#10: Mrs. Bluebird by Eternity’s Children

City: Guelph, ON
Radio Station: CJOY
Peak Month: August 1968
Peak Position in Guelph ~ #8
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #69
YouTube: “Mrs. Bluebird”
Lyrics: “Mrs. Bluebird”

Eternity’s Children was a sunshine pop group from Cleveland, Mississippi. They originated as a folk group known as the Phantoms. The Phantoms began in 1965 with two Delta College students, composed of vocalist/keyboardist Bruce Blackman and drummer Roy Whittaker (born in Biloxi, MS, in 1947). Soon, the group added lead guitarist Johnny Walker, rhythm guitarist Jerry Bounds, and bassist Charles Ross III (born in 1948 in Greenville, MS). The band played locally within the college and gained a sizable local following. They released a single titled “Workin’ Tired” on the local Flash label before relocating to Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1966. In Biloxi, the group became a house band in a basement nightclub of the Biloxi Hotel. The band, when they were not the lead performance, would back musicians like Charlie Rich and B.J. Thomas. In the same year, the band added folk singer Linda Lawley (born in Biloxi, MS, in 1949) and changed their name to Eternity’s Children.

In the spring of 1967 they released “Can’t Put A Thing Over Me” on the local Apollo label. It got little attention. Eternity’s Children had a followup single that summer titled “Wait and See”. The single was produced by Keith Olson of the Music Machine.

In May 1968, Eternity’s Children released “Mrs. Bluebird”.

Obscure songwriter, Karl Marion, wrote “Mrs. Bluebird”. The song that asks the bird “how’s your life since you’ve gotten older? How’s Mr. Bluebird? Is he well?” The lyrics caution Mr. Bluebird not to dwell on the end of life and for Mrs. Bluebird to keep Mr. Bluebird warm. There are a lot of vocal harmonies resembling The Association with “bop-bop-bop-bop-bahs.” There is a Jimi Hendrix influenced guitar solo by Johnny Walker that is a pleasant surprise. (Though Walker left Eternity’s Children before the single was released, his signature guitar solo added to the recording). Though “Mrs. Bluebird” got onto Top 40 radio in 25 states in the USA and four Canadian provinces, Capitol Records abandoned their marketing of the single in favor of other releases on their label.

“Mrs. Bluebird” peaked at #2 in Santa Rosa (CA), #4 in San Diego, #5 in Tulsa (OK), #7 in North Surrey (BC), #8 in Guelph (ON), #9 in Miami, and Campbell (OH), #11 in Lansing (MI), #12 in Buffalo, Dallas, Winnipeg (MB), and San Francisco, and #13 in Hamilton (ON) and Toronto. The single stalled at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Eternity’s Children opened concerts for both the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Faces, The Blues Magoos and the Strawberry Alarm Clock. They also appeared on American Bandstand. 

A followup single, “Sunshine Among Us”, cracked the Top 30 in New Orleans, and the Top 40 in York (PA) and Wilkes-Barre (PA), but was largely passed over. It stalled beneath the Billboard Hot 100 at #117.

During work on Eternity’s Children’s debut studio album, managerial and musical indifference caused Blackman, Bounds, and Walker to exit from band activity. Blackman, regarding the tension, stated “We did not survive because of incredibly bad management…After I left the group they tried to cheat me of any credit”. Only keyboardist Mike “Kid” McClain (born in 1949 in Houston, TX) would be included as a replacement and the remaining members of Ross, Whittaker, and Lawley would continue to record the album. Eternity’s Children would be released in 1968 and became a local interest in Los Angeles for its style set in psychedelic and sunshine pop, but failed to chart nationally.

Producers Olsen and Boettcher utilized studio musicians so it is difficult to definitively depict who is playing on a given track.

Percussionist Bo Wagner (born 1945 in Dayton, Ohio, and formerly with the Lewis and Clark Expedition) replaced Whittaker and took part in the 1968-69 single “Till I Hear It From You”. When the single did not chart beyond Buffalo (NY), Capitol Records withdrew the American release of their second album, Timeless. It did receive a limited release in Canada, however, where “Mrs. Bluebird” was most successful. But with the high asking price, not many fans of the band bought the album, and it has since become a difficult item to find.

