"The Grass Roots" Premium Unisex T-Shirt
Regular price $34.99The Name Existed Before the Band Did. Then the Band Had 21 Consecutive Charting Singles.
In 1965, songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri recorded a single called "Where Were You When I Needed You" for Dunhill Records and released it under a name they invented: The Grass Roots. It was a pseudonym. There was no band. When the single got enough traction that people wanted to book the band live, Sloan and Barri held auditions and assembled one.
The group that came together included Rob Grill on vocals and bass, Warren Entner, Rick Coonce, and a guitarist named William Charles Schneider — who performed and recorded as Creed Bratton. Yes. That Creed Bratton. He was a founding member of The Grass Roots from 1965 to 1969, and he later played a fictionalized version of himself on NBC's The Office, a character who occasionally referenced his time in the band with the calm confidence of someone whose biography was genuinely too strange to invent.
What the assembled band then did was rack up 21 consecutive charting singles between 1966 and 1975. "Let's Live for Today" in 1967, originally recorded by an Italian band. "Midnight Confessions" in 1968, their biggest hit, written by Lou Josie, number five in the US. "Temptation Eyes." "Sooner or Later." Rob Grill's voice — warm, direct, built for AM radio — was the consistent thread through all of it.
A band that was assembled to fulfill a name made more consecutive charting singles than most bands that formed organically. The premise is absurd. The music held up.
This tee is for the 21 singles and the story behind how the name came first.
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 Black, Team Purple, and White — 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.