The Beat Farmers


The Beat Farmers are an American rock band that formed in San Diego, California, United States, in August 1983, and enjoyed a cult following into the early 1990s before the death of drummer and sometime lead singer Country Dick Montana. Their music can be described as an amalgam of jangle pop, roots rock, hard-twang Americana, country rock, rockabilly, and swamp rock. The San Diego Reader summed up their sound as..."like Bo Diddley, CCR, Joe South, and the Yardbirds, ham fisted into a food processor, stuffed into a shotgun shell, and blasted into a beer keg at three in the morning." As of 2024, remaining members Jerry Raney, Joey Harris, Joel Kmak, and Rollie Love have been performing again in San Diego and throughout the Southwest.
WWW Official Site

Formation

In 1983, The Beat Farmers were formed by Country Dick Montana, former drummer for San Diego bands The Penetrators and The Crawdaddys, and Jerry Raney, singer and guitarist with The Shames and formerly of 1970s psychedelic band Glory. Singer-guitarist Bernard "Buddy Blue" Seigal and bassist Rolle Love from local rockabilly band The Rockin' Roulettes were recruited to round out the lineup. The band regularly played at the Spring Valley Inn and venues around San Diego State University. In 1984, they won the annual San Diego Battle of the Bands and gained a Southern California following.
The Beat Farmers were born out of an earlier band formed by Dan McLain called Country Dick & the Snuggle Bunnies. That band included many San Diego musicians who would later play important roles in both the Beat Farmers and the neo-traditional Country and cow punk scenes. Country Dick & the Snuggle Bunnies were: McLain, drums and vocals; Richard Banke, mandolin, washboard and vocals; Robin Jackson, guitar and vocals; Paul Kamanski, guitar and vocals; Joey Harris, guitar and vocals; and Nino Del Pesco, bass and vocals.
Harris later replaced Buddy Blue in The Beat Farmers, Kamanski penned a number of Beat Farmer songs, Banke teamed up with Mojo Nixon, and Del Pesco later formed The Lonesome Strangers with bandmates Randy Weeks, Jeff Rymes, and Joe Nanini and Snake Farm with Barry McBride of The Plugz.

History

In 1984, they were signed to a one-off record deal with Rhino Records. The first album, Tales of the New West, was produced by Blasters and Los Lobos saxophonist Steve Berlin and released in January 1985. The album included cover songs "Reason to Believe" by Bruce Springsteen, "There She Goes Again" by The Velvet Underground, and "Never Going Back" by John Stewart. It also featured their most well known song, "Happy Boy", which gained national exposure through the Doctor Demento radio show, and was played as a novelty song across the country, notably by disc jockeys Jim McInnes and Pat Martin on San Diego radio station KGB-FM, on Pittsburgh station WDVE, where it has been played weekly since the 1980s, and in the early 1980s on San Francisco, California, FM radio station KQAK aka The Quake FM 99, particularly on the morning show with DJ Alex Bennett.
In 1985, they traveled to England to record Glad 'N' Greasy, a six-song EP for Demon Records. It was co-produced by Graham Parker and The Rumour keyboardist Bob Andrews and included a version by Buddy Blue of Neil Young's "Powderfinger" and Country Dick singing "Beat Generation" with backing vocals from Dave Alvin, Nick Lowe, Gene Taylor, Dan Stuart, and Loudon Wainwright III. Their month-long tour of England drew praise from critics, particularly from Melody Maker, whose editor followed them around and subsequently compared them to The Beatles.
In 1986, the band continued to tour and signed a seven-record deal with Curb Records. Fed up by working with Curb Records, Buddy Blue left the band. Their major-label debut Van Go was produced by Craig Leon and featured performances by both Blue and new member Joey Harris, who previously played with John Stewart, The Speedsters, and Country Dick and the Snuggle Bunnies.
The next year, The Pursuit of Happiness was released on Curb Records/MCA. The single "Make It Last" was briefly played on dozens of Country-Western stations across the nation, but the rest of the album was too rock n' roll-oriented for the format, and the single was dropped from rotation. "Hideaway" was featured in the soundtrack to the film Major League and "Big Big Man" was featured in The Garbage Pail Kids Movie. Poor & Famous was released in 1989, and included "King of Sleaze", a collaboration by Montana and Mojo Nixon. Later in the year, Montana and Harris formed a side project with Nixon and Alvin called the Pleasure Barons, a group that specialized in lounge music. The Beat Farmers finished the year with a three-night stand at San Diego's Bacchannal nightclub. The album Loud and Plowed and... LIVE!! was culled from those three nights and released the next year.
In 1991 Montana was treated for a thyroid condition and continued to visit a doctor for cancer treatments. The band appeared on Late Night with David Letterman on Friday, June 14, 1991, on NBC.
Over the years, the band grew increasingly dissatisfied with its relationship with Curb Records, and repeatedly attempted to get out of their seven-album contract. Finally succeeding in 1993, the group began to record Viking Lullabys in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was released in August 1994 by Sector 2, an Austin, Texas, record label. In 1995, Curb/MCA released The Best of the Beat Farmers without the consent or involvement of the band. That same year, the Beat Farmers released Manifold, their second record for Sector 2. Paul Kamanski, who wrote several songs on previous Beat Farmers releases, appeared on vocals and guitar.

