Biography of The Marketts

The Marketts, a studio-based surf-rock group of the early '60s, is best-known for their hit "Out of Limits." Assembled by producer/songwriter Joe Saraceno, the band consisted of guitarist Ben Benay, bassist Ray Pohlman, drummer Gene Pello, saxophonist Mike Henderson, and keyboardist Richard Hobriaco, who was quickly replaced by Tom Hensey. Most of the Marketts' recordings were augmented by session musicians, including guitarist Tommy Tedesco, drummer Jim Gordon, keyboardist Leon Russell, and Bill Pittman. Saraceno wrote the group's material, as well as producing their records. Released on Union Records, the Marketts' first two singles, "Surfer's Stomp" and "Balboa Blue," were both local California hits in 1961 and 1962, respectively, with "Surfer's Stomp" cracking the Top 40 in early 1962 when it was picked up by Liberty. In 1963, the Marketts signed to Warner Brothers Records. Their first single for the label, "Woody Wagon," didn't make much of an impact. However, their second single for the label, a reverb-drenched surf version of the Outer Limits theme called "Out of Limits," was a major hit, reaching number three in early 1964. Although they had another Top 40 hit in 1966 with their version of the "Batman Theme," their fame quickly disappeared. A new version of the Marketts appeared on the oldies concert circuit in the '70s, but most of the original members had regular jobs as session musicians by that time. Both bassist Ray Pohlman and guitarist Ben Benay played on many records throughout the '70s, while Tom Hensey became Neil Diamond's regular keyboardist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine