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Flo & Eddie

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Flo & Eddie
Mark Volman ("Flo") (left) and Howard Kaylan ("Eddie") (right) in a 2008 tour
Mark Volman ("Flo") (left) and Howard Kaylan ("Eddie") (right) in a 2008 tour
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, U.S.
GenresComedy rock
Years active1971–present
LabelsReprise, Warner Bros., Columbia
SpinoffsThe Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa, Checkpoint Charlie, Alice Cooper, Psychedelic Furs
Spinoff ofThe Turtles
MembersMark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Websitehttp://www.theturtles.com

Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie).

The two were the original founding members of the mid-to late 1960s rock and pop band the Turtles. After the Turtles dissolved in 1970, Volman and Kaylan first joined Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention as 'Phlorescent Leech & Eddie'. Contractual restrictions imposed early in their career prevented Volman and Kaylan from using the name 'the Turtles', as well as their own names, in a musical context.[1]

History

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Career beginnings

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When the Mothers of Invention bandleader Frank Zappa was injured during a concert in London in 1971, Kaylan and Volman found themselves at an impasse, as the group was out of action for a time. They responded to this by recording The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie on Reprise Records with most of the other members of the Mothers of Invention.[2] Although this album failed to chart, the duo continued to release albums, including the more successful Flo & Eddie; Illegal, Immoral and Fattening; Moving Targets; and Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie.

1970s

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During the 1970s, Kaylan and Volman continued to work as session musicians. They were backing vocalists on the T. Rex 1971 song "Get It On", singing the inadvertent extra chorus that "worked". The duo sang background vocals also on early T. Rex albums and were close friends of the band's vocalist Marc Bolan. The duo was also in good relations with Alice Cooper, and they were the opening act on the "Billion Dollar Babies Tour" during the spring of 1973, going on to record background vocals for Cooper's albums From the Inside, Flush the Fashion and Zipper Catches Skin. The duo was also the house band for the Canadian TV talk show 90 Minutes Live with Peter Gzowski. They also sang background vocals on "Telephone Booth", a 1974 song by Hoyt Axton.

Early 1980s

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The duo sang backing vocals also on Bruce Springsteen's first top ten hit on the Billboard chart, the 1980 song "Hungry Heart", while in 1982, they released a four-song EP on Rhino Records (RNEP 603) under the name Checkpoint Charlie. The record is a dark but whimsical take on late 1970s/early 1980s German synth-pop, new wave and techno music, such as D.A.F. and Kraftwerk.

Mid-1980s

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In 1984, as 'The Turtles... featuring Flo & Eddie' (together with three other groups from the 1960s: Gary Puckett, Spanky and Our Gang, and the Association), they traveled across the U.S. and Canada as The Happy Together Tour. The following year, they got together with the Buckinghams, Gary Lewis and the Grass Roots, for a 1985 version. For the eight months the tour was on the road, it was consistently one of the top 10 grossing tours in the country.

2000s

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On August 1, 2013, Flo & Eddie, having gained ownership of The Turtles' recorded output, filed a lawsuit against satellite radio broadcaster Sirius XM for failing to pay sound-recording royalties in the states of New York, California, and Florida. On September 22, 2014, a California judge ruled that under state law, Sirius XM had to pay to digitally broadcast pre-1972 sound recordings.[3] On June 22, 2015, a Florida judge ruled in favor of Sirius XM, as that state has no specific legislation concerning sound recording property rights.[4] A few days later, Sirius XM agreed to pay $210 million to major record labels.[5] On November 28, 2016, Sirius XM agreed to pay between $25–99 million to the pre-1972 song owners.[6]

2010s

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During the summers of 2010 and 2011, Flo & Eddie had heavy touring schedules throughout the U.S., both as part of the Happy Together: 25th Anniversary Tour, along with the Grass Roots, the Buckinghams, Mark Lindsay, and the Monkees' member Micky Dolenz (2010 only).[7]

Film and television work

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They also had a collaboration with animation studio Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, dating back to when this company made the cartoon scenes in Zappa's film 200 Motels. Flo & Eddie did the music for their films Down and Dirty Duck and The Adventures of the American Rabbit, the television special Peter and the Magic Egg, and their Strawberry Shortcake television specials. The last one led this franchise creators at American Greetings to also bring in the duo for The Care Bears show.[8][9][10]

Discography

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With Frank Zappa:

As Flo & Eddie:

With John Lennon & Yoko Ono:

Under Other Names:

  • Checkpoint Charlie EP (1982)

Backing Vocals:

As producers:

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "The Turtles Website/History pt. 1". The Turtles – Flo & Eddie, Inc. 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  2. ^ James, Billy (2002). Necessity Is: The Early Years of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. ISBN 9780946719518. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Carlisle, Stephen (2 October 2014). "Flo and Eddie v. SiriusXM Radio: Have Two Hippies from the 60's Just Changed the Course of Broadcast Music?". Office of Copyright. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  4. ^ "SiriusXM Wins Florida Lawsuit Over Performance of Pre-1972 Music". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Record Giants Win $210M Settlement from SiriusXM Over Pre-1972 Music". The Hollywood Reporter. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  6. ^ "SiriusXM Wins Appeal Over Pre-1972 Sound Recordings in Florida". The Hollywood Reporter. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  7. ^ McQuistion, James (April 30, 2011). "Happy Together Tour Returns In Summer 2011". Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  8. ^ Kaylan, Howard; Tamarkin, Jeff (2013). Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 203. ISBN 978-1480342934.
  9. ^ Kuvo, Kelly (12 February 2016). "The Turtles' Double Yummy Blow Your Mind Strawberry Shortcake Recipe revealed". Scram Magazine. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  10. ^ Brown, Tom (January 5, 2016). "Rock Stories: Tom Brown remembers the dope smoking and drama at Flo & Eddie's "Strawberry Shortcake" sessions". Night Flight. Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
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