The Halfways with Michael Hadder on drums and Sharon Stacy dancingAllan Johnson & Linda Hixson on vocalsDennis Bailey on TromboneLinda Hixson on keys, Gene Thompson on guitar & vocalsGene Thompson
Michael Hadder, drums and our then sax player Ric — on maracasMichael Hadder was drummer for both the Halfways and that band’s later incarnation as the Turning Image. Together the two bands history spans nearly ten years from 1967-1976 in Manassas, Virginia. Michael sent in this history of the bands and the photos. I’d love to hear what their music sounded like, but so far no tapes have turned up.
Our beginnings were pretty humble. First day of High School in 1967, I became reacquainted with Larry Hixson who I knew from the 5th grade. He had moved out of the Manassas area for a while and had asked me to bring my drums over to his house that Friday night to jam. It was there I met Gene Thompson who was from Leesburg, Va. The next thing I knew , Larry’s step Dad and some other older gentlemen joined us and we began playing a lot of old Hank Williams songs. I thought that night was just a one shot deal, but they kept inviting me back.
I was told that on Halloween night , we would play our first gig at a Virginia radio station and then later at a night club. As it turned out, we played in front of this little old AM station on the back of a flat bed truck. It was so cold it cracked the finish on Gene’s Gibson S-G guitar. When we got to the so-called night club, it turned out to be a beer joint which was probably against the law since the 3 of us were way under 18 years old. I think I took home around $8.00 that night but it was good experience and was technically our first paying gig.
That was pretty much the end of our “Country Music” phase, as the 3 of us broke away and just started playing rock on the weekends. For the next year and a half, we would pile up our then meager equipment into Gene’s 57’ Chevy and spend our weekends playing for friends & family and all the girls that Gene and Larry had stashed away all over Virginia and it was probably the most fun time of our young lives. We bought a small PA system and actually got pretty good for just the 3 of us.
Ric on sax with Dennis Bailey on bass in backgroundIt might have ended there but then by a twist of fate, Tommy Griffith who was a well known singer in the Northern Virginia area agreed to join forces with us, and we went on to get a manager and in the summer of 1969, placed second in a Battle of the Bands, played some dances and make a local TV appearance. By this time we had added Dennis Bailey on bass, (Larry’s cousin) and Linda Hixson (Larry’s sister) and Sharon Stacy as dancers and singers. In addition, Gene was quite the electronics whiz and hooked a switch to the bass drum pedal to make colored lights go on and off in time with the music and the whole experience became quite a show. At the end of that summer Tommy informed us he was leaving and by this time we had had a taste of success, so our manager (Mr. Kay) hooked us up with Allan Johnson as our new lead singer.
After Allan joined, we went thru some personnel changes as Clay Johnson became our keyboard player, and Dennis (who also played trombone) suggested we add other horn players as well and it became quite a large group. We worked a lot. You name it: dances, high schools, talent contests, military bases, beauty contests, teen clubs, weddings, car dealerships, private parties, homecomings, proms, Lions clubs, Rotary clubs, Knights of Columbus dances, county fairs, community centers, etc. all over Virginia, Maryland & DC.
Thru another twist of fate, Allan informed us he was getting married and moving to North Carolina and Tommy Griffith rejoined as lead singer & keyboard player. By this time we were making pretty good money and had a van with our name on it and 2 roadies and continued working almost every weekend. We continued to upgrade our equipment and band uniforms which by now were tuxedos.
By spring of 1976, we played our last gig at Fauquier High School. Circumstances were such that we pursued different interests in life, and thru the rest of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000 & beyond, we kept in touch in various ways.
One of our gigs at the Manassas National Guard Armory was hosted by local Washington D.C. DJ legend Jack Alix(known as J.A the D.J.) The same Jack Alix who emceed the first appearances of The Beatles in Washington at the old D.C. Coliseum & D.C. (now known as RFK) Stadium. (Click here to see article)
Personnel:
Gene Thompson : lead guitar, occasional drums & vocals Larry Hixson : guitar & vocals Michael Hadder : drums, occasional guitar & vocals Tommy Griffith : lead vocals , keyboards & occasional bass Allan Johnson : lead vocals & guitar, percussion Linda Hixson : vocals, keyboards, percussion & dancer Sharon Stacy : vocals, percussion & dancer Mark Krebs : trumpet Dennis Bailey : bass, trombone, occaisonal guitar & vocals Clay Johnson : keyboards & vocals Bob Newell : trumpet Tom Tierney : sax, flute & clarinet , guitar, percussion & vocals Billy Bowden : trumpet & percussion Larry Goodman : roadie & drum tech Tommy Dever : roadie & van driver
Gene resides in Maryland, Dennis, Tommy, & Larry and myself, still reside in Virginia (although Larry & wife Kay are teaching in Indonesia till mid-2009), Linda is in Kansas City, Sharon is in Florida, Allan & Bob in North Carolina, Clay is in New York and had lived in Japan. Various members still stay in contact over 40 years later. Dennis went on to tour the U.S. with various acts which included another T.V. appearance while doing a date in Nashville and is now a full-time music teacher. Tommy and Allan also continue to make music and I still play drums on occasion.
