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DANNY HINTON & THE RAINBOWS
Cut To Hear:
“ROSES AND RAINBOWS”
HBR 447
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Fall of 1967: Danny Hutton had been a wanna-be rocker, but was religated to recording demos and
overseeing a vynal project for Hanna-Barbera, or HBR, the short-lived record label wing of Hanna-Barbera
Productions, Inc. They had made piles of money to experiment with…waa laa, HBR the short-lived
rock’n’roll label.
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Hanna-Barbera was an animation studio formed in 1957 by animation directors William Hanna and Joseph .
Barbera, the creators of the “Tom & Jerry”series of shorts they had created for M-G-M Studios (114 in
number created between 1940 and 1957). The company dominated American TV for decades with their
productions…”The Flintstones,” “Huckleberry Hound,” “The Jetsons,” “Scooby-Doo,” “The Smurfs,” and
“Yogi Bear” and buddy Boo Boo.
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Hanna-Barbera with Hutton helming cut disks by Scatman Crothers, the Five Americans, Louie Prima, and
even had an issuance by the legendary 13th Fl. Elaevators. There had been some success…especially with
the repeat hit-makers The Five Americans (I Saw The Light,” “Western Union”…)
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Hutton had a disk of his own issued. “Rose & Rainbows” was catchy–some say it was the finest thing he has
ever done–and you could catch the hint of the potential in this young guy’s voice.
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Danny’s manager had the previous year introduced him to The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. Their friendship
is said to continue through this day. “Brian was it. He was the man,” Hutton told author Mike Dillon. “He
was on top of the mountain.” While Brian was at work on the Beach Boys’ soul-leaning Wild Honey album,
Hutton was heading a new band comprised of Chuck Negron and Cory Wells; vocalists with that blue-eyed
soul that Brian was wanting to capture with his group with “Wild Honey.”
Hutton said that he learned that Brian was hoping to go places that the B-Boys were unable…Soul music
was to be the future, felt Wilson.
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Danny with Chuck and Cory cut two tunes at the famed Wally Heider studio, with Brian…as the Redwoods.
“Time To Get Alone” and “Darlin’,” so named per Hutton due to his frequent usage of the word. Brian’s
behavior was notable. Per Hutton, during the first day of recording, Brian up an left unannounced when
his astrologer, J’nevelyn, had told him he was—per Dillion’s book, 50 Sides of the Beach Boys–”on a down
cycle.
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The next day, Brian returned with an oxygen tank and mask and would take hits from the tank, then “sprint
in the alley behind the studio.” The Redwood’s two cuts were not issued at the time. Hutton told Dillion that
he believes that it was Mike Love that put a stop to the recordings, due to his wanting the songs for the
Beach Boys and his wanting Brian’s full attention.
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Had the Rewood’s tracks been issued on the Beach Boys’ new Brothers label—as planned—Hutton believes
that the Beach Boys might have lost some future hit recordings with the Beach Boy name on them…and the
Redwoods renamed Three Dog Night may not have gotten those 21 consequtive top 40 hits.
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