When I say The Hardy Boys what do you think of? The classic children's detective book series by Franklin W. Dixon?  Mystery?  Suspense? Adventure? Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson? Late 1960's mod bubblegum rock and roll? What? You don't think of late 1960's mod bubblegum rock and roll? Well, neither did I until a couple of days ago. However, I recently discovered a bit of 1960's television/animation/music trivia that, for some reason, has just boggled my mind and fascinated me. So, dear friends and readers, join me as:

CONFESSIONS OF A POP CULTURE ADDICT

ATTEMPTS TO UNCOVER THE MYSTERY OF

THE HARDY BOYS

OR

OH BOY, HERE
COMES THE HARDYS!  OH BOY, WE'RE HAVING A PARTY!

Okay. Not since my fascination with Hello Larry last winter have I found myself scurrying around looking for information on something so obscure as a rock group called The Hardy Boys, a completely formulated bubble gum pop band from the late 1960's. Who were these kids? Where did this madness begin? How have I gone this long without ever hearing of them? Well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?

It all started with Filmation Animation Studios. In the 1960's through to the 1980's Filmation was a powerhouse at churning out Saturday morning animated programs. Some of the most famous included Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Shazam, He-Man, She-ra, The Brady Kids, and The Archies. In fact, if not for the success of Filmation's Archies there may have never been a Hardy Boys.

In 1968, Filmation put out The Archie Show.As part of the program they had Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie jam out a musical number at the end of each episode. Enter producer Don Kirshner. For those keeping track, Don Kirshner has gone down in pop culture lore as the oft-vilified early Monkees producer who Mickey Dolenz once poured a bottle of Coke on, and in an argument caused Mike Nesmith to punch a hole through a door. However, that's another story. There was one thing Don Kirshner was good at and that was creating pop acts. For the Archies series Kirshner assembled a crew of musicians, including Andy Kim and Ron Dante, and they wrote and performed songs on the animated series. This, of course, became pop culture history when The Archies released their songs onto vinyl and scored big with "Sugar Sugar," and later with "Jingle Jangle". The Archies band was a huge success. However, since the musicians assembled looked nothing like the animated characters they were portraying it was nearly impossible to put together public appearances or concerts.

Looking for as similar of a success as "Sugar Sugar", Filmation decided that the format would work again. However, they would have to find another franchise to use as a rock band. That's when some Einstein at Filmation had the incredibly stupid idea to turn the classic boys detective series "The Hardy Boys" into a traveling rock band where they would solve mysteries everywhere they went! They tossed away the entire Hardy Boys mythos and tradition, dressed Joe and Frank Hardy and their best friend Chet Morton (now renamed "Chubby" to emphasize his over weight nature, further destroying the self esteem of overweight kids for a whole generation) in ultra groovy mod clothing, and added two new characters; scattered  brained Wanda, and drummer Pete.  In fact, the addition of Pete to the series would be a huge moment in animation history as Pete was the first black animated character to be featured in a regular series.  Many sources cite that the first black animated character was Valerie in Josie and the Pussycats, but check your dates.  The Hardy Boys predates Josie by a year!   The Hardy Boys aired in 1969 and lasted one season. Now, since I was born in 1975 I can't say that I had ever seen the show but, as a result of my constant thirst for pop culture knowledge I was aware of the cartoons existence, mainly through an ad advertising it in old comic books from the Fall of 1969. However, by all accounts the show, apparently, was a giant disaster. Hardy Boys fans hated it due to its changes from the novels (I mean traveling rock band?  C'mon now.), the animation was terrible, the voice acting was obnoxious and the stories were cardboard.  It wasn't a shining moment in Filmation's history.

However, there was part of the story I didn't know about, and the part that I find the most interesting.

Filmation didn't want to make the same mistake of getting together a group of musicians that didn't look like the animated characters. Thus, when assembling the band that would be The Hardy Boys, they got musicians that resembled the characters. That way The Hardy Boys could go on tour, make public appearances, appear in teen magazines and, hopefully, become the same sensations as The Archies were. The Hardy Boys were portrayed by Reed Kailing (Frank Hardy), Jeff Taylor (Joe Hardy), Norbert Soltysiak ("Chubby" Morton), Deven English (Wanda Kay), and Bob Crowder (Pete Jones). The live versions of The Hardy Boys appeared in the opening and closing credits of the program. Now, an early press kit for the show claims that the characters were designed before the musicians were hired. However, the resemblance to the musicians is so uncanny that I find that hard to believe. During the year the show was on two albums were released:  Here Comes the Hardy Boys, and Wheels.  Now I can't say I have ever seen or heard of these albums until a few days ago, but you have no idea the desire I have to own both of them. Anybody looking for a nifty Christmas gift for me? Get your e-bay accounts going because both albums are common on e-bay at reasonable prices. By all accounts the albums aren't all that bad and some of the songs are quite catchy.  

