Spanky & Our Gang

Spanky and Our Gang was a sunshine pop / rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1966. Fronted by vocalist Elaine ‘Spanky’ McFarlane, the group is best known for the hits “Lazy Day,” “Sunday Will Never Be the Same,” and “Like to Get to Know You.” Named after the Hal Roach comedies from the 1920s-1940s, the group’s original line-up also featured Malcolm Hale (lead guitar), Nigel Pickering (rhythm guitar), Paul ‘Oz’ Bach (bass), and John ‘The Chief’ Seiter (drums). The group’s debut single was a cover of the Beatles’ “And Your Bird Can Sing” (1966), which was released shortly after the Fab Four had released their original version. Spanky and Our Gang’s next single, “Sunday Will Never Be the Same” (1967) was a number 9 hit in the US and reached number 7 in Canada. The single was taken from their self-titled debut album, which also included the number 1 Canadian single and US Top 20 hit “Lazy Day.” The group’s success continued with their second album, 1968’s Like to Get to Know You, an album that included the hit singles “Like to Get to Know You” (number 5 in Canada) and “Sunday Mornin’” (Top 30 in US and Canada). Guitarist Malcolm Hale – who had been the group’s chief arranger and musical leader – died On October 30, 1968, of bronchial pneumonia although his cause of death has also been attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. Although the group continued with one more album, 1969’s Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme or Reason, they lost musical focus and commercial traction and split up that same year. Spanky and Nigel Pickering reformed a new version of the group in 1974 and released the album Change in 1975. The group continued to play low-key live dates until 1980 before splitting again. Spanky would later replace Cass Elliot in a reformed version of The Mamas and the Papas alongside John Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Mackenzie Phillips). Paul ‘Oz’ Bach died on September 21, 1998, followed by Nigel Pickering, who passed n May 5, 2011.