Song:1, 2, 3 Red Light
Album:The Best of the 1910 Fruitgum Company: Simon Says
The 1910 Fruitgum Company were part of the Kasenetz-Katz late 60s bubblegum music factory along with acts like Music Explosion and Ohio Express. They had three top five hits including 1, 2, 3 Red Light in 1968. Though Kasenetz-Katz frequently used studio musicians on their recordings, 1910 Fruitgum Company was a real band. They were from Linden, NJ which is a suburb of New York City. They were first known as Jeckyll and the Hydes led by guitarist Frank Jeckyll along with singer and keyboard player Mark Gutkowski, drummer Floyd Marcus, Pat Karwan and Steve Mortkowitz. The name change came when Jeckyll found a gum wrapper in his attic. So they met Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz at a diner and invited them to a gig. The band wanted to be a hard rock band like Vanilla Fudge. But Kasenetz-Katz had already had success with Music Explosion and Ohio Express. So the band knew what they were getting into. Apparently Kasenetz-Katz really liked Gutkowski's voice. Simon Says was the first 1910 Fruitgum Company single and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. 1, 2, 3 Red Light reached #5. And then in 1969, Indian Giver reached #5. Despite rumours that session singer Joey Levine sang lead as he did for Ohio Express, Mark Gutkowski sang all the lead vocals for 1910 Fruitgum Company. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. The end for 1910 Fruitgum Company came in 1969. The band never liked being labeled as bubblegum music and wanted to be a more serious hard rock band. Kasenetz-Katz dropped them and they split up. Frank Jeckyll reformed 1910 Fruitgum Company in recent years and they tour the nostalgia circuit. Here's 1910 Fruitgum Company performing 1, 2, 3 Red Light 1968.
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