Canton, 1965-7
At the Pink Fink in New Philadelphia, 1965 (photo courtesy Jim Brinkerhoff)
Lord Richie and the Mariners were considered wildest and rockin'est band in the area, and had a huge following. Fronted by Richard Bertram, who was known as having the longest hair in NE Ohio band scene, the group played teen clubs from the Note in Ruggles Beach down to New Philadelphia.
Billy Rosenthal recalls - "They formed in early 65 and I saw them at the skating rink in downtown canton. About 6 months later my band, The Daytones, opened up before Lord Ritchie at the Southgate Shopping Center. By this time they had evolved into one of the wildest combos known to man . Standout songs were MYSTIC EYES, Down the Road Apiece, Mona, Route 66, Down Home Girl, the list goes on and on. They were by far the coolest band in our area, even the early Chylds could'nt touch this band." A Mariners gig would often end with the band smashing their gear a'la the Who, but word is they did it before Pete, Keith, and Roger.
To the best of our knowledge, the group never recorded, and certainly never issued a 45. After the group disbanded in '67, Richie adopted the "Captain Foam" moniker. See the Captain Foam entry for more details.