Death of Country Dick Montana

On November 8, 1995, Country Dick Montana died of a heart attack while performing "The Girl I Almost Married", three songs into the set at the Longhorn Saloon in Whistler, British Columbia. The remaining Beat Farmers decided to dissolve the band three days later.
In 1996, Bar None Records of Hoboken, New Jersey, posthumously released The Devil Lied to Me, the Country Dick Montana solo album. The performers included members of the Farmers, Katy Moffatt, Rosie Flores, Mojo Nixon, and Dave Alvin.

Later activity post-Country Dick

In 2002, Rhino Records digitally remastered and reissued the first CD release of Glad n' Greasy, now subtitled "The Lost Beat Farmers Recording", and an extended version of Tales of the New West.
The remaining members formed several new bands including Raney-Blue, Powerthud, The Joey Show, Joey Harris and The Mentals, The Flying Putos, and The Farmers.
On April 2, 2006, Buddy Blue died of a heart attack at his La Mesa home at the age of 48. Also that year, a live recording of an early show was released as The Beat Farmers Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 1983 on Clarence Records.
In January 2010, the Beat Farmers started a tradition of an annual Hootenanny that features Jerry Raney, Joey Harris and Rollie Love getting together to play Beat Farmers songs. These are held at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California. The show typically features Raney, Harris as well as the Beat Farmers with Love. There is typically a number of special guests as well. These have included Dave Alvin, Steve Berlin, Mojo Nixon, Paul Kamanski and others as they pay tribute to Country Dick Montana and Buddy Blue.
On Feb. 26, 2022, the Beat Farmers performed on the Outlaw Country Cruise. They performed two other sets as well as joining the Warner Hodges Band for a jam session. The Beat Farmers will be on the West Coast version of the Outlaw Country Cruise in 2022.

Band members

Partial discography

All U.S. releases unless otherwise noted

Albums

Tales of the New West also released by: Canada / Rhino Records, England / Demon Records
  • * Tales of the New West - Deluxe Edition Van Go also released by: Germany, Netherlands, France / Curb Records, England / MCA Records, Belgium / Ariloa Benelux. Reissued by Curb in 1991.The Pursuit of Happiness also released by: Germany, Europe, Scandinavia / Curb Records, Canada / MCA RecordsPoor & Famous also released by: Scandinavia / Sonet Records, Canada / MCA-Curb Records,Viking Lullabys
  • ''Manifold''

