Gary Usher

Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fictitious surf groups or hot rod groups, mixing studio session musicians with his own associates (including Chuck Girard and Dick Burns). These bands included the Super Stocks (with the hot-rod song "Midnight Run"), the Kickstands, the Hondells with their No. 9 US pop single "Little Honda", and Sagittarius.

The Ghouls and Dracula’s Deuce In 1964, Gary Usher, already known for his work in surf and hot rod music, ventured into the world of horror-themed novelty music with a studio project known as The Ghouls. Rather than being a formal band, The Ghouls were a studio ensemble under Usher's direction, primarily recorded as a one-off for the album Dracula's Deuce. The record blended surf rock with horror-comic themes and featured a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. Each song leveraged macabre humor, with pun-filled titles like "The Little Old Lady from Transylvania" and "Be True to Your Ghoul," offering satirical nods to contemporaneous hits by Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys.

Death Usher died of lung cancer at his home in his hometown of Los Angeles, California, on May 25, 1990, at the age of 51. He was survived by his wife Sue, three sons and a daughter.

Selected discography Production

Shut Down (1963, Various Artists) An Esoteric Qabalistic Service (1966, Rev. Ann Davies with the Builders of the Adytum Choir) Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (1967, Gene Clark) The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968, The Byrds) Wackering Heights (1972, The Wackers) Going Public (1977, Bruce Johnston) "Sanctuary" (1984, Celestium)

Songwriting

"409" (1962, The Beach Boys) "Ten Little Indians" (1962, The Beach Boys) "In My Room" (1963, The Beach Boys) "Mag Wheels" (1963, Dick Dale and the Del-Tones) "We'll Run Away" (1964, The Beach Boys) "Comin' On Too Strong" (1965, Wayne Newton) "The Truth Is Not Real" (1968, Sagittarius) "The Blue Marble" (1969, Sagittarius) "Don't Give In to Him" (1969, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap) "(Friend)Ships" (1971, Gary Usher) "Sanctuary" (1983, Celestium and later Laura Branigan and the J-Pop artist Reimy) (Note - Gary Usher's son, Gary Usher Jr., played the guitar solo) "Christmas Time" (1986, Brian Wilson)