View source for The Turtles

{{short description|American rock band}}
{{Distinguish|Turtles (South Korean band)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = The Turtles
| image             = The Turtles.png
| image_size        = 
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = The Turtles in 1967 (left to right): Al Nichol, [[Chip Douglas]], [[John Barbata|Johnny Barbata]], [[Mark Volman]], Jim Tucker, [[Howard Kaylan]]
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = *The Nightriders (1963)
*The Crossfires (1963–1965)
*The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie  (1983–2018)
| origin            = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| genre             = {{Hlist|[[Pop rock]]<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Daw |first=Stephen |date=September 5, 2025 |title=Mark Volman, Co-Founder of Pop-Rock Hitmakers The Turtles, Dies at 78 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mark-volman-dead-founder-the-turtles-obituary-1236060349/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=September 9, 2025}}</ref>|[[folk rock]]<ref name=Bush>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-turtles-mn0000564239/biography |title=The Turtles |last=Bush |first=John |publisher=Allmusic |access-date=September 20, 2021}}</ref>|[[sunshine pop]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenwald |first=Michael S.  |date=September 6, 2025 |title=Mark Volman, Singer of ‘Happy Together’ and Other Hits, Dies at 78 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/arts/music/mark-volman-dead.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=September 9, 2025}}</ref>|[[psychedelic pop]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PtpkCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA347 |last=Simmonds |first=Jeremy  |year=2012 |title=The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars |publisher=Chicago Review Press |page=347 |isbn=978-1613744789}}</ref>}}
| discography       = [[The Turtles discography]]
| years_active      = {{flatlist|
* 1965–1970
* 1983–2025
}}
| label             = [[White Whale Records|White Whale]], [[Sundazed Music]]
| website           = {{URL|theturtles.com}}
| spinoffs          = [[Flo & Eddie]]
| past_members      = {{unbulleted list|[[Howard Kaylan]]|[[Mark Volman]]|Al Nichol|Jim Tucker|Chuck Portz|[[Don Murray (drummer)|Don Murray]]|[[Joel Larson]]|[[John Barbata|Johnny Barbata]]|[[Chip Douglas]]|[[Jim Pons]]|[[John Seiter]]|[[Ron Dante]]}}
}}

'''The Turtles''' were an [[America]]n [[Band (rock and pop)|rock band]] formed in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] in 1965. The band achieved several [[Top 40]] hits throughout the latter half of the 1960s, including "[[It Ain't Me Babe]]" (1965), "[[You Baby (song)|You Baby]]" (1966), "[[Happy Together (song)|Happy Together]]" (1967), "[[She'd Rather Be with Me]]" (1967), "[[Elenore]]" (1968), and "[[You Showed Me]]" (1969),<ref name="rs">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theturtles/biography |title=The Turtles Biography |year=2004 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915225240/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theturtles/biography |archive-date=September 15, 2008}}</ref> with "Happy Together" reaching number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].

The group originally consisted of lead vocalist [[Howard Kaylan]], backing vocalist [[Mark Volman]], lead guitarist Al Nichol, rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker, bassist Chuck Portz, and drummer [[Don Murray (drummer)|Don Murray]], with subsequent members being bassists [[Chip Douglas]] and [[Jim Pons]], and drummers [[Joel Larson]], [[John Barbata|Johnny Barbata]], and [[John Seiter]].

As the Turtles' commercial success waned by the end of the 1960s, they became plagued with management problems, lawsuits and conflicts with their label, [[White Whale Records]], leading the group to break up in 1970. Kaylan and Volman (alongside Pons) then joined [[Frank Zappa]]'s band, [[the Mothers of Invention]], where, for contractual reasons, they performed under the name [[Flo & Eddie]] (Volman as "Flo", Kaylan as "Eddie"). After leaving Zappa at the end of 1971, Kaylan and Volman continued to perform under the Flo & Eddie name, becoming popular as a [[comedy rock]] act, and also went on to long-lasting success as [[session musician]]s for artists including [[John Lennon]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], and [[Alice Cooper]]. In 1983, Kaylan and Volman began touring as '''The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie'''. Kaylan ceased touring in 2018, while Volman continued to tour with the Turtles until his death in September 2025, with [[Ron Dante]] (previously of [[The Archies]]) replacing Kaylan.