Singles and EPs

Bigger Stones / Lonesome Hound Bigger Stones / Goldmine England-only releaseGlad 'N' Greasy also released by: England / Demon Records. Reissued in 2000: England / Edsel RecordsRiverside / Riverside Promo only 12-inchRiverside / Powderfinger Germany-only releasePowderfinger / Big Ugly Wheels England-only releasePowderfinger / Big Ugly Wheels, Gun Sale at the Church 12" England only releaseRiverside / Deceiver, Powderfinger 12" Germany only releaseDark Light / Dark Light Promo only 12”Key To The World / Key To The World, Make It Last Promo only 12”Make It Last / Make It Last Promo only blue vinylHollywood Hills / Hollywood Hills Promo only 12”Hollywood Hills / Ridin Germany only releaseHollywood Hills / Ridin, Dark Light Germany only release - Black, Green or Yellow vinylThe Girl I Almost Married / The Girl I Almost Married Promo only 12”

Promotional samplers

Gutter Ball, Vol. I 10-song cassette available at live showsBeat Farmers Sampler promo only eight-song cassette compilation in custom oversize packaging

Soundtracks

Rad includes: RiversideGarbage Pail Kids includes: Key To The World, Big Big ManTeen Wolf Too includes: DeceiverMajor League includes: ''Hideaway''

Live albums and compilations

Loud and Plowed and... LIVE!! also released by: Europe / Warner Strategic MarketingBest of the Beat Farmers Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 1983 Heading North 53 N° 8° E: Live In Bremen
  • ''Live From London''

Appearances

91X Local Heroes 1984 includes: Lost Weekend/''Happy Boy Homegrown ‘84 includes: You Lost a Gold MineTapeworm includes: Reason To Believe - free with copy of British music paper, New Musical ExpressReason To Believe includes: Reason To BelieveThe Album Network CD Tune Up #7 includes: Hollywood HillsBack Home includes: Powderfinger - Italy only releaseSongs From the Boss includes: Reason To Believe - England only releaseSpin Sampler includes: Girl I Almost Married - free with copy of SpinSelected Highlights From Our January '91 Releases - includes Glad 'N' Greasy & Beat Generation - promotional cassette Hit Machine '93 includes: Happy Boy - Australasia only release Sexo, Drogas Y Rock 'n' Roll includes: Bigger Stones - Spain only releaseThe 5th Annual San Diego Music Awards includes: That Country Western Song Dr. Demento: 25th Anniversary Collection includes: Happy BoyNew Country - Interview 1995 includes: Texas HeatCowpunks includes: Country Western Song - England only releaseAmericanism includes: There She Goes Again - England only releaseUnknown Pleasures includes: Powderfinger- free with British magazine, UncutReason To Believe: A Country Music Tribute to Bruce Springsteen includes: Reason To BelieveChevrolet Legends Volume 1 includes: Blue Chevrolet''

Media occurrences of music

  • "Happy Boy" is played on Pittsburgh classic rock station WDVE on Fridays around 3:00PM Eastern Time to signal the beginning of the traditional end of the work week. The station began playing the song shortly after the song hit the airwaves.
  • WRKI-FM in Brookfield, Connecticut, plays "Happy Boy" on Fridays around 5:00PM Eastern Time.
  • "Happy Boy" was played in the 2003 movie Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and the 1998 film Pecker.
  • "Happy Boy" is played during the seventh-inning stretch at Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks games.
  • "Riverside" was played in the 1986 movie Rad. It was also used in a 1986 Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch) radio commercial. Montana also provided the voice-over for the ad.
  • "Hideaway" is featured in the soundtrack to the 1989 film Major League.
  • "Big Big Man" and "Key to the World" were featured in The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.
  • "Baby's Liquored Up" is featured in the film Stag.
  • "Deceiver" was featured in Teen Wolf Too.
  • "Baby's Liquored Up" and "Gettin' Drunk" were played in the 1997 PC game Redneck Rampage.
  • "Big Ugly Wheels" was featured in an episode of the 21 Jumpstreet spin-off Booker.