In November, 2008, Tommy, Gene, Dennis and myself reunited to jam for the first time in 32 years. We vowed to make this an annual event & bring back other members & people we were around at the time as well.
These were special years that produced golden moments. What began as a way to meet girls on the weekends turned into a second full-time job for all of us and became extremely lucrative. For someone like me who never had a music lesson in my life to have the experience of playing drums for so long a time with such a talented group of players & musicians was incredible. When the venues we played at were packed & we fed off of the energy of the crowd, it was absolute magic I will never forget. Normally bands & band members come & go & break up, but I have been so blessed & fortunate to still stay in contact with Gene, Dennis, Larry, Tommy, Allan, Linda, Sharon & Larry Goodman after all these many years.
More information was available from Michael Hadder’s interview on 60sgaragebands.com, but that is now gone from the web.
L to R: Gene Thompson, Tommy Griffith & Michael HadderL to R, bottom row: Dennis Bailey & Billy Bowden, top row: Tommy Griffith, Michael Hadder, Tom Tierney & Gene ThompsonTommy Griffith on keys & vocals
The Chantells came from Richmond, Virginia, where they attended Manchester High School. I love records like this but I didn’t know a thing about these guys until some comments came in below.
Their first single was the instrumental, “I Thought You Would” backed with a cool vocal original, “Who Meant The World To Me”, released in January 1965 on Century Custom 20135.
Their second single came later that year on Century Custom 20445. “I’m Leavin’ Here Today” was the slow top-side, written by Tommy Woodcock. More to my taste is the flip, “Break-Down”, a cool bluesy rocker with sax, organ and a fine guitar solo. The singer’s got the right voice for this kind of song, and the drummer really stands out. This side was written by Deets, Tom Woodcock and Long.
Rex Hawley managed the Century Custom Recording Service franchise in Richmond.
The Shados-M were from Blackstone, Virginia. Drummer Michael Hurley gave me this information about the group:
The original band and the people on the record were Gary Taggart, guitar, me, drums, Gilliam Winn, backup vocals, Eddie Greene, bass, Wayne Goin, rhythm guitar, Neil Owens, organ.
The songs were played on the radio constantly. We were all like 15 except for the guitar player who was maybe 22 at the time. It was a time when bands had long hair and dressed in jeans with holes and that kind of stuff. We wore white tuxedos and that caught a lot of attention at the time.
The name was something we just came up with. It didn’t mean anything we just thought it looked cool. We did some radio shows and people would call in guessing what the name meant. It was funny because they thought of everything from the “M” being for Michael my name to a “W” upside down. We did a few reunions. The last one was probably 10 years ago and we raised over $10,000 in one night for a girl that had a bad accident.
Both songs, “Sweet Love” and “All the Time” both written by Gary Taggart.
The Quintet label was a subsidiary of Justice Records of Winston-Salem, which meant the band traveled over 180 miles southwest to Winston-Salem instead of recording in Richmond, an hour’s drive away.
The other 45 on Quintet that I know of is D. Martindale & the Star Fires “Go Jenny”, which is more like amateurish rockabilly than garage.
The Shados-M had another 45 on the Colpar label, “She Loves Me (She Loves Me Not)” / “You Owe Me Nothing” from September 1969, almost three years after their first. Nick Colleran produced that second 45, and again Gary Taggart wrote both songs.
Thank you to Marty for loaning his rare 45, and to Michael Hurley for background on the group.
The Individuals, from left: Tommy Redd, Ronnie Vaughan, Ronnie Couch, Ben Vaughan and Sammy Moser
Revised February/March 2010
The Individuals cut their only 45 at the House of Sound in Danville, Virginia on July 11, 1967, both songs written by Tommy Redd. On “I Want Love” the band runs through standard blues changes as Tommy delivers snotty, half-strangled lyrics “I want my love, baby!” A slow fuzz riff and gloomy organ anchor “I Really Do” for Tom’s garbled vocals and fake Cockney-accented recitation.
