Jim
Carbone ~ Keyboards, Guitar
Fred
Cooper ~ Drums, Vocals
Dave
Mathew ~ Bass, Vocals
Mike
"Onz" O'Neill ~ Guitar, Vocals
Pat Maloney ~ Manager
The Montells formed in 1964 when they were all attending Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon. The name is based on the area of Portland that Dave and Mike grew up in Montevilla. Lots of bands were forming in the area at the time, but back-to-back hits by The Beatles was the catalyst that made them plunk down hard-earned allowance money for Danelectro guitars and Sears Silvertone amps. Throughout their three years of existence, they specialized in tight harmonies and polished vocals, covering lots of Beatles' tunes as well as those by Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Rolling Stones, The Hollies and NW groups like The Sonics and The Wailers. They earned a reputation for energetic performances and excellent audience rapport at many local high school dances, teen clubs (The Crystal Ballroom,The Wooden Shoe, The Lighthouse, The In Crowd, Olin Clark's "The Headless Horseman"), State Fairs and Teen Fairs.
Their final performance was at a gigantic Battle of the Bands competition involving 27 other regional groups at the Teenage Fair in Jantzen Beach Park at the end of the summer of 1967. They placed second in the competition. First place went to "The Rock 'n' Stompers" (a great group managed by Bud Foley) who all celebrated by jumping off the high dive, fully dressed. (Where are they now??)
Following the Summer of Love, the boys went their separate ways, career-wise, but still remain good friends and keep in touch regularly.
Pat Maloney, August 2001
The
Montells in 1993
Montell's 50th Year Reunion
The Montell’s Song List
|
Carolyn All Day and All Night Can’t Buy Me Love Satisfaction Gloria You Really Got Me Just Like Me Tired of Waiting Love Potion #9 Fever Money Wolly Bully David’s Mood The Witch Feel a Whole Lot Better Stand By Me Do You Love Me? Long Tall Sally 8 Days a Week Searching for Love Hang On Sloopy Anna |
Good Lovin’ For Your Love Night Train Long Tall Texan House of the Rising Sun LiesBig Boy Pete New Orleans Night Time Momo Jane Everybody’s Trying to be My Baby La La La Slow Down Kansas City Cherry Pie Boys Got Off My Cloud Well Respected Man Twist and Shout Death of an Angel Talkin’ ‘bout You Stepping Out Last Time |
What’d I Say? Wittier Blvd. I See the Light Oo Poo Pah Do Play With Fire Let the Good Times Roll Louie, Go Home Louie, Louie I’m Crying Baby It’s You It’s No Use This Boy Drive My Car Little Sally Tease 96 Tears Nowhere Man It’s You Alone C. C. Ryder Wild Thing Bus Stop Till the End of the Day |
Dave Mathew:"After the Montells Dave joined a college band named United Travel Service with whom he recorded "Mister Your a Better Man Than I" with a fake British accent. He never went on to the priesthood but instead married lovely Marg and fathered lovely Betsey and Lucy. Dave has worked as a recording engineer, record producer and film sound mixer, charting a single, receiving an Emmy and establishing himself as the local champ in neighborhood "Six Degrees from Kevin Bacon" competitions. He currently inhabits a cubicle in Beaverton, but his imaginary life is very full, and includes a half-written screenplay, a number of half-written pop songs and a golf score of less than 120 strokes. Dave believes that although we are all demonstrably idiots and have pretty much screwed the world up with our greed and cruelty, there is great hope for our redemption."
Onz (Mike O'Neill): "How I've Wasted My Life Since The Montells Broke Up:
'67-'70 Gonzaga U., Spokane : lived on campus, missed most of my classes, gigged as much as possible (The Jugs, Thee Ark, Grundoon, Cannon, Sideshow, Red Hotz and the Hot Snotz). By '71 came out of the closet as full-time musician & eventually, band-leader of The Big Owens Review and Second Wind (the trio that I moved to Seattle with - ex-Montells "Portland Fred" Cooper on drums, Ron Kinkaid, [ex-Hot Snotz, later Lance Romance lead singer] on Bass, all sang). September '74 moved to Seattle searching for greener pastures. Had the good fortune to meet and work with several of my childhood heroes (Lance Romance, Junior Cadillac (with Ned Neltner and Buck Ormsby), Sweet Talkin' Jones (with Chris Blaine, Barry Curtis of The Kingsmen (that's his cardigan now behind glass at the Experience Music Project in Seattle) and Greg Beck).
