The Ohio Express
Encyclopedia
Ohio Express was a musical recording unit, mainly active from 1967 through 1970, and occasionally since that time.
Though marketed as a band, it would be more accurate to say that the name "Ohio Express" served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz
's and Jeffrey Katz's Super K Productions
to release the music of a number of different musicians and acts. The best known songs of Ohio Express (including their best scoring single, "Yummy Yummy Yummy
") were actually the work of an assemblage of studio musicians working out of New York, including singer/songwriter Joey Levine
.
Several other "Ohio Express" hits were the work of other, unrelated musical groups, including The Rare Breed, and an early incarnation of 10cc
. In addition, a completely separate touring version of Ohio Express appeared at all live dates, and recorded some of the band's album tracks.
The Rare Breed issued one more single in 1966 on Attack, "Come And Take A Ride In My Boat", which was a minor chart hit in the US southwest though it failed to chart nationally. The Rare Breed then apparently had a dispute with Super K Productions and left the company, never to record again.
The band's original recording of "Beg, Borrow & Steal" was then re-mixed and re-issued in August 1967 on Cameo Parkway Records, now credited to Ohio Express (a name to which Super K Productions controlled all rights). The record was a number 1 single in Columbus, Ohio by early September, and gradually became a hit across Canada and the US through the following months.
The otherwise exhaustively-annotated Nuggets box set (which includes "Beg, Borrow and Steal") suggests The Rare Breed were from New York or New Jersey, but offers no other data. However, a 2003 interview and a 2009 YouTube post of a performance of "Beg Borrow and Steal" identifies the members of the Rare Breed as John Freno (vocals, guitar) Barry Stolnick (keyboards), Joel Feigenbaum (rhythm guitar), Alexander "Botts" Norbit (bass) and Tony Cambria (drums), all of Brooklyn and The Bronx, New York.
band known as Sir Timothy & The Royals and re-named them The Ohio Express. The lineup consisted of Doug Grassel (rhythm guitar), Dale Powers (lead guitar), Dean Kastran (bass), Jim Pfahler (keyboards), and Tim Corwin (drums). This group toured as Ohio Express, and their touring commitments (and Ohio home base) made it difficult for them to head in to the New York-based Super K offices to record a follow-up single to "Beg Borrow and Steal". Of the "official" group members, only Dale Powers (lead vocals) appeared on the second single credited to Ohio Express, a cover of The Standells' "Try It". The single stalled well outside the US Top 40, peaking at #83.
The group soon after recorded an album called "Beg Borrow and Steal". It mixed the original Rare Breed title track with tracks recorded by the Ohio Express touring group, as well as tracks recorded by the Super K staff musicians with vocals by Powers. The LP came out on Cameo-Parkway Records
of Philadelphia in the autumn of 1967. Unfortunately, the record label went into bankruptcy shortly after that and was purchased by music business mogul Allen Klein
, who still owns the masters to this day.
(It has been rumored that a young Joe Walsh
, later of the James Gang
& The Eagles, was part of this band but left after the "Beg Borrow & Steal" LP was recorded. A photograph on the cover of the sole Cameo-Parkway album shows a photo that bears a striking resemblance to Walsh.)
Ohio Express then moved to the home label of bubblegum pop
, Buddah Records
(purposely misspelled so as not to be sacrilegious). At the same time, Joey Levine (who had co-written "Try It") was coming up with new material for Ohio Express at the behest of Super K Productions. He recorded a demo version of the track "Yummy Yummy Yummy
" with Super K staff musicians and his own guide vocal for the Ohio Express to record over. However, Buddah head Neil Bogart
liked the demo enough that he released the record "as is", with Levine's vocals intact and no input at all from the touring version of Ohio Express. The song became an international smash hit, peaking at #4 US, #5 UK, #7 Australia, and #1 Canada. Two months after its issue it had sold over one million copies, being granted gold disc
status by the R.I.A.A. in June 1968.
The success of the Levine-led "Yummy Yummy Yummy" set a pattern for Ohio Express. They released four LPs and a multitude of singles for Buddah between 1968 and 1970, but the "official" group that appeared on album sleeves and at live shows contributed not a single note to their hit singles. For the year following the release of "Yummy Yummy Yummy", all Ohio Express singles were co-written and sung by Levine, with musical accompaniment by anonymous New York session musicians. Under this arrangement, in 1968 and 1969 the group scored three further top 40 hits in the US, Canada and Australia with "Down at Lulu's", "Chewy Chewy" and "Mercy". "Chew Chewy" was the group's second million seller by March 1969.
