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| The Turtles |
The band was formed in 1965 in Westchester, California, (a neighborhood in west Los Angeles) by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. With the help of a DJ and club owner, they signed to White Whale Records. Adhering to the prevailing musical trend, they re-branded themselves as a folk rock group under the name "the Tyrtles," the intentional misspelling inspired by the Byrds and the Beatles. The trendy spelling did not survive long.
As with the Byrds, the Turtles achieved breakthrough success with a Bob Dylan cover. It Ain't Me Babe reached the Billboard Top Ten in the late summer of 1965, while their third hit, You Baby, charted in the top 20 in early 1966.
After several misses, the band was rescued by a song co-written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon. Happy Together had already been rejected by countless performers to the point that the demo recording wore out. The tune became both their biggest hit and their signature song. It replaced the Beatles' Penny Lane at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1967. The Turtles' only No. 1 remained there for three weeks.
The following artists also recorded the song:
Petula Clark
Captain and Tennille
The Nylons
Donny Osmond
Frank Zappa
Hugo Montenegro
Red Army Choir and the Leningrad Cowboys
Johnny Panic
Curtis Burch and Friends (featured on Orchestra Kentucky's Burchland CD)
Watch a 1967 music video featuring The Turtles.
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