About The Turtles

The Turtles were an American pop/rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, a duo later known as Flo & Eddie. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits in the 60s, beginning with their version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965. The band scored their biggest and best-known hit in 1967 with the song "Happy Together". Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965, the band was renowned for their both joyously melancholic and occasionally cheeky sound, always being good-natured. Originated from a surf rock group called the Crossfires, the Turtles delved into many genres such as breezy pop, psychedelic music, and folk rock. A precursor to the bubblegum pop of the late 60s and early 70s as well as a foil to the more self-consciously hip and "serious" acts of the era, the Turtles produced at least a dozen memorable, radio-friendly chart singles. Yet they remain best known for 1967's "Happy Together", which was their only chart-topping single. The Turtles wound down their career in 1970. The two prominent singers - Howard Kaylan ("Eddie") and Mark Volman ("Flo" a.k.a. "Phlorescent Leech") - collaborated with Frank Zappa for a short but very intensive period of one and a half years (between 1970-72) and were the cornerstone of what was known to be the Zappa "Vaudeville" band; two of the most famous achievements of that period being the albums Fillmore East - June 1971 and 200 Motels, the soundtrack of the film by the same name.