The “battle of the bands” concept wasn’t invented during the 1960s, when hundreds of teen bands began springing up in suburban garages in the wake of the rise of surf music and, a bit later, the Beatles-led British Invasion. But the shifts in pop music tastes definitely sparked a renaissance in the band contests.
Pop culture historians have traced the phenomenon back to the swing band era of the 1930s and 1940s, when popular bandleaders would face off in “battles” that drew thousands of fans.
One such event took place at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem on Jan. 16, 1938, pitting bandleader Chick Webb and singer Ella Fitzgerald against Count Basie and singer Billie Holliday. (Downbeat magazine proclaimed Webb’s group the winner.)
The “battles” between marching bands at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), that grew in popularity during the 1940s, are another antecedent. These involved rival marching bands showing off elaborate dance steps while performing their musical numbers during football game halftime shows.
The Hollywood Bowl revived the concept on a large scale in Los Angeles with the introduction of its Battle of the Bands competition in 1959. The competition showcased school-age musicians in various categories such as school bands, vocalists, small pop and jazz combos and solo instrumentalists.
The Richard Carpenter Trio famously won its category for its June 25, 1966 performance in the competition. The trio, including Richard Carpenter on keyboards, his 16-year-old sister Karen on drums and Wes Jacob on upright bass, played a selection of jazz and pop instrumentals. (Karen did not sing.)
The idea began to spread to other venues and cities large and small. The Teenage Fair, an annual event held at the Hollywood Palladium beginning in 1962, almostalways included a battle of the bands. This time, the performers were strictly rock ‘n’ roll groups, unlike the Bowl contests. The Fair’s enormous popularity waned during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it was discontinued after 1972.
Various South Bay cities, civic groups and promoters picked up on the idea and began sponsoring local “battles” during the 1960s.
Those held in the earlier years of the decade featured mostly dance bands and surf instrumental combos. Those held following the stateside arrival of the Beatles and Rolling Stones included bands attempting to incorporate elements of the British sounds in a harder-edged style that would later be labeled “garage rock.”
The battles often were held in cities with sponsored youth activities programs based in a teen center. Redondo Beach’s Hideout Youth Canteen was just such a program. Sponsored by the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, it was located on the campus of Redondo Union High.
In addition to its dances and social activities, the Hideout Youth Canteen also held regular annual band “battles” from 1963 to 1966. By 1965, the contest was popular enough to be moved to the Redondo Beach City Park bandshell. Eight groups participated on Aug. 8th, including the Toads From Sleepy Hollow, Ye Coachmen, and Diane and the Invaders.
In Torrance, the Police Officers Association sponsored regular dances at the former downtown Grand Theater movie house on Cravens Ave. starting in 1963. The dances regularly attracted 700-800 youths, according to police, and featured an ongoing battle of the bands.
The Hawaiian-shirt-clad combo Bay Sounds Inc. won the August 1965 battle of the bands held during the weeklong Island Fair festival at Valley Drive and Manhattan Beach Blvd. in Manhattan Beach.
Lomita got into the act with battle of the bands events in 1967 and 1968 held at the Lomita Recreation Center gym in Lomita Park. Eight bands participated in the 1967 battle, which was hosted by KHJ disc jockey The Real Don Steele.
Hawthorne held its first community battle of the bands contest at the Hawthorne Memorial Center in April 1968 in an event sponsored by the local Jaycees and the Hawthorne Youth Canteen.
The ten-piece band Symbols of Time won the title at the Hawthorne event. The group of Torrance High students, which also won a national battle of the bands event in Atlantic City, included David Pack.
Pack would go on to form the successful 1970s group Ambrosia with Symbols bandmate Joe Puerta, The band’s hit, “Holdin’ on to Yesterday,” co-written by Pack and Huerta, reached #17 on the Billboard music charts in 1975.
The battle of the bands phenomenon lost steam by the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the events became less frequent.
But not before Westchester’s own homegrown rock stars, The Turtles, celebrated the idea with their 1968 concept album, “The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands,” which featured the band playing as different imaginary bands on each track.
Sources:
Daily Breeze archives.
Los Angeles Times archives.
Redondo Reflex archives.
“Webb vs. Basie,” by Michael Aubrecht, Off Beat With Michael Aubrecht blog, Nov. 18, 2019.
Wikipedia.