There are no known occasions of Levine performing with the actual Ohio quintet, either live or in the studio. The five lads from Ohio, meanwhile, could only be heard on a few of the album tracks. Allegedly, the touring group was not even informed of the existence of "Chewy Chewy", the new single that had come out under their name - and when fans requested it at a live show, they were consequently unable to play it.
and the 1970 album track "Shake", originally issued as by Kasenetz Katz Super Circus. As well, the B-side to "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was the instrumental track of 1910 Fruitgum Company
's "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" recorded backwards.
After Levine left, Ohio Express never again made the top 40 in North America, although three 1969 singles made the lower reaches of the US and Canadian singles charts. One later minor hit single, "Sausalito (Is The Place To Go)" was co-written and sung by Graham Gouldman
, and performed by the four musicians who would later make up 10cc
. Another late single, "Cowboy Convention", sneaked into the Australian top 40, peaking at #38.
By 1970, with the hits having stopped, the group name Ohio Express was quietly retired. (There was a one-shot 1973 Buddah release credited to Ohio Ltd.)
bass, David Haag on drums, Jeff Burgess Keyboard and Warren Sawyer on rhythm guitar and keyboards tours the oldies circuit with their bubblegum classics. Original keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Jim Pfahler died in March 2003. Bassist Dean Kastran now plays bass for the Ashland, Ohio
based bluegrass band, Faces Made for Radio.
Though marketed as a band, it would be more accurate to say that the name "Ohio Express" served as a brand name used by Jerry Kasenetz
Jerry Kasenetz
Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeff Katz, the two working together as the Super K production company, to manufacture and produce bands like The Music Explosion, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant, and The Ohio Express....
's and Jeffrey Katz's Super K Productions
Super K Productions
Super K Productions was a 1960s American recording production company under Buddah Records, headed by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. Their biggest successes were The Ohio Express, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant and The Music Explosion...
to release the music of a number of different musicians and acts. The best known songs of Ohio Express (including their best scoring single, "Yummy Yummy Yummy
Yummy Yummy Yummy
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a bubblegum pop song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached #4 in the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #5 in the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of...
") were actually the work of an assemblage of studio musicians working out of New York, including singer/songwriter Joey Levine
Joey Levine
Joey Levine is an American singer, songwriter and record producer of pop music, who has been active since 1966.-Career:...
.
Several other "Ohio Express" hits were the work of other, unrelated musical groups, including The Rare Breed, and an early incarnation of 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
. In addition, a completely separate touring version of Ohio Express appeared at all live dates, and recorded some of the band's album tracks.
Beginnings: The Rare Breed (1966-67)
The question of who is the 'real' Ohio Express is difficult. The first record credited to Ohio Express was "Beg, Borrow And Steal", a Top 40 hit in the US and Canada in late 1967. However, exactly the same record had initially been issued as by 'The Rare Breed' in early 1966 on Attack Records. This issue was a complete flop, failing to chart.The Rare Breed issued one more single in 1966 on Attack, "Come And Take A Ride In My Boat", which was a minor chart hit in the US southwest though it failed to chart nationally. The Rare Breed then apparently had a dispute with Super K Productions and left the company, never to record again.
The band's original recording of "Beg, Borrow & Steal" was then re-mixed and re-issued in August 1967 on Cameo Parkway Records, now credited to Ohio Express (a name to which Super K Productions controlled all rights). The record was a number 1 single in Columbus, Ohio by early September, and gradually became a hit across Canada and the US through the following months.
The otherwise exhaustively-annotated Nuggets box set (which includes "Beg, Borrow and Steal") suggests The Rare Breed were from New York or New Jersey, but offers no other data. However, a 2003 interview and a 2009 YouTube post of a performance of "Beg Borrow and Steal" identifies the members of the Rare Breed as John Freno (vocals, guitar) Barry Stolnick (keyboards), Joel Feigenbaum (rhythm guitar), Alexander "Botts" Norbit (bass) and Tony Cambria (drums), all of Brooklyn and The Bronx, New York.
