Insight
The band got together in May of 1961 and began to rehearse. The members were Jim Bohannon on vocals and rhythm guitar, Buddy Dodd on lead guitar, Larry Fite on bass, and Ken Martin on drums. Bohannon took the stage name of "Beau-Hannon" and they began to perform under the name of "Beau-Hannon and the Mint Juleps." After practicing for some months, they felt good enough to try their hand at recording. They went into Leo Castleberry's recording studio in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and there they cut the instrumental "Brainstorm." It was a Larry Fite composition which they had played previously a lot in the clubs around Hot Springs and Benton, where it was received well by the audience. Castleberry heard it and decided to put it on record together with another of the band's songs, "'It's All Over" (written by Bohannon).
Castleberry worked out an agreement with an uprising label that was also located in Hot Springs called United Southern Artists. The label released both songs in September 1961 (United Southern 5-108) and the band went out on the road that same month. Ed Williams became the manager of the band, as bassist Larry Fite remembers:
We struck out on the road in Sept of that year going to the east coast, having a manager travel with us, his name is Ed Williams. He was a great talker and talked clubs into taking us on by showing the record. We played in Mass., N. Hampshire and upper state New York whereby we were hired by 'The Black Orchid Club' in Montreal, Canada.
They remained with the Orchid for some months and while in Montreal, Bohannon and the Mint Juleps recorded another song called "The Bristol Stomp," which remained unreleased. The band intended it to be something like "The Peppermint Twist," a song that started a new dance craze.
We got to be known as the band that brought the twist to Canada. Bill Haley and the Comets were still playing in Montreal, Joey Dee and the Starlighters as well as others - the money was good in Canada.
But in the spring of 1962, Uncle Sam was calling for Fite and he went back home. He got married in May and the band broke up after only one year of existence. Fite joined the National Guard but lost contact to the other members. It seems that Beau Hannon remained in the Canada/New England area and reformed the Mint Juleps. With a completely different line-up, he played clubs and bars in Canada as well as in the US. The mid to late 1960s also saw a release of an album as well as a single record.
Today, Larry Fite lives in Perryville, Arkansas, performing sometimes in the local church. Ken Martin probably still lives in Youngstown, Ohio, while Buddy Dodd started preaching but unfortunately got killed in a car crash.
Beau Hannon: lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar
Mimsie Bradd: vocals, bass guitar, drums, acoustic guitar
Mike Roberts: vocals, lead guitar
Larry Petrie: drums
Produced and arranged by Beau Hannon
Engineered by Ray Lawrence
Recorded at Sound Canada Recording Centre
Liner notes by Ed Lawson
Gallery
Images
4 images
Beau Hannon And The Mint Juleps / Most Requested BACK
Hannon, Beau - Beau Hannon & the Mint Juleps LABEL 01
Hannon, Beau - Beau Hannon & the Mint Juleps LABEL 01
Most Requested
Media
Videos
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Credits
Musicians
Beau Hannon: lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar
Mimsie Bradd: vocals, bass guitar, drums, acoustic guitar
Larry Petrie: drums
Mike Roberts: vocals, lead guitar
Songwriting
‘Sing Me a Rainbow’ written by E. Levitt and L. Stallman
‘For the Last Time’ written by M. Burnette and J. Bohannon
‘Run to Me When You’re Falling Down’ written by L. Martine Jr. and L. Stallman
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ written by Rodgers and Hammerstein
‘Love of the Common People’ written by Hurley and Wilkins
‘My Prayer’ written by J. Kennedy and G. Boulanger
‘Stop Me from Falling in Love’ written by Sexter and Shaw
‘We Could Never Find the Answer’ written by L. Stallman and M. Merchant
‘Cab Driver’ written by C. Parks
‘When Something Is Wrong with My Baby’ written by Porter and Hayes
‘I’ve Got a Woman’ written by R. Charles
Production
Produced and arranged by Beau Hannon
Engineered by Ray Lawrence
Recorded at Sound Canada Limited, Don Mills, Ontario
Artwork
Cover designed by Commercial Studios
Manufacturing and Distribution
Manufactured and distributed in Canada by Quality Records Limited
380 Birchmount Road, Scarborough 704, Ontario
Publishing
© Quality Records Limited, 1969
Bio / Notes
Beau Hannon & The Mint Juleps began as an American club act formed in May 1961 around Jim Bohannon, who adopted the stage name Beau Hannon. The original lineup featured Hannon on vocals and rhythm guitar, Buddy Dodd on lead guitar, Larry Fite on bass, and Ken Martin on drums. After rehearsing through the spring and summer, the group entered Leo Castleberry’s studio in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where they recorded the Larry Fite instrumental “Brainstorm” backed with Hannon’s “It’s All Over.” Castleberry placed the single with the Hot Springs label United Southern Artists, which released it in September 1961.
That same month the band went on the road with manager Ed Williams, working clubs through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, upstate New York, and eventually Montreal. In Canada they became associated with the early twist craze, with Fite later recalling that the group became known as one of the acts that helped bring the twist to Canadian audiences. They were hired by the Black Orchid Club in Montreal and also recorded an unreleased version of “The Bristol Stomp” during their time there.
The first version of the group was short-lived. In spring 1962, Larry Fite returned home after being called for military service, married soon afterward, and the original Mint Juleps dissolved. Beau Hannon, however, remained active in the Canada/New England circuit and eventually assembled a new version of the group.
By the late 1960s, Beau Hannon & The Mint Juleps had become a Canadian-recorded club and lounge act, issuing the album Most Requested on Birchmount Records in 1969. The LP featured Hannon with Mimsie Bradd, Larry Petrie, and Mike Roberts, and was recorded at Sound Canada Limited in Don Mills, Ontario. The album mixed pop standards, soul material, and contemporary popular songs, including “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Love of the Common People,” “Cab Driver,” “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby,” and Ray Charles’ “I’ve Got a Woman.” The back cover notes also identify Hannon’s Canadian appearances at venues such as the Thunderbird Room in the Fallview Motor Hotel and other Niagara-area engagements, placing this edition of the group firmly within the Canadian club circuit of the period.
Audio and Artwork Restoration
Audio Transfer/Restoration by Scott Edward
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