The Premiers are an American garage rock band formed in 1962 in San Gabriel, California. The group consisted of Mexican-American brothers Lawrence Perez and John Perez on guitar and drums respectively, along with neighbors George Delgado on guitar and Frank Zuniga on bass. They began performing in the Perez brothers' backyard, quickly gaining local attention. The Premiers were discovered by Billy Cardenas, who managed several Chicano bands in East Los Angeles. Their breakthrough came with "Farmer John", a song written and recorded by Don and Dewey, which they released as a single in 1964. The track, recorded with overdubbed party noises, reached number 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following this success, they released their debut album Farmer John Live and toured nationally with artists such as The Crystals and Gene Pitney. They also opened for notable groups like The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and The Dave Clark Five. Despite recording several more singles up to 1967, none matched the success of their first single. The band disbanded by the end of the decade due to members being drafted into military service. In 2001, The Premiers reformed with the Perez brothers and George Delgado from the original lineup to play occasional concerts and record. Bassist Frank Zuniga died in December 2010, and drummer John Perez passed away in September 2022.
