Cobras

Formed in Danville, IL, the Cobras were one of the more youthful garage bands of the mid-'60s. The members were only 12 or 13 years old when they recorded their sole single, 1966's "Try"/"Goodbye," issued on the Milky Way label (most famous as the home of rockabilly garage wildman Dean Carter). Both sides of the single were written by Cobras guitarist Eric Welsch, and considering the age of the performers, it wasn't bad. The songs were highly imitative, naïve mixes of British Invasion and early folk-rock, the high-pitched pre-voice-break vocals being a giveaway as to the age of the performers. The single actually had some regional success, selling about 3,000 copies, but the group never put out another record. Both sides of the 45 are on the various-artists compilation The Midnite Sound of the Milky Way, which has a couple dozen '60s garage tracks cut at the Midnite Sound studio in Danville. ~ Richie Unterberger