Country Dick and The Snuggle Bunnies

The Snuggle Bunnies were a pre-Beat Farmers band featuring singer/drummer Country Dick Montana, whose band with Puppies guitarist James Krieger, the Country Dicks, failed to take off. Puppies bassist Nino Del Pesco talked Montana into forming a new group, the Snuggle Bunnies, which originally featured Krieger, though he soon left the band.

“We all had ‘Dick’ names, too,” recalls Del Pesco Montana. “It was a real wild time, especially at the Spring Valley Inn on Sunday nights!”

“I’m the guy who pushed Dan into forming the Snuggle Bunnies after a failed attempt at a band called the Country Dicks,” recalls Del Pesco. Featuring several future Farmers, the Bunnies lineup at various times included Del Pesco and Dan/Country Dick, along with guitarist/mandolin player Skid Roper, Robin Jackson, Paul Kamanski, Joey Harris, and (briefly) James Krieger. “Jimmy left after a couple rehearsals, which ushered in Joey and Paul,” recalls Del Pesco. “Richard Banke was the last to join, long before his Mojo Nixon days.” According to Skid Roper: Richie Rooster was NEVER a member of this group. It was Nino del Pesco in the pancho who played bass and Robin Jackson to his left on vocals and acoustic guitar.

The band’s theme song “Bunny Call,” from their Adventures in Paradise album, began as a different number. According to Roper, “I came to rehearsal one day with ‘Cattle Call,’ a song I used to sing in a duo. Nobody liked it, but Country Dick loved it and announced in his deep voice, ‘I’m doin’ that song, and it’s now called ‘Bunny Call’... He also took another song I did, ‘Maverick,’ and turned it into ‘Country Dick.’”

The Snuggle Bunnies were among around a dozen groups Montana graced, including punk pioneers the Penetrators and garage legends the Crawdaddys, as well as the Incredible Hayseeds, Country Dick’s Petting Zoo, Country Dick’s Garage, and the Pleasure Barons, with MTV madman Mojo Nixon and Blasters riffmaster Dave Alvin.

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Thanks to the San Diego Reader for the information
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R-L: Country Dick Montana: Drums, Vocals; Robin Jackson: Guitar (acoustic), Vocals; Nino Del Pesco: Bass guitar (in the pancho); Skid Roper: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Mandolin; Paul Kamanski: Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals; Joey Harris: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric), Vocals