Sir Timothy & The Royals take over (1967)
With no group available to promote the single by playing live dates, Super K Productions hired a Mansfield, OhioMansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
band known as Sir Timothy & The Royals and re-named them The Ohio Express. The lineup consisted of Doug Grassel (rhythm guitar), Dale Powers (lead guitar), Dean Kastran (bass), Jim Pfahler (keyboards), and Tim Corwin (drums). This group toured as Ohio Express, and their touring commitments (and Ohio home base) made it difficult for them to head in to the New York-based Super K offices to record a follow-up single to "Beg Borrow and Steal". Of the "official" group members, only Dale Powers (lead vocals) appeared on the second single credited to Ohio Express, a cover of The Standells' "Try It". The single stalled well outside the US Top 40, peaking at #83.
The group soon after recorded an album called "Beg Borrow and Steal". It mixed the original Rare Breed title track with tracks recorded by the Ohio Express touring group, as well as tracks recorded by the Super K staff musicians with vocals by Powers. The LP came out on Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 and 1958 to 1967...
of Philadelphia in the autumn of 1967. Unfortunately, the record label went into bankruptcy shortly after that and was purchased by music business mogul Allen Klein
Allen Klein
Allen Klein was an American businessman, talent agent and record label executive. His clients included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.- The accountant :...
, who still owns the masters to this day.
(It has been rumored that a young Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands, the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles, and has experienced notable success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B...
, later of the James Gang
James Gang
The James Gang was a rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. Though the band was not a huge commercial success, except in the Northeast Ohio area, the fame garnered by guitarist Joe Walsh has since made the group more notable.- History :...
& The Eagles, was part of this band but left after the "Beg Borrow & Steal" LP was recorded. A photograph on the cover of the sole Cameo-Parkway album shows a photo that bears a striking resemblance to Walsh.)
The Joey Levine years (1968-69)
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
, Buddah Records
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...
(purposely misspelled so as not to be sacrilegious). At the same time, Joey Levine (who had co-written "Try It") was coming up with new material for Ohio Express at the behest of Super K Productions. He recorded a demo version of the track "Yummy Yummy Yummy
Yummy Yummy Yummy
"Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a bubblegum pop song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached #4 in the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #5 in the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of...
" with Super K staff musicians and his own guide vocal for the Ohio Express to record over. However, Buddah head Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart
Neil Bogart was an American record executive. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Casablanca Records, with Peter Guber....
liked the demo enough that he released the record "as is", with Levine's vocals intact and no input at all from the touring version of Ohio Express. The song became an international smash hit, peaking at #4 US, #5 UK, #7 Australia, and #1 Canada. Two months after its issue it had sold over one million copies, being granted gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status by the R.I.A.A. in June 1968.
The success of the Levine-led "Yummy Yummy Yummy" set a pattern for Ohio Express. They released four LPs and a multitude of singles for Buddah between 1968 and 1970, but the "official" group that appeared on album sleeves and at live shows contributed not a single note to their hit singles. For the year following the release of "Yummy Yummy Yummy", all Ohio Express singles were co-written and sung by Levine, with musical accompaniment by anonymous New York session musicians. Under this arrangement, in 1968 and 1969 the group scored three further top 40 hits in the US, Canada and Australia with "Down at Lulu's", "Chewy Chewy" and "Mercy". "Chew Chewy" was the group's second million seller by March 1969.
There are no known occasions of Levine performing with the actual Ohio quintet, either live or in the studio. The five lads from Ohio, meanwhile, could only be heard on a few of the album tracks. Allegedly, the touring group was not even informed of the existence of "Chewy Chewy", the new single that had come out under their name - and when fans requested it at a live show, they were consequently unable to play it.
"Recycled" tracks (1968-1970)
Super K Productions often recycled tracks from one act to another, issuing exactly the same recording under two different band names. In addition to the Ohio Express hit "Beg, Borrow and Steal" (initially credited to The Rare Breed), fans have noted that various Ohio Express B-sides and album tracks were in fact initially issued and credited to other Super K acts. Examples include the B-side of the "Sausalito" single, "Make Love Not War", which was originally issued as "Road Runner" by The Music ExplosionThe Music Explosion
The Music Explosion was an American garage rock band from Mansfield, Ohio, best known for their Top 10 hit, "Little Bit O'Soul", in 1967. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and received gold record status by the R.I.A.A....
and the 1970 album track "Shake", originally issued as by Kasenetz Katz Super Circus. As well, the B-side to "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was the instrumental track of 1910 Fruitgum Company
1910 Fruitgum Company
The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's biggest hits included "Simon Says," "1, 2, 3, Red Light," "May I Take A Giant Step," "Special Delivery," "Goody Goody Gumdrops," and "Indian Giver." Guitarist Frank Jeckell claimed to have adopted the name from a...
