Dead In The Sheets

Hidden Valley Man Ranch exploded onto the Boulder music scene in 1984, a quintet of glam misfits who quickly became notorious in Denver's hair metal subculture. Fronted by the larger-than-life Ted Hervê, whose raspy voice and Coors-drenched persona dominated the stage, the band included Len Whatkins on bass, the enigmatic ‘Floyd’ on drums, wild-man Whistle Pete Gallego on lead guitar, and Jefht Bellinitis on rhythm guitar. Their cassette tapes, sold exclusively at Ted's trailer home, remain local treasures, long out of print until the belated 2024 compilation *Colfax Heat*.

Critical reception to the Man Ranch was decidedly mixed. The Cherry Creek Tatler called their 1985 stage show ‘delinquently delicious,’ highlighting Whistle Pete’s chrome codpiece and Floyd’s propensity for performing fully nude. In 1987, Denver Live magazine dubbed their sound ‘Mile High Shitty,’ capturing both the raw, unpolished edge of their music and their greasy, unapologetic lifestyle. Their performances were a hedonistic spectacle, full of sensuality and chaos, bodily fluids and sweet power ballads, a reflection of their tumultuous off-stage lives. 

As the 1980s came to a close, tragedies struck Hidden Valley Man Ranch in rapid succession, leading to their dissolution in 1989. That November, Len Whatkins choked to death on a burrito, followed the next month by Floyd, gunned down in a suicide-by-cop incident on East Colfax. Seven months later, Whistle Pete met a bizarre end, drowning in his above-ground pool. Jefht Bellinitis was found dead on Champa Street in 1992, having consumed an estimated three gallons of malt liquor. Ted Hervê, the sole survivor, battled depression and addiction until his death in 1995 from an acute penile infection.

Despite—or perhaps because of—their dramatic lives and untimely deaths, Hidden Valley Man Ranch remains a cult favorite. Their music, a chaotic blend of glam and grit, continues to echo the rebellious energy of an era that was as ephemeral as it was electrifying.