The Kingsmen
American rock band
The Kingsmen were a popular American band of the early 1960s. Their most famous hit was "Louie, Louie". Many people believed the song contained obscenity or suggestive lyrics, and tried to have the song banned. An American court decided the song was not obscene, and the controversy over the song only helped to promote sales of the record.
The Kingsmen | |
|---|---|
 The Kingsmen in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Garage rock |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | Jerden, Wand, Sundazed |
| Members | Mike Mitchell (1959-present) Dick Peterson (1963-present) Steve Peterson (1988-present) Todd McPherson (1992-present) Dennis Mitchell (2006-present) |
| Past member(s) | Lynn Easton (1959-1967) Jack Ely (1959-1963) Bob Nordby (1959-1963) Don Gallucci (1962-1963) Gary Abbott (1962-1963) Norm Sundholm (1963-1967) Barry Curtis (1963-2005) Kerry Magness(1966-1967) J.C. Reick (1966-1967) Turley Richards (1967) Pete Borg (1967) Jeff Beals (1967-1968) Steve Friedson (1967-1973) Fred Dennis (1972-1984) Andy Parypa (1982-1984) Kim Nicklaus (1982-1984) Marc Willett (1984-1992) Keith Blake (1994-1999) |
| Website | www.louielouie.org |
The Kingsmen had other hits, including "Jolly Green Giant", a parody of the mascot of Green Giant vegetables. They appeared in a movie, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, accompanying Annette Funicello onstage.