== History ==
=== 1963–1966: Formation, initial success and first personnel changes ===
==== The Nightriders, the Crossfires and the Tyrtles ====
In early 1963, New Yorker [[Howard Kaylan]] and Californian [[Mark Volman]] attended the same school, [[Westchester High School (Los Angeles)|Westchester High]] in [[Los Angeles]] (Kaylan had moved from [[New York City]] as a child). The two sang in the school's a cappella choir, where Volman soon heard about Kaylan's instrumental [[surf music]] band, '''the Nightriders''', which included Kaylan on saxophone and choir members Al Nichol on lead guitar, [[Don Murray (drummer)|Don Murray]] on drums and Chuck Portz on bass. Volman joined the group as a saxophonist, just before the group changed its name to '''the Crossfires''' in the same year. After high school graduation, the band continued on while its members attended area colleges, picking up rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker as a sixth member along the way.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bush|first=John|title=The Turtles {{!}} Biography, Albums, Streaming Links|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-turtles-mn0000564239|access-date=2021-03-04|website=AllMusic|language=en}}</ref>

They released a single, "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" b/w "Fiberglass Jungle", on the local "Capco Records" label, eventually signing with newly formed [[White Whale Records]]. Adhering to the prevailing musical trend, the group rebranded itself in 1963: with the help of [[KRLA]] and [[KFWB]] DJ and club owner [[Reb Foster]], the Crossfires signed as a [[folk rock]] band under the name '''The Tyrtles''', an intentionally stylized misspelling inspired by [[the Byrds]] and [[the Beatles]]. However, the trendy spelling did not survive long, and they had to name themselves '''The Turtles'''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|date=1997|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|isbn=1-85227-745-9|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|edition=Concise|page=1196}}</ref>
[[File:The Turtles founding lineup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The founding lineup of The Turtles]]
Because of the stylistic change from "Surf music" to "Folk rock", Kaylan and Volman dropped the saxophones to become the band's vocalists. Kaylan became the group's lead singer and keyboardist (although he would give up most of the keyboard parts to Nichol in their hits). Volman began to harmonize with Kaylan's lead singing, becoming a third guitarist as well as a percussionist for the band.

==== "It Ain't Me Babe" and "You Baby" ====
As with the Byrds, the Turtles achieved breakthrough success with a cover of a [[Bob Dylan]] song. "[[It Ain't Me Babe]]" reached the ''Billboard'' Top 10 in the late summer of 1965, and was the title track of [[It Ain't Me Babe (album)|the band's first album]].<ref name="Larkin" /> "[[Let Me Be (The Turtles song)|Let Me Be]]", their second single, reached the Top 30, and "[[You Baby (song)|You Baby]]" charted in the Top 20 in early 1966. "You Baby", with its intricate vocal harmonies and upbeat tempo, was influential in the band's sound as it departed from the political, Byrds-type folk rock;<ref name="Larkin" /><ref>{{Citation|last=Greenwald|first=Matthew|title=You Baby - The Turtles {{!}} Song Info {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/you-baby-mt0004744470|language=en|access-date=2021-03-04}}</ref> the band's new sound ranged from [[chamber pop]] to straightforward [[pop music]].<ref name=Bush/>

''[[You Baby]]'', the band's second album, failed to reach ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]''{{'}}s [[Billboard 200|Top LPs]] chart, and of several singles released in 1966, "[[Grim Reaper of Love]]" and "Can I Get to Know You Better" barely entered the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. One single, the tough "[[Outside Chance (song)|Outside Chance]]", written by [[Warren Zevon]], did not chart. In 1966, the Turtles made an appearance in [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]'s film ''[[Out of Sight (1966 film)|Out of Sight]]'', singing "She'll Come Back" on screen.
[[File:The Turtles 1966.png|thumb|The band in 1966. Top: Al Nichol, Jim Tucker, [[John Barbata]]. Middle: [[Howard Kaylan]], [[Mark Volman]]. Bottom: Chuck Portz.]]
In early 1966, drummer Don Murray and bassist Chuck Portz quit the group. Murray was replaced by [[Joel Larson]] for a few months, before [[John Barbata]] became the band's new drummer in late 1966. Portz was replaced by [[Chip Douglas]] on bass.<ref name="Larkin"/>