So, who exactly were The Hardy Boys and whatever happened to them? This was the question I sought to find out. The answers range from stupidly easy to find, to whereabouts unknown...but we can guess. Lets see what we can piece together.

The most prolific of all the Hardys is Reed Kailing who played Frank. Before the Hardys Reed had been part of a band called The Destinations who played at the wedding of President Lyndon Johnston's daughter. After the Hardys, Kailing was a member of The Grassroots as well as a later member of Badfinger. Reed also played Paul McCartney in the original Broadway production of Beatlemania. Kailing worked as a session musician for artists such as Mick Jagger and John Lennon as well. You can visit Kailing's website here.

After that the trails on all the other members of the Hardys gets rather sketchy.

My search for Deven English, who played Wanda, proved to be rather interesting in the erotic sense. Deven was featured in a 1972 Playboy special featuring the Playboy Clubs bunnies. Deven was working as a bunny in the Chicago Playboy Club and was featured in the magazine, although not nude. However, a German hard core porn site claimed to have pictures of Deven English. I briefly attempted to see if I could get a peek but could not easily access any files and didn't care to continue. One can only wonder where Deven English is today..

Now you would think that someone with a unique name like Norbert Soltysiak would be easy to get a line on. Well, sure enough there are a few Norbert Soltysiaks out there. One is a marathon runner from Albany NY, although I have a feeling that a guy who was called "Chubby" Morton is not the same guy. Another Norbert Soltysiak is connected to the US Chess Federation. However, in a website for 1960's independent record company Quill Records a Norbert Soltysiak was listed as being a member of a Chicago based band called The Delights, said to be Chicago's answer to The Zombies. Furthermore, I found a listing for a Norbert Soltysiak still residing in the greater Chicago area. Could he be one and the same?

Now to search out Bob Crowder, who played Pete I looked towards his work before the Hardys. Bob Crowder studied drums at the Chicago Conservatory of Music and was a session drummer for The Shirelles, The Esquires, Jerry Butler, and Fontella Bass. One could only assume that Bob Crowder would continue work as a session drummer. Sure enough signs of a Bob Crowder exists as a session drummer, mainly for jazz projects, and has recently worked with Malachi Jackson and Buddy Guy. I'm not saying its the same guy but who knows.

Now, to search for a name as common as Jeff Taylor is near impossible. However, Taylor hailed from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and there still is a Jeff Taylor in that area involved in the folk music scene. Its not a lot but its all I got.

Wherever The Hardy Boys may be they possess the prestige of being a curious and obscure part of pop culture history. Look, stranger things have happened. If you are visiting this site and you are, or know of, the whereabouts of any of these folks please contact me. Believe me that I, as well as other pop culture lovers, know there is a story to be told and want to hear it.

Finally, if any of you scour record shops and come across any Hardy Boys + 3 albums or 45's please swipe them up for me. This pop culture guru thanks you.

Now, excuse me while I listen to that groovy Hardy Boys theme song again.

POP CULTURE ADDICT'S HARDY BOY UPDATE

In the years since I first wrote this piece on The Hardy Boys band I have been contacted by fans, readers, and even friends and family of Reed Kailing, Jeff Taylor, Nibs Soltisiak, Bob Crowder and Deven English.  Through their help, as well as by contributions by the Hardy Boys themselves, the mystery of this obscure, but much loved, pop group, has began to unfold.  Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict is still dedicated to chronicalling the story of the Hardy Boys band, and soon the entire story can be told.  Thanks to everybody who has written to us and sent photographs, recordings, memories and information making PCA the premiere source for information on the Hardy Boys band.  If anybody has anything to share please contact us at popcultureaddict@gmail.com.

In the meantime, to get a bigger piece of the picture, make sure to check out my exclusive interviews with the original Hardy Boys band members!

RAW, RARE, WELL DONE:  THE ROCK AND ROLL JOURNEY OF REED KAILING

 

 

 

 

CRACKING THE MYSTERY OF THE HARDY BOYS:  A CONVERSATION WITH JEFF "JOE HARDY" TAYLOR

 

 

 

THE HARDY BOYS AND THE SECRET OF THE LOST DRUMMER: A CONVERSATION WITH BOB CROWDER

 

 

 

A CONVERSATION WITH NORBERT "NIBS" SOLTYSIAK: FORMER HARDY BOY AND BUBBLEGUM POP STAR

 

 

 

If anybody would like to get in touch with Jeff, Reed or Bob feel free to drop us a letter and I will forward it to them.  Jeff, Reed and Bob's family have proven to be good friends and supporters of PCA.

