Green Fuz

The Green Fuz were an American garage rock band in the late 1960s known for their one single, "Green Fuz", which has become a classic of the genre and was covered by The Cramps. On the single, the band was identified as Randy Alvey & Green Fuz.

The group was formed in Bridgeport, Texas. The members were Randy Alvey (vocals), Mike Pearce (drums), Jimmy Mercer (rhythm guitar), Les Dale (lead guitar), and R.E. (Buck) Houchins (bass). Alvey and Pearce formed their first group, the Psychedelic Reactions, in 1967, and after some personnel changes they became "The Green Fuz" - named after Dale's green fuzz box. They played at dances and clubs, and gained enough local popularity to persuade the co-owner of Wash-Tex Records, Shorty Hendrix, to record their self-written theme song.

The recording took place in a deserted roadside cafe, chosen for its acoustics, and was issued locally in 1969. It was not a success, largely because the primitive recording techniques led to a muffled sound, which has subsequently contributed to its cult appeal.

The record resurfaced on a prominent garage rock compilation album, Pebbles, Volume 2 in the late 1970s and has since appeared on many similar compilation albums. One of these compilation albums, Acid Dreams Epitaph is subtitled "75 Minutes of Green Fuz". The band gained additional fans when "Green Fuz" was covered by the Cramps on their 1981 album "Psychedelic Jungle". Alvey, Pearce and Houchins were later involved in another group, Natchez.

The Ponderosa Stomp, New Orleans, featured Green Fuz, in 2008, after its founder, Dr Ira Padnos found Les Dale in Virginia Beach, VA, retired, after two decades in the US Navy. Dale wrote "Green Fuz," which has now become a "cult classic."

External links

* [http://www.rimpo.de/greenfuz.html Interview with Randy Alvey]