VFT ARCHIVE 67

Redwood City, California · 1967–1970

TheVenusFlytrap

Echoes from the Peninsula garage

For Nancy MorganIn memory of Jacques Aknin
The Venus Flytrap band in a vintage promotional photograph
Peninsula garage sound, caught on film
The 1967 Redwood City Tribune announcement
’67
01

A note for Nancy

One voice. One record. A whole world behind it.

In August 1967, a young Redwood City band put two original songs onto a seven-inch record. At the center was Nancy Morgan: the clear, poised voice of The Venus Flytrap.

“Have You Ever” and “The Note” are the group’s only known commercial release, but the paper trail reveals something larger—a working Peninsula band moving through county fairs, teen clubs, college dances and benefit shows as folk-rock gave way to psychedelia.

Jacques Aknin, Nancy’s husband, belongs at the heart of that story. A surviving Redwood City tape places his drums beneath Nancy’s voice: a small, precious document of two lives joined in music. Collector sources often spell his first name “Jacque.” This tribute follows the family spelling: Jacques.

The 45

Two pressings.
Two sides of the same spark.

Both labels credit the songs to Danielli–Sanchez. The Jaguar pressing led with “Have You Ever”; the yellow Mijji reissue flipped the order and credited Gilbert Day as producer.

▶ Hear “Have You Ever”▶ Hear “The Note”
Jaguar Records label for Have You Ever
August 1967

Jaguar J-103

A Have You Ever 2:15 printed

B The Note 2:33 printed

Arranged by The Venus Flytrap · Jaguar Productions
Mijji Records label for The Note
1967 regional reissue

Mijji M-3005

A The Note 3:05 printed

B Have You Ever 4:05 printed

Produced by Gilbert Day · Guard Music (BMI)

The two pressings print different running times; this archive reports what appears on each surviving label rather than forcing a single answer.

02

The heart of the tribute

Nancy & Jacques

Newspaper clipping with a photograph of Nancy Morgan

LEAD VOICE · RECORDING & LIVE LINEUP

Nancy Morgan

A voice with composure in the verses and ache at the edges.

The August 1967 Tribune placed Nancy front and center in the original five-person lineup. On record, she carried both sides: the direct, melodic “Have You Ever” and the darker pull of “The Note.”

Nancy’s firsthand recollection corrects later histories that said she left in early 1968. She remained in the performing group with Jacques, Dan Sanchez, Peter Sessions, Charles “Chuck” J. Ashton and Ralph Pena until sometime in 1970. Michele Sevryn sang with the band only briefly.

DRUMS · LIVE LINEUP, 1968–1970

Jacques Aknin

The heartbeat preserved on a reel of tape.

Jacques does not appear on the 1967 studio single—the newspaper lineup names Debbie Binetti on drums. Nancy remembers Jacques joining the band after he returned from the Army in May 1968; he is also documented on the surviving live tape with Nancy, Dan Sanchez, Charles J. Ashton and Ralph Pena.

Jacques and Nancy remained part of the continuing live group into 1970. The tape preserves their musical partnership, while Nancy’s recollection restores the longer performance history that later summaries missed.

“The family spelling is Jacques. That is the name this tribute keeps.”
Jacques Aknin playing drums in a family-supplied photograph
Jacques at the drums · Aknin family archive
Family collage of Nancy Morgan and Jacques Aknin across the years
Newly shared by Nancy

Lives beyond the stage.

A family collage brings Nancy and Jacques together across the years. It returns the story from labels, clippings and catalog numbers to the two people at its heart—and to the life they shared after the amplifiers went quiet.

Nancy Morgan family archive

Who played when

A band in motion

Studio evidence, live-tape documentation and later recollections describe overlapping—but not identical—lineups.

