"Flamin' Groovies" Unisex T-Shirt

San Francisco, 1969. Everyone Else Was Doing Psychedelic Rock. The Flamin' Groovies Were Playing Chuck Berry.

They formed in 1965 under different names before settling on the Flamin' Groovies by 1967. Cyril Jordan was the constant — a guitarist who was constitutionally incapable of caring about what was fashionable. While the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane were defining the sound of Haight-Ashbury, the Groovies were playing raw, fast, Chuck Berry-influenced rock and roll and getting very little credit for it in their own city.

Teenage Head came out in 1971 on Kama Sutra Records. Proto-punk before punk had a name, recorded with an energy that didn't exist anywhere else in California at that moment. It didn't sell. It became a cult record. The Ramones would cite it later. By then it was too late for it to matter commercially and too embedded in the lineage to be ignored.

The band went through a shift. Roy Loney, who had fronted the early raw version, left. Chris Wilson came in. The Groovies relocated to the UK, where people were more receptive to what they were doing, and in 1976 they made Shake Some Action on Sire Records with Dave Edmunds producing — Edmunds being the Welshman who was doing the same thing in Britain, keeping 1950s and 60s rock sounds alive while the music industry moved elsewhere. The title track is one of the great power pop songs. Pristine melody, perfect production, zero fat.

They were out of step in San Francisco in 1969. They were out of step in the UK in 1976. They were always about ten years behind or ten years ahead depending on how you counted, and either way they were right.

This tee is for the people who found them eventually.

Premium Quality

• Bella + Canvas 3001 — Premium unisex tee, true to size
• Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton — Exceptionally soft from the first wear
• Classic unisex fit — Relaxed, versatile, works for everyone
• Available in White, Storm, and Electric Blue — Sizes XS–4XL

Made to Order

For environmental and quality reasons, this tee is made specifically for you after you order. Please allow approximately one week for production. Tracking information will be sent as soon as it ships.