The group was from rural Halifax and South Boston, Virginia. The group had started in 1965 as the Rhythm Makers, changing to the Individuals in 1966. Members were Ben Vaughan lead guitar, Ronnie Vaughan rhythm guitar, Sammy Moser organ, Ronnie Couch drums and Tommy Redd on bass and vocals. Someone told me Ray Ferrell took over on keyboards later on, but Ronnie says Ray wasn’t in the band and that Mike Oakes was their second keyboard player.
As the article below states, 500 copies were pressed, of which 300 were mailed to radio stations across the country. The 45 received some play on WHLF in South Boston and also in Danville. Someone told me that some of the leftover copies were used for target practice, a not-uncommon occurrence at the time, but Ronnie Couch wrote to me:
Not true on the left over Raven 45s. They were put in local stores such as Leggett’s Deptartment Store, Roses, J.J. Newberry’s and some others. We sold them and put in another order for more copies. I still have a few left.
I have copies of a radio station playlist in Brookneal, Virginia that we were on the local charts. We also played live many times on our local radio station WHLF on a radio show ran by a DJ named Al Mapes.
The article announces the group planned to cut a second record, “The Fire Is Out”, but Ronnie Couch tells me it was never recorded.
Contrary to what I’ve read elsewhere, the Individuals’ Tommy Redd was not the same person who went on to play with Stax of Gold in Jacksonville, North Carolina, a band which later became Nantucket, with releases on Epic Records.
The Individuals – Nashville Record Productions Acetate for Raven 2018 (detail). Flip has the songs for the IV Pak’s Hippie single.
Special thanks to Marty Key for loaning the 45 for me to scan and transfer, check out his site Funky Virginia. Thanks to Ben Brown of Raleigh for info on the Ralph Viar 45.
Thanks also to Ronnie Couch for providing the scan of the article, and to Jack Garrett for the scan of the acetate and many of the photos seen here.
Article in the Gazette-Virginian, September 3, 1967House of Sound/Raven, Hoss and Piedmont Records Danville Register, October 19, 1968Show with the Soulmasters at the T-Bird Country, Danville Register, November 19, 1967
The Hazards “Hey Joe”, Groove 45-502Here’s one of the all-time great versions of “Hey Joe”, cut by a group of high-schoolers in Richmond, Virginia.
Band members were Andy Hrabovsky vocals, Sonny Salisbury lead guitar, Alan Sidenburg guitar, Greg Ellison bass, Stanley Bernstein organ, and David Moore on drums.
Andy Hrabovsky added some specifics about the band members in a comment below:
David Moore and Stanley Bernstein went to Thomas Jefferson High, Greg Ellison and Alan Sidenburg went to Douglas Freeman, and Sonny Salsbury and myself went to John Randolph Tucker High.
Stanley left the band not long after the release of “Hey Joe”, and was replaced by Steve Bassett from Freeman, who has gone on to some degree of notoriety. He and Robbin Thompson [of the Tasmanians] did “Sweet Virginia Breeze”.
Sonny Salisbury really distinguishes their take on “Hey Joe” by alternating staccato picking high up on the frets with fuzz riffs on the bass strings. Hrabovsky delivers some of the best shouting on vinyl and the rest of the band is solid as well.
The flip is the milder “Will You Be My Girl” by Stan Bernstein and Andy Hrabovsky. The record was produced by Martin Gary.
My copy seems to be from a radio station, dated June of ’67, and though both sides have “keep in regular play” written on them, “Hey Joe” is also marked to be played only after 6 PM!
The Groove label was owned by Marty Gary. Radio play on local WLEE led to a second pressing on a blue label. I’ve seen the band referred to as the Hazzards, with two ‘z’s, but on the label it’s just Hazards.
The Vikings started at Oscar Smith High School in South Norfolk. Members were Vernon Michael and Donnie Stowe on vocals, Eddie Swindell lead guitar, Frank Jackson rhythm guitar, Wesley Harris organ, Huey Gates bass guitar, and Don Havice drums. Mike Ruggles and Tom Burlage were in the band about a year until they went to college.
They won a Battle of the Bands in Feb. 1967 at the Ponie Teen Club on Godwin Ave, then known as the Portlock Au Go Go. They also participated in WNOR’s Battle of the Bands on Sept. 22, 1967, at the Dome in Virginia Beach, competing against the Aliens, American Shags, Beechnuts, Denis & the Times, Regents with Mel Gaines, the Sound Effects, and the Stingrays.
Although an article in the Chesapeake Post on Aug. 23, ’67 states that the band will soon be recording their first song, “Why Did You Lie,” an original by Eddie Swindell and Donnie Stowe, the band never did record. Their set list included dozens of songs, both rock and soul.
