An Interview With David Martin Wheeler
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
David Martin Wheeler (DMW): I got a Harmony Archtop guitar for Christmas when I was in the fifth grade in Lomita, California. I was inspired by a classmate, Larry Carlton. By junior high school, my friend, Bob Birdwell and I started playing guitars together. That was the beginning of The Tarantels. We lasted about a year and a half, I'm guessing.
60s: Where and when was this?
DMW: In Fremont, Calofirnia in 1964/1965. We then brought in Roger Kennedy on lead guitar and then we picked up Terry Rissman from Mission San Jose on drums.
I played a Fender Jazz Bass and Bob Birdwell played rhythm on a Fender Jaguar. Roger played lead on a Sunburst Stratocaster. Terry played a chamagne pink set of Ludwig drums that said 'The Tarantels' on the front of the bass drum. We played through Fender amps.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
DMW: The Tarantels played military bases in the Bay Area, high school dances, Carlos' Pizza, The Teen Fair, The Alameda Co. Fair Battle of the Bands (taking second place), and several other Battle of the Bands. We basically played the East Bay scene. If the truth be known, we were all 15-years old; our parents drove us to the jobs because none of us could drive yet. We made $10.00 each a night and we thought we were hot stuff!
60s: How did The Tarantels land the Los Angeles trip to Pat Boone's Studios? What happened there?
DMW: I don't know all the details, but it was somebody who knew somebody. I was already living in Southern California and it was our last shot as The Tarantels to do something. They met us and listened to our tape and asked if we had any original material. I think, maybe we had one song; I can't remember what it was. But, it was that lack of original material that probaly killed the deal.
60s: Did The Tranatels write many original songs? Who was the band's primary songwriter?
DMW: If I remember correctly, we played 'All The Time,' the flip side to 'Baby What's New' in The Tarantels in 1965. I think Roger wrote it.
60s: After Barry Carlos saw The Trantels perform, he decided to change their name to Peter Wheat & The Breadmen. Did you ever meet Carlos?
DMW: I never met Barry Carlos. He came later, after I moved to Southern California with my family. They replaced me with two other guys, Chuck and Berry. I never met Carlos until September 2007, at the East Bay Garage Band Reunion at The Saddlerack in Fremont.
60s: Do you recall what your feelings were after The Tarantels hooked up with Carlos and became popular using the Peter Wheat name?
DWM: First of all, I was heartbroken that I had to move away with my parents to Soutern California and leave The Tarantels, but I was 15-years old and I had to go. I had limited contact with the guys and had no idea what was going on (after that).
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Tarantels?
DMW: Yes, in North Hollywood. My first band there was The Dignitaries. Our drummer played 'Whitey' on Leave It Beaver, but that band didn't do much. Then I joined a band called The Band (not The Band with Robbie Robertson). We played Pandora's Box, The Hullabaloo on Sunset Strip, and many San Fernando gigs. There are no recordings for that band.
After 5-1/2 years in the Army, I started to do a single act (one-man-band). I also played in a couple duos, and a trio, but I always went back to playing solo. All my jobs were in California and Southern Oregon. In 1989, I recorded an album called David Martin Wheeler Sings Where Most People Read: Bathroom Humor (available via CDBaby) which got a little airplay on local independent radio stations. I retired about five years ago, but you can see my 28-minute video on Google under 'David Martin Wheeler'.
60s: How did you hook up with Stanley 'Whitey' Fafara?
DMW: At North Hollywood High School. I met some guys that had a band called The Dignitaries and they were glad to get me as a bass player and Whitey just happened to be the drummer. I remember, Whitey's parents lived next door to Bob Hope in Tuluca Lake and we used to practice in Whitey's back yard and I always wanted to see Bob Hope, but never did, until I was in the army and saw him in Germany.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Tarantels?
DMW: My experiences with The Tarantels was great fun! Our only, and biggest mistake, was we didn't write enough material. Otherwise, things might have been different when we went to Los Angeles and had an interview at Pat Boone's Studios. But it was very cool to meet a couple of the guys from The Leaves that day. They were hot. We were not!
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