Unrelated Segments & Tidal Waves

Taylor, Michigan-based teen rockers the Unrelated Segments formed in late 1966 around the nucleus of singer Ron Stults and lead guitarist Rory Mack, who together previously teamed in the short-lived Village Beaus. Also including rhythm guitarist John Torok, bassist Barry Van Engelen and drummer Andy Angellotti, the Segments wrote their first original, "The Story of My Life," after just their second rehearsal session; they soon entered the local United Sound studio to record the track, issuing it as their SVR label debut single in early 1967. A massive hit on Detroit radio, the song also gained significant airplay in other pockets of the midwest, and that summer the Unrelated Segments returned to the studio to cut their second single, "Where You Gonna Go?; " another local smash, it helped the group land live dates at the famed Grande Ballroom opening for acts including Spirit, Spencer Davis Group and Jeff Beck Group. They also opened for the likes of the Who and the MC5. "Cry, Cry, Cry" followed in the summer of 1968, but failed to match the success of its predecessors; Angellotti was soon dismissed from the line-up, and after Van Engelen was drafted to serve in Vietnam in early 1969 the Segments recruited new guitarist Daryl Gore, with Torock moving to bass. After changing their name to simply the U.S., they recorded a handful of unreleased tracks before disbanding as the decade drew to a close; in 1998, the Cicadelic label released a comprehensive collection of the Segments' music titled Where You Gonna Go?