The Beau Brummels

In the ’60s, The Beau Brummels were widely viewed as the American answer to The Beatles. Led by songwriter/guitarist Ron Elliott and singer Sal Valentino, the band formed in San Francisco in 1964 and found early success with the 1965 Merseybeat-inflected hits “Laugh, Laugh” and “Just a Little.” Their debut LP appeared that same year, but the Brummels matured at a remarkable rate, and by 1967’s Triangle they were spinning a hypnotic web of psychedelic folk. Their creativity increased as their commerciality declined, and they followed up with the pioneering country rock of the Nashville-recorded 1968 LP Bradley’s Barn. By that point, the band was just Elliott and Valentino plus session players, and they split in 1969. But the whole classic lineup returned for a self-titled 1975 reunion album with a strong, rocking sound. They split again soon after yet would reconvene sporadically for shows over the next couple of decades, and their swan song arrived with 2013’s Continuum.