Formed in 1964 in San Fernando Valley, California, the Leaves were a short-lived garage rock band best known for the definitive 1966 version of “Hey Joe.” Founded by Jim Pons (bass) and Robert Lee Reiner (guitar), the duo formed a Beatles-influenced rock combo called the Rockwells while attending San Fernando Valley State College (now known as Cal State Northridge). The line-up also included John Beck (vocals), Bill Rinehart (lead guitar), and Jimmy Kern (drums), who was then replaced by Tom Ray. Their music embraced surf and party music and after changing their name to the Leaves, they took up a residency at Ciro’s on Sunset Boulevard. The band they replaced, the Byrds, had moved on to the next level of their career, and the Leaves began to build up an audience. Discovered by singer Pat Boone, the group signed with Mira Records and released their debut single, “Too Many People,” in 1965. The Leaves attempted their first version of “Hey Joe” and released it as a single but were not happy with it and had it withdrawn. Their third attempt at the song – which now featured a fuzz guitar – was released as a single in 1966 and became a hit, reaching number 31 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song became a blueprint for garage rock and inspired a new generation of musicians. The Leaves appeared on many TV shows, which helped the single success. The album Hey Joe was also released in 1966. However, it only made it to number 127 on the Billboard 200. The Leaves released their second album, All the Good That’s Happening, in 1967 but the album failed to chart. Jim Pons left the Leaves in 1967 to join the Turtles and without one of their founding members, the Leaves split up that same year. Jim Pons and John Beck reformed the Leaves in 1970, but they broke up the following year.