Somewhere along in there I was involved in the first Bordersong L.P. "Morning" recorded at Kaye-Smith studios. It was a very homogenous group of musicians including Chris Castaneda (an EXCELLENT guitarist now living in Minneapolis) and Tim Gorman (keyboards - later did tours with The Who and The Rolling Stones). When we needed some female voices for one of the softer numbers (It's Time Again), Chris Blaine called up his buddies Ann and Nancy Wilson who had just released their first "Heart" L.P., and they came over and did the vocals. About a year later, we recorded in Kaye-Smith again. This was a demo for RCA, produced by Bordersong's "manager" at the time, Jerry Dennon. We had our biggest successes doing live shows, backing up singer-songwriter, crazyman Jeffrey Commanor, and opening for people like Elvin Bishop.
After Bordersong broke up, I worked for Epiphone for awhile, started working solo and eventually moved to Germany in April '81. My bands over here have been: Blowup, High Life (fairly successful recording group - lots of TV and Radio), Low Life (for a time, Tony Sheridan's backing band - Just call me "Beatle Mike"), Die Hexer, The Washboard Band, Lambretta Gang, Hall of Fame, and the Roadhouse Band.
At the moment I'm playing regularly in three different bands, still doing solo gigs occasionally and wishing I had time to start work on my third CD.
Mike "Onz" O'Neill, September 2001
Jim Carbone
Montells Gig List
2/13/1965 St. John Apostle Knights of Columbus dance
2/19/1965 Marycrest HS Freshman social
5/16/1965 Baza'ar Talent Show $10, trophy, 2 albums for 1st Place Combo
5/21/1965 Central Catholic HS St. Squamish Stomp
5/23/1965 Baza'ar Talent Show Finals, Trophy, elec. drill, cologne, cufflinks, towels
5/24/1965 Russellville Tryout
5/26/1965 Ascension Young People's 25%
6/9/1965 Russellville
7/16, 7/17/65 Log Lodge $3 tip
8/7/1965 Ascension YCW
8/13/1965 Rose City Yacht Club (piano)
9/17/1965 Central Catholic HS (piano)
9/24/1965 Washington HS (piano)
10/9/1965 Our Lady of Lourdes Vancouver, Lowery T-1
10/15/1965 Tigard HS Homecoming
10/16/1965 Tops All Anniversary
10/30/1965 St. Joseph Vancouver
10/31/1965 All Saints HS $1.50 to treasury
11/12/1965 Washington HS Sadie Hawkins dance, Thomas
11/19/1965 Grant HS Computer Dance, $5 to Treasury
11/24/1965 St. Andrews Lousy
12/10/1965 Grant HS
12/30/1965 In Crowd Nightclub (Great place) Farfisa
12/31/1965 Our Lady of Lourdes
1/7/1966 Grant HS
1/8/1965 In Crowd Nightclub
1/14/1966 Gresham HS
2/4/1966 Washington HS (Cine)
2/11/1966 Grant HS
2/13/1966 All Saints HS Day After Party
3/5/1966 Tops All Tops All
3/11/1966 Washington HS
3/12/1966 O.A. Boy Scout Training Center
3/25/1966 Grant HS Played on track
4/1/1966 Roosevelt HS KISN Radio 2nd Place
4/8/1966 Grant HS Boy Scout Training Center
4/23/1966 Lewis & Clark Great
5/1/1966 All Saints HS Lousy
5/14/1966 Tigard HS Clash 1st Place + trophy
5/20/1966 Twality Junior High
6/3/1966 TeenFair Guest Appearance Stage A
6/6/1966 TeenFair Sunn Booth 2-4p
6/7/1966 TeenFair Vox Booth 3-5p, Sunn 5:30-7p
6/10/1966 TeenFair Fender Battle, stage B, 12p-2p
6/11/1966 TeenFair Fender Semifinals, Top 12 out of 88
7/10/1966 Lighthouse
7/31/1966 Teen Festival at Jantzen Beach for advertisement
8/6/1966 Peacock Lane Street Dance - great fun
8/13/1966 Bryan's Music Bryan's party
8/22/1966 Rhode's Fashion Show - no pay
8/23/1966 Teen Festival Jantzen Beach
8/24/1966 Teen Festival Battle - 2nd highest points
8/25/1966 Teen Festival Finals, 3rd Place
9/3/1966 Twality Junior High Battle - 1st Place
9/9/1966 Grant HS huge crowd
9/10/1966 Twality Junior High Finals, 1st place
9/16/1966 Central Catholic HS After game dance
9/23/1966 Central Catholic HS After game dance
9/30/1966 Marylhurst HS
10/7/1966 Franklin HS
10/8/1966 Wooden Shoe
10/9/1966 Holy Redeemer HS
10/14/1966 St. Marys of the Valley HS
10/28/1966 Franklin HS
10/29/1966 Headless Horseman
