Clyde, 1967-9
L-R: George "Butch" Kelly, Gerald Pynckel, Harry Kerr, Wayne Van Doren. Photo taken at Harbor Lites Teen Dance Center, Dunbury, August '68
After the break up of the Vandaliers in October of 1967, Harry Kerr and Wayne Van Doren formed a 4 piece band in November 1967, called Mail Order. The band included Harry from Bowling Green on electric bass, Wayne from Clyde on drums, Gerald Pynckel from Toledo on lead guitar and George "Butch" Kelly on organ.
The band played at the 224 Club in Tiffin, Circus Club and Piccadilly Club in Bowling Green, the Metropol in Napoleon, the Faba in Toledo and the teen dance center the Harbor Lites in Danbury.
On October 3, 1968, the band went to United Sound Systems in Detroit and made a demo record. On that record were two songs, The Things Before Me (written by Wayne Van Doren) and If I Didn't Love You (also written by Wayne). Wayne and Gerald Pynckel had written 3 other songs that did not get recorded that day. The songs were, We Said Goodbye, Patterns and Taking a Trip.
In November of 1968, Wayne and Gerald took the demo record to Chess, Checker and Cadet Records in Chicago. Mr. Marshal Chess (director of Chess, Checker and Cadet) liked The Things Before Me very much and made an appointment for the band to spend a day in the studio. Unfortunately when the appointment date arrived, the band had club commitments and could not make it. The band tried to reschedule the studio date but it was a no go. Mr. Chess had signed a group from Chicago called The Rotary Connection.
In January of 1969, Wayne sent the studio tape of The Things Before Me and If I Didn't Love You to Apple Corps Ltd. at 3 Savile Row London, England. In March of 1969, the tape was returned to Wayne with a very nice letter saying "We regret that we are not at this time able to proceed with what you have in mind. Very best wishes and kindest regards". Yours sincerely, John Hewlett.
With Wayne and Harry working 40 hour a week day jobs and playing 7 nights a week, it proved to be too much. In April of 1969, the Mail Order broke up.
Particulars supplied by Wayne Van Doren.