#12: I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow by Witness Inc.

City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: August 1967
Peak Position in Regina ~ #3
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” (original by Randy and the Rainbows)
YouTube: “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” (cover by Tommy Vann and the Echoes)
Lyrics: N/A

Witness Inc. was a band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They formed in 1967 and won the Saskatoon Teen-Town Band Battle. They immediately became a touring sensation in the western provinces. They released a series of singles which became increasingly pop after the second. The band finally caught on in Ontario after several years and many personnel changes. The original band consisted of Kenny Shields on lead vocals, Ed Clynton on guitar, Dennis Tremeer on bass guitar, Les Bateman on organ and piano, and Craig Kaleal on drums. The website, Citizen Freak, “was surprised to learn that the band traveled to New Mexico to record their first 45, probably at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis.” Their first single release was “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow”.

“I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” was cowritten by Ben Wagman and Thomas Kaye. Born in North Dakota in 1940 (though some sources suggest 1942), Kaye was born with the given name Thomas Kontos. By 1956, when still known as Tommy Kontos, he started a vocal group, The Blaretones, in New York City. The following year he formed a new group named the Rock-Abouts. They changed their name to The Ideals in 1958, and recorded two singles for Decca Records. The group regularly backed singer Joey Dee, before he formed the Starliters.

Kontos then joined Scepter Records as an A&R man, reputedly at the age of 18. His surname was changed to Kaye at the suggestion of company owner Florence Greenberg. During the 1960s, Kaye wrote and produced material at Scepter for The Shirelles (for whom he co-wrote their 1966 single “Shades of Blue”), Judy Clay, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson, The Kingsmen, the Sunshine Company, Melanie, Nappy Brown, Tiny Tim, Freddie Scott, Jay & the Americans, Loudon Wainwright III, The Barbarians, and others. He wrote a minor R&B hit for Bobby Moore in 1966 titled “Chained to Your Heart”. That year he arranged “I Met Him On A Sunday ’66” for The Shirelles. In 1970, Three Dog Night had a Top 20 hit with Kaye’s “One Man Band”. Kaye moved to Los Angeles by 1970 and was producing for Link Wray and others. He recalled at the time, “The hours are crazy, the alcohol thing is crazy, the pills are crazy, the people are crazy… I was just as high as everybody else and I was up for it!”

In 1973, Thomas Kaye released a debut self-titled solo album. This was followed up with First Grade in 1974. In the mid-70s he began working with former Byrds bandmate Gene Clark. In 1977, he joined Clark and others to form the K.C. Southern Band (“K.C.” representing Kaye and Clark). The band toured Europe alongside the separate bands led by Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn, but split up after returning to the USA. Kaye continued to work with Clark on the latter’s studio albums, including Firebyrd in 1987.

Thomas Kaye suffered from alcohol and drug dependency, and from illnesses including diabetes. His final album, Not Alone, came out in 1992 and featured a guest line-up that included Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Steve Miller, Rick Danko, Timothy B. Schmitt, Joe Walsh and Robby Krieger. He died in 1994 from an overdose of painkillers at the age of 53.

“I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” is a song about a guy who has a girlfriend who is “running around” with other guys. She doesn’t care if her boyfriend is “sad.” He’s been in love with her long before his current “sorrow” began. She’s changed the way she looks and she doesn’t act “like she did before.” Given his predicament, he vows “I’ll give her one more day, and forget her tomorrow.” But, since he expects to forget about her the next day, it seems he holds out little hope that she’ll snap out of her habit of running around and breaking his heart.

Originally, “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” was recorded by Randy and the Rainbows in 1966. That doo-wop group had a Top Ten hit in 1963 titled “Denice”.

But there recording of “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” on the Mike label was a commercial failure. The song was covered in 1966 by Tommy Vann and the Echoes. This was a B-side to the Tommy Vann cover of Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo”.

Tommy Vann cover of “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” charted to #10 in Medicine Hat (AB)

Nonetheless, “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” by Tommy Vann charted into the Top Ten in Medicine Hat (AB).

“I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” peaked at #3 in Regina on CJME in August 1967. It also cracked the Top 30 in Lloydminster (AB) and charted in Winnipeg.

The picture sleeve for “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow” features a different band lineup than the group on the recording, with new members Dave Tupper on drums and Allen Ayers on bass.

Initially billed as “The Witnesses”
in this early poster as they opened
in Saskatoon for the Guess Who at the
Manhattan club.

Later in 1967, Witness Inc. had this lineup:
Ed Clynton, Dave Tupper, Kenny Shields, Alan Ayers (l to r)
and Les Bateman (kneeling)

Next out, Witness Inc. released “Jezebel”, a cover of the old Frankie Laine standard from 1951. Witness Inc. took “Jezebel” to #1 on the pop charts in Calgary in 1968. The single also cracked the Top Ten in both Edmonton (AB) and Bathurst (NB).

Witness Inc. released their third single, “Harlem Lady”, in the spring of 1968. It climbed to #2 in Calgary, and #8 in Edmonton. In the fall of 1968, Witness Inc. released “Visions Of Vanessa”. The single climbed into the Top Ten in Lethbridge (AB). By 1969 the band was Shields, Bateman, Bruce Dagenhardt, Derry Stewart, and Bob Ego (formerly of the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm) on drums.

The January 13, 1969 issue of RPM Weekly announced that the band had dropped the ‘Inc.’ from their name for their fifth single, “So Come With Me”, recorded at Sound Canada studios in Toronto. “So Come With Me” charted in the Top 40 in Toronto, Regina (SK), Kirkland Lake (ON), and Hamilton (ON). The band continued to bill themselves as Witness into the early 70s, and split up in 1971.

Craig Kaleal joined the Leigh Ashford band, and later the Regina rock band Wascana. In 1980, Kaleal was part of the Downchild Blues Band and in the studio for their recording of the Road Fever album, and the 1981 album Blood Run Hot.

In 1975, Kenny Shields reformed Witness Inc. The lineup was totally revamped, with only Shields and Craig Kale as the only original bandmates. The new guitar players were Bob Deutscher and George Martin, Ken Sinnaeve was on bass guitar, Craig Kaleal was brought back on the skins, and Daryl Gutheil was the new keyboardist. Before long though Shields got back in touch with Bob Ego, who replaced Craig Kaleal as the drummer.

But by the mid-70s, times had changed, musical tastes in the buying public had changed with them, and Shields was unable to recapture the magic. He soon closed the book on Witness Inc. In 1976, Kenny Shields formed Streetheart, which also featured Sinnaeve and Gutheil. Bob Ego would go on to join Painter, Paul Hann and Mavis McCauley (ex of One Horse Blue) and do session work for a number of performers. In 1979, Ego then reunited with Shields and others to join Streetheart.

Craig Kaleal latter joined the Jacques Lussier Band who released an album in the early 90s.

February 13, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Witness Inc.“, Citizen Freak.
David Friend, “Streetheart lead singer Kenny Shields Dies,” Globe and Mail, Toronto, July 21, 2017.
Kenny Shields bio, Crazy 4 Streetheart blogspot, February 16, 2008
Darren Bernhardt, “He Was Magic”: Canadian Rock Legend Kenny Sheilds Dies,” CBC, July 21, 2017.
“Loverboy to Join Kenny Shields Tribute 8/29,” Broadway World.com, July 28, 2017.
Chris Bishop, “The Witness Inc.,” Garagehangover.com, March 9, 2007.
“Thomas Jefferson Kaye,” An Overdose of Fingal Cocoa, April 1, 2012.

Boss Fifty – CJME 1300-AM Regina (SK) | July 28, 1967