The Turtles are an American bubblegum pop, psychedelic and folk-rock band, best known for 1967's " Happy Together" (see 1967 in music).
The band was formed by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman in Westchester, California (a suburb of Los Angeles) in 1965, as a surf rock group called "The Crossfires". With the help of DJ and club owner Reb Foster, The Crossfires signed to White Whale Records, and, adjusting to the prevailing musical trends of the time, became a folk-rock group known as "The Tyrtles", the misspelling an ode to The Byrds that was soon dropped. Similarly to The Byrds' career, The Turtles' first break was with a Bob Dylan cover, "It Ain't Me Babe", which was a Top Ten hit in summer 1965 (see 1965 in music) and the title track to their first album. Their second single, "Let Me Be" also appeared in the top 30 that fall. Their third single, "You Baby" charted in the top 20 in early 1966. However, their second album You Baby never entered the top 200, and of several singles released that year only two ("Grim Reaper of Love" and "Can I Get to Know You Better") entered the top 100.
In the beginning of 1967, a heavy touring schedule combined with a lack of recent chart success were cited by drummer Don Murray and bassist Chuck Portz, who left the group to be replaced by John Barbata and Chip Douglas, respectively.
It occurred to the band that, for eight months, they had been performing a certain song on stage that was moderately popular with the fans, but had yet to be recorded; originally written by songwriters Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, "Happy Together" seemed almost a parody of itself, and had already been rejected by countless performers. Their biggest hit and signature song, "Happy Together", considered 1960s pop at its best, provided a turning point for the Turtles and for Douglas, who arranged the song for record. With its tongue-in-cheek atmosphere, incessant background guitar riff, addictive chorus and backing vocals, simple drum and organ lines, and even an oboe playing along during the second chorus, it spent three weeks at #1 on the American charts in 1967, the only Turtles record to do so replacing the Beatles' single "Penny Lane" in the #1 spot. The album by the same name was released in April and charted at a high of #25.