A

AUGUST 1967 · SINGLE / NEWSPAPER

The documented first five

  • Nancy Morganlead vocals
  • Dan Sanchezleader · rhythm guitar
  • Peter Sessionslead guitar
  • Ken Czapkaybass
  • Debbie Binettidrums
B

SURVIVING REDWOOD CITY TAPE · REPORTED

The live document

  • Nancy Morganlead vocals
  • Dan Sanchezrhythm guitar
  • Jacques Aknindrums
  • Charles J. Ashtonbass
  • Ralph Penaorgan
The published tape note does not name a lead guitarist for this recording.
C

MAY 1968–1970 · NANCY MORGAN RECOLLECTION

The continuing live band

  • Nancy Morganlead vocals
  • Dan Sanchezrhythm guitar
  • Peter Sessionslead guitar
  • Charles “Chuck” J. Ashtonbass
  • Ralph Penaorgan
  • Jacques Aknindrums
Nancy recalls this as the continuing performance lineup. Michele Sevryn sang with the band only briefly and did not permanently replace Nancy.
03

The paper trail

From fairground stage to teen-club night

Eight dated moments found in public archives. The label on each entry tells you what kind of evidence survives.

c. May 1967Redwood City
PRIMARY SOURCE

A new Peninsula band

The August 3 Redwood City Tribune described The Venus Flytrap as having formed “just three months ago.” That contemporary report places the beginning around May—not 1966, as later summaries sometimes state.

Aug. 3, 1967Redwood City Tribune
PRIMARY SOURCE

The first single arrives

The paper announced the release of “Have You Ever” and “The Note,” and pictured Nancy Morgan, Debbie Binetti, Ken Czapkay, Peter Sessions and bandleader Dan Sanchez.

Aug. 8, 1967 · 6:30 PMFiesta Bowl · San Mateo
PRIMARY SOURCE

County Fair appearance

The band was booked at the Fiesta Bowl during the San Mateo County Fair and Floral Fiesta—the earliest performance found in a dated newspaper notice.

Dec. 1, 1967Mt. Carmel Teen Club · Redwood City
ARCHIVE REPORT

With The Mourning Reign

A retrospective archive reports a hometown bill with The Mourning Reign and a Brothers Grimley light show. No original handbill has surfaced publicly yet.

May 1968The live lineup grows
FIRSTHAND RECOLLECTION

Jacques joins after Army service

Nancy remembers Jacques joining The Venus Flytrap after he returned from the Army in May 1968. She and Jacques then remained in the performing band into 1970.

Aug. 24, 1969St. Pius Teen Club · Redwood City
PRIMARY SOURCE

Sunday night dance

A Friday Tribune notice advertised The Venus Flytrap for Sunday from 8:30 to 10:30 PM at the Old Church, 1100 Woodside Road.

Oct. 17, 1969College of San Mateo
PRIMARY SOURCE

With Albino Blood

A San Francisco Chronicle listing places The Venus Flytrap and Albino Blood at CSM. Jerry Garcia and New Riders were listed the same night at San Jose State—two different shows, not a shared bill.

May 29, 1970 · 8 PMCounty Fairgrounds · San Mateo
PRIMARY SOURCE

People Helping People

The three-day benefit opened with Clover, Cousin Roberts and Friends, and The Venus Flytrap. Nancy recalls that she and Jacques remained with the band for its documented late shows until sometime in 1970; the article also pictured Nancy as a “People” singer.

The closest thing to being there

Three titles survive in a collector’s account.

  1. 01Whiskey Train
  2. 02Paraphenaliaspelling as transcribed; unverified
  3. 03Brand New Dress

The tape is reported to feature Nancy Morgan, Dan Sanchez, Jacques Aknin, Charles J. Ashton and Ralph Pena. It has not been made publicly downloadable, so this site treats the track list and personnel as a documented archive report—not a recording we could independently audition.

ALSO RECORDED · NOT PUBLICLY RELEASED“California”“Gentle Breaker”Recorded at Pacific Recording Studios with Karen Jenson on backup vocals, according to the band archive.
04

The surviving archive

What we can still see

Publicly documented photographs and clippings now sit beside newly shared material from Nancy’s family archive. Select an image to see it at full size or visit its original context.

The Venus Flytrap in a black-and-white promotional photograph
The later 1967 lineup

Bard Dupont, Debbie Binetti, Pete Sessions, Nancy Morgan and Dan Sanchez. Names follow the archive caption.

