“The mornin’ sun is shinin’ like a red rubber ball…”

In the music industry, timing is everything. And for three college students, Don Danneman, Tom Dawes, and Marty Fried, their opportunities came during the mid-60s, with the British Invasion in full force and American music taking an interesting turn towards psychedelia and folk music.

The trio started out as The Rhondells, a cover band that performed hits from such groups as The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons around the parties and clubs in New York City. As a result, a NY attorney mentioned their name to Brian Epstein, iconic manager for The Beatles. He liked what he heard and secured the band a recording contract.

Even with such a prestigious contact in the music business, it would take another little twist of fate to give them the recognition they deserved. Bassist for the group, Tom Dawes, was asked to go on the road with Simon and Garfunkle during a bit of downtime, which resulted in a friendship with Paul Simon. Dawes new buddy offered his band a remarkably catchy song to record, called “Red Rubber Ball.” Recording the song under the name The Cyrkle (thanks to a suggestion from John Lennon) the folksy tune rose to the #2 spot on the pop charts in 1966 and remained there for four weeks.

The Cyrkle followed with an album, also called Red Rubber Ball, which provided them another hit record, “Turndown Day” which not only made it into the Top –20, but prevented them from being branded with the dubious honor of a “one-hit-wonder. Filled with experimental psychedelic sounds, including the use of a sitar, it fit right in with the popular music of the day.

The band followed up with another album, Neon, in 1967. Less successful than their earlier offering, the band decided to call it quits, only making one more appearance on a stage 19 years later for a charity event. Dawes moved on to other things, writing very successful commercial jingles, such as “Plop Plop Fizz Fizz” for Alka-Seltzer and producing the 70s rock band Foghat. Danneman also found success in the jingle business, while Fried decided to pursue a law degree.

Still, for a short time at least, they had their moment in the spotlight, the result of providing a pleasing sound that fit in perfectly with their particular era. And thanks to a couple of industry contacts that any band in their right mind would have killed for, they accomplished a feat that eludes so many, a pair of chart-topping hits.