Roy Chaney (Count Five)

Roy Chaney (b. Indianapolis, 1948 - ) – Born in Indianapolis, Chaney attended San Jose City College and, in his Freshman year (1966), became the bass player of Count Five, a pre-punk band that consisted of other college students and some local high school students. Influenced by the Yardbirds, Count Five formed in 1964, and, unlike their British heroes, its shaggy-haired members dressed as vampires. Recorded on Double Shot Records of L.A., their single “Psychotic Reaction” peaked at #5 on the pop chart in 1966, making Count Five a quintessential one-hit wonder. Soon after the record’s success, the song quickly disappeared, and, eventually, so did the band. After breaking up in 1969, the band reunited in 1987 to make one appearance at a club in Santa Clara, California; that performance was recorded as Psychotic Reaction Live. Also in 1987, the band was inducted into the new San Jose Rock Hall of Fame. Some time in the 1990s, Chaney formed a new manifestation of the group called The Count, which included one other original member, lead vocalist John “Sean” Byrne. (Byrne died in Decmeber of 2008.) In 2002, Chaney’s new band released a CD called Can’t Sleep.