Great pochos in rock history: The Premiers ‘Farmer John’ (video)


The Premiers were an American garage band in the 1960s, best known for their 1964 hit, Farmer John.

The band was formed in 1962 in San Gabriel, CA by brothers Lawrence Perez (guitar) and John Perez (drums), and neighbors George Delgado (guitar) and Frank Zuniga (bass).

They practiced in the Perez brothers back yard, encouraged by their mother, and soon started drawing crowds to their rehearsals. They were discovered by Billy Cardenas, who managed and produced other Chicano bands in the East Los Angeles area and won the group slots supporting artists such as Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Chris Montez.

Following The Kingsmen’s success with Louie Louie, Cardenas suggested that the Premiers cover a similar song, Farmer John, which had been written and recorded by Don and Dewey.

Although claimed to have been recorded “live at the Rhythm Room in Fullerton, California”, it was actually recorded in a small studio in Hollywood, with overdubbed party noises provided by girls of the Chevelles car club invited to the studio. The vocals were performed by John Perez and George Delgado singing in unison.

Continued at Wikipedia, and check out an excellent writeup by Mark Guerrero, from whom we stole the still photo.