City Zu

City Zu formed in the Seattle suburbs in 1966 and is still going strong today. Though the current lineup only includes founder Jerry “Zu” Matheson, the band has been performing in one configuration or another consistently since their inception and will shortly celebrate their 40th anniversary. One of the more popular Northwest bands of the 1960’s, they considered themselves more of a blue-eyed soul group and were popular enough to be able to travel to Los Angeles to record three singles.

Special thanks to current City Zu singer Kathy Childers for her persistence in making this interview possible!

An Interview With Jerry “Zu” Matheson

60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?

Jerry Zu (JZ): When I was in grade school, a man came in and demonstrated a variety of instruments to the kids. I ended up choosing the saxophone for school band. Watching Ozzie and Harriet, and seeing Ricky Nelson with his band got me interested in pop music, initially. He was my first inspiration and I used to sit for hours in my bedroom playing my sax along with his records. Other artists that inspired me were Bill Black’s Combo, Duane Eddie, Johnny and the Hurricanes and of course, later, the Beatles.

60s: Was the Zu your first band?

JZ: No, actually my first band was a short lived group of young musicians in intermediate school. We practiced, what seemed forever, and learned two songs for an eight grade girl’s assembly. We didn't even have a name for the band and it was only together for a short time, but boy did we have fun. Other early bands were the Monarchs (which we wanted to call the Cadavers, but our parents wouldn't let us), the Breakers, which opened for the Dave Clark Five, and then the Thundermen, which was a very popular group out of Wichita, Kansas.

60s: When and where was the Zu formed?

JZ: City Zu was formed in Bellevue Washington (a suburb of Seattle) in 1966 by me and Brad Miller. We were introduced by Jimmy Hanna, who had a name in the Northwest. Brad knew some other musicians at Lake Washington High School that rounded out the band:

Jerry "Zu" Matheson - Sax
Brad Miller - Rhythm/Lead Guitar
Doug Heath - Lead Guitar
Mike Garland - Drums
Norm Langseth - Bass
John Lynch - Keyboards (John was short lived and was quickly replaced with Charlie Harcus)

60s: Rumor has it that popular deejay Pat O'Day suggested the name change to the City Zu. How long did the band perform using "The Zu" moniker before making the change?

JZ: We probably went by the name "The Zu" for less than a year. I met Pat O'Day around 1967 at The Teen Spectacular and he suggested that City Zu would have a more bubblegum appeal than The Zu. Pat O'Day was the type of person you listened to.

60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?

JZ: The Beatles were a major influence, although we didn't sound like them. We had a more rock and roll, edgy sound. We loved the Righteous Brothers and considered ourselves blue-eyed soul, a bit. We've also been told we sounded a bit like the Who.

60s: What were some of the typical places the band regularly performed at?

JZ: High school dances, Parker’s Ballroom, Lake Hills Roller Rink, Pat O'Day's Dunes in Westport Washington and the Bummer, which was another Pat O'Day spot in Seattle. We also played at Aberdeen Rollerena and Tiffany's Roller Rink in Kent and Spokane Washington, and at Pearls of Bremerton. All of these were teen dance clubs in and around Seattle and Washington.

60s: Did the City Zu have a manager?

JZ: Mac Keith was our manager. We met him through Terry Bassett who worked with Pat O'Day and Associates. He was very active in our promotion and really took care of business. He also worked with several other Northwest groups, but we were his priority group.

60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?

JZ: We played around Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

60s: What were some of the big name/national bands that the City Zu opened for or performed with?

JZ: Donovan, Herman's Hermits, the Who, the Association, Sonny and Cher, the Yardbirds (the Jimmy Page/Jeff Beck era), Beach Boys, Spencer Davis Group, the Byrds, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Youngbloods, the Turtles, the Electric Prunes, the Seeds, Cold Blood, Boyce and Hart, Brian Hyland (we were the backing band for him) Sly and the Family Stone and in the 1980's and 1990's James Brown, Charlie Daniels, Chuck Berry and the Righteous Brothers. There may be more.

60s: Did the City Zu participate in any Battle of the Bands?

JZ: Yes, indeed. We were a fairly popular band, so we did well. We won a Columbia Records recording contract at the Teen Spectacular Battle of the Bands in 1967. I can't recall what other bands we were up against. Back then, we were all caught up in the moment and not always aware of things going on around us.

60s: Where were the band's three singles recorded?

JZ: All the singles were recorded in Los Angeles at Columbia and Dot studios. Each single kept us down there for a couple of weeks at a time.

60s: Which of the recorded songs is your favorite?

JZ: “Give A Little Bit”, which was written by Glen Campbell. The current City Zu has just recently added it to our set list.

60s: Did The City Zu write many original songs?

JZ: We really didn't write a lot of original material, but "I'll Find Another" was a song I submitted to Jerry Fuller. He ended up choosing it for the B-side of “Give A Little Bit”.

60s: Do any other '60's City Zu recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks?

JZ: Yes, there is as a matter of fact. I just found some live and studio tapes of us. I didn't even have time to listen to them yet, because we were heading out on the road. I found a tape of a song called "Stick To It" that producer Ray Ruff was excited for us to record. It probably would have been our next single. I'll have to listen to that. I'm sure it's a great song.

60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band?

JZ: The only footage I was aware of was an episode of the Seattle based JP PATCHES SHOW. I recently emailed him to ask if it was available and he told us more than likely it was recorded over, because they reused the film in those days. That’s a disappointment.

60s: You are still performing with City Zu. What year did the current lineup form?

JZ: Band members dropped out of the band, one at a time, to do other projects. They'd be replaced as it happened, so really the band has kept going through the years and never actually disbanded. A couple members of the current lineup (Kathy Childers and Tim Kelliher) joined over ten years ago. As far as I know, City Zu is the longest running working band in Northwest rock and roll history. We'll be celebrating our 40th anniversary sometime next summer. We just have to find a place to host the event.

60s: How often does the current lineup perform today?

JZ: We perform about 45 weeks per year, taking time off here and there to be home in Seattle. You can find us playing around Nevada casinos. Our schedule is posted on our website. We'd love to be home more, but the live music venues have dried up in Seattle and there aren't a lot of rooms that hire bands five or six nights a week.

60s: The City Zu singles have not yet appeared on any CD compilations. Is there a chance in the future that some of the band's '60's recordings will appear in digital format? JZ: If there was a high enough demand for City Zu recordings, I'm sure we'd go digital. We did transfer them to CD, but just off the records and not officially a digital recording. The masters were the property of Columbia and Dot, so going true digital may be a bit tricky.

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