=== 1966–1968: Peak years ===

==== "Happy Together" ====
"[[Happy Together (song)|Happy Together]]", the first of several key Turtles singles co-written by Garry Bonner and [[Alan Gordon (songwriter)|Alan Gordon]], had been rejected by countless performers. "Happy Together", both their biggest hit and their signature song, signaled a turning point for both the Turtles and for Chip Douglas, who provided the arrangement.<ref name="Larkin" /> The single replaced the Beatles' "[[Penny Lane]]" at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the spring of 1967. The Turtles' only No.&nbsp;1 remained there for three weeks. An album of the same name followed and peaked at No.&nbsp;25. "Happy Together" reached No. 12 on the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="betts">{{cite book|first=Graham|last=Betts|year=2004|title=Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004|edition=1st|publisher=Collins|location=London|isbn=0-00-717931-6|page=802}}</ref> This same year saw the Turtles performing the title song (composed by [[John Williams]] with lyrics by [[Leslie Bricusse]]) for the [[Twentieth Century-Fox]] [[bedroom farce]] ''[[A Guide for the Married Man]]''.

Impressed by Chip Douglas's studio arrangements, [[Michael Nesmith]] approached him after a Turtles show at the [[Whisky a Go Go]] and invited him to become [[the Monkees]]' producer as that band wanted to break out of their "manufactured" studio mold. Douglas accepted and left the Turtles, producing the Monkees' next three albums: ''[[Headquarters (the Monkees album)|Headquarters]]''; ''[[Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.]]'' (both 1967); and ''[[The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees]]'' (1968), the last of which he co-produced with the band. Meanwhile, the Turtles continued with new bassist [[Jim Pons]] replacing Douglas.

==== "She'd Rather Be with Me", "You Know What I Mean" and "She's My Girl" ====
Other hits, all written by Gordon/Bonner, followed "Happy Together", making 1967 a lucrative year for the Turtles. A follow-up, the brassy "[[She'd Rather Be with Me]]", reached No. 3 on the US charts in late spring and actually out-charted "Happy Together" overseas, reaching No. 4 in the UK.<ref name="betts" /> Two successive Top 15 songs followed: "[[You Know What I Mean]]" and "[[She's My Girl]]". Both [[Gramophone Record|45]]s showed a psychedelic side in the band's style. During that year, the band released two albums, ''[[Happy Together (The Turtles album)|Happy Together]]'' and ''[[Golden Hits (Turtles album)|Golden Hits]]'', the former reaching the Top 30 and the latter reaching  the Top 10. The similar album covers for ''Golden Hits'' and its 1970 companion ''[[More Golden Hits]]'' were designed by [[Dean Torrence]] of [[Jan & Dean]].

By the end of 1967 the band were reduced to a five-piece, when rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker departed, citing the pressure of touring and recording new material. He moved to Grass Valley, California where he became an electrical contractor. He has denied that he left the band because [[John Lennon]] was rude to him, as Kaylan later suggested in his 2003 film ''[[My Dinner with Jimi]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eterritorialdispatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/interview-with-turtle.html |title=eTerritorial Dispatch: Interview With A Turtle |website=Eterritorialdispatch.blogspot.co.uk |access-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref>

==== ''The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands'' ====
[[File:The Turtles 1968.png|thumb|The band in 1968. From left: [[Jim Pons]], [[Howard Kaylan]], [[Mark Volman]], Al Nichol, [[John Barbata]].]]
"Sound Asleep" and "The Story of Rock and Roll", the first two singles in 1968, stalled somewhere in the middle of the Top 100. The band's fortunes changed when former member Chip Douglas returned to work with them as a producer. Late in 1968 the band released a [[concept album]] called ''[[The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands]]'', in which the group pretended to be 11 different bands (with fanciful names including the Bigg Brothers, Nature's Children, the US Teens featuring Raoul, and the Fabulous Dawgs), each with a song in a different genre. The album yielded two singles: "[[Elenore]]" and "[[You Showed Me]]", both peaking at No.&nbsp;6. "Elenore" also reached No.&nbsp;7 in the UK chart.<ref name="betts"/> Although both singles were successful, they did not help to boost the album's sales, which peaked at No. 128 on the ''Billboard'' Pop Albums. The 1969 hit "You Showed Me" had been written by the Byrds' [[Gene Clark]] and [[Roger McGuinn|Roger (then Jim) McGuinn]] in 1964. It was their last Top 10 single. Television appearances included a February 1968 spot on ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'', to which they returned in April 1969. 1969 saw the band undergo another personnel change, with drummer John Barbata being replaced by [[John Seiter]].

