Though formed in Ft. Worth, Texas, The Neurotic Sheep moved to Baton Rogue, Louisiana, where they recorded at Paula Studios. Bassist Charlie Mitchell was one of the two original founding member, and was with the group for their recording sessions (the 'Season Of The Witch' b/w 'I'm Free' 45 on Bofuz) and remained a member until they disbanded in 1970.
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| The Neurotic Sheep, 1968: Charlie Mitchell, Mike Harrison, Arvel Stricklin and Mike McClain (drummer Jas Stephens not pictured) |
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An Interview With Charlie Mitchell
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Charlie Mitchell (CM): My dad was a working country musician. He showed me my first chords.
60s: Was The Neurotic Sheep your first band?
CM: No. Not at all.The Montereys was, when I was 14. The Sheep came after my military stint. I was 22.
60s: Where and when was The Neurotic Sheep formed?
CM: We formed at the Ft. Worth Cellar in October 1966 by Johnny Carroll, who hired us to go open the new Houston Cellar. Joe Ely was an original member. The name came later, after a couple of personnel changes. The band's personnel was set by December after a few early changes but we weren't calling ourselves The Neurotic Sheep until then.
Drummer Jas Stephens and I really didn't have a name when we went to work. we were just a house band at a club. After adding Arvel Stricklin, Mike McClain and Mike Harrison, the Manager of the club, Johnny Carroll, a famous '50's rockabilly cat and a good friend, got the idea from a billboard in Houston showing sheep smoking cigarettes to advertise a stop smoking clinic. He first called us The Neurotic Sheep and it stuck.
The final line-up was me on bass, Arvel Stricklin on guitar, Mike McClain on keyboards, Jas Stephens on drums and Mike Harrison on vocals.
60s: Even though the band was formed in Ft. Worth, you apparently relocated to Baton Rogue.
CM: Our money man, Howard Greenwood, heard us at The Houston Cellar. He owned two clubs in Baton Rouge. We played there and toured around Louisiana. We opened for The Lovin' Spoonful and did some recording from about spring 1967 to fall of that year.
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| 60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
CM: We called it Hard Rock Soul. We were influenced by everybody from James Brown to The Who, Yardbirds, etc.
60s: What was the local rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
CM: It was wide open. It wasn't what you played, but how you played it.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
CM: Typically at nightclubs but also some concerts. We were never a kid band. We played a couple of teen club places in Houston, but nobody remembers the names. It wasn't our type of thing. We cut our teeth in the Cellar opposite Nitzinger, Bugs Henderson, The American Blues (Dusty Hill and Frank Beard) and definitely held our own.
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| The Neurotic Sheep at Love Street |
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| 60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
CM: The band didn't tour as such but played in California, Colorado, Louisiana and Texas.
60s: Did The Neurotic Sheep have a manager?
CM: We tried several people and I dont think we ever came to an agreement on anybody. That probably caused our demise as a group.
60s: How popular locally did The Neurotic Sheep become?
CM: We were well known in Louisiana and well received everywhere.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the recording of the Bofuz 45 ('Season Of The Witch' b/w 'I'm Free')?
CM: I really don't recall to well but I suppose it was set up by Howard Greenwood, who really wanted to help us and manage the band. He was personal friends with Bonnie Fussel (Bofuz), the manager for Johnny Rivers.
60s: Where did The Neurotic Sheep record?
CM: In Paula Studios in Baton Rouge, where we had no headsets and we couldn't hear the singer so I had to read his lips and mime the lyrics to the band while we recorded. It was very primitive. We also recorded some in Ft. Worth with the young T-Bone Burnett as engineer. I know we recorded at Robin Hoods' in Tyler, Texas, but I'm not sure if it was this line-up. I remember in Baton Rouge I wanted more guitar sound but our keyboardist was just a dominant player.
60s: What about 'Drive My Car,' which was never released but appeared on a Cicadelic Records compilation?
CM: I have no idea where it was recorded. I was very surprised when it showed up on the Internet. Jas believes it was recorded at Paula Studios on a two-track machine.
60s: Did The Neurotic Sheep write many original songs? Who was the band's primary songwriter?
CM: We all wrote a lot but our originals never came up to the quality of our arrangments of covers. That was a glaring fault we couldn't overcome. We were primarily a good live band.
60s: Do any other '60's Neurotic Sheep recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks?
CM: Jas Stephens says the Bofuz sessions were actually more than an album's worth of material but I wouldn't know where they went. We would love to find them. Later incarnations of the group that recorded in California and played there and in Dallas included Paul Sevy on bass and Randy Panda on drums.The timeline is hazy and we played with and without the "Neurotic" in the name.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band?
CM: Yes. We appeared on a couple of Baton Rouge stations; teen shows. Swingsville USA comes to mind. Somewhere exists good concert and rehearsal footage I only saw one time and haven't been able to locate since. It was filmed by Alan Joquanin. I hear he used it to get a film scholarship but we've been unable to locate him since.
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| The Neurotic Sheep perform on Swingsville USA |
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60s: What year and why did the band break up?
CM: The group of record broke up by early 1968. After dropping the "Neurotic," The Sheep played on until sometime in 1970. I was probably the reason we broke up. I was seeking new directions. In hindsite, it was most likely not a good idea as the band never matched the heights of late 1967.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Neurotic Sheep?
CM: I joined Naked Letus as lead guitarist and after that thee's been too many to recall.
60s: What about your career today. How often, and where, do you perform?
CM: I play many clubs and events in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on a regular basis. In 2008, at 64, I enjoy playing as much as I did in 1958 when I was 14. And I enjoy it for the same reasons.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Neurotic Sheep?
CM: We were young and handsome and popular. I'll always believe we were just one song away from true success. Those guys remain some of my best friends.
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| The Neurotic Sheep on Stage |
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