Latest news with #Puckett
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Gary Puckett sings on at 82: ‘In 1968, we sold more singles than the Beatles'
SAN DIEGO - Scoring in academia or on the Top 40? Striving for pop stardom or learning psychoanalytic therapy? The Union Gap or the synaptic gap? When Gary Puckett moved to San Diego in 1960 - seven years before he and his band scored their first hit single with "Woman Woman" - it was to enroll at City College, not to pursue music. Fate had other things in store for him. "I was into psychology and thought about maybe getting a medical degree," recalled Puckett, who spent two years at City College but couldn't afford the tuition to attend SDSU or UC San Diego. "I was tired of school and truly more interested in music, so I started playing in small bands." And not so small bands. The Ravens, his first San Diego group of note, was an 11-piece ensemble with a brass section and backing singers. In 1964 Puckett became the lead singer in the Outcasts, a four-man band that performed frequently at the Quad Room in Clairemont. They released two singles, "Runaway" and "I Can't Get Through To You," which gained local radio airplay. His next band, Gary and the Remarkables, soon morphed into Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. With his soaring - at times almost operatic vocals - at the fore, the vintage military uniform-clad group scored a slew of hit singles between 1967 and 1969, including "Woman, Woman," "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower," "Over You" and "This Girl Is A Woman Now." "In 1968, we sold more singles - not albums - than the Beatles. We sold more singles than anyone, so that's a little badge of honor," said Puckett, now 82, speaking from his Florida home in the coastal city of Clearwater. Those hit singles will be featured when Puckett performs as part of the 2025 Happy Together Tour. The lineup also features Little Anthony and the current iterations of the Turtles, the Cowsills, Jay and the Americans, and the Vogues. While his appearance is billed as Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, he acknowledged that he will be accompanied by the same four-man house band that backs all the Happy Together Tour acts. A Minnesota native, Puckett shares the same hometown as Bob Dylan, whose song, "The Mighty Quinn," was covered with brassy verve on The Union Gap's second album. The title of another Dylan song, "Changing of the Guards," best conveys what happened to Puckett and the members of the Union Gap, which disbanded in 1971, two years after the singer signed a solo recording deal with Columbia Records. 'Some slim times' His 1971 release, "The Gary Puckett Album," fared so poorly it didn't even make it onto the bottom of the national Billboard Top 200. After selling millions of records, touring the nation and appearing multiple times on some of the most-watched TV shows of the time with The Union Gap, Puckett's career in music evaporated almost overnight. "People were moving on and people in my generation were having families," Puckett said. "The new generation was paying attention to David Bowie and T. Rex. Radio wouldn't play our music. I found myself going through some slim times. "I studied acting and made a film in the Philippines, 'Dynamite,' that didn't succeed. You will never find it. It was about a band that was successful because of the death of one of its members …." After he completed filming, Puckett returned for a few years to Los Angeles where he had moved in the late 1960s. He came back to San Diego in 1978 and began playing in a duo with guitarist Paul Martin at the Anchorage Fish Company in La Jolla. Their repertoire consisted of Union Gap favorites, classics by the Beatles and Buddy Holly, and then-current hits by such acts as Little River Band and Exile. In 1980, Puckett began working with SRO, a San Diego lounge band, and asked Kicks magazine publisher Tom Arnold to manage him despite the fact Arnold had never managed any music acts. In early 1981, Puckett launched a new band with the goal of fueling a comeback and obtaining a recording contract. After doing some warm-up gigs in Las Vegas, the group did a homecoming show at the Bacchanal in Kearny Mesa. The performance received such a tepid review in the San Diego Union that, after reading it, Puckett fired the band, fired his fledgling manager and shelved his comeback attempt. "We did play at the Bacchanal, which I think was a mistake," Puckett said. "All these years later, Tom and I are still friends." Puckett maintained a low profile until 1984, when the Turtles launched their first Happy Together Tour and invited Puckett and a reconstituted Union Gap to be one of the acts in the multi-band lineup. His star rose significantly higher in 1986 when he and The Union Gap joined the Grass Roots and Herman's Hermits on the Monkees' 20th anniversary reunion concert