=== 1969–1970: Commercial waning and break-up ===

==== ''Turtle Soup'' ====
Towards the end of 1969, the group released its next album, ''[[Turtle Soup]]'', a critically well-received LP produced by [[Ray Davies]] of [[the Kinks]]. Inspired by the 1968 concept album ''[[The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society]]'', this was Davies's only released production work for another band (but Davies had previously produced demo recordings for [[Badfinger|the Iveys]]). Notable tracks include "Somewhere Friday Nite" and "Love in the City". In spite of ''Turtle Soup''{{'}}s positive reception from the music press, its commercial success was marginal, and the band began to disintegrate.

==== Conflicts with White Whale and disintegration ====
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2025}}
Long disillusioned with their record label and its growing financial problems by this time, Kaylan and Volman resisted White Whale's efforts to turn the Turtles into something approaching an assembly-line pop act, like the early Monkees. The label apparently encouraged Kaylan and Volman to fire the rest of the band, tour with hired musicians and make records by adding their vocals to backing tracks recorded by [[The Memphis Boys|Memphis session players]]. Such pressure convinced the band to record a single called "Who Would Ever Think That I Would Marry Margaret?", which they disowned after its release.

The Turtles wound down their career in 1970 with ''More Golden Hits'', a second compilation album, and ''[[Wooden Head]]'', a [[B-sides]] and rarities album. With the demise of the Turtles, White Whale Records lost its biggest moneymaker, had few commercially viable bands, and soon ceased operations.

===Post-Turtles===
====1970s====
In mid-1970, Kaylan and Volman joined [[Frank Zappa]]'s band [[the Mothers of Invention]], with Pons also joining in early 1971.<ref name="Larkin"/> As well as the Turtles' name, Kaylan and Volman were unable to use their real names in billings due to them being prohibited by their contract with their label [[White Whale Records]]. Because of this, Volman and Kaylan began performing under the nicknames the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie or [[Flo & Eddie]] for short. Kaylan, Volman, and Pons worked with Zappa until December 1971, when the infamous attack on Zappa at the Rainbow Theatre in London left him no choice but to cease touring for a while. During their time together the former Turtles appeared on several Zappa albums, as well as starring in his 1971 film ''[[200 Motels]]''. Volman and Kaylan then went on to make several duo albums, still using the Flo & Eddie name.<ref name="Larkin"/>

Volman and Kaylan sang backing vocals on several recordings by the band [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]], including their worldwide 1971 hit "[[Get It On (T. Rex song)|Get It On (Bang a Gong)]]" and the albums ''[[Electric Warrior]]'' and ''[[The Slider]]''. When White Whale's master recordings were sold at auction in 1974, the duo won the Turtles' masters, making them the owners of their own recorded work. They promptly licensed the tracks to [[Sire Records]], which issued them as a compilation album titled ''Happy Together Again''. In the mid-1970s, Volman and Kaylan started their syndicated radio show titled ''Flo & Eddie by the Fireside'', which originated from [[KMET (defunct)|KMET]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/floandeddiebythefireside|title=Flo and Eddie by the Fireside op Myspace Music – Gratis Gestreamde MP3s, Fotos, en Videoclips|publisher=Myspace.com|access-date=January 25, 2011}}</ref>

====1980s====
In the 1980s, the duo began hosting their radio show on [[KROQ-FM]] in Los Angeles and [[WINS-FM|WXRK]] in New York City and recorded soundtrack music for children's shows like the ''[[Care Bears]]'' and ''[[Strawberry Shortcake]]''. In 1980, Flo and Eddie performed backing vocals on [[Alice Cooper]]'s ''[[Flush the Fashion]]'' and sang backup on [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s "[[Hungry Heart]]" from his album ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]''. 1982 saw the re-release of the Turtles' original albums through [[Rhino Records]].

