I was there, I took your picture.....
Posted on 12/18/2024 12:58:27 PM PST by nickcarraway
Michael Brewer of Brewer & Shipley passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80.
The news was confirmed in a press release, noting that Brewer had been battling multiple illnesses for the last three years.
Brewer & Shipley were best known for their Top 10 hit, "One Toke Over the Line," released as their debut single in 1971.
"Who would have guessed they [the duo's record label] would release it as a single, it would go shooting up the charts, and the Nixon administration would try to ban it?" Brewer said to UCR in 2016. "We made Nixon's 'hate list,' which we held as a badge of honor and still do to this day, and the Vice President, Spiro Agnew, named us personally on national TV one night as 'subversives to America's youth.' I mean, you can't buy that kind of publicity."
They also enjoyed chart success with "Tarkio Road" and "Shake Off the Demon." Over the years, their songs were covered by the likes of the Byrds, John Denver, Stephen Stills, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, David Lee Roth and more. "One Toke Over the Line" was also mentioned in the first chapter of Hunter S. Thompson's famous gonzo journalism novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The duo, which first formed in 1968, continued performing live up until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Brewer also contributed harmony vocals to Dan Fogelberg's 1981 release The Innocent Age. Two years later, Fogelberg produced Brewer’s solo album Beauty Lies and released it on his own record label.
Tom Shipley's Reaction
"Michael Brewer, my friend of 65 years and music partner for over 60, had to go," Tom Shipley said in a statement. "I saw him on Saturday and he told me he wanted to go home. I will raise a glass to Michael and drink to all those years, all those miles, all those songs, and all the heavenly audiences we played for. Go with God my friend. I'll see you on the other side.”
I like how Welk praised it as a new spiritual.
It’s funny that he wouldn’t allow “Snowbird” to be performed for a long time because he thought it was about cocaine , but somehow “One Toke” made it through.
“Lawrence Welk Show - One Toke Over The Line (you couldn’t handle that on strong acid).”
I’ve seen this video before. I wonder who convinced Welk it was a “modern spiritual.” Too bad they didn’t do Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah’s “ode to the city of Chicago,” Lake Shore Drive.
I once introduced B&S at a performance at my college in Nebraska. I wore yellow bell bottoms.
It’s a famous song, but I never heard of these guys. I thought some more famous band made the record.
Spiro Agnew might have called it subversive and tried to have it banned from radio. I don’t know if he did or not. But they weren’t actually on the famous enemies lists (there were two lists).
Yes. One toke over the line….. indeed.
Northbound out of Kansas City about 10 years ago I see an exit sign for Tarkio, MO. I immediately recalled B&S’ “Tarkio Road”. I’ll be darn. Tarkio Road actually exists.
R.I.P.
I always liked their version of “Witchi-Tai-To”.
Thanks. That was funny.
My band plays “One Toke” at just about every gig. It’s easy to play and a real crowd pleaser. I’ve always been impressed by their clever use of chords in both the key of D and the key of C in the song. Those guys really knew what they were doing musically.
I was there, I took your picture.....
In ‘68, 4th grade, we were running around the playground reciting:
“Marijuana, marijuana, LSD, LSD.
Mr. Nixon makes it,
Spiro Agnew takes it.
Why can’t we, why can’t we?”
Our baby sitters and teachers were from Berkeley East, University of Michigan.
I’ve seen this video before. I wonder who convinced Welk it was a “modern spiritual.
I've also seen that video. During rehearsal, I can picture a couple of production guys standing back stage, saying: "You gonna tell him?", "No, I'm not gonna tell him!"
Man, you’re a youngster! In 1968 I was in seventh grade at Gesu elementary school in Detroit. Our song:
Give a cheer
Give a cheer
For the men who bring the beer
In the cellars of good old Gesu
We were rolling on the floor
When the cops came through the door
And we never
saw Gesu
again
Back in those long gone days, my Christmas present to my mother’s sister, at her request, was a selection of record albums, which included Tarkio, Sgt. Pepper, and a few others which I forget. She wanted an update on where the popular culture was headed.
I had to explain to her what “toke” meant!
As I recall, in some situations, the “k” was dropped and the title became “One Toe Over the Line”.
Rest in peace, Michael, you did good.
I remember that album only because I thought that its version of Brewer's song "Hearts Overflowing" was better than the version that he had recorded with Shipley some years earlier... and was even better than Jonathan Edwards's version, which wan't too bad either. There was a time when Hearts Overflowing was a reasonably popular song at weddings.
LOL!
Haha! I bet Welk thought, “the kids will think I’m hep!”
I remember Welk with a faux pas.
“Wunnrrfull wunnerfull now the boys in the band will play Duke Ellington’s ‘Take a train’ “
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