1968-1977

(DOCUMENTED BY EUGENE HOUCK)

1968

HERE IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN! FALL OF 1968, SHELDON DRIVE & THE FIRST PHOTO OF RON & SUE TOGETHER.

1969

VALLEJO SERVICEMENS APPRECIATION CLUB
MARCH 69
ONE OF OUR FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCES
(STEREO MARACAS!)

WHO NEEDS A P.A.?
(LIKE GROOVY GONGOS MAN!)

APRIL 1969

SUMMER OF 69 REHEARSAL AT CHUCKS FOR GENE MONROES DAUGHTERS WEDDING.

EUGENE GETS RID OF THE BONGO'S AND PICKS UP GARY STONES $50.00 HARMONY BASS GUITAR. HOUCK AND SCOTT HIRES SIDE MUSICIANS GARY CHESTER ON GUITAR & CHUCK MOSCHETTI ON DRUMS.

EUGENES FIRST JOB ON BASS

RON'S FIRST POST "JUST FIVE" SONG.
CO-WRITTEN W/ GARY STONE.

RON AND EUGENE'S FIRST COLLABORATION. AFTER MONTHS OF COAXING BY BIG BROTHER RON AND DAD.

A BEAUTIFUL BALLAD..."OH JANE".

OUR FIRST POSTER (CIRCA 1969)

FROM "CHICKEN LITTLE" AND "OH JANE" OUR SONGWRITING VASTLY IMPROVED IN 1969. "CAN'T BREAK AWAY" WAS BY FAR OUR MOST POPULAR SONG THAT YEAR.

TRANSCRIBED HERE IN THIS ROUGH DRAFT FOR COPYRIGHT BY VERN ORR.

WE HATED BEING CALLED "FOLK SINGERS".

WE WERE CALLED BY MANY MIS-PRONOUNCIATIONS AND SPELLINGS BUT THANK GOD WE WERE ONLY CALLED "LOVE LIFE AND LIVE" ONCE!

"OK GUYS NOW CLOSE YOUR EYES AND POINT!"

SAT. NOV. 1, 1969

FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS WE CORRESPONDED WITH "GEORGE AND DORA LIBERACE"

APRIL 24TH 1970
W/ CHUCK MOSCHETTI (DRUMS)
GARY CHESTER (LEAD GUITAR)

OUR "ONE IN NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE" TURNED INTO A LONG STEADY
SUE GOT THIS JOB GOING WHEN SHE WORKED FOR A WHILE AS A WAITRESS.

SHE SPILLED HER FIRST PLATE OF SPAGHETTI ON SOMEONE. BY FAR A BETTER SINGER THAN A WAITRESS! 

BIG TIME W/ A COVER CHARGE

OUR "2ND" POSTER

MAKING IT BIG IN EL SOBRANTE! 

EL SOBRANTE HERALD.(NICE BOOKING AGENT?!)

ARTIE?! #14%!

WAY TO GO "SUSIE"

OUR FIRST ROAD GIG
OCT 25TH 1969

(DO YOU THINK HE MEANT DRUMS?)

OUR FIRST REVIEW

WE AT LEAST SURVIVED...

1970

BESIDE DRAGSTRIPS AND SUPERMARKETS WE WERE BIG AT RECORDS STORES.

GO ON RON IT'LL MAKE HAIR GROW ON YOUR TEETH!
(LEE SHAPIRO'S HOUSE PARTY)

PORT COSTA'S WAREHOUSE RESTAURANT
LASTED FOR ALOT OF SUNDAYS

WORKING FOR TIPS AND THE BEST SANDWICH IN THE BAY AREA!

ONE IN A LONG LIST OF "EXPOSURE" JOBS...

GARY HANLON OF THE "INDEPENDENT" HELPED ALOT IN THE EARLY YEARS WITH MANY ARTICLES

SUE WAS ALWAYS BEING COMPARED TO JANIS JOPLIN. SOMETHING SHE GOT TIRED OF.

USUALLY THEY MESSED UP THE SPELLING OF "HOUCK", HERE SUE "COTT" EYES HER FUTURE.

MAY 17, 1970
KLAMATH FALLS TRIP

ON THE ROAD AGAIN! 
SPRING OF 1970
OREGON TECH UNIVERSITY CONCERT.

STUDENT FATHER DAY. OUR BIGGEST PAY DAY $750.00!

NOTICE SOUND TECHNICIAN HARD AT WORK WITH HIS SHURE VOCAL MASTER

OUR "SECOND" TELEVISION DEBUT

WE WERE RECORDING AT WALLY HEIDER STUDIO'S IN 1970 WITH THIS PRODUCTION CONTRACT.

