LHE's first Sonobeat master tape and single

At the end of 1967, Austin, Texas, rock band Lavender Hill Express began a one-year multi-record relationship with Sonobeat Records. The first LHE release (R-s102) was the up-tempo Visions, a pop-rock tour-de-force with terrific harmony vocal parts, written by guitarist Layton DePenning. The flip side was keyboardist Johnny Schwertner's ballad Trying to Live a Life, featuring a neat hand-off of lead vocal from Johnny to Layton at the final verse. LHE recorded the basic instrumental tracks at a North Austin dance club -- although Sonobeat's archives don't specify which, it was probably the Swingers, where Sonobeat recorded other bands. A string quartet, composed of members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra conducted by string arranger Richard Green, harpsichord (played by Richard), and vocals were overdubbed in two more sessions at the KAZZ-FM studios in downtown Austin. The single just barely made it out in '67, hitting Austin stores Christmas week, and sold well enough for a second pressing early in '68.

G.C. Murphy's ad in Austin American-Statesman

When two of Austin's hottest '60s bands, the Wig and the Babycakes, broke up, several former members of those bands formed Lavender Hill Express. Layton DePenning recalls that someone in the band saw the old gangster movie The Lavender Hill Mob on TV and thought of using the name, but replacing "Mob" with "Express", which sounded more current. Layton doesn't recall which band member came up with the name, but remembers that all the band members immediately liked it.

Unlike other Sonobeat groups, Lavender Hill Express supported its releases with personal appearances, including a record signing party for Visions at G. C. Murphy's (see newspaper ad, right), one of Austin's leading record discounters in the '60s.

Lavender Hill's second single (R-s105), produced by Sonobeat co-founder Bill Josey Sr. and recorded in March 1968 on Ampex 354 and 350 machines, was the fiercely driving Watch Out (the picture sleeve referred to the song as Watch Out! with an exclamation point) written by drummer Rusty Wier. The "B" side was guitarist Leonard Arnold's Country Music's Here to Stay, foreshadowing Austin's progressive country movement that began in the early '70s and in which four of LHE's members figured prominently.

LHE's second Sonobeat master tape and single

The basic tracks for Watch Out and Country Music's Here to Stay were recorded at the Vulcan Gas Company. The instrumental track for Watch Out was heavily "flanged" before the lead guitar and vocal were overdubbed at Sonobeat's then-new Western Hills Drive studios in northwest Austin. Band manager Mike Lucas, who was also program director and popular afternoon DJ at KNOW radio in Austin, recalls that the echo on the rim shot, used as "punctuation" in the chorus of Watch Out, was produced by setting a up a mike at the far end of the Vulcan and turning it on just as Rusty struck his snare. Although the entire instrumental track was flanged, the effect was timed to create a dramatic swoosh on the snare echo.

	LHE's third Sonobeat master tape and single

The third and final Lavender Hill Express single (R-s110) for Sonobeat, recorded in September 1968, was Outside My Window, a more experimental Layton DePenning song, backed with Rusty Wier's beautiful acoustic ballad Silly Rhymes. The basic instrumental track for Outside My Window was recorded at the Vulcan Gas Company and additional instruments and vocals were overdubbed at the Western Hills Drive studio. The song runs over 7 minutes, but was faded at 3:45 for the single. Silly Rhymes was recorded entirely at the Western Hills Drive studio using Sonobeat's new Scully 1/2 inch 4-track recorder. Outside My Window was the only single released by Sonobeat in two versions; the alternate version -- distributed only to radio stations -- offered the stereo mix (for FM stations) on one side and a monaural mix (for AM stations) on the other. A third song, going by the working title Trouble, written and with lead vocal by Rusty Wier, was also recorded in the same sessions and was originally intended as the "A" side of the third single but ultimately was never released. Sonobeat co-founder Rim Kelley (Bill Josey Jr.), who produced the first and third Lavender Hill Express singles, wanted to bring arranger Richard Green back to add a string section to Silly Rhymes, but Sonobeat's heavy 1968 recording and release schedule, which had stretched its resources to the limit, made the strings an unaffordable luxury.

The Lavender Hill Express singles picture sleeves. Yes, there really is a Schwertner, Texas, where the photos for the Watch Out! and Country Music's Here to Stay sleeve were taken.

Visions was issued in a single-sided picture sleeve, but Bill Josey Sr. pulled out all the stops for Watch Out, which was issued in a double-sided, two-color picture sleeve so that stores could rack the single in both the rock and the country sections, depending on which side of the sleeve that faced out. Rim designed the sleeves for both singles using photos supplied by the band. By the third single, LHE was well established, so Outside My Window went "naked" into release without a picture sleeve.

Lavender Hill Express on stage

Many have called Lavender Hill Express Sonobeat's first super group, and, indeed, all of LHE's singles were big hits by Sonobeat standards. But it's no wonder. LHE was composed of some of Austin's most talented and formidable rock musicians: Layton DePenning (rhythm guitar) and Leonard Arnold (lead guitar) had been founding members of the Babycakes. Rusty Wier (drums, acoustic guitar) and Jess Yaryan (bass) were founding members of the Wig, perhaps Austin's hottest band in the mid-'60s, managed by Rim's friend Paul Harrison, an afternoon DJ at KNOW-AM radio. Johnny Schwertner (keyboards) had been in The Reasons Why. Gary P. Nunn, who later replaced Johnny on keyboards, was also an alum of The Wig. Rusty, Layton, Leonard, and Gary went on to become founding members of Austin's progressive country movement in the '70s. Rusty and Layton were joined by ex-Plymouth Rock guitarist John Inmon in the trio Rusty, Layton & John. Rusty was a founding member of Jerry Jeff Walker's Lost Gonzo Band. Rusty has enjoyed a successful career based in Austin, with many solo albums to his credit, but is presently undering cancer treatments, for which donations are welcome. Johnny went on to co-found Plymouth Rock, which recorded a single with Sonobeat in '69. Leonard performed in Austin band Blue Steel and now lives in Nashville, where he has performed with Vince Gill and other country greats. Layton performed with B. W. Stevenson, is a long-time member of Austin country-rock band Denim, (which has a new album out this month, April 2008) and operates a recording studio in Buda, Texas.

Lavender Hill Express holds the record for the most singles -- three -- Sonobeat released by the same artist. A "super group" in every way, Lavender Hill Express' talents as songwriters and musicians are self-evident in its Sonobeat legacy and in the remarkable musical careers its former members have enjoyed in the 41 years since LHE recorded Visions.