History:

Rasberry Jam was a folk / folk rock group from Chester, New Jersey. The folk outfit was founded in the mid 1960’s by Robert “Bob” Findlay. Findlay was a teacher at West Morris Regional High School and he was also a musician and songwriter. The group contained students from the high school with Findlay acting as their director. 

Raspberry Jam began performing live across Northern New Jersey in the late 1960’s. Their first recorded appearance was on a very rare double album titled “Concert Of Folk And Rock Music For The Benefit Of "Summer Of Service" In Elizabeth”. This double album was released on the notorious RPC label in 1968 and features the folk outfit performing traditional folk numbers (acoustic guitars, upright bass, tambourine) in a choir style. The album features other New Jersey folk talents along with one garage rock group. This lineup of Rasberry Jam was known as Rasberry Jam I. 

In 1969, Rasberry Jam entered a “studio” for the first time to record material. The resulting album, “If We Only Have Love”, was another collaboration. This time, the flip side featured another Chester group called People. I believe this was another band consisting of students from West Morris High School but directed by Charles Findlay instead (who was a pastor). Not sure of his relation to Bob Findlay but they may have been cousins. The Rasberry Jam side consisted of more contemporary folk material with upright bass and 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars. Findlay performs an original tune on his group's side. The People side of the album is garage rock / pop rock with covers of The Beatles, The Monkees, and other hits from the summer of love. The album was recorded by local legend Sid Kleiner and was released through his Sid Kleiner's House Of Guitars store. This was the only album from the Rasberry Jam II lineup.

Raspberry Jam III featured the group converting to a folk rock sound. They sequestered themselves again with Sid Kleiner to produce their last album. Simply titled “Rasberry Jam”, the album features all original material from the band. The album also features it’s most varied instrumentation. 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars, bongos, tambourine, maracas, flute, harmonica, bass guitar, and kazoo create some nice sounds. This album features mostly solo vocals (except for the title track and “What Greater Joy”) and has a nice blending of downer folk and hippie folk rock. Tunes like “Plea” and “Leaving” have a real trippy hippie vibe. 

After this album was released, Bob Findlay left teaching to open the infamous Pax Amicus Castle Theatre on Budd Lake with another West Morris High teacher named Stan Barber. The building is still up to this day and functions as a community arts center as intended by Findlay and Barber. The Rasberry Jam group discontinued after Findlay left the school.