4TH OF JULY PT. RICHMOND CELEBRATION

WAIT A MINUTE THE FAKE HORNS WEREN'T UNTIL BROTHER MOUSE!
(PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHUCK CHOATE)

DOING HER FAMOUS "SUMMERTIME" IN SUMMERTIME

1971

DENNIS (DRUMS) PATTERSONS FIRST JOB WITH US. DAVID BURGIN APPEARED W/ US. HIS FIRST PAYING STAGE JOB (HARMONICA)

OUR FIRST COMMERCIAL SUNG TO THE TUNE OF "WALK IN THE RAIN"

THE SUMMERHOUSE WAS OUR FIRST JOB ON S.F.'S UNION ST.

OAKLANDS A.G.E STORE
JULY 17, 1971

SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AT VALLEJO'S A.G.E STORE

MILITARY GIGS WITH WALT SEXTON ON DRUMS

FAMILY DOG ON THE GREAT HIGHWAY

THE "COOL" LOOK

JIPI'S SAUSALITO
SUMMER/FALL 1971

RUSSOS     BURLINGAME     71-72     W/ DENNIS PATTERSON DRUMS

THE DRINKING GOURD ON UNION ST.
WAS OUR FAVORITE PLACE TO PERFORM
FROM 1971 - 1974

LET'S FORGET
ABOUT THIS ONE

NOV. 30, 1971 
PSA WOUNDED VIET NAM VETERANS PERFORMANCE AT OAKLAND AIRPORT

WE DID THIS CHRISTMAS SHOW 2 YEARS IN A ROW FOR THE WOUNDED VIET-NAM VETERANS

1971 cHUCKCHOTE PHOTOGRAPHER

1972

CHUCK (GUITAR) ARONSOW JOINED US W/ DENNIS PATTERSON
1972 (COOPERAGE AND CHARLEY BROWNS)

TILDEN PARK

GET DOWN!

GET DOWN!

1973

BRUCE RUSHER FOLLOWED ON LEAD GUITAR FALL 73 - DEC 74

1972 DROPPED THE DRUMS ADDED LEO COLLINGNON ON GUITAR THRU FALL OF 73

"THOUGH I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE"
GENE / 1973

LOGO OF OUR RECORD CO.
WHICH ALMOST RELEASED
"SINGING IN THE BATHTUB"
"I WOULDN'T GIVE IN"

AMPEX COVER SHOOTING 
SUMMER 73

"THOUGH I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE"
SUE / 1973

"SING ME MY OWN SONG" / 1973

1974

WITH BRUCE WE TRAVELED TO EL PASO, TEXAS
FROM THERE OUR TOUR CONVENIENTLY WENT TO...

"HOUCH" STRIKES AGAIN!

WE STAYED AT THE HOTEL AND THIS BECAME ONE OF OUR FAVORITE ENGAGEMENTS FOR US AS WELL AS THE FRIENDS WHO CRASHED IN OUR ROOMS.

"HAWK"?

3RD TIME IS A CHARM

I NEVER FIGURED OUT WHO THIS WAS

HOUCK & SCOTT RETURNED IN THE FALL OF 74
AND "THE BROTHER MOUSE BAND WAS BORN"

(YES, IT WAS RON'S IDEA)

1975

BROTHER MOUSE BAND 3/75 PALO ALTO WINERY
BULLITT GIBSON, MISS LILY, TRULEY VALLEY

HOUCK & SCOTT AND BROTHER MOUSE BAND
3/29/75 GOLDEN GATE PARK

LAKE MERRIT CONCERT 
APRIL 19TH, 1975
(YES, WE WERE ONCE HIPPIES)

WITH JO ANN THE WHOLE GANG. THIS IS WHEN WE ALL LIVED AT THE 2460 FORDHAM, SAN PABLO WITH SHERRI SULLIVAN ALSO.

BROTHER MOUSE BAND 
HOLIDAY INN MONTEREY 9/74

NEXT STOP (WITHOUT BUSHES)
RENO NEV.
FIRST THE ORMSBY HOUSE FOR A MONTH
FALL OF 75 THEN HOWARD JOHNSONS SPARKS

WE GOT DOWNTOWN
AFTER THAT AT THE MAPES

ARMED WITH BROTHER MOUSE WE ENJOYED OUR BEST AUDIENCES AT THE "FRONT ROOM" IN ALAMEDA

FROM A BRO USED AT THE TIME

AFTER RENO WE BEGAN TO WORK W/ MEDIA UNLIMITED (MGR. MIKE KANE)

WE BEGAN GETTING INTO THE "REFER CIRCUT"

1976

"WALK IN THE RAIN" / 1976

OUR BUSINESS CARDS TRIED TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH OUR CHANGING STYLES...

IN FALL OF 76' OUR TRIP DOWN SOUTH TO NEWPORT BEACH'S "CANNERY" MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE END (YET IT IS RECORDED ON VIDEO FOREVER). 

"OTHER PLACES" / 1976

"CHILDREN OF THE MEADOW" / 1976

"MAGIC MAN" / 1976

MAY 1976

"GIMME THAT WINE" / 1976

WE HAVE SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR LETTING ME GROW WITH YOU.