Jim Yester of The Association Part 1

And now, live from Studio A in the Shadle building in beautiful downtown Lock Haven, here's Kelly Watts. I'm not sure if I ever actually was introduced like that but many of the old time TV and Radio shows began with a similar introduction As a young lad growing up in the infancy of TV and the end of the Golden Age Of Radio, I marveled at the great, and for the most part, un credited announcers. In the days of live radio and live TV shows it was their job to warm up the audience so that when the host, whom they introduced, appeared thunderous applause would ensue. Some of the greatest ever included the late Ed McMahon, Johnny Olsen, Gene Rayburn, George Fenneman, Don Wilson, and Larry Keating. Many of these folks behind the microphone went on to host their own shows or be a part of the shows ensemble. Even local TV had their share of great voices. I can remember as a very young DJ walking into WILK TV in Wilkes Barre, Pa. and meeting the great Hal Berg. Hal was a booth announcer, and between network programs he would give the station identification and read live commercials. I marveled at the timing and style of people like Hal. I often wished I would have been born just a few years earlier to have been a part of the “unseen” stars.

As I have said before, often when I listen to an interview I come to realize how much fun I had talking with the artists. Such is the case with a 2006 interview I did with Jim Yester, one of the founding members of The Association. Jim Yester started his musical career in the late 50's, along with his brother Jerry, playing as a folk duo on the coffee house circuit in L.A.. Jim says, “we did that for about a year and a half, and I had the sword of Uncle Sam hanging over my head so I went down and enlisted. After I was in about six months, I thought, what did I do? So I formed a comedy folk trio.” For the next two years Jim and his partners were called on to entertain the troops in Germany and France.

After being discharged from the service, Jim headed to L.A. Again, and the third day he was there he auditioned for the Manager of the Pasadena Ice House. Jim said the manager told him, “There's good news and bad news. The bad news is I can't use you, but the good news some friends of mine are putting a group together.” “I had never met any of them,” Jim said, what came out of that audition that met in Terry Kirkman's apartment was The Association, and Jim was a part of it. The core of the group came out of a 13 man group called “The Men.” Jim and I joked around that “to get a great sextet you need to start with 13 people.” I related a story to him about my friend Ray Coyle, a professional musician from Ohio, who played the hotel circuit as half of “The Lyterside” duo. Ray often said, “the best way to become a duo is to start out as a quartet,” which he did.

The Associations first release was a “highly forgettable” song called “One To Many Mornings.” It was released on the Valiant label and Jim said. “That song only got to number 16 on the West Coast, but it got us our record deal.” Jim told me prior to that “we had auditioned for everybody and got turned down. They told us, we think you guys are great BUT we don't know what to do with you, you're too different.”

“We didn't work anywhere for the first six months we were together. Six days a week eight hours a day we would rehearse and write. By the time we worked someplace we were so slick it was scary,” according to Jim. Of course some of the members like Jules Alexander did session work to survive. According to Jim, “everyone in the Association not only sings lead, backup and plays as well.” Terry Kirkman by the way plays 13 different instruments.

The first chart hit was “Along Comes Mary.” That song I played as a “new” song. I told Jim “I heard the song and said, they are pretty good, I think they'll go somewhere.” I followed that up jibbing Jim with, “but we were desperate for music, so we would play anything.” Thank goodness he laughed. More with Jim Yester in another post.

Trivia question: What Association song was regarded as so controversial that when the group was to play Disneyland they were met by Sheriff Deputies as Disney security. The song was Along Comes Mary, it seemed the Disney folks thought it was a drug song. As things were about to excalate a group of Nun's came by and said "Oh look it's The Association we love thier song about the Virgin Mary."