The Association

Riding the gentle twin breezes of folk and psychedelia prevailing through mid-1960s pop, The Association maintained a more accessible course than their countercultural peers. After meeting while passing through Hawaii, co-founders Jules Alexander and Terry Kirkman reconvened in Los Angeles, cycling through a few other ensembles before assembling a fresh six-piece with fellow singer/musicians. The resulting band broke through soon after with the groovy handclaps and harmonies of 1966’s “Along Comes Mary”, before issuing sighing romantic devotionals like 1966’s “Cherish” and 1967’s “Never My Love”. After kicking off the historic Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, The Association kept cutting albums well into the 1970s, although their sprawling lineup began changing considerably from year to year. But no matter who was in the mix or singing lead, however, the band’s sunny attitude dovetailed nicely with the distinctly Californian pop valentines of The Turtles and The Mamas & The Papas.