Spanky McFarlane

Before Spanky and Our Gang, McFarlane was in a jazz-based singing group called the Jamie Lyn Trio in 1962. In 1963, she joined the New Wine Singers who mixed folk and protest songs with Dixieland jazz. While touring with that group, she met trombonist/singer Malcolm Hale. Her fellow musician Arnie Lanza gave her the nickname "Spanky," based on what he saw as her resemblance to George McFarland who played "Spanky" in the Our Gang comedies.[2]

At a hurricane party in Florida, she met Oz Bach and Nigel Pickering. They jammed for three days, leading to her forming Spanky and Our Gang with them and Hale in Chicago.[2] She agreed to use her nickname in the group's name until something better came along, but once they had a hit record, the name stuck.[1]

The band had major hits with "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," "Lazy Day", "Sunday Mornin'," and "Like to Get to Know You." McFarlane resisted being labeled a bubblegum pop artist.

“It wasn’t a label I wanted or particularly aspired to. I do see how a song like ‘Lazy Day’ could be considered bubblegum, so then I came up with songs like ‘Like to Get to Know You’ and ‘Give a Damn’ which could not be considered bubblegum in any way, shape, or form.”[1]

On October 31, 1968, the group's lead guitarist Malcolm Hale died, leading the band to disband in early 1969. Thereafter, McFarlane and her husband, road manager Charly Galvin, prepared an album called Spanky's Greatest Hits."[2]

McFarlane had later success as a solo artist. She became a member of The New Mamas and the Papas, singing Cass Elliott's vocal parts.[3] She also began an acting career, playing a bartender in the 1975 film Moonrunners and appearing as Bloody Mary in the Ferndale Repertory Theatre's production of South Pacific.[4] She reinstated Spanky and Our Gang in the 2000s, playing with musicians who had played with Steely Dan, Bobbie Gentry, and others.

“We just adore each other and it shows. It’s not like I’m trying to make a new career for myself, I just want to have fun and be with my pals.”[1]