Sound Advice: Nostalgic Sunshine Pop Group The Association to Perform in Cincinnati This Summer

The Association performs at Ludlow Garage on July 14. Photo: Public Domain

This story is featured in CityBeat’s June 28 print edition.

The Association, a 1960s pop royalty group, is set to appear at Ludlow Garage in July.

Indicative of the sound of the sunnier side of the ‘60s FM radio dial, The Association released a string of hits that have stood the test of time and become oldies standards, earning Grammy and Golden Globe nominations along the way.

The band formed from get-togethers at legendary Los Angeles club The Troubadour in the early ‘60s before settling on what became the original lineup in 1965.

They got a record deal in 1966 and their first hit came that year when founding (and still current) member Jules Alexander was hired to play on a demo session for songwriter Tandyn Almer that became the band’s breakthrough, the vibrant, punchy and endlessly catchy “Along Comes Mary.” Their debut album, And Then…Along Comes the Association, released that same year, also featured the band’s first number one hit, “Cherish” which undoubtedly must have served as countless couples’ first dance. A second, less successful record was released a few months later titled Renaissance.

Insight Out, the group’s third album, features “Windy”, the effervescent and kinetic pop hit dripping with ‘60s-toned sunshine. With lines like, “Who’s bending down to give me a rainbow,” “smiling at everybody she sees” and talk of flying above the clouds, it’s no wonder the song connected in the summer of 1967, going to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and still carries a colorful, sunny appeal. The album also featured a variety of sounds and influences and, most notably, the delicately arranged and ethereal hit, “Never My Love,” which became the second-most played song on radio and television in the 20th century, according to Broadcast Music, Inc.

The band dissolved over the ‘70s before reforming in variations over time for select events and, later, touring in oldies package tours like the “Happy Together Tour” in the early ‘80s, that continues to this day. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Pop Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

The Association play the Ludlow Garage at 8:30 p.m. July 14. Info: ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.

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