Best known for their 1965 single “Lies,” garage rock band the Knickerbockers formed in 1964 in Bergenfield, New Jersey. Founded by brothers Beau Charles (born Robert Cecchino) on guitar and vocals and John Charles (born John Cecchino) on bass and vocals, the classic line-up also included Jimmy Walker (drums) and William ‘Buddy’ Randell (vocals / sax), they settled on the name the Knickerbockers in 1964 and were discovered by producer / artist Jerry Fuller and signed to the Challenge Records label. After releasing the singles “All I Need is You” (1964) and “Jerk Town” (1965), the Knickerbockers scored a number 20 hit with “Lies,” a single that combined a heavy Beatles influence with a garage rock edge. The follow-up single “One Track Mind” was destined to rise higher on the chart but distribution issues with Challenge Records ensured that it never charted higher than number 46. The group continued to release singles throughout 1966 and 1967 – including “High on Love,” “Chapel in the Fields,” Love is a Bird,” and “I Can Do it Better” – but they didn’t make much of a commercial impact. Albums like Jerk & Twine Time (1966) and Lies (1966) suffered distribution issues and both Buddy Randell and Jimmy Walker left in 1967. The Charles brothers eventually retired the Knickerbockers name by 1970 and moved on to other musical projects. The Charles brothers and Jimmy Walker reunited briefly as the Knickerbockers in 1983 followed by a full reunion of the classic line-up in 1990 but nothing significant resulted from those reunions. Buddy Randell died in 1998. Jimmy Walker died on July 15, 2020.
