The long saga of trial and struggle in the 60's
ARGYLES - ( Contributed by Chris Holzhaus ) BAND MEMBERS: Steve Perron - guitar,voc / Luis Cabaza - keys / Ben Trieber - bass / Steve Andersen - drums / Chris Holzhaus - guitar,voc.
Chris writes: "A weird mixture of Keystone, MacArthur, Jefferson, Cole and Alamo Heights grads...played t.a.g. ( teenage activity group) at Ft. Sam Houston as well as the TEEN CANTEEN in wonderland and THE DUMP on Austin hwy. ...they landed one Texas area hit produced by the world famous record producer Huey P. Meaux (Sir Douglas Quintet, BJ Thomas) the label was Crazy Cajun/Pic-One >A.side was " White Lightnin' " B.side was "Farmer John" (I'm in love with your daughter). The band later became" CHILDREN "and moved to LA in 67. Luis Cabaza recently returned to San Antonio from playing many years with Natalie Cole and the Gap Band (I dropped a bomb on you) and to marry his current wife Brenda (his High School sweetheart). Steve Perron and Ben Trieber both passed away accidentally within 3 years apart. Steve Andersen lives somewhere in San Antonio ...and you know where Chris is!"
Photo below: Steve Perron - guitar,voc / Luis Cabaza - keys / Ben Trieber - bass / Steve Andersen - drums / Chris Holzhaus - guitar,voc. NOTE: Lower right offstage is Kurt Linhof (blond guy with bass) who would go on to join other great bands in the future (including the Children).
(Contributed by 60sMan) 6man writes: "Ben Treiber died in about 1969 (about 3 years before Stevie Perron), Benny was a bass player for the Argyles. The Argyles formed the Minds Eye club mentioned in your website - yes it was across from Terrell Plaza on Austin Highway.Next door, there used to be a 50s type of drive called the Big Orange named after an orange drink they served with burgers etc. They had a canopy for parking and the very end was informally reserved for a group of hoodlums called the Big Orange Boys. The Big Orange boys latter shot Benny Trieber in the leg over a bad dope deal. The Argyles formed in 1965 and the Minds Eye opened in 1966."
THE CHILDREN - ( Contributed by Kenny Cordray ) Steve Perron-vocals & main songwriter / Cassell Webb-vocals / Louis Cabaza-key bass,keyboards,vocals,and arrangements / Jim Newhouse-drums,vocals / Kenny Cordray-guitar / (also Bill Ash - guitar / (also Chris Holzhaus-guitar).
Pre-fame photo of Kenny Cordray, Steve Perron, and Billy Gibbons.
Above photo contributed by Kenny Cordray.
Kenny writes: "The Children were originally from San Antonio.We recorded for Atco in the 60's (BILL ASH on guitar) and Ode records in the early 70's. Out of these sessions came '"Francine'' by Perron/Cordray which was the single off of ZZ TOP's Rio Grande Mud album. I went on to play with Wayne Cochran & CC Riders with Jaco Pastoruis, Cassel is producing records in New York, Louis performed in LA for over 15 yrs, and now is back in San Antonio playing. Jim Newhouse is living in Houston, and sadly Steve passed away in 73' ". Mike Lowell writes: I ran across numerous internet references to Kenny's accomplishments including song writing, session work, jazz festivals, and solo CD's. If you are in the Houston area, keep your eyes open for performances by this ex-Children member.
Below Left: 80's Photo of Kenny Cordray. Below right: 70's photo of Chris Holzhaus
Above photos contributed by Kenny Cordray and Chris Holzhaus.
( Contribution by Chris Holzhaus ) Chris writes: Kenny Cordray left out a whole section of Children info...the band was the ARGYLES and when we moved to California in 66 we became the Children (Davey Jones of Monkee fame was our mgr.)...then..we added Cassel Webb who lives in England now. Kenny didn't come into the band until the early 70's and wouldn't know much of our times in LA since he was 14 when he joined the band and I was gone already. He (Kenny) did later work with Wayne Cochran & CC Riders and did the lead guitar work on Skylark's hit "wildflower" (leslie guitar licks ..real good). I am surprized he didn't remember that session?...it was a big hit! Anyway...thought i'd throw that in...." ( Addition by Kenny Cordray ) Kenny writes: "I did not play on the studio track of "Wildflower" by Skylark but I did tour with them ."
( Contributed by Bill Ash ) Bill writes: "I was the lead guitar player for two Texas bands in the 60's. "The Stoics" and the "Children". I wrote the first Children single: "Picture Me" and about half the cuts on the Children's album "Re Birth". After I left the band to travel in Japan, Kenny Cordray joined them as their lead guitarist. The Children were taken to Hollywood by Davie Jones of the Monkees who recorded that single "Picture me" at the Beach Boy studio, and we spent the summer playing around LA in clubs like the Hullabaloo. When Davie Jones got ripped off by his manager (who was our guardian and manager as well) we went from nice clothes and apartment to having to crash in a friend's garage for a month. We finally burned out with no money or management support and returned to Houston, where we recorded our first album a year later which was picked up and released by ATCO (AtlanticRecords) and that is another story..."
Photos above contributed by Sam Kinsey
(Contributed by Kurt Linhof) Kurt writes: "The Children, last iteration (late 1970 to the end) after keyboardist/writer/arranger Louis Cabaza left the band, consisted of: Steve Perron - songwriting, vocals, occasional acoustic guitar or piano, Cassell Webb - vocals, percussion, Kenny Cordray - guitars, Jim Newhouse - drums and percussion devices, Kurt Linhof - bass, lap steel. As stated already on the website, Steve died. Cassell, living in London, has released 7 albums/CD's on Virgin in Europe, and engineers part-time at Abbey Road. She is also doing production engineering with Craig Leone, on projects ranging from Blondie to Pavarotti. Kenny has cut a couple of CD's but not released them, Jim is on the verge of playing again, in Houston, and now 8 years out of rehab, I'm recording demos of 25 years worth of new tunes. While the Children were going through some changes, in '70, before Dusty and Frank came along, I played bass with Billy G. as he developed his sound, although Reed Farrell had a lot more to do with ZZ's original sound than I did. The only concept Billy and I fully developed that I've ever heard is the music to Morphine's "Buena," but it could be just a stone coincidence. My only good story from that period: Kenny Cordray was in a car wreck a couple of days before the Children were to open for B.B. King, in Huntsville, and instead of canceling, I convinced Steve to let Billy fill in, which is the first time he heard "Francene," a tune of Steve and Kenny's we had just cut as a demo. It came out as ZZ's first or second single, and the Children fell apart and never officially released it, although it is on a bootleg CD with 6 other demos on Collectible Records. Then in '74 or '75 I came up with "Arrested For Driving While Blind", Billy copped it, and although I got $500 down, songwriting credit and royalties are, naturally, Gibbons, Hill, Beard. Life goes on. My one brush with notoriety. I've seen it on a list of the 25 worst rock songs ever, for political incorrectness."
(Contributed by Steve Trowbridge) ST writes: "Mike, When I found this, I thought, this is exactly the kind of stuff (MikesBandArchive) would like. All kinds of familiar names pop-up in this Bio. I sent a correction to them about Chris' misspelled last name." To read a very in-depth history of the Children saga brought to my attention by Steve Trowbridge, click the link HERE .
Poster below in tribute to the late Steve Perron
Poster contributed by Karen Torgerson
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