Sam the Sham's 1965 Hearse...Can You Imagine THIS as a Touring Vehicle?

Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs the Touring Vehicle was,a,Gulp,HEARSE! Yes,Believe it or not THIS was their Wheels of Choice!

 

The real Monkeemobile:



Also handy for the beach:

 

Travelling in style:

 

Neil Young used one (Mort), famously, early on.

The Mummies used one in more recent times.

I'm guessing that hearses (older ones) can or once could be had for relatively cheap, and they had lots of room for gear in the back... so they made ideal band vehicles. Not to mention the weird factor.

Has anyone ever documented the history of re-purposed hearses as band vehicles? It's an interesting (if strange) topic. Anybody here have first-hand experience with this, or can address the phenomenon?

 

This was a very common "COOL" thing to do in the mid-60s.
I have innumerable comps of 60s garage bands with either references to or faded photos of bands who drove around in hearses.

 

Don't forget that Hearse's had rollers on the floor to assist on having the coffin's roll in and out of the rear. This feature makes it easy to also roll in and out musical equipment.

On the other hand, I'd love to see one of those car restoration cable TV programs find the remains of Neil Young's "Mort" and restore it.

 

Didn't Buffalo Springfield, or at least Neil Young, get around in a hearse for a while?

 

A classic trippy rocker from that hotbed of psychedelia, Jonesboro Arkansas.



According to one website, "The band's trailer was shaped like a huge purple coffin inscribed with Purple Canteen to scare the kids".