1910 Fruitgum Company

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The 1910 Fruitgum Company is a bubblegum pop band of the 1960s, the name of which is from a wrapper which lead singer Frank Jeckell found in his attic. The band came together as Jeckell and The Hydes in New Jersey in 1965.

In 1967, the band was signed to bubblegum record label Buddah Records, where they released five LPs under their own name and a variety of singles, as well as "appearing" on the bubblegum concept LP The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, which sounded suspiciously like the usual Buddah studio band, in spite of its promotion as a "bubblegum superjam".

Their first hit, "Simon Says", was panned by the band members, but Jeckell persuaded the band to record it. In the process they changed the beat and patterned the song after "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. "Simon Says" soon became a chart-topping hit. It is memorably heard in the 1968 Frederick Wiseman documentary High School.

Some, but not all, of the band's tracks were performed by studio session musicians. The band started touring, opening for major acts such as The Beach Boys. They followed on to release the hits "1-2-3 Red Light", "Indian Giver", "Goody, Goody Gumdrops" and "May I Take a Giant Step".

Eventually the group members were replaced by the producers of Super K, and the musicians that appear on the 1910 Fruitgum Company's final two albums, Indian Giver and Hard Ride, are completely different bands. Hard Ride is in fact a complete departure from the bubblegum sound, and represented an attempt to conquer the FM radio market, with hippie, blues and psychedelic elements over lengthy tracks.

The band's most recent appearance was on the Bubble Gum Rock Special.

The Ramones cited 1910 Fruitgum Company as a fundamental influence on their music; they covered their song "Indian Giver".

1910 Fruitgum Company's song "1-2-3 Red Light" was frequently covered by the Rhode Island School of Design band The Artistics, that would later mutate into the seminal new wave band Talking Heads.

The 1910 Fruitgum Company's last album, "Hard Ride", attempted to move the group away from its bubblegum sound towards the band's origin and love, rock and roll. The album was generally accepted by venues until the venue learned what band was playing the music. CBGBs booked the band, only to later renege when they learned the band's name.

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