Eddie Swindell says “Donnie and Vern sang both rock and soul and harmonized together like Sam & Dave. I knew members of the Swinging Machine, Barracudas, Bill Deal and the Rhondels most of the bands in the area. Some of us are still performing. I also played in a band in the 70’s with Dickey Harrell the drummer from Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps I see him around occasionally. I have a scrap book with articles and pictures of local bands listing dates and places they were gigging.”
The Vikings reunited in 1989, and again in 2007 for a benefit concert.
1st row sitting Eddie Swindell. 2nd row left to right: Hue Gates, Mike Ruggles, Tom Burlage, Frank Jackson, Donnie Stowe. Back row: Marty Rogers, Vern Michaels, Wes Harris.
One more in the series of photos from Bill Stokley of Virginia Beach Dome shows. Excellent shots of Townshend, Daltrey and Moon’s drumkit, from July 20, 1968. I love photos like these – it’s just the band and their gear on stage. Townshend’s amps are shredded! Tickets cost $4…
Ticket stub for the Troggs and the Who at Virginia Beach Dome, July 20, 1968
Jimi Hendrix and the Soft Machine at the Virginia Beach Dome, April 3, 1968. Photos courtesy of Diane.Jimi Hendrix and the Soft Machine at the Virginia Beach Dome, April 3, 1968. Photos courtesy of Diane.
Bill Stokley writes:
The Virginia Beach Dome seated about 1000 people. I was 16 and got to drive to the show myself!!! What a show! Jimi blew the doors off the place. You could walk right up to the stage and take pics. Got one of Jimi sliding down the neck during Foxy Lady.
I remember using a little camera that was my moms. The negatives were stolen back in high school.
Bill Stokely’s ticket stub
Steven S.’s ticket stub for the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Virginia Beach Dome, April 3, 1968
Update, February 2012
As the ticket stub above clearly shows, the first Hendrix show was on April 3, 1968, not the 4th as I had posted before. The 4th was the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. Thanks to James for bringing this to my attention.
However, some Hendrix references state the concert took place on the 4th (source seems to be Noel Redding’s diary). One commenter below remembers the news about Martin Luther King’s assassination spreading during the concert, which would indicate the 4th. Was the date changed from the 3rd to the 4th?
Jimi Hendrix at the Virginia Beach Dome, August 21, 1968. Bill Stokley: “I remember he wasn’t that good at this show and didn’t play very long.” Photos by Bill Stokley
Eon sent in the following set of photos from the same show. Jimi may not have played very long, but the ending was spectacular:
Here’s a description of the August 21 show from Chuck Taylor, General Manager of WTJU-FM Charlottesville, VA.
I played drums (poorly) in High School at Virginia Beach but still really liked to hear a good drummer. In 1968 I had a picture in my bedroom of Robert Wyatt playing drums for Soft Machine right next to my Peace Poster bought a shop on Eden Alley. Eden Alley hosted a series of hippy paraphernalia stores from an alley just off Virginia Beach Blvd. between Atlantic and Pacific Avenues.
That summer of 1968 I begged my parents to let me go to my first concert…to see the Soft Machine at the Virginia Beach Dome, August 21, 1968. Soft Machine was opening for a guitarist-led trio that was also getting a bit of press at the time. I had just turned 16 in May and so I had only recently gotten my drivers license and they were reluctant to let me go.
There were two shows that night. Because of my age my folks finally capitulated and said I could go to the first show…not the second. I argued with my mother over what to wear to a “concert”. She said you need to dress up (suit & tie!) for a concert. She was unconvinced that this “concert” would be different and refused to let me leave the house without at least loafers, nice pants and a collared shirt. I smuggled some blue jeans, tennis shoes and a t-shirt into the car and changed my clothes on the way. (I went to this concert by myself but cannot remember why)
That summer evening I drove the 6 miles from my house in Kings Grant (subdivision) to the Virginia Beach Dome. When I pulled into the parking lot I had one of those “we’re not in Kansas anymore” reactions as I quickly saw that my attempt at “casual hipness” missed in ways that I could have never imagined. Jeez there were lots of strange looking people in the parking lot! The show was introduced by a local goofy WGH-AM radio host Gene Loving, who couldn’t turn off the “AM radio” approach.
Once I was inside and seated (I actually had an excellent view if I remember correctly) the first band Eire Apparent performed a mildly psychedelic set that was pretty cool but not particularly memorable.
Next up, The Soft Machine (Cuneiform Records is doing an excellent job releasing many Soft Machine rarities). This version of the band was three musicians: Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, & Michael Ratledge. The bass player left the tour about one month before they arrived at Virginia Beach. His name was Andy Summers (yep, the very same bassist later to be in the Police).