In 1983, they also contributed backing vocals to the self-titled debut album of British [[New wave music|New wave]] band [[Espionage (band)|Espionage]], produced by [[Roy Thomas Baker]] and released by [[A&M Records]]. Also in 1983, Howard Kaylan appeared in the comedy film ''[[Get Crazy]]'', starring [[Malcolm McDowell]] and [[Daniel Stern (actor)|Daniel Stern]]: Kaylan played the part of Captain Cloud, a spiritual guru, leader of a caravan of time-lost [[hippie]]s. In the same year, Kaylan and Volman legally regained the use of "the Turtles" name and began touring as the Turtles Featuring Flo and Eddie; instead of trying to reunite with their earlier bandmates, they began featuring sidemen who had played with different groups. In 1984, the Turtles embarked on a U.S. Happy Together tour with [[Gary Puckett & the Union Gap]], [[Spanky & Our Gang]] and [[the Association]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kingcenter.com/schedule-of-events/3244-happy-together-tour|title=HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR|website=Kingcenter.com|access-date=August 27, 2019}}</ref>

In 1987, Kaylan and Volman appeared in a music video of their 1967 song "[[Happy Together (song)|Happy Together]]" to promote the romantic comedy ''[[Making Mr. Right]]''. That year also saw the debut of the previously unreleased ''Shell Shock'' album, as well as a new retrospective CD ''20 Greatest Hits'', both released by Rhino. The latter compilation was followed in 1988 with ''Turtle Wax: The Best of the Turtles, Vol. 2'', which featured the best of their "album tracks" and previously neglected single B-sides.

The 1989 debut album by [[hip-hop]] combo [[De La Soul]], ''[[3 Feet High and Rising]]'', featured a tape loop repeating the first 11–12 seconds of the Turtles song "[[You Showed Me]]" in the short [[Filler (media)|album-filler]] skit "Transmitting Live from Mars", with some percussion and a sampled [[French language]] lesson added by De La Soul's producer [[Prince Paul (producer)|Prince Paul]]. Kaylan and Volman sued for copyright damages in 1989, demanding $2.5&nbsp;million but settling out of court in 1991 for $1.7&nbsp;million. This established a legal precedent, causing the music industry to begin carefully crediting (and paying royalties for) sampled works on future rap music and other recordings in general.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/murder-fame-and-a-legal-minefield-the-agony-behind-a-hip-hop-victory-20230424-p5d2rz.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427050446/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/murder-fame-and-a-legal-minefield-the-agony-behind-a-hip-hop-victory-20230424-p5d2rz.html |date=April 27, 2023 |last=Dwyer |first=Michael |title=Murder, fame and a legal minefield: the agony behind a hip-hop victory |newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |access-date=April 5, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.spin.com/2021/05/bite-this-1989-sampling-feature/ |last=Owen |first=Frank |date=November 1989 |title=Bite This: Our 1989 Feature on Sampling  |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |access-date=April 5, 2025}} Reprinted in May 2021.</ref>

====1990s====
In 1991 Music Club Records released a Turtles' anthology in the United Kingdom: ''Happy Together: The Best of the Turtles''. In 1993, Rhino Records presented ''Captured Live'', a live album of their 1992 tour. In 1994 [[Sundazed Music]] re-released all of the Turtles' original albums, and in 1999 [[Varèse Sarabande]] released ''Happy Together: The Best of White Whale Records'', which included many of the Turtles' singles.

Original drummer [[Don Murray (drummer)|Don Murray]] died on March 22, 1996, at the age of 50.

====2000s====
In 2002, the film ''[[Adaptation (film)|Adaptation]]'' used their song "Happy Together" extensively as a device to portray the closeness of the two brothers Kaufman, both played by [[Nicolas Cage]]; this film closes with the Turtles' version over the final credit scroll and time lapse photography.

