From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Nov 26, 2003  6:33 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : The Fendermen

THE FENDERMEN (By Tony Wilkinson)

Born:Jim Sundquist, 26 November 1937, Niagara, Wisconsin

Phil Humphrey, 26 November 1937, Madison (other sources have Stoughton), Wisconsin.

The Fendermen are classified as a 'one hit wonder' but, with their
interpretation of 'Mule Skinner Blues, what a hit. Aptly described on the
Sundazed re-issue of their sole album as crazed, pickled-in-reverb hoot-fest
with Jimmie Rodgers meeting The Ventures on a three-day bender, this is
wonderful unique and original music.

The Fendermen basically comprised Phil Humphrey on vocals and rhythm guitar and
Jim Sundquist on lead guitar. The story is that both Phil and Jim had his own
band in the late fifties and each played a Fender guitar. They met up at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison where they joined forces as a duo. Come 1959,
the guys recorded their version of 'Mule Skinner Blues', a song originally by
Jimmie Rodgers back in the thirties as 'Blue Yodel No. 8', along with another
tune titled 'Janice'. In December of that year, record salesman Ronny Conway
passed the resulting tape to Jim Kirchstein at Cuca records with the request to
release the pair of songs as a single on his label. In January 1960, Kirchstein
did just that as he sensed commercial potential. Allocating Cuca catalogue #
1003, he ordered 300 copies from RCA as a custom pressing and began to send out
copies of 'Mule Skinner Blues' to radio stations around the country. A DJ in
Lincoln Nebraska started to play it heavily, as did Lindy Shannon on station
WKBH in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Demand for the disc was created but Kirchstein
could not get RCA to press up further copies for a few weeks.

Meanwhile Amos Heilicher of Soma Records had heard of this disc breaking out and
offered to lease the recording and issue it on his label. According to Jim,
Amos offered Kirchstein 10 cents per record sold which Jim accepted. However
the returned contract stated a 6 cents royalty return. Heilicher had the
Fendermen re-record 'Mule Skinner Blues' and a different flip side, this time a
tune titled 'Torture' (for which Heilicher had the publishing). These were laid
down at Vernon Bank's Kay Bank Studio in Minneapolis (where Dave Dudley's 'Six
Days On The Road' and The Trashmen's Surfin' Bird' were cut). The disc issued
on Soma # 1137 received national exposure and in April 1960 reached position
five on the Billboard chart. The Fendermen appeared on Dick Clark's 'American
Bandstand' and went on a national tour. The disc was released around the world
and appeared on Top Rank JAR 395 in the UK. The touring version of The
Fendermen at this time included John Haur, Barry Andrews and Jack McManus.

However Kirchstein had not received any royalties and so instigated legal
action. Two weeks before trial date, an out of court settlement was reached
with Heilicher paying Kirchstein $50,000. After payment of legal fees, Jim was
left with $9,000.

The Fendermen were now Soma recording artists and the follow up was a revival of
Huey Smith's 'Don't You Just Know It' coupled with the instrumental 'Beach
Party' (Soma # 1142). These titles were laid down at the aforementioned Kay
Bank Studio and the musicians included Dale Denny on bass and back-up vocals.
Work was also started on an album. At first, Soma released the wrong version of
'Don't You Just Know it' in which Phil Humphrey sang the verses in the incorrect
order. This was quickly rectified but the disc only managed to bubble under the
Hot 100.

In reality, in chart making terms The Fendermen were finished but Soma released
a third single in 1961 titled 'Heartbreakin' Special' c/w 'Can't You Wait' (Soma
# 1155).

The record label also issued an album titled (unsurprisingly) 'Mule Skinner
Blues' (Soma #MG 1240) either in 1960 or 1961.

Sometime around here, Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey went their separate ways.
Jim recorded the single ''Cocaine Blues' c/w 'Molly And Ten Brooks' under the
name of Jimmy Sun and the Radiants which was released on Cuca #1046 in 1961.
This was a clear attempt at trying to recapture the magic of 'Mule Skinner
Blues' but was commercially still born. This band later renamed themselves The
Muleskinners and had a release with 'Wolfman' c/w 'Everglades' on Soma 1418 in
1964. As for Phil, there was a release on Sassy 00284/5 sometime in the early
to mid sixties with another version of 'Don't You Just Know It' c/w 'Popeye'.
This was credited to Phil Humphrey & The Fendermen featuring Dave & Izzy. Later
the Fendermen took a distinctly Canadian look when seemingly Butch McGillis, Al
Girard and Gary Triska of the Edmonton based group The Rock-A-Tunes became
members. There is also the track 'Green Sleaves' by Phil Humphrey's Fendermen
that was included on the 1996 Swedish issued CD 'Cuca Records - Rock 'n' Roll
Story'. Interestingly enough, the same CD has 'Rocky Road Blues' by The Mule
Skinners but it is not clear whether there is any connection with The Fendermen.

In 1999, Jim Sundquist clearly hankered after the earlier days as he recorded
and released the CD album 'Jim Sundquist & His Fendermen 2000: The Big
Requests'. The following year, Sundquist was featured on a re-recording of
'Beach party' that was included on the 'Ultra Modern' album by The Vibro Champs
(Sci-Fi Western 8324). A search of the web has revealed that Jim is still
playing live gigs and that his son runs a musical instruments store in the Green
Bay area.

The Fendermen may have only had one hit but it was a scorcher.

Suggested Listening:

Dee Jay Jamboree DJ-CD 55020 'Mule Skinner Blues' - 1995

(Two tracks included on this CD are by a different Fendermen with no connection
to Messrs. Sundquist and Humphrey).

Sci-Fi Western 8320 'The Big Requests' - 1999

Simitar/Plum 1404 2 'Good Morning Captain: The Best Of
The Fendermen' - 2000

Sundazed/Beat Rocket BR 116 'Mule Skinner Blues'- 2000 (vinyl)

Discography: http://members.tripod.com/hoppula/fendermen.htm