From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Tue Feb 18, 2003  1:16 am  - UPDATED 6 JANUARY 2004
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Skip Battin
 
SKIP BATTIN

Born Clyde R. Battin, Jr., 18 February 1934, Gallapolis, Ohio
Died 6 July 2003, Silverton, OR

Skip Battin was one half of the duo Skip and Flip who scored two Top 20
hits in 1959-60, "It Was I" and "Cherry Pie", both peaking at # 11.
Flip was Gary Paxton (born 18 May 1938, Coffeyville, Arkansas). Both had
moved to Tucson, Arizona, as youngsters. Battin was playing in a country
group called Earl Mock and the Mockingbirds when he first met Paxton, at
which point they decided to form their own rock 'n' roll band, the Pledges.

This group recorded two singles for the Rev label in 1958. Battin and Paxton
next recorded as Gary and Clyde (also for Rev) and left a couple of sides in
the can, including "It Was I", written by Paxton. Soon after that, Gary's folks
moved to Eugene, Oregon, but Battin kept a band going using the Pledges'
name. "About eight months after Gary and I had split up", Battin remembers,
"I got a surprise package in the mail from the people at Rev containing a new
record by someone called Skip & Flip. The letter said: 'hope you don't mind
but we've sold your master to Brent Records in New York. Hope you don't
mind the name change.' Battin didn't mind after the record took off in a big 
way. Soon he was rejoined by Paxton and as Skip and Flip (a tag dreamed 
up by arranger Leroy Kirkland) they made quite a few records for Brent.

Meanwhile, Paxton had also started producing records and as a producer he
scored two # 1 hits, "Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles (1960) and "Monster
Mash" by Bobby Pickett (1962), the latter on his own Garpax label. Together
with Kim Fowley (who produced the Skip and Flip records), Paxton was also 
the man behind the the Rivingtons ("Papa Oom Mow Mow") and the instru-
mental recordings of Paul Revere and the Raiders ("Like Long Hair" etc.).

Battin went on to record a solo album, formed a country-rock group in the
mid-60s (the Evergreen Blueshoes), was a member of the Byrds for three
years (1970-73), then of New Riders of the Purple Sage (1974-76) and after
that of the Flying Burrito Brothers (1976-81 and again 1985-87). He retired
from performing in 1998 and is reported to be in poor health.

The CD Rockin' On Broadway (Ace 758) has three tracks by Skip and Flip
and one by Chuck & the Chuckles, another incarnation of Battin and Paxton.

More info: 
http://www.starclustermusic.de/artists/byrds/battin/bio/biotext/battin1.htm
Discography: http://www.byrdmaniax.com/byrds/battindiscog.html