Flamin' Groovies is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965, originally co-led by Roy Loney and Cyril Jordan.

[5][6] After the Groovies released three albums, on Epic (Supersnazz) and Kama Sutra (Flamingo and Teenage Head), Loney left the band in 1971.

The 1976 album's title track "Shake Some Action" (also released as a single) became a power pop anthem and is revered by many, including Greil Marcus in his book, The History of Rock and Roll in Ten Songs.

After a couple of limited reunions with different lineups, the 1970s nucleus of Jordan, Wilson, and Alexander reformed the group in 2013, and the band's first post-reunion album, Fantastic Plastic, was released in 2017.

[20] Beginning in 1965, after adding their friend George Alexander (whom they told to learn bass), they became a Rolling Stones-influenced rock band with drummer Ron Greco.

[20][22] After playing together for about three years under various group names and not getting any record company offers, they decided to put up their own money and make their own EP, which they could also use as a label demo.

[7] In Loney's words, the album was "all over the map" and "kinda grasping at every possible straw";[20] it contained both re-creations of 1950s rock and roll and more melodic songs that anticipated the power pop movement of the 1970s—a genre to which the Flamin' Groovies would eventually contribute significant work.

[25] Despite the critical plaudits, though, neither album sold well, which caused Loney and Lynch to lose interest and left the Groovies in limbo about their future.

[22] Tim Lynch then left the band and was replaced by James Ferrell,[20] shortly before the Groovies played a concert for the closing of the Fillmore West that was broadcast live on local San Francisco radio station KSAN.

[28][29] Not long after the KSAN concert, Loney also left the band and was replaced by 18-year-old singer and guitarist Chris Wilson, who, along with Jordan, began to move the group in a more overtly power pop direction.

[26][32][33] The Groovies moved to Britain, where they remained for the rest of 1972,[24] but the UA deal was never expanded beyond two single releases, "Slow Death"/"Tallahassee Lassie" and "Married Woman"/"Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues", which United Artists preferred to Edmunds and the band's choices "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down".

[34] However, "Slow Death", an anti-drug song that Jordan had written with Loney, was banned by the BBC for using the word "morphine", which killed the momentum behind the signing.

became the Flamin' Groovies' manager and arranged for them to sign to the new (but poorly distributed) label Sire Records, headed by Seymour Stein.

[50] The commercial failure of Jumpin' in the Night, as well as clashes between Jordan and Stein, led Sire to drop the Flamin' Groovies in 1980,[51] although the band nevertheless added keyboardist Mark Dunwoody.

[22][30][57] In 1979, Roy Loney formed the Phantom Movers featuring two other former Groovies, drummer Danny Mihm and guitarist James Ferrell, as well as Larry Lea (guitar) and Maurice Tani (bass).

[63] In 2009, Loney and Jordan reunited and embarked on a brief tour, backed by members of the A-Bones and Yo La Tengo,[39] including the Ponderosa Stomp in April.

"[39] During an English date on this tour, Jordan reconnected with Wilson, who was then living in England (and who had joined The Barracudas and the Fortunate Sons there in the 1980s after leaving the Groovies).

George Alexander, Roy Loney, James Ferrell and Mike Wilhelm all appear on the CD, as does Procol Harum's keyboard legend Matthew Fisher and Barracudas guitarist Robin Wills.

"[22] That second Groovies line-up of Jordan, Wilson, and Alexander (with the addition of Victor Penalosa on drums) played live for the first time since their 1981 split in Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth) as part of the Hoodoo Gurus' invitational Dig It Up in April 2013.

[70][72] In 2019, the Groovies, consisting of Jordan, Von Sneidern (now on guitar), Sales, and Atom Ellis (on bass), with special guest Roy Loney (vocals) but without Wilson (who was on hiatus in 2019), embarked on the "Teenage Head Tour" in the US and Europe.