The Churls

The Churls were formed in Toronto 1967 and by that summer they were playing gigs at venues such as the Penny Farthing, Rock Pile and Charlie Browns - they gained a reputation as one of the loudest bands around. The band was spotted by the Everly Brothers (in town playing at the King Edward hotel) who made some connections happen and the The Churls were signed to Glotzer and Katz Management (who also managed Blood, Sweat & Tears) by the winter of 1967.

They headed to New York in early 1968 and became houseband at both Cafe a Go-Go and The Scene. From there they moved to Hollywood where they played at The Whiskey a Go-Go, the Experience, and the Electric Circus - they were picked up by Herb Alpert’s A&M records and put out their first (self-titled) album with the band dressed in medieval garb on the cover. From that album is Crystal Palace:

The band consisted of Bob O' Neill on vocals, guitarists Sam Hurrie and Harry Southworth Ames, bassist John Barr and drummer Brad Fowles. In 1969 they put out their second album (Send Me No Flowers), but by this point A&M had lost interest and didn’t release any singles and so the band soon returned to Toronto and disbanded.