's "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" recorded backwards.
The Post-Levine era (1969-70)
After five straight singles co-written and sung by Joey Levine (four of which made the US and Canadian Top 40), Levine grew dissatisfied with the amount of money he was receiving from his production deal, and left Super K Productions in early 1969. The company then turned to other hands to write, produce and perform Ohio Express singles. The Ohio touring quintet was not among them.After Levine left, Ohio Express never again made the top 40 in North America, although three 1969 singles made the lower reaches of the US and Canadian singles charts. One later minor hit single, "Sausalito (Is The Place To Go)" was co-written and sung by Graham Gouldman
Graham Gouldman
Graham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
, and performed by the four musicians who would later make up 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
. Another late single, "Cowboy Convention", sneaked into the Australian top 40, peaking at #38.
By 1970, with the hits having stopped, the group name Ohio Express was quietly retired. (There was a one-shot 1973 Buddah release credited to Ohio Ltd.)
Ohio Express today
A new touring version of Ohio Express was convened in the 1980s. Today, a lineup led by original drummer Tim Corwin on lead vocals, John Baker lead guitar, Guy HoffmanGuy Hoffman
Guy Hoffman is a drummer and vocalist, formerly of such bands as Oil Tasters, BoDeans, Violent Femmes and Absinthe. He is a composer for such films as Field Day and a founding member of Radio Romeo.-Life:...
bass, David Haag on drums, Jeff Burgess Keyboard and Warren Sawyer on rhythm guitar and keyboards tours the oldies circuit with their bubblegum classics. Original keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter Jim Pfahler died in March 2003. Bassist Dean Kastran now plays bass for the Ashland, Ohio
Ashland, Ohio
Ashland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Ashland County. The population was 21,249 at the 2000 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area...
based bluegrass band, Faces Made for Radio.
Singles
| US Release Date |
Title 'A' / Title 'B' | Label | Chart Positions | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Canada | 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 ... |
|||||
| 1967 | Oct | "Beg, Borrow and Steal" / "Maybe" |
Cameo 483 | A-side is the same exact recording as by The Rare Breed (Attack 1401) | ||||
| 1968 | Feb | "Try It" / "Soul Struttin'" |
Cameo 2001 | A-side is a version of The Standells' "banned" version | ||||
| May | "Yummy Yummy Yummy Yummy Yummy Yummy "Yummy Yummy Yummy" is a bubblegum pop song by Arthur Resnick and Joey Levine, first recorded by Ohio Express in 1968. Their version reached #4 in the U.S. Pop Singles chart and #5 in the UK Singles Chart. It has since been covered by many artists. Ohio Express was a studio concoction and none of... " / "Zig Zag" |
Buddah/Buddha 38 | B-side is the instrumental backing of 1910 Fruitgum Co's. (Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" recorded backwards, a common practice of producers Kasenetz & Katz to discourage double-sided hits | |||||
| Aug | "Down At Lulu's" / "She's Not Comin' Home" |
Buddah/Buddha 56 | ||||||
| Oct | "Chewy Chewy" / "Firebird" |
Buddah/Buddha 70 | ||||||
| 1969 | Feb | "Sweeter Than Sugar" / "Bitter Lemon" |
Buddah/Buddha 92 | B-side is the A-side recorded backwards | ||||
| Mar | "Mercy" / "Roll It Up" |
Buddah/Buddha 102 | ||||||
| Jun | "Pinch Me (Baby, Convince Me)" / "Peanuts" |
Buddah/Buddha 117 | A-side lead vocal by Buddy Bengert | |||||
| Sep | "Sausalito (Is the Place to Go)" / "Make Love Not War" |
Buddah/Buddha 129 | A-side performed by the members of 10cc 10cc 10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name... , 3 years before they adopted that name. Lead vocal by Graham Gouldman Graham Gouldman Graham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England... . B-side is the same exact recording as "Road Runner" by The Music Explosion (Laurie 3429, 1968) |