In the spring of 1969, “The Sidewalks of The Ghetto” cracked the Top 30 in Corvallis (OR), and Nashville, and reached #32 in Seattle. However, it also failed to crack the Hot 100. This was the first of the hoped for tracks on a third Eternity’s Children album that never materialized.

More releases in 1969 on the Tower label which may have ended up on the elusive third album, “A Railroad Trestle in California” (also released as a solo by Charles Ross III), “Blue Horizon”, and “Laughing Girl” all were commercial failures.

Tower was a subsidiary of Capitol Records and ended the contract with Eternity’s Children. The group went on to the Liberty label to release “Alone Again” in 1970.

Bo Wagner, Bruce Blackman, and Johnny Walker went on to be a part of the band Starbuck, achieving a number three hit in the spring and summer of 1976 with their debut single, “Moonlight Feels Right”. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Above: Back cover of 1976 Starbuck Moonlight Feels Right album

Linda Lawley moved to New York City in the early 1970’s to appear in The Earl Of Ruston, a Broadway show that had had its first production in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Following a short run, she next joined the legendary Hippie tribe in Broadway’s ground-breaking musical hit Hair. Lawley was next in Iphigenia, a rock musical based on two plays by Euripides, twelve young, unknown women created a unique ensemble cast. Following its New York run, the production moved to London’s Young Vic, the experimental wing of England’s National Theatre. In 1973, Linda Lawley contributed vocals to BJ Thomas’ album Songs. At the end of the 1970’s, Linda moved to L.A. to join the Michael Chapman-produced rock and roll band Thieves. In 1982, she formed the cabaret act Roommates, which became a regular feature in cabarets in Los Angeles to the end of the decade. In the early 90s she toured with Carole King. Linda Lawley Pelfrey died in 2007 of cancer at the age of 58.

Bruce Blackman released albums in 2014 and 2018, and 5 of the songs charted in the Adult Contemporary chart: “Jim’s Café,” (#21), “Doing Nothing” (#11), “Walking in the Park” (#12), “Luz de Luna,” (#14), and “Is That Your Yacht,” (#9).

Bo Wagner, prior to his pop music career, was performing at an early age regularly on The Lawrence Welk Show and made many live and filmed appearances with the Disney organization.

“Bobby” Wagner in 1951 on a TV show.

In 1955, Bobby Wagner was a guest on the Mickey Mouse Club where he tap danced and played drums. After he left Starbuck, Wagner became a healthcare professional. He appeared on TV variety shows hosted by Giselle MacKenzie and Jimmy Durante.

Bo Wagner (top R), Jimmy Durante, Connie Francis and The Lennon Sisters (front R and L)

Bo Wagner was also a touring drummer with the Fifth Dimension, and appeared on one episode of I Dream of Jeannie. After five years, Bo retired from Starbuck and from his career in entertainment in 1979. H opened up a natural healthcare clinic, a health food store, and a performing arts school (including a children’s cabaret and dance theatre).

On September 30, 2003, a compilation album titled The Lost Sessions was released, and included rare recorded material of the band from the 1960s to their early 1970s material.

According to Wikipedia, Johnny Walker reportedly died in 2007.

Mike “Kid” McClain went on to found McClain’s Recording and lives in Garland, TX.

November 1, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Sunshine/Pychedelic Pop: Eternity’s Children – Eternity’s Children mono+stereo 1968 & Timeless 1968,” Pop On The Run, March 2019.
“Lynda Lawley Pelfrey,” Society of Composers and Lyricists, November 24, 2007.
Dr. Bo Wagner, “Bo Wagner Detailed Acting Profile,” wagnerhealthcare, July 27, 2016.
“Dr. Robert Bowman “Bo” Wagner,” Findagrave.com, January 20, 2018.
“Bruce Blackman: Bio,” Bruceblackman.com.

CJOY 1460-AM Guelph (ON) Top 15 | August 16, 1968