#16: Making Every Minute Count by Spanky and Our Gang

City: London, ON
Radio Station: CJBK
Peak Month: September 1967
Peak Position in London ~ #6
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #30
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #31
YouTube: “Making Every Minute Count”
Lyrics: “Making Every Minute Count”

Spanky and Our Gang was a sunshine pop group led by Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane. She was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1942. In 1959, she arrived in Chicago and began to perform in jazz clubs with Lil Hardin Armstrong (Louis Armstrong’s second wife), Earl Hines, and Little Brother Montgomery. She soon got involved with the burgeoning folk crowd and formed a trio with Roger McGuinn (future frontman of The Byrds) and Guy Guilbert called the Old Town Trio. The trio played in local Chicago area bars and coffee houses for a summer. In 1962, she joined the New Wine Singers. Fellow singer Arnie Lanza nicknamed her Spanky because of the similarity of her last name, McFarlane, to the last name of child actor George McFarland who played Spanky in the Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals) comedies about poor neighborhood children and their adventures. The nickname stuck.

The New Wine Singers performed folk songs the first half of their set, then dropped the guitars and banjo, picked up a trombone, coronet, drums, and piano, and closed the set with Dixieland jazz. They made their only folk LP on Vee-Jay Records titled: “The New Wine Singers at the Chicago Opera House.” Then McFarlane joined a jazz-based singing group called the Jamie Lyn Trio, touring the country and working the Playboy Club circuit. In Chicago, 1965, she formed Spanky and Our Gang with Nigel Pickering and Oz Bach, with fellow New Wine Singers musician Malcolm Hale joining later. After a couple of weeks’ rehearsal, they debuted as the opening act at Mother Blues nightclub.

Nigel Pickering was born in Pontiac (MI) in 1929. He began his music career playing guitar on the radio with a Milwaukee group called “The Westernaires” in the mid-1950s. Their show was called “Ranch House Roundup” and he was the character “Ranger Tom.” Prior to being in Spanky And Our Gang, Pickering was a member of the folk trio The Folksters, who appeared on two 1962 episodes of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson (November 19 and 26).

Paul Michael “Oz” Bach was born in 1939 in Paw Paw (WV). Bach entered music in 1962 as a guitarist, singer and comedian, before switching to bass in 1963. He then played as a back-up musician for folksingers Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, Bob Gibson, and singer and civil rights activist Josh White. In the fall of 1965, Bach met Spanky and Pickering at a “hurricane party” in Chicago, ahead of the waning path of an Atlantic storm.

Malcolm Hale was born in 1941 in Butte (MT). He learned to play guitar and trombone in his youth. He joined Spanky And Our Gang before they made their first recording.

In the spring of 1966, Spanky And Our Gang released a single titled “And Your Bird Can Sing”. It was a minor hit in a few record markets. On April 13, 1967, the group recorded “Sunday Will Never Be The Same”. The single debuted on the Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart on May 13/67.

On May 10, 1967, Spanky and Our Gang appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. On June 18th they were guests on The Ed Sullivan Show. On June 27, they were featured guests on The Dick Cavett Show. On July 1, 1967, the group appeared on the comedy-variety show And Away We Go. “Sunday Will Never Be The Same” peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the single climbed to #2 in Hamilton (ON), #3 in Winnipeg (MB), #8 in North Bay (ON), #9 in Edmonton (AB) and Regina (SK), and #10 in Vancouver.

John Seiter  joined Spanky And Our Gang after “Sunday Will Never Be The Same” was on the pop charts. Steiter was born in St. Louis in 1944. He learned to drum in his youth.

Spanky And Our Gang next released “Making Every Minute Count”, and it began to chart in North America in Windsor (ON) the week of August 1, 1967.

“Making Every Minute Count” was written by John Morier. He was an obscure songwriter who penned several tracks recorded by the Cowsills, and Sam the Sham.

“Making Every Minute Count” is a song that offers some simple wisdom about getting “hung up on yesterday”, or “hung up on tomorrow.” Instead the lyrics recommend:
All the good now times are slipping away.
Life is right now and if you take it.

The lyrics offer an image of someone in a stuck place:
With your nose pressed to the window
Life is just a mirror of your mind

Instead, you can make things “groovy” by making every minute count!

While “Making Every Minute Count” was on the pop charts, Spanky And Our Gang appeared on the variety show, The Hollywood Palace, hosted by Milton Berle.

“Making Every Minute Count” peaked at #3 in Akron (OH), #4 in Lakeland (FL), #6 in London (ON), St. Louis, Orlando, Brownwood (TX), Lubbock (TX), and Augusta (GA), #7 in Canton (OH), and Monroe (MI), and #9 in Philadelphia and Wausau (WI). In 1968, a duo from the Netherlands named Blue Diamonds recorded “Making Every Minute Count”.

