the Royal Chessmen


Dover, 1965-8

The Royal Chessmen packed teen dances from Youngstown to Mansfield with their Beatles/Byrds/Rascals sound and strong vocal harmonies.

The group was fronted by Dave Bird and his moptop of hair. They recorded a 45 of two songs - "Can't You See" was the A-side and shows of the band's sound to nice effect. It was written by Doug Wimmer, who was a member of the Spoonjobs. The B-side - "Bring Your Love On Back To Me" was written by Chicago soul singer Jan Bradley and her producer Don Talty. The band got the song through Andy Apperson who was affiliated with Talty.

After the Royal Chessmen disbanded, Dave Bird joined the Youngstown band Hard Willow.