The Space-Age Tale Never Told - Halyx
The Space Stage was an open-air arena in Space Mountain, the heart of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. In the 60s and 70s, the Space Stage was home to many musical performances, which was perfect for family-fun, but nothing groundbreaking. But as the 80s rolled in, a whole new experience stole the limelight at the Space Stage - Halyx.
Created by Walt Disney Records, Halyx is one of the one unique yet forgotten musical creations by Disney. In the late 70s and early 80s, Walt Disney Records wanted to branch out from film soundtracks and sing-along tracks for children. Upon the success of Mickey Mouse Disco in 1979 which contained original music, Walt Disney Records saw an opportunity for the ultimate original Disney musical experience.
For context, the first Star Wars film (A New Hope) was released in 1977, with the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi coming out in 1980 and 1983 respectively. Star Wars was a major success, taking over the film industry and forever changing the nature of sci-fi. With any major company, Disney wanted to capitalise off the success of Star Wars, by creating their own Star Wars-esque IP.
Take the Cantina Band from Star Wars, combine it with KISS, and you’ll find Halyx.
Now I will be honest here, Halyx isn’t very well known. Apparently they only played for around 100 days before essentially falling off the face of the Earth. Even then, most of the history/information about Halyx has either been dismantled or forgotten, so I’ll do my best to provide the most info.
Halyx was backed by Mike Post, the Grammy and Emmy-winning musician known for this creation of iconic tv show themes for Magnum P.I., Law & Order and Hill Street Blues. Halyx consisted of Lora Mumford the lead singer, Baharnoth, a seven-foot-tall wookiee-inspired bass player (played by Roger Freeland), Moht Rellim, a storm-trooper inspired synth-playing robot (played by Thom Miller, husband of Lora Mumford), an acrobatic amphibian percussionist (played by Tony Coppola), lead guitarist Bruce Gowdy, drummer Brian Lucas and Jeanette Clinger as backup singer. I know, Halyx sounds crazy and impossible, but let me explain.
Moht Rellim (Thom Miller) was an obvious reference to a storm-trooper, with his black & white colour palette and graphic design. As the keyboard player, Miller was a static performer, as he’s confined by his instrument. However, this is Halyx we’re talking about here, so Miller’s various keyboards and synths were mounted on essentially a space-themed airport/golf cart. Miller could move to the front of the stage to play his solos, flashing lights and blowing fog into the audience.
Baharnoth is another major character, with bass player Roger Freeland transforming into a seven-foot tall wookiee covered in white/brown/black yak hair. Created partially by iconic MGM/Disney SFX makeup artist Bob Schiffer, Baharnoth was conceptualised by Disney’s ‘Consumer Products’, which was responsible for Disney’s toys, comic books and action figures.
Tony Coppola was brought into Halyx as a percussionist, but the fact that he was professionally trained acrobat and dancer was an added bonus. Halyx was a show band after all, and Coppola has there to bring a visual feature. Coppola would often use aerial silks and various Cirqu de Soleil gymnastic moves to wow the audience, all while still playing with the band.
The players in Halyx were all talented LA-based musicians just looking to be a part of something special, and special it was. Each player embraced their own characters, creating their own personalities and quirks. The thing about Halyx is, it’s so very unlike Disney. It’s so conceptual to the point of obscurity and wasn’t neccessirily for Disney’s main target market. Regardless of their outward appearance, Halyx was a rock band, meant for the teenage market. They performed a mix of original and cover songs, even performing “Any Time at All” by the Beatles and “Jailbait” by Jeanie Cunningham which is very un-Disney - “Baby I want you, but you’re jailbait.” Now bear in mind, hit was at this same moment in time that Disneyland wouldn’t even allow men with long hair to enter the park, because it violated their ‘grooming standards’. Lead guitarist Bruce Gowdy even had to sign a contract as he was the first long haired man to perform at Disneyland.
““The first time that they performed, the kids went nuts. They were screaming.””
After 100 days of playing 5 days a week and generating a highly dedicated fanbase, Halyx had the opportunity to create their own album with an independent record label. But the offer fell through. Just as quickly as they lit up Disneyland, they went out just as fast. The disappointment of losing this opportunity, after having so much momentum in the park, essentially broke the soul of Halyx. Lora Mumford, after becoming the break-out star of Halyx, never found a similar opportunity. Her potential was lost, and the other players slowly left after her and found other projects. (Unfortunately Lora passed away in 2011.)
Halyx is a story of lost potential. It was a moment in time, overflowing with creativity and full to talent, eventually lost to time and the corporate machine. Halyx was forgotten and Disney moved on. Halyx was revolutionary for it’s time, breaking the mould for visual performance and themed music. Halyx was created by artists, and brought to life by talented musicians. It was a moment in time, a combination of different forces that came together to create something uniquely special. Special in its creation and special in its abrupt ending. It almost seems impossible.
Just imagine what would’ve happened if they stayed in the limelight for just a little longer.
I discovered Halyx through a feature-length documentary by Defunctland on YouTube. Have a look below if you’d like to learn more and see Halyx in their glory.