The Barbarians formed in 1964 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Original members included Bruce Benson, Ronnie Enos, and Jerry Causi. While their debut single, "Hey Little Bird" produced by Al Ham,(on Joy Records) bombed, two of their next three singles (on Laurie) charted on Billboard, (with "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" peaking at #55) and also made the Cash Box charts. "Are you a Boy" was co-written by Doug Morris, who went on to head Universal Music Group.
They received their biggest break when featured on The T.A.M.I. Show (performing "Hey Little Bird") alongside other artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Lesley Gore, Chuck Berry, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye.
As their name implies, their image relied heavily on looking barbaric. They wore leather sandals and grew their hair longer than most of their contemporaries. One-armed drummer Victor "Moulty" Moulton used a prosthetic hook on his left arm. He had lost part of his left arm in an explosion at the age of 14. Moulty was able to play drums using the prosthesis to hold a drum stick. Their minor hit "Moulty" was a humorous and melodramatic autobiographical song chronicling the drummer's life and the loss of his hand. In 1965 Boston guitarist, Geoffrey Morris replaced Ronnie Enos on lead guitar. It was Morris' arrangement of "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl", that is heard on the single. The Barbarians disbanded in 1968.
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