Steve Butts (* 1940 in New York ; guitar, bass). He later became an administrator at various universities, received his doctorate from Columbia University and taught statistics and baroque music.
Chan Daniels (born January 1, 1940 in Buenos Aires ; † August 2, 1975; guitar, vocals)
Dave Fisher (born July 19, 1940 in New Haven , Connecticut , † May 7, 2010 in Rye , New York ; lead guitar, tenor). After the Highwaymen ended, he recorded several solo records, after which he worked as a composer and arranger for film and television.
Gil Robbins (born April 3, 1931 in Spokane , Washington , † April 5, 2011 in Esteban Cantu, Mexico ). Robbins became manager of the Gaslight Club in Greenwich Village after the Highwaymen was dissolved .
Career
In the fall of 1958, the four students from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, United States, Dave Fisher, Steve Butts, Bob Burnett and Chan Daniels appeared for the first time as a Scottish-Irish folk band under the name The Clansmen . Guitarist Steve Trott joined the group as the fifth member during rehearsals for a university show. After several successful appearances, the quintet tried to get a record deal, which was signed with the record company United Artists Records (UA) in early 1959 . Ken Greengrass became their manager, who made sure that the group changed its name to The Highwaymen . With reference to the poem of the same name by Alfred Noyes , this should point more clearly to the repertoire of the group.
In the late summer of 1960, UA released the first long-playing record (LP) with some self-written songs by the Highwaymen under the title The Highwaymen , produced by Don Costa . The record attracted just as little attention as the debut single with the releases Santiano and Michael, Row The Boat Ashore . It wasn't until a Connecticut dealer began promoting the B-side Michael and other dealers and disc jockeys followed him that demand for the record rose, first in the northeastern United States and later nationwide. The title was listed for the first time on the US Billboard charts in July 1961 and finally landed at the top in September. Michael also became an international success, with the title also taking first place in the UK. In the USA, after the success of Michael , the audience also became aware of the LP The Highwaymen , which made it to number 42 in the LP charts.
The Highwaymen also remained successful with their second single, which was released in October 1962. As with the first single, the B-side Cotton Fields was preferred to the A-side The Gypsy Rover . While The Gypsy Rover only reached number 42 on Billboard, Cotton Fields rose to number 13. With their 1962 single titles I'm on My Way (90th) and The Bird Man (64th), the group returned to the Billboard charts. All subsequent publications were not listed. By 1964 UA had released twelve Highwaymen singles and eight LP's.
In 1962 all five band members had graduated from high school, settled in the New York borough of Greenwich Village and set up their home in the Gaslight Club . Previously, Steve Trott had left and was replaced by Gil Robbins of the Belafonte Singers. There were only four of the Highwaymen performing for six months when Bob Burnett was drafted into the Army. After their LP Spirit and the Flesh , the Highwaymen disbanded in 1964. While Bob Burnett, Chan Daniels and Steve Butts began studying, Dave Fisher and Gil Robbins continued their musical careers in other formations. The name The Highwaymen was retained because it was acquired by the record company ABC-Paramounts and transferred to a new group with which records were released as early as 1965.
Discography (vinyl, USA)
Singles
publ .
From page
Cat.No.
United Artists
11.1960
Michael / Santiano
258
10.1961
The Gypsy Rover / Cotton Fields
370
04.1962
I'm on My Way / Whiskey in the Jar
439
07.1962
The Bird Man / Cindy, Oh Cindy
475
11.1962
I Know Where I'm Going / Well, Well, Well
540
02.1963
I Never Will Marry / Pretoria
568
05.1963
All My Trials / Midnight Train
602
09.1963
Universal Soldier / I'll Fly Away
647
12.1963
Roll on Columbia, Roll on / The Tale of Michael Flynn
679
03.1964
The Sinking of the Reuben James / Bon Soir
695
08.1964
Sweet Mama Tree Top Tall / Nellie
752
12.1964
Michael '65 / Puttin 'on the style
801
LP's
published
title
Cat.No.
1960
The Highwaymen
United Artists 6125
1961
Standing Room Only
United Artists 6168
1962
Encore
United Artists 6225
1963
March On, Brothers
United Artists 6245
1963
hootenanny
United Artists 6294
1964
One more time
United Artists 6323
1964
Homecoming
United Artists 6348
1964
Spirit and the Flesh
United Artists 6397
CDs (available in Germany)
published
title
Label
1990
Cambridge tapes
Folk Era Reco
1995
The Best of The Highwaymen
EMI
2002
In concert
2007
Folk Hits Collection
Varese Saraba
2008
Water of Life
Varese Saraba
Singles Germany
publ .
From page
Cat.No.
1961
Michael / Santiano
UA 67007
1961
Cotton Fields / The Gypsy Rover
UA 67011
literature
Frank Laufenberg: Rock- und Poplexikon Vol. 1 , p. 689, Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1998, ISBN 3-612-26206-8 .
Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits , Billboard Publications New York 1988, p. 96, ISBN 0-8230-7545-1 .
