[R.I.P. June 15th 1952 – November 20th, 2019]
Howard “Mad Dog” Govette,1976
This picture was taken at our cousin’s commune as Mad Dog lets his freak flag fly. During the late summer of 1976, Howard, sister Julie and I travelled from the West Coast to the East and back on a three-month odyssey. We visited numerous relatives and friends had numerous adventures, played lots of music, did dubious drugs and generally partied everywhere we went. It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure on the 200th anniversary of the USA. It was an happening so epic, so legendary, we just call it ‘The Trip’.
For a look at The Trip:
Here’s a brand new Howard, born June 15th, 1952
He was born cute, as he remained his whole life. He was a welcome addition to the Govette family and would be my partner in crime throughout our childhood and well beyond.
Mike & Howard fishing at Lake Isabella, Ca., circa 1958
I’m 7 and he’s 6 and neither of us were ‘fishermen’. But we caught a lot of fish that summer. Our whole family fished in a small boat and we went a couple of times and caught nothing. Then we found “the spot”. Caught over 50 crappie!
Mike and Howard, age 8 and 9, in Upland, Ca.
Howard was always into sports; football was his favorite. Even back then he wanted the uniform. He turned me into a lifelong Rams fan. (As well as Dodgers and Lakers…)
Howard at age 14, at Granada Court, Ontario, Ca.
This is where we lived when Howard got his first drum set. I had rented an amp and he a snare drum. We learned the intro to “Love Potion #9” and must have played it 50 times! I got my own guitar that year and within months, we were in a band.
Thee In-Keepers
Left to right: Chris Carpenter, Jerry Hatch,
Mike Winburn, Mike Govette and Howard Govette
Thee In-Keepers was our first band. Notably, Howard was our drummer! (Most know he went on to play bass.) This band would prepare us for working with other musicians and playing in front of people. Follow the link below for early pictures, 8mm footage and stories about Thee In-Keepers!
For more on Thee In-Keepers, follow this link:
Allan and Howard circa 1970.
They spent a lot of time together playing songs and recording spontaneous banter, all which would serve them well in the Ointment Project. Allan and Howard both had razor-sharp wits and a sarcastic sense of humor. They were a joy to be around!
Howard, shown outside Julie’s house, tripping on acid, sometime in the early 1970s
Howard was actually the reason the Ointment Project came together! He had met Allan Ische while doing plays at the Gallery Theater in Upland, Ca. It was during this time Howard found that Allan was a drummer. As I was Howard’s brother and I played guitar, he naturally introduced the two of us. We hit it off and the Ointment Project sputtered into existence! It was unique. It was exciting. And Howard’s wit, charisma and finely tuned sarcasm spurred us every inch of the way!
ointmentproject.com 