Gary Lee Usher 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. These bands included the Super Stocks, the Kickstands, the Hondells with their No. 9 US pop single \"Little Honda\", and Sagittarius.

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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.\n

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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.\n

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.\n

Selected discography

Production

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Songwriting

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References

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External links

Gary Usher at AllMusic
Gary Usher at IMDb

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The Ghouls and Dracula’s Deuce

Death

Selected discography

Production

Songwriting

References

Further reading

External links

Gary Usher

Broadcast History