Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Tarriers

Artist: The Tarriers
LP: Gather 'Round
Song: "My Name Is Morgan But It Ain't J.P."
[ listen ]
Song: "Little Boxes"
[ listen ]

When The Tarriers formed in the mid-1950s (taking their name from an old vaudeville song, "Drill, You Tarriers, Drill") the trio featured Erik Darling, Bob Carey, and Alan Arkin. When Alan Arkin left in 1957 to focus on his acting career, the group took Clarence Cooper aboard. A few years later, Erik Darling's other musical projects started interfering with The Tarriers' performance schedule, so Eric Weissberg stepped in to play bass and ended up becoming a bonafide Tarrier in 1959. When personal problems began keeping Bob Carey away from rehearsals, Weissberg suggested adding his old friend Marshall Brickman to the group and Carey was let go in 1963. By the time this "Gather 'Round" LP was released in 1964, the group consisted of Clarence Cooper, Eric Weissberg, and Marshall Brickman, with none of the original members remaining. Sadly, after his dismissal from the group, Bob Carey's problems worsened, he turned to drugs and alcohol, and his lifeless body was found on a bench in Central Park sometime in the 1970s. But alas, this 1964 version of The Tarriers is dynamite. "My Name Is Morgan But It Ain't J.P." is full of terrific rhymes like, "Forget your champagne appetite, for the best you'll get is beer tonight," and "Little Boxes," which pokes fun at social conformity and popular ideas of "success," is as timely today as it was 45 years ago. You can read Dave Samuelson's extensive biographical notes on The Tarriers on the Folk Era website here, and go here to visit Erik Darling's website, where you can buy some of his CDs, find out about his book, and, unfortunately, read his obituary (he passed away in 2008). Notes from the back of the "Gather 'Round" LP are included below.

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