Curtiss then signed to Decca, collaborating with producers Jerry Vance and Terry Phillips on a studio group called the Hobbits. Despite borrowing their name from J.R.R. Tolkien's -Lord of the Rings novels and titling their 1967 debut Down to Middle Earth, the Hobbits turned out relatively straightforward sunshine pop, and the album is much sought after by soft psych aficionados. Only Curtiss remained from the original lineup by the time of the 1968 follow-up, Men and Doors: The Hobbits Communicate. Like its predecessor, the record didn't sell, and Decca terminated the contract. Curtiss then formed his own label, Perception; credited to the New Hobbits, 1969's Back from Middle Earth was essentially a solo effort. Later that year, Curtiss issued an official solo LP, Life, before returning to advertising, later creating a television campaign for Bumble Bee brand tuna fish. According to the liner notes in the second volume of the Soft Sounds for Gentle People series, he eventually ended up in San Francisco, going solely by the initials J.C. -- his current activities and whereabouts are unknown. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi