Ron McMullen obit

Ron McMullen of the Pyramids dies

 

He was not on the list.

Ronald D. McMullen was born on September 25, 1945, in Long Beach, California, and died on January 7, 2015. He resided in Twin Peaks, California. He was the drummer for the instrumental rock and roll band The Pyramids. Yesterday, January 17, a ceremony was held with the attendance of his wife, Linda, and family, as well as two members of the Pyramids, Skip and Willy. His grandsons played a version of "Penetration," one of their greatest hits. The Pyramids were one of the few bands that survived the onslaught of the English beat, led by the Beatles. Precisely because the Fab Four were marketed in the United States as the "hairy ones," the Pyramids shaved their heads. One of their most stellar performances can be seen in the famous 1964 film "Bikini Beach."   

The Pyramids were a surf and roll band formed in Long Beach, California around 1961 by high school friends Skip Mercier (lead guitar), Willy Glover (rhythm guitar), Steve Leonard (bass), Tom Pitman (sax), and Ron McMullen (drummer). In 1963, they recorded the single "Pyramid Stomp", which became a hit on San Bernardino radio station KMEN and caught the attention of executives at London Records. They decided to create a short-lived record label called Best Records to promote the Pyramids. They recorded an LP called "The Pyramids Play The Original Penetration" (1964) as well as a few singles with the songs "Paul / Pyramid's Stomp" (1963); "Penetration" / "Here Comes Marsha" (1963). In the mid-nineties, Sundazed released a compilation LP entitled "Penetration, The Best of the Pyramids."

A peculiarity is that they shaved their heads. Apparently, it was their manager who advised them to take this drastic step as an American response to the Beatles' fashion, which was associated with long hair. In July 1964, they appeared in Williams Asher's film "Bikini Beach," covered in wigs that they removed to reveal their shaved heads. In that film, starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, they performed "Record Run" and "Bikini Drag," both written by Gary Usher and Roger Christian. They also accompanied Frankie Avalon on the song "How About That?" and performed "Happy Feelin' (Dance and Shout)" with the then-named Little Stevie Wonder.