The wonderful WONDERS, who burst out of Erie, PA and onto the music scene in 1964 with a snappy hit single written by their rhythm guitarist Jimmy Mattingly II. Click on the pic to enlarge. Clockwise from upper left: drummer Guy "Shades" Patterson, lead guitarist Lenny Haise, "The Bass Player", and Jimmy Mattingly.

The Wonders catapulted to fame when their locally produced 45 of "That Thing You Do!" was intercepted by Mr. A.M. White, A&R man for Play-Tone Records, which subsequently signed the band, re-released "That Thing You Do!" in the spring of 1964, and sent the band on tour with the Play-Tone Galaxy of Stars.

As the record rocketed up the charts, the band  was pulled off of the tour in order to film one of the top "Rick & Anita" beach movies of that year. They appear in one scene as "Capn Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters". In this way The Wonders joined such bands as The Beach Boys, The Zombies, and The Righteous Brothers in memorable appearances on the teen screen.

The amazingly short career of The Wonders was capped by an unforgettable appearance on the "Hollywood Showcase" program. Incredibly by this point they had already lost one member, as The Bass Player did not turn up for the rehearsal [he was reported seen at Disneyland that day with some visiting Marines, whose ranks he was about to join that August], his place from that point was taken by Scott "Wolfman" Pell, a studio bassist hurriedly selected by Mr. White.

The "That Thing You Do!" 45 on Play-Tone

Sadly this was already the beginning of the end for The Wonders, as it was reported that immediately following the broadcast, Jimmy Mattingly had suffered a rather severe ego attack, and also had a falling out with the band's costume mistress, Faye Dolan, who had traveled with the band since the beginning in Erie and Pittsburgh. To complicate things, the first Play-Tone recording session for The Wonders at Disc Masters Studios was further mired by the absence of Lenny Haise. It was soon learned that following the broadcast he traveled to Las Vegas with a Play-Tone Records receptionist, where they were married in a casino chapel.

If you are searching for a Wonders LP, sorry, unfortunately there will never be one. Aside from the two sides recorded in Erie, the only other recordings of The Wonders were made by Play-Tone at the Indiana State Fair, with the intention of including live tracks on the first album. But before the LP session could even get underway, Jimmy Mattingly delivered an ultimatum to Mr. White and Play-Tone Records, demanding that his songs be recorded rather than the common practice in those days of recording "cover" material from current hits. [Only The Beatles and The Beach Boys in those days were putting a large portion of their own material on record] When he was rebuked by Mr. White, who reminded Jimmy of the terms of The Wonders' contract with Play-Tone, he suddenly packed up his guitar and song sheets, quit the band and stalked out of the studio, leaving a stunned Guy Patterson as the last remaining Wonder. Through a series of mishaps and attitude problems, The Wonders ceased to exist in the space of about 2 days. Their record was still Top 5 and selling like crazy, the Rick & Anita movie was still in production, but The Wonders were no more.

The rare promotional "That Thing You Do!" sleeve on Play-Tone.

In the aftermath of The Wonders' breakup, Guy Patterson met up a second time with his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton, at Disc Masters Studios immediately after everyone else had left the Wonders aborted session. [Patterson and Paxton met a few nights previous at an L.A. jazz club called The Blue Spot, the night before the "Hollywood Showcase" telecast.] An informal jam ensued, and Paxton thought enough of Patterson's "serious" jazz drumming to suggest he stay on and work himself in as a session drummer. Guy also found an affinity with the band's former costume mistress (and Jimmy's former girlfriend) Faye, who remained with him in L.A., they were married in 1965, and after a number of years of working in the L.A. studios, Guy and Faye moved to Washington state, where they opened a music school.

Mattingly also remained in Los Angeles, and was coerced back to Play-Tone to honor his contract after a few failed singles for a few failed labels. He adopted a more modern sound, fusing L.A.-influenced pop and early leanings toward Flower Power, in his new band The Heardsmen. The hits continued with tunes like "She Knows It"; Mattingly later moved to the other side of the glass and is still producing records today.

Lenny Haise is currently managing a hotel/casino in Laughlin, Nevada, and The Bass Player is a Vietnam War veteran currently working as a building contractor in Florida.

Mr. White is currently the chairman of Play-Tone Entertainment, having acquired the label from the late Sol Siler.

The Wonders during happier times, with Faye and Mr. White,taken May or June 1964

Aboard the Play-Tone bus; notice pop chanteuse Diane Dane in bottom photos; bottom right Mr. White makes his point, surrounded by members of The Saturn Five.

This is a fan page dedicated to the film "That Thing You Do!" and the fictional story of The Wonders. All characters and images are ©1996 Twentieth Century-Fox and Sony Entertainment, no infringement intended, again this is a fan page only.