the Torquays / Jan and the Torquays / Rhythm Rockers

Cambridge City, Indiana 1962

The Torquays were a band from Cambridge City, Indiana about 30 miles direct west of Richmond and the Ohio/Indiana state line. The band recorded a 45, a cover of Bony Maronie, backed with in instrumental called "Rompin", credited to the band, and with no copyright filed. The vocal side is credited to Jan and the Torquays. In early 1962 the band was called the Rhythm Rockers and included Jan Harter as the lead singer and sax player. The other members were Ronnie Jackson (guitar), Dick Agee (trumpet), Roger Blair (drums), Mike Stomm (trombone), Tim (or Tom) Parker, and Gary Newton. The next day the ad credits Balir, Stomm, and Jackon on guitars, Harter on bass. Maybe they had two lineups, a rock band and a dance band. In June of 1962 they were listed as the Torquays in the papers.

A social media page dedicated to Cambridge City history has a lot of memories around Jan Harter and he is well remembered as the singer of Bony Maronie, he passed away in 2012. Roger Blair was later in the Fabulous Chevells, who recorded a 45 in 1965 (after Roger left the band)

For many years we assumed this band to be from Cleveland/NE Ohio because of the Whirl label which looked exactly like the Cleveland Whirl label. Turns out there is no connection between two Whirl labels, except that they used the same font and were both pressed by RCA in Indianapolis.

The two Royal Princess ads suggest the band had a rock-n-roll set and a dance band set?

In late1965, a different Torquays was playing at Mr Grapevines in Euclid for a few weeks. Torquays was a pretty common band moniker in the early 1960s, there was a Torquays in Cincinnati who became the band Them.

Discography:
Bonie Maronie / Rompin - Whirl no # (RCA custom masters N8OW-6966/7), 1962