THC Science

The Association in 1966. Top: from left to right; Jules Alexander, Brian Cole, Russ Giguere. Bottom; from left to right: Ted Bluchel Jr., Jim Yester, Terry Kirkman.

The Association in 1968. Top: from left to right; Jim Yester, Brian Cole, Ted Bluchel Jr. Bottom: from left to right; Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Terry Kirkman.

The Association are an American pop band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. When their breakthrough came in 1966, their line-up consisted of Terry Kirkman, Russ Giguere, Jules Alexander, Jim Yester, Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel Jr. Following Alexander's departure in 1967, Larry Ramos came in and filled his place.

History

In 1962, Jules Alexander was in Hawai'i, serving in the navy. Whilst there, he met traveling salesman Terry Kirkman. The two became close friends and remained in contact. When Jules was discharged from the navy a year later, the two moved to Los Angeles and played in clubs all in different parts of the city. The two became members of a thirteen-piece folk group called The Men. In 1965, the Men split up and six of their members, Alexander, Kirkman, Russ Giguere, Bob Page, Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel Jr., formed their own group. The band decided to spend six months practicing before performing on stage, during that time, Page left and Jim Yester replaced him. In late 1965, they signed to Jubilee Records. Jubilee label issued a single of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (a song originally recorded by Joan Baez, later popularized by Led Zeppelin), but nothing happened. Finally, Valiant Records offered them a contract, with the first result being a version of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings", which was produced by Valiant's owner, Barry De Vorzon, at Gold Star Studios.

In 1966, they signed to Warner Bros Records and their debut album, And Then... Along Comes the Association, was released in July, that same year. The track Along Comes Mary was an instant hit, charting at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] Their song Cherish would be proven to be more successful, as it hit number one on the Hot 100 and remained there for three weeks straight, before being beaten by The Four Tops' Reach Out I'll Be There.^[2] In November 1966, their second album, Renaissance was released, although none of their songs managed to meet the success that Along Comes Mary and Cherish did. In March 1967, Alexander left to move to India, and Larry Ramos (previously of New Christy Minstrels fame) came in and filled his place. Insight Out, their third album, was released on June 8, 1967. Two tracks from that album include Windy and Never My Love. Windy went to number one on four different American and Canadian charts.^[3]^[4] Never My Love charted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, but was a chart-topper on the Cash Box 100 and Canadian RPM Top Singles.^[5] Alexander returned in 1969, and they were now a seven-man band.

Four more albums were released from 1968 to 1972, Birthday (1968), The Association (1969), Stop Your Motor (1971), and Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972). A few months after the release of Waterbeds in Trinidad, bassist Brian Cole died aged 29 from a heroin overdose. In 1978, the band split up, however, the split was proven to be short, and they regrouped again the following year. The band has been performing non-stop since. The current version of the band is led by Jules Alexander and Jim Yester, as well as Del Ramos, brother of Larry Ramos, and Jordan Cole, son of Brian Cole. During the 1970s and 80s, the band went through numerous line-up changes, with, at one point, only one original member in the band. Past notable members include Jerry Yester, Andy Chapin, and Ray Pohlman.

Members

Current

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Jules Alexander	1965–1967, 1969–1974, 1979–1989, 2012–present	Vocals, guitar, piano, bass	And Then... Along Comes the Association (1966) Renaissance (1966) The Association (1969) Stop Your Motor (1971) Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972)
Jim Yester	1965–1973, 1974–1977, 1979–1983, 2007–present	Vocals, guitar, keyboards	All releases
Bruce Pictor	1985–present	Drums	None
Paul Holland	1987-1989, 2014–present	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Del Ramos	1999–present	Sound engineer, vocals, bass
Jordan Cole	1999–present	Vocals, guitar, keyboards

Former

Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
Terry Kirkman	1965-1972, 1979-1984	Vocals, woodwind instruments	All releases
Russ Giguere	1965-1970, 1979-2014	Vocals, guitar
Brian Cole	1965-1972 (died 1972)	Bass
Ted Bluechel Jr.	1965-1978, 1979-1984	Drums
Bob Page	1965	Guitar	None
Larry Ramos	1967-1975, 1979-2014 (died 2014)	Vocals, guitar	All releases from Insight Out (1967)
Richard Thompson	1970-1974, 1979-1980	Keyboard	Stop Your Motor (1971) Waterbeds in Trinidad! (1972)
Wolfgang Melz	1972	Bass	None
Mike Berkowitz	1972	Drums
David Vaught	1972-1978	Bass
Maurice Miller	1972-1978	Drums
Jerry Yester	1973-1974, 1978	Guitar
Art Johnson	1974-1975	Guitar
Dwayne Smith	1974-1975	Keyboards
Larry Brown	1975-1977	Vocals
Andy Chapin	1975-1976 (died 1985)	Keyboards
Jay Gruska	1976
David Morgan	1976-1978
Ric Ulsky	1977-1978, 1980-1984
Cliff Wooley	1977-1978	Guitar
John William Turtle	1978
Jack Harris	1978
Ray Pohlman	1979-1980	Bass
Keith Moret	1983
Joe Lamanno	1984
Brian Puckett	1984-1985	Drums
Mike Peed	1984	Keyboards
Donni Gougeon	1984-1987, 1999	Keyboards
Paul Beach	1985-1989	Bass
Chris Urmston	1987	Keyboards
Bob Werner	1999-2007	Guitar
David Jackson	2007	Guitar
Blair Anderson	2008	Drums
Godfrey Townsend	2012	Guitar

