The Hondells were a non-existent group when they released their Top 10 single ‘Little Honda’ in 1964. The mastermind behind the record was producer Gary Usher (1938, Los Angeles, California, USA, d. 25 May 1990), a friend and songwriting partner of Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. Usher had created a series of surf music records using a revolving team of musicians and singers and assigning different group names to the finished products. The Hondells were one such creation. Usher and his hired hands for the day, including Glen Campbell, Curt Boettcher, and Chuck Girard and Joe Kelly of the Castells, recorded a version of the Brian Wilson song extolling the virtues of Honda motorcycles, which was released on Mercury Records and reached US number 9 in September 1964. With the record a success, the company asked Usher to assemble a touring group of Hondells. He hired Ritchie Burns, one of the background singers on the record, to lead the group. Burns still had...
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