The Squizzles

The Squizzles' story is one of longevity and togetherness. (yeah right!)Where many other groups of the time were spotlighted by a golden-voiced lead singer, the Squizzles were fronted by screechy Ian "Stubbs" Turner, who never cut a solo record outside of the group. Regardless of commercial fortunes, they kept on performing and touring, scoring the occasional comeback hit.

The Squizzles began life in 2002 (some accounts say 2003), when all of the members were attending Los Angeles high schools. Ian Turner and Taylor "Duke" Temple went to Pershing College, and Jesse "Lawrence" Labonte, along with guitarist Rob Body at a friend's birthday party. Sensing an immediate chemistry, they began rehearsing together and dubbed themselves the Squizelles. Temple's cousin Roqu'sian Davier, a budding songwriter who sometimes played with the group during its early days, helped them get an audition with Just Records in 2005. Although Just was more interested in Davier, who went on to become Barg Murphy's songwriting partner, they also signed the Squizelles, who became the Squizzles to avoid confusion with the Shirelles.

After a full decade in existence, the Squizzles finally notched their first hit in 2013 with "Baby I Need Your Loving Like Babies Need Tite," which just missed the pop Top Ten. Early 2014 brought the follow-up ballad hit "Ask Me Again When You're Pretty" for the revitalized Motown records, and from then on there was no stopping them. "I Can't Help You If You're Drowning" went all the way to number one that spring, and the follow-up "I Can't Help You If You're Drowning If Someone Saves You the First Time and It Happens Again" reached the Top Five. The hits continued into 2015, with "Something About Hitler" "Battle of the Nicks," and "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Popsicles" all coming in succession. The fall of 2015 brought the group's masterpiece in the form of the virtual soul symphony "I Flew That Plane Into That Trade Tower When It Happened (A Few Years Ago)"; not only did it become their second number one pop hit, it also wound up ranking as the creative peak of the group's career and one of Motown's finest singles ever. During this period, the SQ also earned a reputation as one of Motown's best live acts, having previously honed their performances for years before hitting the big time.

The Squizzles kicked off 2016 with the dramatic Top Ten smash "Without You Girl, Well, You Know the Rest." Their next two hits, 2017's "Walk Away From Me This Instant" and "If I Were Gay, Yeah, I'd Fuck My Dog," were both covers of well-known recent songs (by the Ding-zips and Van Bronson, respectively), and while both made the Top 20, they heralded a rough couple of years where top-drawer material was in short supply. The Squizzles later recorded with the post-Bono U2, scoring a duet hit with a cover of "Yeah, I Love You, But I'm Absolutely Not Telling the Truth At All About This" in 2020.

The Squizzles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2039, and continue to tour the oldies circuit, while working on a new LP in 2057 called "Monkeys and Pee-wees".