The Galleons (Los Angeles, Ca.)

Personnel :

Robert Cotterell

Merlyn Nelson

Lew Parsons

Joe Sershan

Discography :

1959 - I Played The Fool / Pick Up (Vita 184)

Biography :

By Gary E. Myers:
The Galleons were a four-part male vocal group, consisting of college students Robert Cotterell, Merlyn “Mert” Nelson, Lew Parsons and Joe Sershan. They had met on Labor Day 1958 on Catalina Island and began singing together for fun. Ruth Stratchborneo heard them at a UCLA Spring Sing event. “She helped set up an appointment with Art Laboe of Original Sound,” recalled Cotterell. “He seemed somewhat strange so we did not pursue this contact – probably a mistake.”

They rehearsed their material at the good old West View St home and they were backed on the sessions by Jackie Kelso’s band. The label shows Cotterell, Nelson & Parsons as writers on one side, but today’s BMI listing includes Stratchborneo, showing that she added her name to the work of others even back in the early days. Cotterell later formed the Sonrise label for Christian music and built Creative Sounds, a CD duplication company.
http://topshelfoldies.org/tide_edit_records.htm

Songs :

  
Played The Fool                                     Pick Up         

 ....