Gary Usher

Gary Usher
Birth name	Gary Lee Usher
Born	(1938-12-14)December 14, 1938 Los Angeles, California, United States
Died	May 25, 1990(1990-05-25) (aged 51) Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, surf music
Occupation(s)	Songwriter, record producer
Years active	1960s–1990
Labels	Capitol, Columbia, Together, Lan-Cet
Website	www.garyusher.com

Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fictitious surf groups or hot rod groups, mixing studio session musicians with his own troops (Chuck Girard, Dick Burns and others). These bands included the Super Stocks (with the hot-rod song "Midnight Run"); the Kickstands; the Hondells with their No. 9 US pop single "Little Honda"; and others.

The Ghouls and Dracula’s Deuce

In 1964, Gary Usher, already known for his work in surf and hot rod music, ventured into the world of horror-themed novelty music with a studio project known as The Ghouls. Rather than being a formal band, The Ghouls were a studio ensemble under Usher's direction, primarily recorded as a one-off for the album Dracula's Deuce. The record blended surf rock with horror-comic themes and featured a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. Each song leveraged macabre humor, with pun-filled titles like "The Little Old Lady from Transylvania" and "Be True to Your Ghoul," offering satirical nods to contemporaneous hits by Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys.1986 Gary usher co-wrote "Lets put the Fun Back in Rock'n Roll"with Joseph Nicoletti of Global Village music Co.(ascap)Laguna Beach, California.they Produced Frankie Avalon,Fabian and Bobby Rydell Known as the "Golden Boys of Rock" they Performed this Song as Command Performance For President Reagan at the Ford Theater on 1987. Vocalist Richie Burns, who had previously collaborated with Usher on Black Boots and Bikes, lent his voice to Dracula’s Deuce, often using a Boris Karloff-like lilt reminiscent of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s famed “Monster Mash.” Tracks like “The Graveyard Shift” bore noticeable similarities to “Monster Mash,” while others, such as the haunting “Monsterbilly Heaven,” stood out as unique entries in the genre.

Though the record did not achieve mainstream success, Dracula’s Deuce has since become a cult favorite, appreciated for its mix of ghoulish humor and surf rock sensibility. Despite its niche appeal, the album remains available on streaming platforms and has a loyal fanbase that revisits it during Halloween.

Death

Usher died of lung cancer at his home in his hometown of Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 1990, at the age of 51. Survivors include his wife, Sue, three sons and a daughter.

Selected discography

Production

• Go Little Honda (1964, The Hondells)
• Hondells (1964, The Hondells)
• Hit City '65 (1965, The Surfaris)
• It Ain't Me, Babe (1965, The Surfaris)
• In Action (1966, Keith Allison)
• An Esoteric Qabalistic Service (1966, Rev. Ann Davies with the Builders of the Adytum Choir)
• Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (1967, Gene Clark)
• Younger Than Yesterday (1967, The Byrds)
• The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading (1967, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy)
• Of Cabbages and Kings (1967, Chad & Jeremy)
• The Great Conspiracy (1967, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy)
• Present Tense (1968, Sagittarius)
• The Ark (1968, Chad & Jeremy)
• The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968, The Byrds)
• Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him (1968, The Firesign Theatre)
• Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968, The Byrds)
• Wackering Heights (1972, The Wackers)
• Going Public (1977, Bruce Johnston)
• "Sanctuary" (1984, Celestium)

Songwriting

1986 "Lets Put the Fun Back in Rock'n Roll" co-written with Joseph Nicoletti

• "409" (1962, The Beach Boys)
• "Lonely Sea" (1962, The Beach Boys)
• "Ten Little Indians" (1962, The Beach Boys)
• "In My Room" (1963, The Beach Boys)
• "Beach Party" (1963, Frankie Avalon)
• "Mag Wheels" (1963, Dick Dale and the Del-Tones)
• "We'll Run Away" (1964, The Beach Boys)
• "Comin' On Too Strong" (1965, Wayne Newton)
• "The Truth Is Not Real" (1968, Sagittarius)
• "The Blue Marble" (1969, Sagittarius)
• "Don't Give In to Him" (1969, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap)
• "(Friend)Ships" (1971, Gary Usher)
• "Sanctuary" (1983, Celestium and later Laura Branigan and the J-Pop artist Reimy)
• "Let's Go To Heaven In My Car" (1986, Brian Wilson) (Note - Gary Usher's son, Gary Usher Jr., played the guitar solo)
• "Christmas Time" (1986, Brian Wilson)

Further reading

• McParland, Stephen J. (2000). The California Sound - An Insider's Story. The Musical Biography of Gary Lee Usher. CMusic Publishing. ASIN B006VXTC3Q.
• McParland, Stephen J. (2013). The Brian Wilson Project. Berlot. ISBN 978-2954483405.

External links

• Gary Usher at AllMusic
• Gary Usher at IMDb