Source: Garage Hangover / Nancy Morgan archive ↗
Framed family display honoring The Venus Flytrap records and Nancy Morgan
The record honored at home

Nancy’s framed keepsake pairs the Jaguar “Have You Ever” label with the Mijji “The Note” label, alongside photographs of Nancy and the band.

Source: Nancy Morgan family archive ↗
The Mijji and Jaguar Venus Flytrap records with photographs of Nancy Morgan and the band
The two pressings, side by side

A close family-archive view preserves both record labels, a band portrait, a portrait of Nancy and the handwritten note that accompanied the display.

Source: Nancy Morgan family archive ↗
Family archive layout with both Venus Flytrap records and photographs
Nancy’s archive in progress

A wider documentation view shows how the records and photographs were assembled before framing—a small archive made by hand and kept with care.

Source: Nancy Morgan family archive ↗
Redwood City Tribune clipping from August 3 1967
“Flytrap First Single Released”

The August 3, 1967 notice records the first release, the original five-person lineup and an August 8 fair appearance.

Source: Redwood City Tribune, Aug. 3, 1967 ↗
San Carlos High School portrait of Jacques Aknin
Jacques Aknin

A family-supplied San Carlos High School Class of 1966 portrait. The class memorial remembers Jacques among classmates who have passed.

Source: Aknin family archive / San Carlos High 1966 ↗
Redwood City Tribune clipping from May 29 1970 with a photograph of Nancy Morgan
A rare later portrait of Nancy

The May 29, 1970 festival article pictured Nancy Morgan as a “People” singer and listed The Venus Flytrap on the opening-night bill.

Source: Redwood City Tribune, May 29, 1970 ↗
Redwood City Tribune notice for a Venus Flytrap teen club dance
St. Pius Teen Club

A short August 22, 1969 notice for the following Sunday’s dance at the Old Church on Woodside Road.

Source: Redwood City Tribune, Aug. 22, 1969 ↗
San Francisco Chronicle entertainment listings for October 17 1969
Same night, different stages

The tiny listing separates The Venus Flytrap at College of San Mateo from Garcia and New Riders at San Jose State.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle listing, Oct. 17, 1969 ↗

All four surviving label views

The record, turned over

Jaguar label, Have You Ever
Jaguar J-103-A · “Have You Ever”
Jaguar label, The Note
Jaguar J-103-B · “The Note”
Mijji label, The Note
Mijji M-3005-A · “The Note”
Mijji label, Have You Ever
Mijji M-3005-B · “Have You Ever”

The archive is not finished

Still out there, somewhere.

These are research leads, not claims that the items are lost forever. Family-held material should be scanned at archival quality before originals are handled further.

05

Sources & method

A tribute with footnotes.

This page favors dated clippings and record-label evidence, then uses collector research and participant recollection to fill the gaps.

01

The central band archive

Garage Hangover ↗02

Early history & Bard Dupont interview

Bay Area Bands ↗03

Jaguar J-103 release record

Discogs ↗04

Mijji M-3005 release record

Discogs ↗05

Jaguar label entry

45cat ↗06

Mijji label entry

45cat ↗07

Oct. 17, 1969 listings clipping

Hooterollin’ ↗08

Jacques Aknin class memorial

San Carlos High 1966 ↗

Four important corrections to circulating summaries

  • Formation: the contemporary Tribune says the band was three months old in August 1967, pointing to about May 1967.
  • October 17, 1969: The Venus Flytrap played College of San Mateo; Garcia and New Riders were at San Jose State that same night.
  • Jacques: some collector pages print “Jacque Aknin.” His family confirms the spelling Jacques Aknin.
  • The later lineup: Nancy confirms that Jacques joined after returning from the Army in May 1968 and that they both remained in the performing band into 1970. Michele Sevryn’s time with the group was brief.

Archival images remain the property of their photographers, publishers and other rights holders. They are reproduced here for a noncommercial historical tribute; source links are provided for context and correction. Family-supplied images appear at the family’s request.