Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990)[1] 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 troops (Chuck Girard, Dick Burns and others). These bands included the Super Stocks (with the hot-rod song "Midnight Run"); the Kickstands;[2]the Hondells with their No. 9 US pop single "Little Honda"; and others.
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.[3]1986 Gary usher co-wrote "Lets put the Fun Back in Rock'n Roll"with Joseph Nicoletti
of Global Village music Co.(ascap)Laguna Beach, California.they Produced Frankie Avalon,Fabian and Bobby Rydell Known as the "Golden Boys of Rock" they Performed this Song as Command Performance For President Reagan at the Ford Theater on 1987.
Vocalist Richie Burns, who had previously collaborated with Usher on Black Boots and Bikes, lent his voice to Dracula’s Deuce, often using a Boris Karloff-like lilt reminiscent of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s famed “Monster Mash.” Tracks like “The Graveyard Shift” bore noticeable similarities to “Monster Mash,” while others, such as the haunting “Monsterbilly Heaven,” stood out as unique entries in the genre.
Though the record did not achieve mainstream success, Dracula’s Deuce has since become a cult favorite, appreciated for its mix of ghoulish humor and surf rock sensibility. Despite its niche appeal, the album remains available on streaming platforms and has a loyal fanbase that revisits it during Halloween.
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.[4]
Survivors include his wife, Sue, three sons and a daughter.
^David N. Howard, Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings, 2004, ISBN147685209X: "Ever since Usher's early surf and hot rod days, he had been creating fictitious studio groups such as The Super Stocks and The Kickstands, imaginary bands to sate the hungry surf and hot rod record-buying audience."
