Formed in The Bronx, New York City, New York in 1964, the Blues Magoos – sometimes listed as Blues Magoos – is a psychedelic / garage rock band best known for the single “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet.” Founded by Emil ‘Peppy’ Thielhelm (vocals / guitar), Roger Scala (organ / vocals), Ron Gilbert (bass), Dennis LePore (lead guitar), and Jon Finnegan (drums), the group originally called themselves the Trenchcoats and built up a following in Greenwich Village before changing their name to the Bloos Magoos in 1965 before finally settling on the Blues Magoos. By early 1966, Le Pore and Finegan were out and were replaced by Mike Esposito and Geoff Daking. They released their first two singles in 1966 – “The People Had No Faces” and “Tobacco Road” – before scoring a hit with “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet.” Lifted from their debut album Psychedelic Lollipop (1966), the single climbed to number 5 on the Hot 100 and reached number 4 in Canada. The Psychedelic Lollipop reached number 15 in Canada while their follow-up, Electric Comic Book, was released in 1967 and reached number 14 in Canada. By the time of their 1968 album Basic Blues Magoos was released, the group moved back to their pre-psychedelic sound and embraced the blues. After the album failed, founding members Scala and Gilbert left the band, followed by Esposito and Daking. With only Emil ‘Peppy’ Thielhelm left from the original line-up, he hired new members and continued for two more albums – Never Goin’ Back to Georgia (1969) and Gulf Coast Bound (1970) – before the band split. In 2008, most of the original members reunited and began performing live again. They released Psychedelic Resurrection in 2014 and have continued to perform live and play oldies package tours. The Blues Magoos released the non-album track “Nowhere is Somewhere” in 2022. Original bassist Ron Gilbert died on February 16, 2024, at the age of 77.