Weeks after “Making Every Minute Count” dropped off the pop charts, the group released “Lazy Day”. The single climbed to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #16 in Sudbury (ON). On January 6, 1968, Spanky And Our Gang were guests on The Peter Martin Show. 

Earlier in May the group released “Sunday Mornin'” which had peaked at #2 in Gainesville (FL) on May 27/67. It mostly charted through the fall of 1967, and climbed to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the single peaked at #5 in Toronto and Hamilton (ON).

Oz Bach left Spanky And Our Gang prior to the April 1968 release of the album Like to Get to Know You. He went on to work as an arranger for Steve Miller, Linda Ronstadt and Sergio Mendez. After 1972, Bach hosted a talk show in Florida and directed an award-winning short film “Froggy Went A-Courtin'” (1977). He died of cancer at the age of 59 in 1998. Oz Bach was replaced on guitar by Lefty Baker, who also brought banjo into the mix. As well, Kenny Baker was added to the group before they went to the recording studio to work on their second album. Hodges contributed bass guitar and backing vocals.

In the spring of 1968, “Like To Get to Know You” charted to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In New Glasgow (NS) the single topped the local pop chart. They wrapped up the year with a message about indifference toward other human beings, and the need to “Give A Damn”. The single stalled at #43 on the Hot 100. But in St. Thomas (ON) it peaked at #8, and in Calgary rose to #10. It was the debut single from the group’s third studio album – released in the fall of 1968: Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme or Reason. Three more tracks were released as singles into 1969, and none were hits. The title track was their best attempt after “Give A Damn”, stalling at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Spanky And Our Gang came to an abrupt end in 1969, following the death of Malcom Hale in October 1968. For 39 years, it was believed Hale died of bronchial pneumonia. However, his death was changed to “carbon monoxide poisoning”, which was probably caused from problems with the heaters in his house in Chicago.

In 1970, an album was released titled Spanky And Our Gang Live. The liner notes explain “it was recorded during the group’s earlier days at the Gaslight Club South in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Spanky got married and drummer John Seiter joined The Turtles. After the released of Turtle Soup, the Turtles disbanded. Seiter joined Rosebud who released one album before two of the bandmates got divorced and the group split up. From 1970 to 1973, John Seiter was part of The Conception Corporation. In 1973, Seiter was a session musician for Tom Waits on his debut album. He also worked with Jane Getz and was in the band Aztec Two-Step. 

In 1975, after a six-year hiatus, Spanky And Our Gang released an album titled Change. It featured Spanky McFarlane and Nigel Pickering, along with two new backing vocalists: Marc McClure (also on guitar and banjo) and Bill Plummer (on bass guitar). A single, “I Won’t Brand You”, got some airplay in Arcata (CA). After this final effort, the group packed it in. Well, almost. Spanky And Our Gang reappeared as part of oldies tours in 1978 and 1984. On these tours they shared the stage alongside The Association, The Turtles, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Three Dog Night, Tom Jones, the Grass Roots, and others. He also was in the recording studio as a session musician for a number or recording acts. These include Odessa, George Clinton, and Jerry Yester. As this post goes online, John Seiter is 80 years of age.

After the split of Our Gang, Pickering continued to perform as a solo act in clubs. He also released three solo albums. He stopped playing guitar in the late 2000s due to arthritis, but continued to sing. After fighting liver cancer, Nigel Pickering died in 2011, at the age of 81.

Spanky McFarlane became a member of The New Mamas & the Papas from 1982 to 1993. (Cass Elliott had died on July 29, 1974). In the 2000s, Spanky reformed Spanky And Our Gang with some new musicians. As this post is being published, Spanky McFarlane is 82 years of age.

February 28, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
Mary Anne Cassata, “Spanky McFarlane: Really Getting to Know Her,” FFanzeen, Issue #13, 1985.
Peter Guinta, “‘Spanky’ member, 81, dies,” St. Augustine-Record, May 8, 2011.
“Spanky And Our Gang – concert dates,” Setlist.fm.
“Malcolm Hale“, findagrave.com.
“Paul Michael “Oz” Bach,” findagrave.com.
Dominic Genetti, “60’s drummer for Spanky & Our Gang, The Turtles recalls the folk rock limelight,” Midland Daily News, September 17, 2021.
Spanky And Our Gang, “Sunday Will Never Be The Same“, The Ed Sullivan Show, June 18, 1967.

CLPL 980-AM London (ON) Top Ten | September 22, 1967