The Hudson Brothers

The Hudson Brothers were an American musical group formed in Portland, Oregon, consisting of brothers Bill, Brett and Mark Hudson. They were discovered by a record producer while recording music at a local studio, and offered a recording contract. After releasing several garage rock singles in the late 1960s as the New Yorkers, the group began releasing material under the names Everyday Hudson, and Hudson.They garnered fame as teen idols in the 1970s after their prime-time series debuted as a summer replacement for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour in 1974. The resulting popularity led to their Saturday-morning half-hour sketch comedy series for CBS, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show, which ran from 1974 to 1975. They also released several hit singles during this time for producer Bernie Taupin, including "So You Are a Star" (1974), "Rendezvous" (1975), "Lonely School Year" (1975), and "Help Wanted" (1976).The Hudson Brothers had their beginnings as a trio composed of teenage brothers Bill, Mark and Brett Hudson in the early 1960s. The three brothers had been raised in Portland, Oregon, by their Italian American mother who was also a singer and encouraged the boys to play music. Early on, the three brothers had formed a band known as the My Sirs.After winning several local "battle of the bands"-type contests, the group recorded several songs at a local recording studio, where they received the attention of a local promoter, who offered them a contract promoting Chrysler automobiles. They were subsequently renamed The New Yorkers, after the Chrysler model of the same name. In early 1967, their song "Things Are Changin'" was issued on a promotional-only 45 for the Chrysler 1967 Go Show (b/w a song by another group, the Fury 4), after which they signed with Scepter. Their first Scepter 45 was issued in the spring of 1967, "When I'm Gone" b/w "You're Not My Girl" (SCE-12190) on Scepter Records, which became a radio hit in the Pacific Northwest. This was followed in August 1967 with the single "Seeds of Spring" b/w "Mr. Kirby" (SCE-12199). The B-side was favored by DJs and became a top 10 hit in the Portland area and did well in other regional markets but did not chart nationally. Their final Scepter 45 was "Show Me the Way to Love" b/w "Again" (SCE-12207) in autumn, 1967. To support the singles, the group toured with several popular music acts, such as Buffalo Springfield, The Supremes, Johnny Nash, and The Buckinghams. By October 1968, The New Yorkers had switched to Jerry Dennon's Pacific Northwest label Jerden Records and issued "Adrianne" (#906), following that up with "Land of Ur" (#908) in March 1969. Later in 1969 The New Yorkers also recorded the Harry Nilsson song "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" (#32569) for Decca Records. The Scepter and Jerden recordings, excluding "You're Not My Girl" but including the previously unissued "Lazy Meadow," were included on the 1978 "cash-in" album, TV's The Hudson Brothers, issued on the First American label. (The New Yorkers, which recorded "Lonely" for Warner Bros. is not the same group.)On Decca Records they changed their name to Everyday Hudson in early 1970, releasing "Laugh, Funny Funny" (later revived for their 1974 CBS summer replacement series) b/w "Love Is the Word" (#32634). For the release in spring 1971 of "The World Would Be a Little Bit Better" bw "Love Nobody" on Lionel Records (L-3211), their name was shortened to Hudson. They had one further release on Lionel issued only in Canada, "Straight Up and Tall" (an early version of the song they later re-recorded for the Rocket label) b/w "Enough." This name was also used in 1972 after switching to the newly re-activated Playboy Records, with the release of "Leavin' It's Over" (P-50001), (Billboard Bubbling Under Chart #110). The single made the top ten in some local markets, including Omaha, where it reached #8. When the group's self-titled debut album was released in 1972, the song was re-titled on the lyrics inside the LP as "Leave and It's Over". It was later reissued when Playboy was acquired by CBS. One further Playboy single was released only in Canada, with "Lovely Lady" as the A-side.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.