Song:Run Run Run
Album:The Gestures
This 1964 garage band classic actually charted nationally and like a lot of hits from the mid-60s, it has a following much larger than its original impact. It's a great song. The Gestures were from Mankato, MN led by lead singer, main songwriter and guitarist Dale Menten along with Gus Dewey on guitar, Tom Klugherz on bass and Bruce Waterston on drums. The were originally called The Jesters but that was a common band name so they just changed it to The Gestures. They signed with Minneapolis record company Soma Records and despite Soma not having national distribution, Run Run Run reached #44 on the Billboard Hot 100. Soma was owned by wholesale record distributor Amos Hellicher. He released records regionally and if they became popular, he would sell the contracts to larger labels. He did that with Bobby Vee in 1959. The Gestures only released two singles and split up so it doesn't look like they were around long enough for Hellicher to sell them off. You can get Run Run Run on Rhino's Nuggets box set but this CD from Sundazed has songs that were intended for an unreleased Gestures album. They were able to do that because Dale Menten is still in the music business. He has recorded solo albums including one on MCA in the 80s. And he has composed for films and TV, most notably the 1976 film The Lifeguard starring Sam Elliott and the TV series Pointman. Run Run Run is a must for fans of garage rock. Here's a video for Run Run Run by The Gestures.
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