The Legend of the Monroes

Laugh away at the above band photo, but The Monroes may be the greatest band that never was. For those of you unfamiliar with the epic 80s New Wave Classic known as "What Do All the People Know" I recommend calling all your loved ones and saying "Goodbye" because I'm about to blow your mind.



Pretty Earth shattering isn't it? I've been a fan of the song all my life since I first heard it back in my car seat days singing along with my dad (true story.) As I grew older and continued to hear the wonderful sounds of The Monroes asking if "it's just another game that you and I pretend to play?" I started asking around my local record stores inquiring where I could get their album and continue getting my fix of New Wave Goodness. The trouble was, nobody had ever heard of the Monroes ever putting out a record. Then I hit the internet to find the missing LP and lo-and-behold, all I can find is "What Do All the People Know" on 80s Compilation CDs.

I then began to assume that the band of the Monroes were time travelers from the future who came back to 1982 for a social experiment, releasing the infectious hit single to see it's affects on humanity and study the song from the distant future but were saddened to see it rise up the charts without an album or single available for purchase. Here's the real story to a song that touch America's hearts and fell victim to poor label support.

The year is 1982 and keyboardist Eric Denton of San Diego set out with a group of friends to change the world. Following rock stars "The Ramones," Eric wanted his new band to have a cohesive identity so these random musicians from San Diego became "The Monroes" and using stage names like "Bob Monroe" and "Tony Monroe" (real names Bob Davis and Jesus Ortiz respectively.) They played a few gigs at small clubs on the San Diego scene and get approached by Japanese record producers at Alfa Records. Alfa is small time in Japan in the year 1982 and thought it was a brilliant idea to expand to US Markets to try and boost its reach and "success." Of course, the young band jumped at the chance to have their songs recorded and signed their musical lives away to Alfa.

The fan favorite "What Do All the People Know" was the clear choice as the bands first single. The agreement with Alfa enabled them to cut an EP and see how it does before recording the full album. The song quickly rushes to the top of the local charts in San Diego and then jolts across the country. The Monroes are an overnight sensation and get asked to open for the then mega-star Rick Springfield on a national tour. So the boys hit the road with Rick and all his "Jessie's Girl" catalog of sing-alongs. Everything is falling into place with signs the Monroes are destined for greatness.

But then, tragedy strikes. Alfa Records decides to shut-down its US division and file for bankruptcy. All before the presses are finished on the EP with their hit single. The Monroes' Self Titled EP is never released, never pressed, never bought by fans, never made to a mix-tape for a friend, never getting the chance for dust to collect on its jacket-sleeve, never anything. The Monroes' lose the steam behind the hit single after a few months and without an EP or another single to release (Since Alfa still had the rights and no longer existed) they fall to obscurity and "What Do All The People Know" is only available on the FM airwaves. Two years later, The Monroes sign with CBS records, but management there shelved the one project they worked on, the band members slowly get replaced by in studio musicians until the official breakup soon after.

One moment rock stars and the next back to obscurity. All the band members remain friends and play solo for the most part these days. But The Monroes are now radio-legends. More than 20 years since their brush with fame, they are still a staple of radio cycles. All the people tell me so, but what do all the people know?