|||||
| Nov | "Cowboy Convention" / "The Race (That Took Place)" |
Buddah/Buddha 147 | ||||||
| 1970 | Mar | "Love Equals Love" / "Peanuts" |
Buddah/Buddha 160 | |||||
| Sep | "Hot Dog" / "Ooh La La" |
Super K 14 | ||||||
| 1973 | "Wham Bam" / "Slow and Steady" |
Buddah/Buddha 386 | Shown as Ohio Ltd. |
Albums
- Beg, Borrow and Steal - Cameo C-20000 (Mono) / CS-20000 (Stereo) - 1967
-
- Beg, Borrow and Steal / And It's True / Had To Be Me / Let Go / Soul Struttin' / Try It / I Know We'll Be Together / I Find I Think Of You / Stop Take A Look Around / Hard Times / It's Too Groovy
- Ohio Express (#126) - Buddah/Buddha BDM-1018 (Mono, promotional release only) / BDS-5018 (Stereo) - 7/68
- Yummy Yummy Yummy / Winter Skies / Into This Time / First Grade Reader / Mary-Ann / Down At Lulu's / Turn To Straw / Vacation / She's Not Comin' Home / It's A Sad Day (It's A Sad Time) / The Time You Spent With Me
- Chewy Chewy (#191) - Buddah/Buddha BDS-5026 - 2/69
- Chewy Chewy / Nothing Sweeter Than My Baby / So Good, So Fine / 1, 2, 3, Red Light1, 2, 3, Red Light (song)"1, 2, 3, Red Light" is a song written by Sal Trimachi and Bobbi Trimachi and was recorded by 1910 Fruitgum Company for their 1968 album, 1, 2, 3, Red Light. The song charted highest in Canada, going to #1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart in 1968...
/ Yes Sir / Let It Take You / Little Girl / Fun / Firebird / Simon SaysSimon Says (1910 Fruitgum Company song)"Simon Says" is a bubblegum pop song, written by Elliot Chiprut and originally recorded by the 1910 Fruitgum Company in 1967.The song was based on the children's game "Simon says." Produced by Jerry Kasenetz, Steve Katz, and Chiprut, the single was issued by Buddah Records and entered the U.S. Hot...
/ Down In Tennessee- Mercy - Buddah/Buddha BDS-5037 - 1969
- Mercy / Lucky / Sha La La / Nighttime / Peanuts / Up Against The Wall / Sweeter Than Sugar / Jacksonville Station / Ooh La La / Come On Down Maryann / Gimme Gimme
- Beg, Borrow and Steal / And It's True / Had To Be Me / Let Go / Soul Struttin' / Try It / I Know We'll Be Together / I Find I Think Of You / Stop Take A Look Around / Hard Times / It's Too Groovy
Compilations
- The Very Best of The Ohio Express - Buddah/Buddha BDS-5058 - 1970
-
- Cowboy Convention / Yummy Yummy Yummy / Chewy Chewy / Sausalito (Is The Place To Go) / Sweeter Than Sugar / Mercy / Down At Lulu's / Pinch Me (Baby, Convince Me) / Down Tennessee / Shake
- Yummy Yummy Yummy—The Best of The Ohio Express - Buddha 99800 - 2001
- Yummy Yummy Yummy / Nothing Sweeter Than My Baby / Lucky / Sweeter Than Sugar / Nighttime / Chewy Chewy / She's Not Comin' Home / Gimme Gimme / 1, 2, 3, Red Light1, 2, 3, Red Light (song)"1, 2, 3, Red Light" is a song written by Sal Trimachi and Bobbi Trimachi and was recorded by 1910 Fruitgum Company for their 1968 album, 1, 2, 3, Red Light. The song charted highest in Canada, going to #1 on the RPM 100 national singles chart in 1968...
/ Down At Lulu's / Firebird / Sausalito (Is The Place To Go) / Pinch Me (Baby, Convince Me) / Mercy
- Cowboy Convention / Yummy Yummy Yummy / Chewy Chewy / Sausalito (Is The Place To Go) / Sweeter Than Sugar / Mercy / Down At Lulu's / Pinch Me (Baby, Convince Me) / Down Tennessee / Shake
Contemporary usage
- The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured in several popular television shows, including Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
, The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, and Six Feet Under. It was also briefly played in Fear and Loathing in Las VegasFear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 American drama film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke and Benicio del Toro as Dr. Gonzo. It was adapted from Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel of the same name....
.
- Several Ohio Express songs have been used in television commercials in the ensuing years, most notably "Chewy Chewy" in a 2001 advertisement campaign for Quaker Oats Granola bars.