The 1910 Fruitgum Company is an American bubblegum pop band of the 1960s. The group's Billboard Hot 100 hits were "Simon Says", "May I Take a Giant Step", "1, 2, 3, Red Light", "Goody Goody Gumdrops", "Indian Giver", "Special Delivery", and "The Train".

Background Bubblegum pop was marketed to preteens as the evolving genre of rock music was beginning to target older adolescents and adults with darker lyrics and heavier rhythms.Simpson, Kim. Early '70s Radio: The American Format Revolution. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, p.25–26 The simple structure of the songs and non-political content of bubblegum pop appealed to a younger audience.Doggett, Peter. Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the IPhone – 125 Years of Pop Music. Random House, 2015. p.427 Many of the songs in the bubblegum pop genre like "1, 2, 3 Red Light" were intended to be singles within the budget of that younger preteen audience. "1, 2, 3 Red Light" became one of the biggest hits of the genre.

Career The band began as Jeckell and the Hydes in New Jersey in 1966. The original members were Frank Jeckell, Mark Gutkowski, Floyd Marcus, Pat Karwan and Steve Mortkowitz – all from Linden, New Jersey.Voger, Mark. "1910 Fruitgum Company: From Linden to the Top 10", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 28, 2014, updated March 29, 2019. Accessed November 25, 2019. "Jeckell's fellow founding members were Mark Gutkowski (lead vocals, keyboards), Pat Karwan (guitar), Steve Mortkowitz (bass), and Floyd Marcus (drums).... And so five young men from Linden with aspirations to be the next Vanilla Fudge scored a Top 10 hit ... with a bubblegum song."

During 1967, they were signed to Buddah Records, where they released five LPs under their own name and a variety of singles, as well as appearing on the LP The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus. Their first hit single, "Simon Says", reached number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The band started touring, opening for major acts such as the Beach Boys. They also released these other chart hits: "May I Take a Giant Step" (U.S. number 63), "1, 2, 3, Red Light" (U.S. number 5), "Special Delivery" (U.S. number 38), "Goody, Goody Gumdrops" (U.S. number 37), "Indian Giver" (U.S. number 5) and "The Train" (U.S. number 57).

The original group disbanded in 1970.

In 1999, original member Frank Jeckell and Mick Mansueto put the act back together. As of 2019, Fruitgum currently performs its own hits, in addition to other songs from the 1960s.

Million sellers "Simon Says" sold three and a half million. "1, 2, 3, Red Light" and "Indian Giver" each sold over one million copies. All three were awarded gold discs.

Band members

Current lineup Floyd Marcus (Original founding member, drummer) Mick Mansueto (Lead vocals) Frank Jeckell (Original Member, Guitar and Vocals) Glenn Lewis (Bass and Vocals) Keith Crane (Drums) Eric Lipper (Keyboards and Vocals) John Roginski (Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals)

Former members Mark Gutkowski (Original Member, Lead Singer on all the hits, and Hammond B3 Organist) Pat Karwan (Original Member, Lead Guitarist and Vocals) Steve Mortkowitz (Original Member, Bass Player and Vocals) Jerry Roth (Tenor Sax) Bob Brescia (Keyboards, Vocals and music director) Thomas "Bart" Bartleson (Drums) Mike Edell (Keyboards and Vocals) John Korba-Guitar/Vocals Ralph Cohen (Douglas) (Trumpet) Pat Soriano (Hammond B3 Organist) Bruce Shay (Bass and Vocals) Rusty Oppenheimer (Drums and Vocals) Larry Ripley (Bass, Woodwinds and Vocals) Chuck Travis (Guitar and Vocals) Richie Gomez (Guitar and Vocals) Michael Stoppiello (Guitar and Vocals) Philip Thorstenson (Drums and Vocals) Chuck Allen (Bass and Vocals)

1980s road band members Randy Monaco (Lead Vocals) Jim Bulkowski (Lead Guitar) Russ Hoffmaster (Drums & Vocals) Rick Gainor (Bass & Vocals) John Siroky (Keyboards) Mark Maroni 1982-1985 (Lead Guitar Scott Vogt 1982-1985 (Bass Guitar)

Discography Singles YearTitlePeak chart positions Record LabelB-sideAlbum US UK AUS CAN 1967 "Simon Says" 4 2 2 1 Buddah Records "Reflections from the Looking Glass" Simon Says 1968 "May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart)" 63 – 42 21 "(Poor Old) Mr. Jensen" "1, 2, 3, Red Light" 5 – 8 1 "Sticky, Sticky" 1, 2, 3, Red Light "Goody Goody Gumdrops" 37 – 29 26 "Candy Kisses" Goody Goody Gumdrops 1969 "Indian Giver" 5 – 5 1 "Pow Wow" Indian Giver "Special Delivery" 38 – 47 17 "No Good Annie" "The Train" 57 – 68 34 "Eternal Light" Hard Ride "When We Get Married" 118 – 76 – "Baby Bret" Juiciest Fruitgum 1970 "Go Away" – – 77 – Super K Records "The Track"Non-LP tracks

Albums YearAlbumBillboard 200Record Label 1968 Simon Says 162 Buddah Records 1, 2, 3, Red Light 163 Goody Goody Gumdrops – 1969 Indian Giver 147 Hard Ride – 1970 Juiciest Fruitgum – 1993 Juiciest Hits – 1994 Bubblegum Goodies – Victor Entertainment A Golden Classics Edition – Collectables Records 2001 The Best of the 1910 Fruitgum Company: Simon Says – Buddah Records 2007 Bubblegum Christmas – Collectables Records

Further reading Greene, D. (2012). Teens, TV and Tunes: The Manufacturing of American Adolescent Culture, McFarland & Co.,

References

External links Official website Group biography by Tom Simon