The Clique was a late 1960s American sunshine pop band from Houston, Texas. They started as the Roustabouts in the Beaumont, Texas area, 90 miles east of Houston, and later the Sandpipers before renaming themselves the Clique in 1967 and settling in Houston. Original members of the band were John Kanesaw, Bruce Tinch, Cooper Hawthorne, Larry Lawson, David Dunham, and Randy Shaw. Their first hit was a cover of the 13th Floor Elevators' "Splash 1", on Cinema Records, produced by Walt Andrus. The song was No. 1 in Houston for several weeks. The Clique were signed to Scepter Records, New York, for two years following their hit "Splash 1". During this period, Cooper Hawthorne and Larry Lawson left the group and were replaced by Bill Black and Sid Templeton. John Kanesaw, Bruce Tinch, and Bill Black left thereafter and were replaced by Jerry Cope, Tom Pena, and Oscar Houchins. The group drew attention from the West Coast. They consisted of Tom Pena, Sid Templeton, Jerry Cope, and Oscar Houchins. David Dunham and lead singer Randy Shaw were the only two original members at the time the group signed with White Whale Records. The group became centered on record producer/songwriter Gary Zekley. Their self-titled album, The Clique, released by White Whale Records, featured the singles "I'll Hold Out My Hand" and "Sugar on Sunday", which reached No. 45 in the US on December 13, 1969 and No. 22 in the US on October 18, 1969 BillboardHot 100chart, respectively. "Sugar on Sunday" was a cover of a Tommy James song and its B-Side, "Superman", was covered by R.E.M. on their 1986 albumLifes Rich Pageant. The Clique reached #177 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. A 1970 single, "Sparkle and Shine", reached No. 100; this song is included, along with six other added songs, on the 1998 Varèse Sarabande re-release of The Clique. The Clique performed on several national television shows including John Byner's "Something Else" and "The Dating Game". The group toured nationally appearing with popular acts of the day, including Tommy James and The Shondells, Grand Funk Railroad, Brooklyn Bridge, and The Dave Clark Five. The Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame inducted the band in 2008, prompting a brief reunion.
