The band was formed in 1962 in Bergenfield, New Jersey, by brothers Beau Charles and John Charles , with fluctuating personnel until 1964, when they met Buddy Randell . Randell was previously of the Rockin' Saints and The Royal Teens, who had a hit with "Short Shorts" in 1958. They took their name from Knickerbocker Road, which runs through Tenafly, the next town to the east of Bergenfield. The classic line-up consisted of Randell, the Charles brothers and drummer Jimmy Walker. They were spotted by producer and singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller playing the University Twist Palace in Albany, New York, and he subsequently signed them to Los Angeles-based Challenge Records.
Initial success
Throughout The Knickerbockers' three years of recordings, the group tirelessly pursued current trends; the vocals on "Jerk Town", for example, are heavily derivative of the Four Seasons. Furthermore, the song's lyrics refer to "hot rods", like many other popular songs of the day. The group had a top-20 hit in 1965 with "Lies", on which the group emulated the Beatles' harmonies and playing so perfectly that the record was often passed off to the unsuspecting as an actual Beatles cut. The follow-up to "Lies" was "One Track Mind", which was nearly a hit as well. However, the band's label, Challenge Records, could not handle the distribution, and the single only reached number 45. The Knickerbockers soldiered on, appearing in the movie Out of Sight and as regulars on Dick Clark's ABC-TV program, Where the Action Is.
Decline
Though the band had a strong songwriter in Beau Charles, they were hampered by their label's ineptness, and drummer Walker left in late 1968 to replace Bill Medley in The Righteous Brothers. Walker also recorded three solo singles for Columbia Records in 1968–1969, before retiring to Wyoming for much of the 1970s. Buddy Randell was the next to depart. The Charles brothers kept the band going by adding new members Richie Walker, Eric Swanson and Barry McCoy. Randell rejoined The Knickerbockers on drums in 1968, leaving again in 1970. Randell later recorded singles for Uni Records and under aliases such as Steel Wool and Blowtorch. Beau Charles was also active outside of the group, recording "Sharon Stay in Birmingham" for White Whale Records under the alias of Columbus Jones in 1969..
Other projects and reformation
Beau and John Charles, along with singer Ritchie Costanza and drummer Eric Swanson, were signed to Motown records in 1971, where their name was subsequently changed to Lodi, after another Bergen County town; Lodi is located somewhat southwest of Bergenfield. They recorded an album and one single on the Mowest subsidiary, before splitting up. The Charles brothers, Randell, and Swanson then briefly backed upPlayboy Records artist Brenda Patterson in 1973–1974, most notably appearing on an episode of The Midnight Special. Beau Charles remained the most visible member of the band throughout the 1970s, appearing in an episode of Harry-O as a lounge singer, and performing on various film and television soundtracks. Since then, The Knickerbockers have reformed twice. The first time was in 1983 in Los Angeles, with everyone except Buddy Randell. They recorded demos with producer Jerry Fuller, but split up soon afterward. The band reformed one more time, performing for a month in Delray Beach, Florida, in 1990, before disbanding again. Beau and John Charles have been involved with The Knickerbockers' CD releases on Sundazed Records. Buddy Randell died in 1998. The band's two most popular singles are on the box set , and there are numerous re-issues and rarity sets. A compilation album by the band is The Fabulous Knickerbockers, released on Sundazed Records.
