Remember the Wildweeds of Windsor?

Garage rock bands evolved around 1958 and persisted throughout the decade of the 1960s. Influenced by a variety of music – soul, blues, surf rock, and the "British Invasion" – thousands of teenagers in the United States and Canada formed groups and pounded out songs in the hope of making it big.

Connecticut had its share of garage bands in the 1960s too, and one that had measurable success was Windsor’s Wildweeds. Five local guys got together and were able to get some attention, especially with a hit song, "No Good To Cry," that ranked #88 on the nationwide billboard in 1967. The writer of that hit song and lead vocalist of the group was "Big Al" Anderson who, after the Wildweeds broke up, went on to make it big in the music world.

Al Anderson, heavily influenced by Ray Charles, was later part of the New Rhythmn and Blues Quartet (NRBQ) for 22 years. Described at his website as "300 pounds of twangin’ steel and sex appeal," "Big Al" grew up in Windsor, the son of two parents who were musicians. His dad played the bass guitar; his mom taught and played piano. Dick Provost of Hartford helped train him formally as a guitarist, but he mostly learned to play by ear. His biggest influence was Chet Atkins. Al joined a band called The Visuals at 11 and soon thereafter joined The Six-Packs, which was renamed The Wildweeds in 1966.

Other members of the original Wildweeds were organist Ray Zeiner, bassist Bobby Dudek, percussionist Martin "Skip" Yaikitis, and drummer Andy Lepak. Anderson was the lead guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter. The group played weekend gigs all over Connecticut including frat parties at UCONN. A number of posters advertising their playdates and places can be seen on the youtube link provided in the notes below. They even opened for The Doors’ performance at the Oakdale one year!

Without question, the group’s biggest hit was "No Good To Cry." Released in the so-called Summer of Love of 1967, "No Good To Cry" was number 88 on the national charts that year. Many refer to it as a "regional hit," implying that it was not as well-publicized as it should have been nationally. It’s a great tune that still can be heard on the air today. Anderson wrote the song and plays lead guitar and has the lead vocals in the song. Hartford-based AM station WDRC (1360) did a great deal not only to promote the Wildweeds but also to publicize "No Good To Cry."

According to the Wildweeds’ website, two of the band members – Skip Yaikitis and Bob Dudek – have died. Skip died in 1988, and Bob died in 2002. Both Andy Lepak and Ray Zeiner still live in Connecticut and are involved in music. Al Anderson still writes and plays music in a variety of venues, although he is not part of a band anymore.

In 2003, a new CD was released called No Good To Cry: The Best of the Wildweeds (see photo). It’s available for purchase at Amazon and other venues. The CD contains 18 songs cut by the group. Sixteen pages of liner notes about the group accompany the disk. It’s a "must have" for fans of Windsor’s Wildweeds – a talented and under-appreciated 1960s band.

Notes, Sources, and Links:

1. bigalanderson.com. Go to this site to see all of Al’s hit songs, awards, and a biography.
2. wildweeds.net. Go to this site to see photos of the group, a band bio, and a nice appreciation by Christine Ohlman.

   5.     Original copies of the band’s records are hard to come by and are collectible. If you see them at a tag sale, grab them!

    6. All photos in the gallery are stills from youtube.com