The Rock Candies -- Dokoka ni Shiawase ga（どこかに幸せが）

Considering the name of the group and the year, I probably would be forgiven for thinking that this trio was another in the long line of guitar-jangling Group Sounds bands just like Ox or The Spiders.

However, The Rock Candies（ザ・ロック・キャンディーズ）was a folk group in the style of Peter, Paul & Mary that first formed up in the Kansai area in 1967 and went on until their disbandment in 1971 according to their J-Wiki entry. I actually have mentioned about this group in a past article, since one of the three members happened to be vocalist/guitarist Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）who would join up with the more famous band Alice in the succeeding decade. The other two members of The Rock Candies were vocalist Chizuko Shimazu（島津ちづ子）and vocalist/guitarist Mineyuki Yamamoto（山本峰行）.

Their debut single in September 1968 was "Dokoka ni Shiawase ga" (Happiness Somewhere), a gentle ballad about seeking that joy in the world, and I have to say that it is a short and sweet song. The harmonies are wonderful, but the young Tanimura stands out for me especially because his voice back then seems to sound almost like Roy Orbison's famous tones.

During their time together, The Rock Candies released a total of 4 singles and one studio album titled "Sanbika ~ Rock Candies' First and Last Album"（讃美歌...Hymn）in 1971.