We are still looking for information on the whereabouts of Deven English who portrayed Wanda Kay.  Deven was last known to be living in the Los Angeles area in the mid 1970s and was working with the church of Scientology.  She is originally from Boulder, Colorado and, since Deven English was not her real name, is possibly going by the name Mary, or most likely a married name.  If anybody has information on Deven please get in touch.  We would love Deven to tell us her story, and there is a world of fans and friends that is waiting to hear from her. 

NOW YOU CAN WATCH AND LISTEN TO THE HARDY BOYS!

Vintage clips of the Hardy Boys from the cartoon series are now available at YouTube for your watching and listening pleasure!

 

The opening theme, Here Comes the Hardys, filmed at Chicago's Second City Club!

 

Love and Let Love preformed by the animated characters.  Although the band members did not perform their character's voices on the cartoon series, the group did provide both vocals and performed their own instruments.  Love and Let Love charted in the American south in a number of markets, and is considered the Hardy Boys most successful song.

 

The Hardy Boys perform Wheels, the title track of their second album, in a Folsom Prison inspired episode.  Notice how prisoners squeal like little girls.  Hmmmmm....

 

The Hardy Boys perform the rarest of their recordings, Hello Girl.  Hello Girl was originally written by Reed Kailing for his group The Destinations  which had a minor hit with the track.  However, during the audition process for The Hardy Boys series a bouncier, more light weight version of the song was performed by Jeff and Reed.  For some reason, this version of the song never made the cut on the albums, but was released as a bonus track on the Hardy Boys 8-track.  The Hardy Boys version of Hello Girl has been a much requested recording by many bubblegum fans that have written to PCA about the Hardy Boys, but I am really pleased that our good friend Skeeb Wilcox has posted the song, with the original cartoon footage, on YouTube.  Thanks for all you've done Skeeb, and for giving us all a chance to see and hear the Hardy Boys.

 

THE REED KAILING COLLECTION

These following rare Hardy Boys publicity photos are from the collection of Reed "Frank Hardy" Kailing and used here by permission.  Possibly the best known photos of the band.

THE JON MORTAS COLLECTION

In August 2009 I was contacted by reader and collector Jon Mortas who had a number of rare clippings, ads and other odd ball Hardy Boys tidbits to share with us.  Thanks for these wonderful pieces Jon!

RCA Ad for the single of Love and Let Love/Sink or Swim.  The photo was taken during the taping of the ABC Saturday Morning Prime Time Special that the band appeared in prior to the debut of the cartoon series.

Another version of the photo, this pictre appeared as a pin-up in the back of Gold Key's Hardy Boys #1 comic book based on the animated series.

The Hardy Boys never had a big presence in teen magazines of the era, but they were featured in this small write up in December 1969's issue of Tiger Beat Magazine.

For you Deven English fans, Deven's appearance in Playboy Magazine's 1972 Bunnies Special.  Deven is the girl in the yellow in the right hand corner and did not appear naked in the magazine.  Also contains a small write up about Deven, that makes no mention of her work on the Hardy Boys.

Two pages dedicated to the Hardy Boys from a 1969 issue of Golden Magazine.  What impresses me in this article is that a lot of the history that the magazine provided was actually correct, probably making this article the most accurate article written about the Hardy Boys while they were together.

Finally, an early Hardy Boy interview during their visit to Syracuse, New York which, incredibly, seems to be rather candid and not a fluff piece.  Interesting look into what the group was thinking at the time, as well as a glimpse into the group dynamics of the group.  And Jeff...whatever happened to that animated movie you were planning?

THE RC McWILLIAMS COLLECTION

In February 2007 I received a very astonishing treasure from Mr. RC McWilliams of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Mr. McWilliams wrote us the following e-mail:

"Hello-

Back in the 60's I hung out at a local Chicago TV show called "Art Robert's Swinging Majority" -  a Bandstand sort of show on a very small scale.  The show's producer was Tina Choate and she managed Reed Kailing of The Destinations (at the time).  I was a fan and went to many Destinations shows and took pictures.  That followed to The Hardy Boys and they played all around Chicago Teen Clubs for awhile.  Guess what???  I have about 20 live photos of The Hardy Boys that have been sitting in a photo album for all of these years.  I would love to get them out to the public and this is the first place I found that might be interested. If you would like me to scan them and send them, I will work on it.

By the way, they were a very good band and played some great pop/ soul Chicago style. There is a VERY rare version of Hello Girl (The Destinations hit) by The Hardy Boys, released on the 8-track for "Wheels".

I'm afraid that I know so much about this band.  I also have an acetate of an unreleased Kailing solo album from '67. If you know how to get a hold of him, let me know.

RC McWilliams