trek. That tour included a show at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, making Puckett the only artist in memory to go from playing at the Anchorage Fish House to the home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. "It was a spectacular tour, the biggest of the year," he said. "And it was our good luck that radio stations began playing the music of our generation again. The Monkees certainly put us back on the map." In a Union-Tribune interview previewing the San Diego tour stop of the 2012 Happy Together Tour, the then-69-year-old Puckett referred to himself as "an old man." Had anyone told him then that he'd still be touring 13 years later, how would he have reacted? "I would not have believed it!" Puckett replied. "I would have said: 'You've got to be kidding.' This year I'm doing 59 or 60 Happy Together Tour shows and about 40 more on my own. "There are times when I honestly want to say: 'OK, I am done touring. I want to spend time with my family and swim with my grandkids.' There are other times when I am so inspired being on stage and inspired by the enthusiasm of the audience shaking my hand and thanking me. So, I have no idea how long I'll keep doing this. I'll let go of the reins when the time comes." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Changes to fishing at Glenwood Lake being considered
PRINCETON – Changing what methods fishing enthusiasts can use at Glenwood Lake and how many fish they can keep are being discussed by the Mercer County Commission. The public was invited to fish at Glenwood Lake and keep what they catch when the county made plans to drain and dredge the lake. This move was to reduce the numbers of fish that had to be relocated when the project got underway, but that project with restoration work to the lake's dam have been delayed. County Commissioner Greg Puckett said during the commission's Tuesday meeting that this dredging project will proceed later, but for now the lake's fish need to be conserved so the public can still go fishing there. 'We basically lifted all fees,' Puckett said. 'I'm pretty sure we're going to stay fee-less for right now, but we had talked about when we were going to keep the park when we were going to do the dam restoration and basically told everybody to come out and fish to your heart's content. And then now that we are going to be keeping the dam for a little while longer.' Joshua Parks, assistant superintendent at Glenwood Recreational Park told the commissioners that he didn't put putting a moratorium on fishing would be appropriate. He suggested two ways to limit the numbers of fish being taken from the lake. 'I think that we need to either, one make the park catch and release, which I'm not sure that's the right answer,' Parks said. 'I think we at the very least need to impose daily creel limits on fishing.' A creel is a basket used for holding fish. The county may need to ban some fishing methods, he said. Glenwood Lake is not bound by state laws since it's on a county-owned park, but in West Virginia, using a cast net to catch game fish is illegal. 'Well, I've asked several people over the past 12 months to please not cast net the game fish,' Parks said. 'It's not technically illegal at Glenwood as it is in the rest of the state.' Putting limits on how many fish can be kept would be one way to conserve the lake's fish. Another would be making the lake catch-and-release only. 'We can make the park strictly catch-and-release, bit I don't think that will go over very well with the community,' Parks said. 'People do want to come out there and eat fish, especially in the winter time.' Sheriff A.P. Christian, who attended the meeting Tuesday, asked if the county could pass a fishing ordinance aligning with West Virginia State Code. Puckett replied that the county would look at that idea. Christian said that people were cast netting small fish to use as bait during catfish tournaments. 'That's exactly what they're doing,' Parks said. Puckett asked Christian if they could get examples of other counties' ordinances. Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran could then check any fishing ordinance based on the ones used in other counties and if it aligns with the State Code. In a statement Puckett posted later on his Facebook page, he said the county was not trying to take fishing at Glenwood Lake away from the public and keeps encouraging it. There were no plans to start charging fees for fishing there. 'We do ask that the community abide by state laws while fishing,' he said. These state laws include not taking of game fish by seine, dip netting and cast nesting, Puckett said. All game fish must be taken with rod and reel. 'We are hopeful that the upcoming creel limits strike a very fair balance between fishing for recreation and fishing for food,' he said. 'If you have any questions feel free to contact us at 304-887-0506.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spay and Neuter Ordinances could give animals a ‘new leash on life'
PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) – Overpopulation for animals in Mercer County has been on an uptick in recent years. The Mercer County Commission tried introducing a new 'leash law' back in early 2024. Now, the Commission has introduced two new ordinances to try and control population for not only dogs, but cats as well. Those ordinances are 'Canine Control Ordinance' and a 'Spay Neuter Ordinance.' 'We work with our animal groups following the meeting we had in March and now we're moving forward on that one. That actually goes in tandem with the spay and neuter ordinance, because one of the things we talked about back in 2018-2019 was about maintaining the population.' Greg Puckett, Mercer County Commissioner There will be a few exceptions when it comes to the 'altering' of animals, such as a 'Unaltered License' or medical exemptions. Furever Fixed Clinic to offer low-cost spay and neuter services for Mercer County Puckett said the community has been fairly positive about these upcoming Ordinances. Now, with local animal groups backing the ordinances, the commission can move forward. 'We felt that it was time now that we've had some uniform operation with our local animal groups, that it was time to go ahead and do both of these into this was the first reading we had this previous Tuesday. We will put that again on the 24th of June.' 'We felt that it was time now that we've had some uniform operation with our local animal groups, that it was time to go ahead and do both of these. This was the first reading we had this previous Tuesday. We will put that again on the 24th of June discussion.' Greg Puckett, Mercer County Commissioner If the second reading is accepted, the ordinances can successfully move forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First readings of Mercer County spay/neuter and canine control ordinances pass
princeton – First readings were conducted Tuesday for spay/neuter ordinances and a canine control ordinance aimed at reducing Mercer County homeless pet population and getting pet owners to keep their dogs under control. A canine control ordinance and a spay/neuter ordinance had first readings by the Mercer County Commission. Commissioner Greg Puckett, who read both ordinances into the official record, said copies of both would be posted on the county's website and Facebook page. The canine control ordinance has measures requiring dog owners to keep their pets on a leash when out in the public or fenced in so they cannot roam. 'That's one of the worst issues that we have,' Puckett said later. 'Roaming dogs are a terrible problem here in Mercer County. They collect a lot of problems. They do a lot in not only being nuisance, they tear down the fabric of land they go across.' A canine control ordinance will help the county address the damage that stray dogs do to private and public property and control where they harass pets and livestock, he said. 'We had this issue come up back in the winter,' Puckett said. 'We had a constituent come from Matoaka and say hey, I've got roaming dogs. They're eating all the free-roaming chickens, they're actually eating cats. There were some videos of actually cats that were being consumed by a pack of dogs, so there's a lot of things where if you can control those packs, control that roaming, then you have a lot more safety not only for the people in the community, but for the animals as well.' The spay/neuter ordinance would require those procedures for dogs and cats. This ordinance has exceptions for work animals such as farm dogs, hunting dogs and dogs used for legal breeding purposes. Fees collected from licensing and fines will go into a fund to help pet owners who cannot afford these procedures, Puckett said. Between the canine control ordinance and the spay/neuter ordinance, the county can address population issues at the county animal shelter, he said. Puckett said the ordinance fits West Virginia State Code and magistrates should be allowed to hear cases under it, Puckett said. Both ordinances would go into effect after a second reading at the commission's June 24 meeting. 'The spay/neuter ordinance is a beginning to reduce the population in Mercer County, ' said Lesia Moten, co-founder and president of ALIVE (Animal Lives Inspiring Volunteer Efforts). 'We have to start somewhere. It may not be perfect, but it's a start. It has been worked on for years. It will need to be tweaked as we go along for enforcement. We need to enforce it in a responsible manner that the shelter can handle the intake and the influx.' Sandy Flanagan with the Mercer County Humane Society said that the spay/neuter ordinance would be 'a very progressive step.' 'I helped write the spay/neuter ordinance years ago,' Flanagan said. 