Cannibal And The Headhunters
Formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA, Cannibal and the Headhunters were a Mexican-American group whose only chart hit, Land Of 1000 Dances, is considered a ‘garage pop’ classic despite its only having reached number 30 nationally. The trio consisted of Frankie Cannibal Garcia (b. c.1950, Los Angeles), Robert Rabbit Jaramillo and Joe Yo Yo Jaramillo, all residents of the Hispanic East L.A. area. Garcia had earned the nickname Cannibal as a child after biting another boy in a fight. In his early teens he sang with the groups the Royal Jesters and the Rhythm Playboys, with whom he stayed until 1963. The Jaramillo brothers were with a group called the Romanos when they met Garcia, and the trio formed a vocal group, using Headhunters as a complement to the name Cannibal. Their only hit had been written by Fats Domino with lyrics by Chris Kenner, who had a minor hit with it in 1963. The Headhunters heard it first as sung by Rufus Thomas in concert. They began performing the song themselves, substituting the nonsense phrase ‘Na na na na na, na na na na’ in place of some of the lyrics. Discovered by entrepreneur Eddie Davis, they recorded their new version, which was issued on the small Rampart Records. Despite several other singles on Rampart, and follow-ups on Date and Capitol, as well as two albums and tour dates with the Beatles, Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones, the group never had another hit. They reunited in 1983 and have been playing concerts sporadically into the early '90s. Land Of 1000 Dances has also been a US chart hit for Thee Midniters, Wilson Pickett(number 6 in 1966), Electric Indian and the J. Geils Band.