Houston garage rock combo the Crabs formed in 1966 -- childhood friends Robbie Leff (vocals/guitar) and drummer Alec Smith co-founded the group, with lead guitarist Jerry DeJong and bassist Ed Rudnick later rounding out the lineup. The group honed their acid punk approach playing British Invasion covers at local nightclubs, eventually signing on with manager and local bandleader Buddy Brock; in 1967 the Crabs recorded their lone single, "Chase Yourself," issued on Brock's Universal label and a smash in parts of Texas and Louisiana. Whatever promise the band's future held was squashed when Smith resigned to attend college and Leff relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter -- artists including Alice Cooper and Johnny Winter later recorded his material, and he also enjoyed a brief solo career that included the novelty effort "Canasta." Decades later the Crabs earned the attention of garage and psych collectors when "Chase Yourself" merited inclusion on the 12th volume of the High in the Sixties series as well as the three-disc Acid Visions: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1.
Houston garage rock combo the Crabs formed in 1966 -- childhood friends Robbie Leff (vocals/guitar) and drummer Alec Smith co-founded the group, with lead guitarist Jerry DeJong and bassist Ed Rudnick later rounding out the lineup. The group honed their acid punk approach playing British Invasion covers at local nightclubs, eventually signing on with manager and local bandleader Buddy Brock; in 1967 the Crabs recorded their lone single, "Chase Yourself," issued on Brock's Universal label and a smash in parts of Texas and Louisiana. Whatever promise the band's future held was squashed when Smith resigned to attend college and Leff relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter -- artists including Alice Cooper and Johnny Winter later recorded his material, and he also enjoyed a brief solo career that included the novelty ...
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