The Myddle Class
The Myddle Class were a garage- and folk-leaning rock band from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, active during the mid-to-late 1960s. They began in 1964 as the King Bees, a group of high school friends: Dave Palmer (vocals), Rick Philp (guitar), Chris Irby (bass), Danny Mansolino (organ), and Mike Rosa (drums). Larkey, a friend from Governor Livingston High School and just starting to learn bass, soon joined on bass, and the lineup became the core of what would become the Myddle Class.
A turning point came when their house at Al Aronowitz’s Berkeley Heights home became the band’s base. Aronowitz, a New York journalist who had connections to Bob Dylan and The Beatles, was their manager and introduced them to Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the famous songwriting duo. The duo agreed to write songs for them and to distribute their records, signing them to Tomorrow Records in 1965.
To avoid confusion with another band called King Bees, the group changed their name to the Myddle Class in October 1965. Their first single, “Free as the Wind” backed with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Gates of Eden,” arrived in December 1965. The release helped them gain a regional following, especially in Albany, New York, and they became a popular live act in New York and New Jersey clubs. On December 11, 1965, they headlined a show at Summit High School Auditorium with the Velvet Underground as the opening act, a night notable for the Velvet Underground performing under the name Velvet Underground for the first time and for Maureen Tucker’s on-drum debut with the band.
Their follow-up single, 1966’s “Don’t Let Me Sleep Too Long” (taken from a Blues Project demo), did well on the Albany charts and showcased a heavier, live-sounding edge. It was backed with “I Happen to Love You.” The Myddle Class opened for the Blues Project and later landed a deal with Cameo-Parkway after their Atco distribution fell through. They also played across the region, including residencies in New York and a well-attended show in Smithtown, Long Island.
In 1967 the band faced several setbacks. A third single, a Temptations cover “Don’t Look Back” backed with “Wind Chime Laughter,” went out with little promotion after Allen Klein’s takeover of Cameo-Parkway disrupted their support. Bassist Charles Larkey briefly joined the Fugs for a string of shows in late 1967, and the group’s activity dwindled as members went to college or pursued other projects. They recorded demos for Goffin and King songs that could have been recorded by other artists, and some of their material circulated in the garage-rock circles, boosting their posthumous reputation.
Outside projects and personal ties reshaped the members’ lives. Goffin and King divorced in 1968, and Larkey and King began a relationship that would lead to marriage. Palmer co-wrote songs with King and later joined Steely Dan, singing on early records and on King’s 1974 hit “Jazzman.” Mansolino and Rosa joined Jake and the Family Jewels for Polydor albums, and Palmer joined the Quinames Band before joining Steely Dan.
The Myddle Class planned a 1969 album, but tragedy struck when guitarist Rick Philp was murdered by his former roommate in May 1969. The band disbanded soon after. Buddah Records briefly reissued a single in 1969, but the group never re-formed.
Today, the Myddle Class’ work is remembered by garage-rock enthusiasts. Their songs have appeared on compilations like Mindrocker and Boulders, Volume 3, and their short, intense run helped connect a New Jersey scene to the broader 1960s rock world.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:27 (CET).