Born: Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 25, 1935 - Died: Gardena, California, September 9, 2003.

In about 1960, Bob Markley, the adopted son of an oil tycoon, and a law graduate, moved to Los Angeles with hopes of becoming a star. He was already a local TV personality in Oklahoma, but his initial attempts to develop a Hollywood career, either in movies or as a pop singer, met with little success.

At around the same time, brothers Shaun (b Colorado Springs, 1946) and Danny Harris (b Colorado Springs, 1947), children of composer Roy Harris, also moved to Los Angeles, and by 1963 had both begun playing with a teen surf band, the Snowmen. When they started attending Hollywood Professional School in 1964, they met up with Michael Lloyd (born 1948), who had been playing in several groups, latterly the Rogues. The Harris brothers and Lloyd decided to form a new band, initially called The Laughing Wind, and they recorded demos for a mutual friend, record producer Kim Fowley. Fowley already knew Markley, and suggested that the band use some of the latter’s lyrics.

In 1965, Fowley arranged a private party in Markley’s house at which the Yardbirds performed, and which the Harris brothers and Lloyd also attended. Markley was impressed by the large number of teenage girls attracted by the band, and the much younger musicians were impressed by Markley’s financial resources and potential ability to fund good quality equipment and a light show. Fowley encouraged them to join forces and, with the addition of drummer John Ware, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was formed. The general approach was intended to parallel that being developed on the east coast by Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. Markley used his legal background to ensure that he held all rights to the band’s name.

"Markley, A Group" the 5th and final album by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was presented as a Markley solo album, even though it had the active involvement of the whole band, including both Lloyd and Danny Harris.

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