Of all The Clique's recordings from the late '60s, one especially clicked nearly two decades later for supergroup R.E.M. – "Superman." 

 

The group began in Southeast Texas as The Roustabouts, made up of members Bruce Tinch, John Kanesaw, Larry Lawson, Cooper Hawthorne and Dave Dunham. In 1966, the band changed its name to the Sandpipers, and Randy Shaw joined the band as its lead singer. 

 

The band's popularity grew after they opened for the Dave Clark Five and won Houston radio station KNUZ's Battle of the Bands in 1967. The band also made another change that year when they began performing as The Clique. Later iterations of the group included musicians Sid Templeton, Bill Black, Oscar Houchins and Jerry Cope.

 

The Clique's self-titled LP was released in 1969 on White Whale Records. Their recording of Tommy James' "Sugar on Sunday" became a Top 40 hit. "Superman" was recorded by R.E.M. on their 1986 album Life's Rich Pageant. 

 

The band continued to tour following the release of their record with groups such as Grand Funk Railroad, the Guess Who, and Tommy James and the Shondells. In April 1972, they played their last concert. Sugar on Sunday: The Definitive Album by The Clique was released in 2006.

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The Clique was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast - Music Hall of Fame in 2008. Original band member Larry Lawson received the Horatio Alger Award in 2018. - M.B.