Chip Douglas - The Turtles

The Turtles

When The Turtles' bassist Chuck Portz was fired from the band, Douglas was asked to take his place. His first record with them was "Happy Together", which they'd decided to record after hearing a well-worn demo that had been passed on by numerous other artists. Douglas played bass and did the arrangement that was recorded, and it became a huge hit for The Turtles, ousting The Beatles' "Penny Lane" from the #1 single position on the American pop charts.

Seeing The Turtles perform at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go in early 1967, The Monkees Michael Nesmith approached Douglas and asked if he'd like to become the new producer for The Monkees, who were tired of the "manufactured" recording setup they'd used thus far. Douglas answered candidly "I've never produced a record in my life." Nesmith (who had produced album tracks for the group, but had little pull with their label Colgems Records) assured him "Don't worry; if you're willing to quit The Turtles, I'll show you everything you need to do."

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