Also the 2005 film ''[[Imagine Me & You]]'', the title of which was taken from the first line of the song "Happy Together", used this song in its end credits. In 2009, a Turtles compilation CD titled ''Save the Turtles: The Turtles Greatest Hits'' was issued on their FloEdCo Record label and distributed by [[Manifesto Records]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Save-Turtles-Greatest-Hits/dp/B001TW68P4|title=Save The Turtles: The Turtles Greatest Hits: Turtles: Music|website=Amazon |access-date=January 25, 2011}}</ref>

====2010s====
Starting in the summer of 2010, the Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie toured throughout the United States as part of the Happy Together: 25th Anniversary Tour, an [[oldies]] concert series that retained the "Happy Together" moniker in subsequent years. They performed alongside other 1960s and 1970s pop stars, including [[Gary Puckett]], [[Mitch Ryder]], [[Mark Lindsay]], [[Mark Farner]], [[Gary Lewis & the Playboys|Gary Lewis]], and [[Micky Dolenz]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://neufutur.com/?p=21796|title=Happy Together Tour Returns In Summer 2011|date=April 30, 2011|first=James|last=McQuistion|access-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> The 2015 tour featured [[the Buckinghams]], [[the Cowsills]], [[the Grass Roots]], and [[the Association]]. In 2016, the complete output of the Turtles was reissued as two box sets, titled ''The Complete Original Album Collection'' and ''All the Singles''. The expanded editions of the six albums contained in the former were issued separately in 2017.

In 2018, since Kaylan required heart and back surgery, he was told by his doctors to cease touring, so [[Ron Dante]] (a prolific session musician of [[the Archies]], [[the Cuff Links]] and [[the Detergents]] fame) replaced him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bestclassicbands.com/happy-together-tour-2018-recap-6-13-18/|title=Happy Together Tour 2018: 'The Show Must Go On'|date=13 June 2015|website=Bestclassicbands.com|access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://forward.com/culture/music/604636/mark-volman-howard-kaylan-turtles-flo-eddie-jewish-happy-together |title=A pioneering Jewish rock band got its start in 1965; they're still slowly and steadily turtling along|website=Forward.com |date=April 19, 2024 }}</ref>

====2020s====
Original rhythm guitarist Jim Tucker died on November 12, 2020, at the age of 74.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hooperandweavermortuary.com/2020/11/18/james-roy-tucker/ |title=James Roy Tucker|last=|first=|date=November 18, 2020|accessdate=March 23, 2021|website=Hooperandweavermortuary.com}}</ref><ref>[https://www.theunion.com/news/jim-tucker-rhythm-guitarist-for-the-turtles-and-grass-valley-resident-dies-at-74/#:~:text=James%20Roy%20Tucker%2C%2074%2C%20died,songs%20in%20the%20Top%20100. "Jim Tucker, rhythm guitarist for The Turtles and Grass Valley resident, dies at 74"], ''The Union'', November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020</ref>

Drummer John Barbata died on May 8, 2024, at the age of 79.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2024-05-14 |title=John Barbata, Drummer for the Turtles and Jefferson Starship, Dead at 79 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-barbata-drummer-the-turtles-csny-jefferson-starship-dead-obituary-1235019260/ |access-date=2024-05-15 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

Volman died after a short illness on September 5, 2025, at the age of 78.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGowan |first=Andrew |date=2025-09-05 |title=Mark Volman, Turtles and Flo & Eddie Co-Founder and Singer on ‘Happy Together,’ Dies at 78 |url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/mark-volman-dead-turtles-happy-together-1236509450/ |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Avila |first=Daniela |date=2025-09-05 |title=The Turtles Co-Founder Mark Volman Dies at 78 After a 'Brief, Unexpected Illness' |url=https://people.com/the-turtles-mark-volman-dead-age-78-11804481 |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=People |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Personnel ==

