The Newbeats
Encyclopedia
The Newbeats were a popular music
vocal
trio
, best known for their 1964 hit
, "Bread and Butter", which was released on the Hickory Records
label
.
Dean and Mark Mathis the guitar
as children, and they soon mastered other musical instrument
s - piano
, bass guitar
and drum
s. They both played in the band at Bremen High School
, Georgia and decided on a career in the music industry upon leaving education. Dean joined Paul Howard
's Western Swing Band in 1956 as pianist, then joined Dale Hawkins' band where his brother enrolled playing bass. They stayed with the band for two years, recording
"Tell Him No" as a duo
for the Chess
record label
. They then started their own eight piece band and played in their hometown of Shreveport
, Louisiana
. It was here that they met Larry Henley who auditioned for the band. A parting of the ways ensued when Henley tried his luck as a solo
artist, and the brothers worked as a duo, both recording independently for Wesley Rose
.
After about eighteen months they jointly made a demo
of a song entitled "Bread and Butter", sent it to Hickory Records and were asked to formally record the track.
"Bread and Butter" was the group's first hit. Written
by Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow, the record reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
. It sold over one million copies in the U.S.
Three more singles
followed in 1964 and 1965. "Run Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)" reached as high as number 12 that fall, but it was the trio's penultimate chart entry, although they remained with Hickory until 1972. Brief stints at Buddha
and Playboy
followed before the Newbeats dissolved in 1974.
Several of the Groups singles were rediscovered by the Northern Soul
movement in the early 1970s. "Run Baby Run" made #10 in the UK. Pop Charts (higher than its original U.S. position), whilst Don't Turn Me Loose and Crying My Heart Out Over You
are popular tracks with the 'Soul Crowd'.
Henley is probably now best known as the co-songwriter
of "Wind Beneath My Wings
". In 2002, Bruce Channel
and Ricky Ray Hector recorded a project with Larry Henley, billed as Original Copy.
The Newbeats' track "Bread and Butter", features on the soundtrack
to the 1998 comedy-drama
film
, Simon Birch
; and was used for an advertisement campaign for Schmidt's Blue Ribbon Bread
. It was also featured in the 2004 Will Ferrell
comedy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, best known for their 1964 hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Bread and Butter", which was released on the Hickory Records
Hickory Records
Hickory Records is a United States record label founded by Acuff-Rose Music in 1954 which operated the label up to 1979. Present owner Sony/ATV Music Publishing revived the label in 2007. Originally based in Nashville, functioning as an independent label throughout its history, it has had several...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Members
The group's members were:- Larry HenleyLarry HenleyLarry Henley is an American singer and songwriter, born June 30, 1941 in Arp, Texas. He is perhaps best known for co-writing the 1989 hit record, "Wind Beneath My Wings". The single was a U.S...
(born Lawrence Joel Henley, June 30, 1941, ArpArp, TexasArp is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 976 in 2009. It is part of the Tyler, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) - Dean Mathis (born Louis Aldine Mathis, March 17, 1939, HahiraHahira, GeorgiaHahira is a city in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. The estimate population as of July 2009 is 2,328. The population was 1,626 at the 2000 census. Hahira is led by Mayor Wayne Bullard and four members of the elected City Council...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
) - Mark Mathis (born Marcus Felton Mathis, February 9, 1942, Hahira).
Biography
Their mother taught brothersSibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
Dean and Mark Mathis the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
as children, and they soon mastered other musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s - piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. They both played in the band at Bremen High School
Bremen High School (Bremen, Georgia)
Bremen High School is a public school, in the Bremen City School District consisting of grades 9-12, located in the city of Bremen, Georgia, United States. There are 492 students as of the 2008 and 2009 school year. The student to faculty ratio is 17 to 1. The school is ranked 12th out of 340...
, Georgia and decided on a career in the music industry upon leaving education. Dean joined Paul Howard
Paul Howard (musician)
Paul Leroy "Ox Blood" Howard was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist....
's Western Swing Band in 1956 as pianist, then joined Dale Hawkins' band where his brother enrolled playing bass. They stayed with the band for two years, recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
"Tell Him No" as a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
for the Chess
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. They then started their own eight piece band and played in their hometown of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. It was here that they met Larry Henley who auditioned for the band. A parting of the ways ensued when Henley tried his luck as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist, and the brothers worked as a duo, both recording independently for Wesley Rose
Wesley Rose
Wesley Rose was an American music industry executive and record producer.The son of songwriter Fred Rose, he was born in Chicago, Illinois, and studied to become a Chartered Accountant...
