Description
On Stage is the debut album by the American rock band Wilson McKinley, independently released by the band in 1970. The album was recorded live in Canada at Pender Auditorium in Vancouver, BC, with the band producing. Wilson McKinley features Mike Messer on lead guitar and vocals, Randy Wilcox on guitar, piano, and vocals, Jimmy Bartlett on bass and vocals, and Tom Slipp on drums.
Trivia: The California Poppy Pickers were one of several studio projects assembled by Alshire label head Al Sherman to record budget-priced copycat LPs of ’60’s pop hits. They were helmed by producer and songwriter Gary S. Paxton. At Sherman’s request, he put together the California Poppy Pickers to capitalize on the growing country-rock trend. For reasons unknown, the fourth and final California Poppy Pickers effort, an album entitled Honky Tonk Women, was recorded without Paxton’s involvement, and featured an entirely different lineup – singer/guitarist Mike Messer, singer/bassist Don Larson, guitarist Randy Wilcox, and drummer Tom Slipp were, in reality, a Christian rock band called the Wilson McKinley, and they used the proceeds from their lone Alshire date to fund a self-released 1970 date titled Jesus People’s Army: On Stage.
Spokane, Washington’s Wilson McKinley actually sound like true hippie rockers at heart. They are one of the most spirited of the early Jesus bands, with popularity that carries over into collectors’ circles where their three scarce homemade albums command big bucks. Let me emphasize that word “homemade” as the band’s transcription to vinyl can be somewhat of an acquired taste. No fault of theirs – just low budgets and a lack of recording quality. The live On Stage, for example, sounds like it’s about one notch above an audience recording. That’s certainly nothing that the private press collector isn’t accustomed to already – in fact the low-tech angle may even enhance their appeal for many. The vibrant energy of the Jesus movement still shines through each song, making the album a cherished classic, even if it does check in well behind Spirit Of Elijah and Heavens Gonna Be A Blast. Line-up is Mike Messner on lead guitar, Randy Wilcox on guitar and piano, Jimmy Bartlett on bass guitar and Tom Slipp on drums. The group’s brand of west coast guitar psych seems rooted in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury culture. They’ve been likened to Quicksilver but also have some of the country direction of The Byrds and The Grateful Dead. One of their favorite tricks was to take songs from secular artists and subtly alter the lyrics to a Christian perspective. Examples from On Stage include un-credited re-workings of The Byrds/Dylan’s «He Was A Friend Of Mine» and «You Ain’t Going Nowhere». Groovin’ bongo action on the latter, as well as on «The Love Of My Savior», «I Know The Lord» and «He’s Coming To Take His Children». The primitive electric guitar riffs, the loose spirited harmonies, the impromptu acclamations of “thank you Jesus” and “hallelujah Jesus!” – all of it contributes to that enthusiastic garage-rocking hippie Jesus freak vibe. The packaging is definitely unusual: the album originally came housed in white pie boxes hand-stenciled with a color band logo and a one way Jesus sign. There are a number of variations of this version which is sometimes referred to as Jesus People Army. Later the album was released in an oversized regular cover with orange and brown illustrations of the four band members’ longhaired heads. Recorded at Pender Auditorium in Vancouver, B.C. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th Edition]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Children Of The King” – 5:15
A2. “You Gotta Hear About My Friend” – 3:00
A3. “Come By Here” – 4:20
A4. “The Love Of My Savior” – 3:50
Side Two
B1. “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” – 3:35
B2. “Trouble Maker” – 2:00
B3. “I Know The Lord” – 4:10
B4. “He’s Coming To Take His Children” – 2:45
B5. “He’s A Friend Of Mine” – 3:30
Note: Four of the tracks (remixed) were included on the 2021-compilation, Rolled Away the Stone! (Live 1970 – 1979).
With beginnings firmly in the secular realm and a strong following in the Northwest, the band signed to Alshire Records (home of 101 Strings) and recorded one LP (Honky Tonk Women) under the label’s ‘acid-rock’ moniker, The California Poppy Pickers. With the proceeds from the album sessions, the band self-released a 7″ EP in 1970 and soon met street minister Carl Parks, giving up the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and effectively ending the first incarnation of the group. The minister encouraged the remaining band members to pick up their instruments again to create some music for a street meeting, and one of the first ‘Jesus Rock’ groups was born.
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http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-california-poppy-pickers-mn0001178232/biography
The California Poppy Pickers were one of several relatively anonymous studio projects assembled by Alshire label head Al Sherman to record budget-priced copycat LPs of ’60’s pop hits. Virtually all of the groups in question — Fats and the Chessmen, Los Norte Americanos, and the Bakersfield Five, among them — were helmed by producer and songwriter Gary Paxton, best-known for composing the novelty smash “The Monster Mash.” In 1965, Paxton founded his own Hollywood recording studio, assembling a session crew that variously included guitarist Clarence White, bassist Jerry Scheff, and guitarist/fiddler Gib Guilbeau — he also discovered brothers Rex and Vern Gosdin, releasing their country hit “Hangin’ On” on his Bakersfield International label. By the late 1960s, Paxton was regularly licensing material to Alshire, and at Sherman’s request, he put together The California Poppy Pickers to capitalize on the growing country-rock trend. Comprised of singers/multi-instrumentalists Ken Johnson and Dennis Payne, along with pedal steel guitarist Leo LeBlanc, the group released three 1969 LPs — Sounds of ’69, Hair/Aquarius, and Today’s Chart Busters — comprised primarily of covers and thinly-veiled rewrites. For reasons unknown, the fourth and final California Poppy Pickers album, Honky Tonk Women, was recorded without Paxton’s involvement, and featured an entirely different lineup — singer/guitarist Mike Messer, singer/bassist Don Larson, guitarist Randy Wilcox, and drummer Tom Slipp were, in reality, a Christian rock band called the Wilson McKinley, and they used the proceeds from their lone Alshire date to fund a self-released 1970 date titled Jesus People’s Army: On Stage.
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In June of 1970 bass player Randy Wilcox went to an evangelistic meeting at Highbridge Park in Spokane and was converted dramatically to Christ. Drummer Tom Slipp and I followed suit and we gave up rock ‘n roll for good…we thought. Don Larson wanted nothing to do with it and we disbanded. When the spiritual leader of this rag tag group of “hippies” found out we were musicians he wanted us to put a band together for more evangelistic meetings. So we agreed and that’s when we called Jim Bartlett in Lewiston Idaho…he was already a believer in a non believing band (Sleepy John) and quickly agreed to forsake all and join us.
We were offered a deal from A&M records but turned that down because it wasn’t a good contract…in late ’69. In early ’70 another company (can’t remember who) offered a pretty good deal but said we couldn’t sing about God…we declined that one too. Some time in June or July our former Manager or booking agents (I don’t know which) got a call from Columbia and they said they had been following our career for quite some time. They were offering $150,000 up front and $300,000 in promotion money along with flying us down to do two albums worth of songs. The kicker was at this point we were no longer a secular band and were living a spartan existence devoting our lives to singing and preaching the gospel. Randy, Tom and I didn’t find out about the offer until a month or so later…and we had no interest in being in the music business anyway. Nothing came of it and I’m sure there are a lot of people who think we were crazy!
We played a show with Andrae Crouch at the Moore Theater, Seattle, in 1970 and at that time he was one of the more popular contemporary Christian artists. He just really liked our band a lot and wanted to get us signed to his label but we declined to stay with our group.
http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2011/07/wilson-mckinley-interview-with-mike.html
[Excerpt from an interview with Wilson McKinley member Mike Messer at psychedelicbaby.blogspot July 2011]
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