===Former members===

* [[Howard Kaylan]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, keyboards {{Small|(1965–1970, 1983–2018)}}
* [[Mark Volman]]&nbsp;– harmony and backing vocals, guitar, percussion <small>(1965–1970, 1983–2025; his death)</small>
* Al Nichol&nbsp;– lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals {{Small|(1965–1970)}}
* Jim Tucker&nbsp;– acoustic and electric rhythm guitars, backing vocals {{Small|(1965–1967; died 2020)}}
* Chuck Portz&nbsp;– bass guitar {{Small|(1965–1966)}}
* [[Don Murray (drummer)|Don Murray]]&nbsp;– drums {{Small|(1965–1966; died 1996)}}
* [[Chip Douglas]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, backing vocals {{Small|(1966–1967)}}
* [[Joel Larson]]&nbsp;– drums {{Small|(1966)}}
* [[John Barbata]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion {{Small|(1966–1969; died 2024)}}
* [[Jim Pons]]&nbsp;– bass guitar, backing vocals {{Small|(1967–1970)}}
* [[John Seiter]]&nbsp;– drums {{Small|(1969–1970)}}
* [[Ron Dante]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, guitar {{Small|(2018–2025)}}
==== Timeline (Original incarnation of the band, 1965–1970) ====
{{#tag:timeline|
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Period     = from:01/01/1965 till:01/07/1970
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ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1965

Colors =
  id:voc   value:red    legend:Vocals
  id:g     value:green  legend:Guitars
  id:key   value:purple legend:Keyboards
  id:b     value:blue   legend:Bass
  id:dr    value:orange legend:Drums
  id:perc  value:claret legend:Percussion
  id:bvoc  value:pink   legend:Backing_vocals
  id:alb   value:black  legend:Studio_releases

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  at:01/09/1965 layer:back
  at:01/03/1966
  at:29/04/1967
  at:01/11/1968
  at:01/10/1969

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  width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,–4)
  bar:Howard&nbsp;Kaylan from:start      till:01/07/1970 color:voc
  bar:Howard&nbsp;Kaylan from:start      till:01/11/1968 color:key  width:3

  bar:Mark&nbsp;Volman   from:start      till:01/07/1970 color:bvoc
  bar:Mark&nbsp;Volman   from:start      till:01/03/1966 color:g    width:7
  bar:Mark&nbsp;Volman   from:start      till:01/10/1969 color:perc width:3

  bar:Al&nbsp;Nichol     from:start      till:01/07/1970 color:g
  bar:Al&nbsp;Nichol     from:start      till:01/07/1970 color:bvoc width:3
  bar:Al&nbsp;Nichol     from:start      till:01/07/1970 color:key  width:7

  bar:Jim&nbsp;Tucker    from:start      till:01/07/1967 color:g
  bar:Jim&nbsp;Tucker    from:start      till:01/07/1967 color:bvoc width:3

  bar:Chuck&nbsp;Portz   from:start      till:01/07/1966 color:b

  bar:Chip&nbsp;Douglas  from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967 color:b
  bar:Chip&nbsp;Douglas  from:01/07/1966 till:01/07/1967 color:bvoc width:3

  bar:Jim&nbsp;Pons      from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1970 color:b
  bar:Jim&nbsp;Pons      from:01/07/1967 till:01/07/1970 color:bvoc width:3

  bar:Don&nbsp;Murray    from:start      till:01/05/1966 color:dr

  bar:Joel&nbsp;Larson   from:01/05/1966 till:01/09/1966 color:dr

  bar:John&nbsp;Barbata  from:01/09/1966 till:01/07/1969 color:dr
  bar:John&nbsp;Barbata  from:01/09/1966 till:01/07/1969 color:perc width:3

  bar:John&nbsp;Seiter   from:01/07/1969 till:01/07/1970 color:dr
}}

==Discography==
{{main|The Turtles discography}}
{{div col}}
* ''[[It Ain't Me Babe (album)|It Ain't Me Babe]]'' (1965)
* ''[[You Baby]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Happy Together (The Turtles album)|Happy Together]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Turtle Soup]]'' (1969)
{{div end}}

== See also ==
* {{Portal inline|1960s}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.theturtles.com/}}
* {{discogs artist|The Turtles}}
* {{imdb name|2012886}}

{{The Turtles|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turtles, The}}
[[Category:The Turtles| ]]
[[Category:Folk rock groups from California]]
[[Category:American pop rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1965]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1970]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1983]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2025]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Psychedelic pop music groups]]
[[Category:White Whale Records artists]]
[[Category:Sundazed Music artists]]
[[Category:Sunshine pop groups]]
[[Category:1965 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1970 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:2025 disestablishments in California]]