1965	1965 – March 1967	March 1967 – Late 1968	Late 1968 – June 1970
Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Bob Page – rhythm guitar, vocals, banjo Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass	Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass	Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass	Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
June 1970 – August 1972	August 1972 – End 1972	End 1972 - Mid-1973	Mid-1973 - Late 1973
Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Richard Thompson – keyboards Brian Cole – bass, vocals, woodwinds Wolfgang Melz - bass (joined in 1972) Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass	Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Richard Thompson – keyboards Wolfgang Melz – bass Mike Berkowitz – drums	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals, keyboards Richard Thompson – keyboards David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jerry Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Richard Thompson – keyboards David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion
Late 1973–1974	Late 1974 - mid-1975	Mid-1975 - late 1975	Late 1975 - mid-1976
Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jerry Yester – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Richard Thompson – keyboards David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Art Johnson – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Dwayne Smith – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Art Johnson – lead guitar, vocals Larry Brown – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Dwayne Smith – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Brown – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Andy Chapin – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion
Mid-1976	Mid-1976 - Summer 1977	Summer 1977	Summer 1977 – 1978
Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Brown – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jay Gruska – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Brown – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals David Morgan – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Jim Yester – lead guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Morgan – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Cliff Woolley – lead guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Morgan – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Maurice Miller – drums, vocals, percussion
1978	Mid 1978	Late 1978	End 1978
Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Cliff Woolley – lead guitar, vocals John William Tuttle – rhythm guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Russ Levine – drums, vocals	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Jack Harris – lead guitar, vocals John William Tuttle – rhythm guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Russ Levine – drums, vocals	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Jack Harris – lead guitar, vocals Jerry Yester - lead guitar, vocals John William Tuttle – rhythm guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Russ Levine – drums, vocals	Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Jack Harris – lead guitar, vocals John William Tuttle – rhythm guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards, vocals David Vaught – bass, vocals Russ Levine – drums, vocals
End 1978 – September 1979	September 1979 – 1980	1980 – June 1983	June 1983 – July 1984
DISBANDED	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Richard Thompson – keyboards Ray Pohlman – bass Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards Jules Alexander – bass, vocals Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass Russ Levine - drums (left in 1980)	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards Keith Moret – bass Ted Bluechel, Jr. – drums, vocals, rhythm guitar, bass
July 1984 - September 1984	September 1984 – November 1984	November 1984	Early 1985 – Early 1987
Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Terry Kirkman – vocals, wind instruments, percussion Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Ric Ulsky – keyboards Joe Lamanno – bass Brian Puckett – drums	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Mike Peed – keyboards Joe Lamanno – bass Brian Puckett – drums	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Ted Bluechel, Jr. – vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Donni Gougeon – keyboards Joe Lamanno – bass Brian Puckett – drums	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Donni Gougeon – keyboards Paul Beach – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion Del Ramos – sound, vocals
Early 1987–1987	1987 – Early 1989	Early 1989–1999	1999
Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Chris Urmston – keyboards, vocals Paul Beach – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion Del Ramos – sound, vocals	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Paul Holland – keyboards, vocals Paul Beach – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion Del Ramos – sound, vocals	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Donni Gougeon – keyboards Paul Holland – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion Del Ramos – sound, vocals	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Bob Werner – rhythm guitar, vocals Donni Gougeon – keyboards, vocals Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion
1999–2007	2007	2007	2007–2008
Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Bob Werner – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals David Jackson – bass, rhythm guitar Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Bob Werner – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion
2008	2008 – January 2012	January 2012 – February 2012	February 2012 – March 2012
Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Blair Anderson – drums	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Godfrey Townsend – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion
March 2012 – January 2014	January 2014 – February 24, 2014	February 24, 2014 – Present
Russ Giguere – vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Larry Ramos – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion	Jules Alexander – lead guitar, vocals Paul Holland – lead guitar, vocals Jim Yester – rhythm guitar, vocals Jordan Cole – keyboards, vocals, rhythm guitar Del Ramos – bass, vocals Bruce Pictor – drums, vocals, percussion

Timeline

References

^ Gilliland, John. "Show 37 - The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance. [Part 3]". UNT Digital Library. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
^ tolsen (2013-01-02). "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 7/08/67". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 10/14/67". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[1] Gilliland, John. "Show 37 - The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance. [Part 3]". UNT Digital Library. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[2] tolsen (2013-01-02). "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[3] "Cash Box Top 100 7/08/67". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[4] "Wayback Machine" (PDF). web.archive.org. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[5] "Cash Box Top 100 10/14/67". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 2023-04-04.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

The Association
Jules Alexander Jordan Cole Paul Holland Bruce Pictor Del Ramos Jim Yester Andy Chapin Brian Cole Terry Kirkman Ray Pohlman Larry Ramos Jerry Yester
Albums	And Then... Along Comes the Association Renaissance Insight Out Birthday Greatest Hits Goodbye, Columbus The Association The Association "Live" Stop Your Motor Waterbeds in Trinidad!
Singles	"Along Comes Mary" "Cherish" "Windy" "Never My Love" "Everything That Touches You"
Related articles	Members