The “Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

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ROUTERS

LET’S GO (PONY)

(L. Duncan, R. Duncan)

Warner Bros. 5283

No. 19    December 22, 1962.

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At some point in the early ’60s, there really was a legitimate group called the Routers, inspired by Dick

Dale, “Father of Surfing Music.”   Mike Gordon has told record researcher Skip Rose that the original

Routers consisted  of Gordon, Lynn Frazier, AI Kait, Bill Moody, and some fellow he could only recall as

Neil.    Yet once this West Coast band hooked up with producer Joe Saraceno–1/2 of TONY & JOE and

producer of the Marketts, T-BONES–and Warner Bros., it seems that the Router’ line-up became markedly

nebulous.

“Let’s Go” (with the subtitle of “Pony”) was a natural for the act’s first 45, considering that a dance called

the Pony was then something of a sensation.   To capitalize on the enthusiastic response the disk received,

the Routers’ first LP,  and the only one to sell in respectable quantities, was issued (Let’s Go with the

Routers, 1963).    Even at this earliest of points in the Routers’ flash flight to fame, many pop historians

suspect that most of the groups members did not actually play on the Routers’ records.  Those who most

likely did so were L.A. studio pros like Hal Blaine, Rene Hall, Plas Johnson, Sid Sharp, and future Walker

brother, Scott Engel (aka Scott Walker).

Further 45s and eventually more LPs were shipped by Warner Bros.; only “Sting Ray” (#5O, 1963) managed

to do fairly well.    In 1966, Jan Davis, a guitarist and regional charter with a biting  instrumental called

“The Fugitive,” teamed up with the remnants of the Routers for a few RCA singles like “The Time Tunnel.”

And after a brief and largely undistributed outing on Mercurey in 1973  the Router’s name was boxed and

buried.