'It feels good that it's going to finally, hopefully, get passed because it's needed. I hate it that people have to be made to do the right thing, but the mindset of so many people around here, to me, if you're going to get a dog, why are you not keeping it on your property? It's frustrating for us who do keep our dogs up and have to put up with the neighbors'.' 'I also think it has to do with the overpopulation as far as letting your dogs run,' Flanagan said. 'They work in tandem with each other,' Moten said about the ordinances. 'If you don't have free-roaming dogs, you have less overpopulation of animals that are just being allowed to reproduce out in the community. And if you have the spay and neuter ordinance, then you have people being held accountable for their own animals and it just works together in tandem.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First readings of spay/neuter and canine control ordinances scheduled
princeton – A proposed county spay/neuter ordinance and canine control ordinance with goals of controlling the local homeless pet population are scheduled for first reading today before the Mercer County Commission. A canine control ordinance's first reading is an early item on today's commission meeting agenda. This meeting begins at 10 a.m., at the Mercer County Courthouse. County Commissioner Greg Puckett said this ordinance for canine control is a change in the current leash law. 'This helps clarify that dogs do not need to be tethered to be controlled,' he said. The ordinance states that tethering or putting a dog on a leash is a form of control, but not the only way to control a dog, Puckett said. Keeping dogs behind a fence so they can't wander around a community is another way to control them. Making the ways pet owners can keep their dogs under control clearer is a better way to address the county's animal issues, he said. In March, Matoaka residents spoke to the county commission about the problems they were having with stray dogs tearing into trash and harassing people. 'We've had these issues for decades,' Puckett said. 'We did have that public meeting and a lot of what came out of that public meeting was ways to solve a lot of these problems. I want to thank everybody who came out. The solutions that are being supported have come out of that public meeting. We want to thank the community and assure them that we heard them loud and clear.' The canine control ordinance would include getting a county dog warden. Sheriff A.P. Christian said that under West Virginia Code 19-20-16, counties are authorized to hire dog warden. The sheriff's department would not be the agency hiring a warden. The county has animal control officers, but their duties are focused on dogs and cats being treated inhumanely, Christian said. Dog wardens are authorized to pick up stray and unlicensed dogs that are roaming the county. After the canine control ordinance's first reading, Puckett is scheduled to do the first reading a county spay/neuter ordinance. The county tried to institute a spay/neuter ordinance in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of passing an ordinance is to manage Mercer County's large population of homeless dogs and cats. Both last year and this year, the Mercer County Animal Shelter has declared Code Red situations whenever its facilities were too full, Puckett said. Code Red is declared when euthanasia may be considered to make more room. In October 2024, the Furever Fixed low-cost spay/neuter clinic opened near the county animal shelter to help decrease the homeless pet population. The nonprofit clinic has been busy with both dogs and cats, said Director Connie Gillespie. 'Oh gosh yes,' Gillespie said. 'We had that dry spell when we were between veterinarians. We do have a full-time veterinarian now four days a week. We do have a waiting list that we are working on with still over 300.' The spay/neuter clinic recently completed over 300 spays and neuters through the West Virginia Spay/Neuter Program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gillespie said. Since April 1, the program has helped pet owners from Mercer, Monroe, McDowell, Raleigh and Summers Counties. There are clients who do not show up for appointments, but the clinic also helps the neighboring animal shelter by doing spay and neuter procedures. 'We are nonprofit but we are not a government-run solution,' she said. 'Every animal that leaves our facility that is spayed or netuered has a certification of sterilization their owners can show landlords and anybody else that needs to know their animals are fixed.' Farmers and hunters told the commission the last time a spay/neuter ordinance was proposed was that it would harm their work dogs and hunting dogs. Puckett said the proposed ordinance has variances for hunters, breeders and other owners that don't want to spay or neuter their dogs. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
