The O'Kaysions - "Girl Watcher" (1968)

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The O'Kaysions - "Girl Watcher"
(b/w "Deal Me In")
(Buck Trail; Wayne Pittman)
ABC single 11094 (CD audio source)
Peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 6 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles charts on August 10, 1968.
Produced by North State Music.

One of the all-time biggest Carolina Beach Music hits, as well as the only Top 40 hit for The O'Kaysions. Audio comes from the Ripete Records compilation CD "Carolina Classics" (although I have since found two copies of the original 45).


BACKGROUND:
The O'Kaysions first formed in Wilson, North Carolina around 1959 as The Kays, though by 1968 the group, which by that point consisted of Donnie Weaver, Wayne Pittman, Ron Turner, Jim Spiedel, Jimmy Hinnant and Bruce Joyner had changed their name to The O'Kaysions, because (according to Pittman), "you had to register your band's name, and there was a DJ in New York named Murray The K, and we couldn't register out name because it was too similar to his", as well as he fact that "...in order to play in the clubs up north, you had to become a union member. So we coined the name O'Kaysions to try and maintain our identity in areas like North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia where we played, so that people still know who we were."


Their first recording under their new name was the featured beach classic "Girl Watcher", the Pittman-penned tune which was first recorded and released on the tiny North State label earlier in 1968.
According to Pittman, after making a comment about liking to watch girls go by on the beach, one of the band members said, "Wayne, you're the writer... why don't you write a song called "Girl Watcher?"
Interestingly enough, he had written a tune about a month before and hadn't though about putting any words to it yet - but when he made that comment, it was almost like a lightbulb went off in Pittman's own head - and he said, "Okay, I will, I'll go back and write it, and I'll be back next week".
Pittman spent the next two nights writing this song, which seemed to precisely mirror the thoughts and pastimes of many young men from the Carolinas back in the day, and upon its initial release on the North State label, it received almost non-stop radio airplay and sold exceptionally well, too.


"Girl Watcher" grabbed enough attention across the region to capture the interest of ABC Records, who decided to pick up distribution - in fact, they liked the song so much that they actually decided to release it nationwide exactly as it had been recorded, which led to a widespread rumor about the master tapes being lost and ABC supposedly using a North State 45 as the master recording - however, Pittman would later clarify about what actually happened and why (as stated above).


The song actually did incredibly well on a nationwide basis, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over a million copies and earning them a gold record in the process. An album followed shortly thereafter, and it seemed that The O'Kaysions were finally on their way.
The album, although it actually had some excellent cuts on it, would unfortunately become a relative flop since it was regarded by many as being a bit too uneven and lacking cohesion. Although the follow-up release "Love Machine" only made it to number 76, nothing else the group put out even charted at all - and Pittman believes it had something to do with Atlanta promoter Bill Lowery, who the group was signed up with by North State Records without their knowledge, and when they found out that Lowery wasn't booking them enough, they cancelled their contract with him. Eventually, after subsequent releases for ABC and a couple more for Cotillion did absolutely nothing, the group was basically done for.


NOTE: No copyright infringement of any kind is intended with this video whatsoever; posted for educational and entertainment purposes only.


Enjoy!!!