Little Joe and the Ramrods was formed by guitarist and
pianist, Joe Hupp. His early groups included Dino
Reeves, Doug Speidel, Mike Sund, Leland Grieves,
Terry Zobel, Larry Young, John Schrad and Gene
Hammerlun. Taking the cue from his early heroes,
Hupp took the group to Oklahoma City and recorded
B.B. Limbo and Yogi Twist, two excellent rock records
that appeared on the Soma label.
Little Joe and the Ramrods continued recording,
cutting Somebody Touched Me, Oop Poo Pa Doo, and
We Belong Together for Studio City Records out
of Minneapolis.
This success came to a sudden halt, when after
a disagreement, Hupp found himself without a band.
At the same time, The Strollers were losing
their drummer, and after some discussion, both
bands decided to join. Within two months, the
band had expanded, adding former Stroller, Chuck
Asmus on vocals, Nick Hupp on bass, John Schrad
on sax, and moving Jerry Benjamin to drums. This
seven piece band would some
day become The Smoke Ring.
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