About The Castaways

The Castaways were an American garage rock band from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Their first and only hit single, "Liar Liar, written by band leader James Donna, reached #12 in 1965. 'Liar Liar' was featured in the films 'Good Morning Vietnam' and 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and became influential in developing the psychedelic music scene. The original members were James Donna on keyboard, Robert Folschow on guitar, Roy Hensley on bass and Dennis Craswell on drums. Folschow contributed the distinctive falsetto vocal on "Liar Liar." According to the Liar, Liar Songfacts, The Castaways were originally thrown together to play at a fraternity party. They got popular, and their popularity grew, based on just this song. Eventually they signed to Soma Records. Their popularity grew even more to the point where they appeared in the campy 1967 film 'It's a Bikini World'. Drummer Dennis Craswell later joined notable blues rock band Crow. Guitarist Roy Hensley passed away on 8 June 2005 and was buried in Fairmont, Minnesota. The Castaways continued to perform in the mid-00s, although, according to their website, James Donna was the only founding member still in the lineup.