After playing music for about a year, Connor Corkill (nee Eddie Gonzales) joined Jim Doval & The Gauchos and soon found himself performing on national audience in front of millions. Although the band landed a regular role on Shindig it was, ironically, their failure to secure an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that led to their breakup in 1966.
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An Interview With Connor Corkill
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Connor Corkill (CC): I first got interested in music as a four- or five-year old, hearing the radio that my mom played--Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Perry Como, etc.--and also a set of tango music that my dad played a lot.
60s: Was Jim Doval & The Gauchos your first band?
CC: My first band was called The Dandies from Visalia. I played drums for them for one year before Jimmy hired me for The Gauchos. Insidentally, Steve Quesada, lead guitar, was the leader of The Dandies and broke up the band when he was hired with The Gauchos (I joined six months later).
60s: When and where was Jim Doval & The Gauchos formed?
CC: Jim Doval (Sandoval) and Jose Silva, his bass player and my best friend for many years, started the band in Fresno, California. I don't know what year it was formed, since I joined after it was established. I took the place of Marty Murillo, their first drummer, who also gave me drum lessons before joining them.
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| The original Gauchos with Marty Murillo drumming, prior to Corkill joining |
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60s: Who all comprised the band at the time you joined?
CC: Jim Doval, leader and played rhythm guitar, organ, and flugelhorn; Jose Silva, bass guitar; Steve Quesada, lead guitar; Al Lopez, saxaphone and flute; Kelly Smith, drums, vibraphones; Eddie Gonzales (that's me before changing my name to Connor Edward Gonzales Corkill), drums, organ, vibraphone, trumpet. I now use my mom's maiden name, Corkill.
60s: How would you best describe Jim Doval & The Gauchos' sound?
CC: Our band's sound was mainly rhythm and blues. We did a lot of Motown and funk, soul songs. Our influences were old blues greats, James Brown, and Motown artists.
60s: What type of gigs did you mostly play?
CC: We played mostly night clubs in Fresno, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, but also casino showrooms, and concerts and county fairs.
60s: What were some of the clubs where you performed?
CC: We played The Whisky A-Go Go, The Troubadour, and others in Hollywood that I can't recall the names of right now.
60s: How far was your touring territory?
CC: We mainly played in California and Nevada but toured over 40 states in 1965 on the Shindig Tour.
60s: Did Jim Doval & The Gauchos have a manager?
CC: We had two managers: Bill Silva, who was getting us the Shindig and Hollywood gigs, and Al Verissimo, who got linked with Coast Artists Booking Agency and who booked nightclubs and other gigs like fairs, concerts, and showrooms in casinos.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the band's opportunity to record?
CC: We needed to record original music in order to play and get booked for the Shindig TV shows and, since I was not a songwriter at that time, we got material from other songwriters. I had only been playing one year on the drums when I got the job with The Gauchos as a teenager. I was 19 years old.
60s: Where did Jim Doval & The Gauchos record?
CC: I remember recording in San Francisco, where Sly and The Family Stone recorded (I can't remember the name). We also recorded at a studio in Hollywood. I think it was called Sunset Recording, or something to that effect. There were others, too, but I don't know the names.
I wish I had some of our old recordings but I don't. Jim might have them. Jose Silva played bass with me with The Stone Parade, a very good band, and went on to play bass for The Righteous Brothers for many years. He might have some of our recordings. We recorded 'Uptown Caballero,' 'Fireball,' 'Boney Maroni,' 'She's A Very Nice Girl,' 'Annue YaYa,' 'Out Of Sight,' and 'Hey, Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut,' among others.
60s: Did the band write an original songs?
CC: None of us were songwriters. I think the song 'Fireball' was written by the band but it was just an instrumental. We needed songs from other sources.
60s: How did the band land the regular Shindig appearances?
CC: Bill Silva helped to get us the Shindig shows by promoting the hell out of us--the "gaucho" look with long hair tied into a bun, and outfits that made us look like matadors. Ha ha. He was good.
60s: What was a typical Shindig day like?
CC: A typical Shindig show was one day at the recording studio to record the songs we were to play on the show. The next day was "dress rehearsal" and the third day we'd tape with a live audience.
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| Jim Doval & The Gauchos on Shindig |
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60s: Did you make any other TV appearances?
CC: We were booked to do The Ed Sullivan Show but something happened internally that, even to this day, I can't explain why it fell through. The band broke up shortly after that. I don't have any film footage of our performances but there are a couple of songs on YouTube with Boris Karloff on Halloween (on Shindig) that you may find interesting. We play 'Boney Maroni' and some other songs on it.
60s: When and why did the band break up?
CC: The band broke up in 1966 and the main reason was because of the discontent of the band members with the direction the group was going in. It started with the loss of The Ed Sullivan Show that we were supposed to do; it's a long story.
60s: How do you best describe your experiences with Jim Doval and The Gauchos?
CC: My experience with Jim Doval and The Gauchos was great. I was the youngest in the group and was in awe of everything around me and the immediate success that I had after playing music for only one year. I started writing songs right after that and now have written over 300 songs. I mainly play my B-3 Hammond organ, guitars, bass guitar, harmonica, drums, and various percussion instruments. I received my music degree in the '80s and am now recording my songs here in Visalia at BackTrack Studios.
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| Stone Parade: Connor Corkill is seated |
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