The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the opening act at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival.
Generally consisting of six to eight members, they are known for intricate vocal harmonies by the band's multiple singers.
members: Larry Ramos, Jim Yester, Russ Giguere, Bob Page, Brian Cole, Terry Kirkman, Ted Bluechel, Richard Thompson
formed in: California
labels: Jubilee Records
genres: soft rock
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Jules Alexander was in Hawaii in 1962 serving a stint in the Navy when he met Terry Kirkman, a visiting salesman. The two young musicians jammed together and promised to get together once Alexander was discharged. That happened a year later; the two eventually moved to Los Angeles and began exploring the city's music scene in the mid-1960s, often working behind the scenes as directors and arrangers for other music acts. At the same time, Kirkman played in groups with Frank Zappa for a short period before Zappa went on to form the Mothers of Invention.
For their 1972 tour, the group expanded, bringing in first session bass player Wolfgang Melz, and then Mike Berkowitz on drums, to add more musical versatility on stage and free up Brian Cole and Ted Bluechel to concentrate on singing. But on August 2, 1972, 29-year-old Cole was found dead in his Los Angeles home of a heroin overdose.
"Along Comes Mary" is a song composed by Tandyn Almer, originally recorded by American sunshine pop band the Association. It was the group's first hit, released in March 1966 as the lead single prior to their debut album, And Then...
Along Comes the Association, which appeared in July.
"Along Comes Mary" is sung from the point of view of a once-disillusioned young man talking about the "tribulations no one ever sees" and who "curse[s] those faults in me." The singer believes Mary gives him comfort and improves his life. Both Leonard Bernstein and Tandyn Almer stated that Mary was a reference to marijuana; this association was also prevalent among many of the song's listeners. In the Young People's Concert titled What Is a Mode? Leonard Bernstein explained that the song was composed in the Dorian mode.
In 1966, Hugh Masekela included the song on his album Hugh Masekela's Next Album, and in 1967, Cal Tjader covered it for his album Along Comes Cal. That same year, Baja Marimba Band's had a minor hit with their cover of the song. In 1968, George Benson included a version on his album Giblet Gravy, and in 1986 a cover appeared on R. Stevie Moore's album Glad Music.