Metuchen, New Jersey late-60s bubblegum band Purple Avalanche are under the spotlight: Drummer Ernie Roig confirms the details.
PURPLE AVALANCHE – ’Oh-Bah-Um-Dee-Dum’/’When I Saw Her’ (Roulette R-7046) April 1969
Purple Avalanche | New Jersey Bubblegum Band: Here’s a classy minor key moody ballad, quite rare that groups were still recording this kinda bag in 1969 but strangely Purple Avalanche were. Not that many people at the time would have heard this as it was stuck on the flip of a teen bubblegum tune.
I bought the 45 recently from Robin Wills. He is responsible for the blog Purepop and it was there that I first learned about this record. Not a great deal of information appears to have been known about Purple Avalanche until someone left a comment.
The Bex
Apparently, they were a four piece outfit from Metuchen, New Jersey, and were previously known as The Bex. I wonder if any other ephemera has survived the last forty odd years, such as a picture of the group? If you know anything get in touch.
The production credit is Irwin Levine who is better known for writing songs for others.
Purple Avalanche | New Jersey Bubblegum Band
line-up:
Kevin McCabe (vocals / bass)
Bill Marquart (rhythm guitar) * dec’d
Chris Jones (lead guitar)
Ernie Roig (drums)
Update from Ernie Roig
Since I wrote about The Purple Avalanche I was contacted by their drummer Ernie Roig in April 2013:
The following information is relevant to my entry.
Ernie: I’m the drummer of the band Purple Avalanche. I can tell you all that you want to know about the band and The Bex, as I was an original member of both bands. One original member has since passed away, yes, we were all from Metuchen,in New Jersey.
The band was introduced to Irwin Levine (he wrote ”Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree”, ”This Diamond Ring”, “Black Pearl”, and a lot of songs for Tony Orlando & Dawn to mention a few).
”Oh Bah Um Dee Dum” started out as ’funky bubble gum’ [which i thought was the better of the two versions] his co- writer, Larry Brown was taken by the Beatles tune ”Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and changed the words as such. the B-side was not a very good version that went on the record. We had a faster version that sounded much better.
Both versions of “When I Saw Her” were recorded in a friends basement – and sound it!!
On ”Oh Bah Um De Dum” Kevin McCabe is the lead singer, I did the scream or yell or whatever you want to call it!! – the song got a 4 star rating from several DJ’s at that time but for some reason it never got any air play that I’ve been aware of.
I do have an original version of ’funky bubble gum’ version [same music, different words] if you would like to here it I can send you a copy of it. unfortunately I would only be able to send it to you on a cassette.
Venues played
Did the group perform any gigs, if so where did you play . . . venues etc and who with?
Unfortunately we did not play any ’name’ places etc. When under contract with Irwin Levine we were supposed to have gone on tour and hook up with a band called The Electric Flag, we made it as far as the TV Guide booklet that we were to appear on a show called ’Summer At The Pier’, this was all put together for the release of the record which all of it fell through.
Here’s a promo picture of The Bex who would change their name to The Purple Avalanche with the same line-up.
L-R: Kevin McCabe (lead singer) Ernie Riog (drums) Chris Jones (lead guitar) and Bill Marquart (vocals/rhythm guitar). Sadly Bill passed away last year.
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Hi. I stumbled across your YouTube video of “When I Saw Her”. Interesting to hear that record… Billy Marquart was my cousin (he passed away in 2011).
The original band was called the BEKS (Billy, Ernie, Kevin, and Sandy). Changed it to BEX when Chris Jones replaced Sandy as the bass player.
They were popular in Metuchen in the late sixties, playing in the Battle of the Bands and at the local CYO dances, etc.
Billy continued to pursue music as a sideline, but he worked for a local school system as his day job.
I have some of his later music, but as far as I know, it was never available commercially. I heard that Kevin went on to do some solo work. I think that Ernie Roig lives in Florida. I don’t know about Chris Jones.
Thanks for finding and posting the song.
Jim Halpin
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