of a Beatles and Byrds man, and Roy was more of a Stones guy,” Jordan says. “When Chris joined, because of the harmonies we could do together, we could do Beatles-style harmonies, which wouldn’t have worked with me and Roy, because Roy’s voice is a different type of voice. So it was natural to try and explore that influence of the more melodic pop side.”
By the late ‘70s the Flamin’ Groovies were a leading light in the international rock’n’roll scene. In 1978 Radio Birdman was booked to support the Groovies on its European tour, only for the Groovies to pull out after Jordan cut his hand, rendering him unable to play guitar. In the early ‘80s Jordan and Wilson fell out, and Wilson departed, leaving Jordan to assume lead vocal duties in his place (the Jordan-led lineup of the Flamin’ Groovies that visited Australia in 1986).
By the early ‘90s, the Flamin’ Groovies were no more, with Jordan, Wilson, Alexander and Loney all pursuing other musical interests. The turn of the century saw a few choice reunions, with Loney and Jordan reuniting for a brief tour, followed by Wilson’s appearance on Alexander’s solo album.
In late 2011 the stars began to fall into line for a reformation of the Jordan-Alexander-Wilson lineup.
“At the end of 2011 I went over to London. Chris had been living over there, so that was why I hadn’t been seen him,” Jordan says. “I invited him to the show and said maybe he could jump on stage. He was extremely nervous because we’d had a bad falling out, which is why we hadn’t talked for 30 years. But the minute I walked into the dressing room and saw Chris it was all hugs and tears. And after that when word got out that me and him had made up and we were hanging out together offers started coming in.”
The forthcoming Dig It Up! festival marks the first time Jordan, Wilson and Alexander will have played together live for over 30 years. Jordan hopes it’ll be the catalyst for more shows, and possibly even a new album. “When we get back from the Australian tour we’re going into the recording studio in Sausalito and cut some demos of some new material, and try and kick start this band into touring and maybe do another album,” Jordan says.
BY PATRICK EMERY