.
After about eighteen months they jointly made a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of a song entitled "Bread and Butter", sent it to Hickory Records and were asked to formally record the track.
"Bread and Butter" was the group's first hit. Written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow, the record reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. It sold over one million copies in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Three more singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
followed in 1964 and 1965. "Run Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)" reached as high as number 12 that fall, but it was the trio's penultimate chart entry, although they remained with Hickory until 1972. Brief stints at Buddha
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
and Playboy
Playboy Records
Playboy Records was a record label in Los Angeles, California, and a unit of Playboy Enterprises. Artists recording for the label included Barbi Benton, Blue Ash, Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, Brenda Patterson, Jeanne French , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, Ivory, Wynn Stewart, Mickey Gilley...
followed before the Newbeats dissolved in 1974.
Several of the Groups singles were rediscovered by the Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
movement in the early 1970s. "Run Baby Run" made #10 in the UK. Pop Charts (higher than its original U.S. position), whilst Don't Turn Me Loose and Crying My Heart Out Over You
Crying My Heart Out Over You
"Crying My Heart Out Over You" is a 1982 single written by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Carl Butler, and Earl Sherry and recorded by Ricky Skaggs. "Crying My Heart Out Over You" would be Ricky Skaggs third country hit and the first of eleven number number one hits on the country chart. The single...
are popular tracks with the 'Soul Crowd'.
Henley is probably now best known as the co-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
of "Wind Beneath My Wings
Wind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...
". In 2002, Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel
Bruce Channel is an American singer, known for his 1962 million selling number one hit, "Hey! Baby".-Career:...
and Ricky Ray Hector recorded a project with Larry Henley, billed as Original Copy.
The Newbeats' track "Bread and Butter", features on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 1998 comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Simon Birch
Simon Birch
Simon Birch is a 1998 American [drama] film loosely based on A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It was directed and written for the screen by Mark Steven Johnson. The film stars Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, and Jim Carrey. It omitted much of the latter half of...
; and was used for an advertisement campaign for Schmidt's Blue Ribbon Bread
Schmidt Baking Company
Schmidt Baking Company is a bakery in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The company makes Schmidt's Blue Ribbon and Schmidt's Old Tyme Breads and, as a licensee of the Quality Bakers of America Cooperative, bakes and distributes Sunbeam Bread in its territory.It was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1886...
. It was also featured in the 2004 Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
comedy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
.
Singles discography
| Year | Title (Songwriter Songwriter A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... ) |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Bread and Butter" (Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow) |
|
|
|
| 1964 | "Everything's Alright" (John D. Loudermilk John D. Loudermilk John D. Loudermilk is an American singer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Durham, North Carolina, Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin... ) |
|
|
|
| 1965 | "(The Birds Are for the Bees) The Birds Are for the Bees" (Bob Finnicum, Larry Parks and Jay Turnbow) |
|
|
|
| 1965 | "Break Away (From That Boy)" (Louis Al and Marcus Mathis) |
|
|
|
| 1965 | "Run, Baby, Run (Back Into My Arms)" (Don Gant Don Gant Donald W. Gant was an American singer, songwriter and record producer.With Tupper Saussy, in the late 1960s he formed "The Neon Philharmonic." Singing vocals, with Saussy on the keyboards, they recorded five singles and two albums for Warner Bros. Records between 1969 and 1971... and Joe Melson Joe Melson Joe Melson , is an American singer and a BMI Award–winning songwriter.Melson was born in Bonham, the seat of Fannin County in northeast Texas. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended high school in Gore, Oklahoma, and in Chicago before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year... ) |
|
|
† UK hit belatedly in October 1971 |
| 1966 | "Shake Hands (And Come Out Crying)" (Doug Kershaw Doug Kershaw Doug Kershaw, born January 24, 1936, is an American fiddle player, singer and songwriter from Louisiana. Active since 1949, Kershaw has recorded fifteen albums and charted on the Hot Country Songs charts.- Early life :... ) |
|
|
|
| 1969 | "Groovin' (Out On LIfe) / Bread And Butter |
External links
- [ Allmusic]
- The Newbeats Discography, Hickory Sessionography and Reviews archived page 14 November 2007 at Internet Archive