11/4/1966 Marylhurst HS
11/18/1966 Marycrest HS
11/19/1966 Portland Community College
11/23/1966 Holy Child Academy
12/9/1966 Franklin HS on bleachers (Rose)
12/17/1966 Rhode's Fashion Show 3 songs broadcast on KGAR
12/27/1966 Holy Redeemer HS
1/13/1967 St. Rita
1/20/1967 St. Marys
1/21/1967 Waverly Country Club
1/27/1967 Marycrest HS
2/4/1967 Twality Junior High
2/12/1967 Holy Redeemer HS Charity
2/24/1967 Tigard Junior College Battle - 1st Place ($2.50 in fund)
3/11/1967 Tigard Junior College Battle - 1st Place
3/12/1967 St. Henry Gresham
4/7/1967 Central Catholic HS Computer Dance
4/14/1967 Marylhurst HS
4/15/1967 Consolidated MetCo Pythian Building, Portland
4/22/1967 Ramada Inn Wedding reception (L.B. 20%)
5/5/1967 TORK
5/6/1967 State Finals J. C. 3rd place
5/12/1967 Crystal Ballroom
5/13/1967 Beta Theta Pi Corvallis
5/19/1967 Tin Hut Jantzen Beach
5/20/1967 Tin Hut Jantzen Beach
5/27/1967 Milwaukie Community Center
6/3/1967 Raleigh Hills
6/4/1967 Guys and Dolls
6/10/1967 Guys and Dolls
6/15/1967 Crystal Ballroom
6/16/1967 H.I.F. Cosmo
6/23/1967 H.I.F. Sheraton
7/2/1967 St. Paul Rodeo
7/7/1967 Crystal Ballroom
7/14/1967 Tin Hut Jantzen Beach
7/28/1967 H.I.F. Sheraton
8/5/1967 Tin Hut Jantzen Beach-The End of an Era!
Post 1967
One year at Portland State University as a Geology major. Going nowhere so I joined the Navy, influenced by my boyhood idol, Dave Mathew, who had joined earlier. Spent some time in Tennessee at a training base. Spent even more time in San Diego (North Island) repairing radar systems on airplanes. Spent a few months floating around the South Pacific on an aircraft carrier. Back to civilian life in early 1972. Moved to Corvallis to go to school at Oregon State University (Go Beavers). Graduated in 1976 with a degree in Forest Management and a Masters in Business Administration. Married Linda Clarke in 1975. We moved to Fossil, Oregon in 1977 when I took a job as a Forester there. In early 1979 we moved to Salem. I became a lobbyist for industrial forest landowners in Oregon. In 1983, went out on my own as a consultant for about a year. Then hired on with the State of Oregon where I have been working since.
I guess I'm now what you might call a career bureaucrat. However, I really do enjoy my job as Manager of Financial Services. My group is responsible for putting together budgets for review by the Governor and Legislature and also providing financial planning services for managers in the Department of Administrative Services. And to think, I got my start keeping financial records for the Montells.
Linda and I have three children.
Jim Carbone, September 2001
Fred Cooper After high school I went to the University of Oregon. Played drums in club bands. Graduated in '71. Moved to Spokane, WA. and played in various bands with Mike O'Neill. We both moved to Seattle, WA. and continued to play music together. Played with club bands after Mike and I went our separate ways. Met founding members of Goosecreek Symphony and ended up playing drums in a re-formed version of that band. Moved to Nashville in 1980. Played in club bands and back-up bands for country artists and singer/songwriters. Four years of touring with country recording artist Joe Sun. Three years touring with country recording artist Bobby Bare. Started working part time as a grip in the film industry in Nashville in 1985. Turned into a full time career. Now a dolly grip for feature films in Los Angeles ("Enough" starring Jennifer Lopez, "Bubble Boy", "Galaxy Quest", "That Darn Cat", "Now and Then" and more) and commercials and music videos for most of the country stars in Nashville. Still have and play my original set of 1966 Ludwig drums {black oyster pearl). Looking for the matching snare drum I traded many years ago. Probably at Portland Music in downtown Portland, OR.
Fred Cooper, September 2001
Listen to an old sound clip of the Montells
