The King's Men

The Kingsmen are a garage/frat rock group from Portland, Oregon. The band first got together in 1959. The original line-up was Jacky Ely (guitar/lead vocals), Lynn Easton (drums), Mike Mitchell (lead guitar), Bob Nordby (bass) and Don Galucci (piano). The Kingsmen started out by performing at high school parties, teen dances, supermarket openings and fashion shows. They soon became one of the most popular local bands in the Portland area. The Kingsmen recorded their debut single "Louie Louie" in 1963 for the paltry sum of only $36 at Portland's Northwest Recorders studio. The song went all the way to #2 on the Billboard pop charts in 1964. Because Ely's lead vocal was extremely muffled and the lyrics subsequently borderline incomprehensible, rumors began to circulate that said lyrics were obscene. This only added to the song's growing popularity and eventual legendary cult status. "Louie Louie" was not only banned by the governor of Indiana, but also investigated by the FCC and FBI to ...