As for the set: an extremely intense and loud set ensued featuring music from the first and second Soft Machine records. At the end of the set, Ratledge pushed his organ off the stage causing such severe feedback that my ears are still suffering! Gene Loving attempted his AM stage patter over the raging feedback but quickly gave up. Finally, they shut down the power in the entire building to quiet the feedback but of course, plunging the whole place into darkness. About 20 minutes later the Jimi Hendrix Experience took the floor…
Though Hendrix performed and did various acrobatic stunts he left his guitar intact by the end of the first show. I cannot remember ANY details of the performance other than I came out the other side with a new religion! The general thought was that the destruction of Ratledge’s organ was a “gift” to those expecting destruction from Hendrix. According to friends who attended the second set, Hendrix burned his guitar. As result of that action Hendrix became the first of two hard rock bands in the 60s to be banned forever from the state of Virginia. The second band was the MC5 who played at a small club in Hampton and incited attendees to riot during their show.
This is my ticket stub with tape marks: In the late 60s I kept a scrapbook of the developing music and political scene.
Chuck’s ticket stub to Hendrix, Soft Machine, & Eire Apparent
Sound on Sound at the Time Tunnel, circa 1967, from left: Stony Ratliff on keyboards (tie and jacket – barely visible), Chris Shortridge, singer (white pants and jacket), Dan Rose on guitar (dark pants and shirt), Larry Lester on bass, and Terry Long on drums. Eddy Dixon usually stood between Larry and Terry, but was taking this pic.Sound On Sound were from Grundy in the western part of Virginia, close to a three hour drive to any large city like Roanoke or Johnson City, Tennessee.
The original group consisted of Ed Dixon lead guitar, Curtis Shortridge guitar, Stoney Ratliff organ, Larry Lester bass and Terry Long on drums. Looking for a singer they found Oakwood’s Danny Rose of the Kool Kuzzins, who had cut an excellent 45 on Spot in 1967, “Love Can Be True” / “Hey Little Girl”.
Sound On Sound played back country gigs until they opened their own club, the Time Tunnel, in Garden Creek, about 10 miles from Grundy.
From the Virginia Mountaineer:
These young men performed at a nice, wholesome hangout in 1967 at Young’s Branch for the young people in our community. The teens danced and had lots of fun!
In 1968, at a radio station in Big Stone Gap they recorded their only 45, produced by Joe Deaton. The A-side was the sleepy “My Little Girl”, but on the flip is the much more electric “Girl, You’ve Got to Turn Me On”. Dominated by Stoney Ratliff’s organ style, Ed Dixon’s guitar buzzes in around the vocals while Terry Long smacks the kit and Larry Lester plays runs on the bass, making a great single all in all!
In the 1970s, Curtis Shortridge played bass and sang backup with a group called Phoenix, with Danny Perkins, Lonnie Perkins, Kenny Hale, Randy Long, Ken Jordan and others. Phoenix lasted into the 1980s, and released a single “Loving You” on Transworld Records, recorded at Tandem Recording Studio in Bristol, VA, engineered by Joe Deaton.
Thank you to Selena Long for sending in the photo at top.
Sources include: The Virginia Mountaineer, and liner notes to Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things vol. 2.
The Swinging Machine at the South Norfolk Armory, from left: Wayne Richardson, Vince Screeney, Bobby Fisher, Lee Caraway, Dicky Bocock, Bobby Weaver and Gary Richardson
I’ve read many accounts that consider the Swinging Machine the best of all local bands in the Tidewater area back in its day.
In 1963 three friends from Oscar F. Smith High School in South Norfolk formed the Chevelles. The group included Evan Pierce, Jr. (lead guitar), Richard Bocock (drums) and Steven Curling (saxophone). At Old Dominion University they met Esdras ben Lubin who took over on lead guitar and vocals, and suggested the band change their name from the Chevelles to the Swingin’ Machine. The addition of fifteen-year-old Billy Gene Stallings on organ helped their musical acuity considerably.
Esdras left the band and the group found Gary Richardson and Lee Caraway from the Villagers (out of Churchland High School in Portsmouth). Steve Curling left for college and was replaced by Bob Fisher, though Steve would occasionally sit in with the group.
At the time of the release of their 45 the band consisted of:
Gary Richardson (vocals) Lee Caraway (guitar) Billy Stallings (organ) Bob Fisher (sax) Evan Pierce (bass) Dick Bocock (drums)
According to Evan Pierce, the band fought with their producer Frank Guida and was disappointed in the record. However, fans of the mid-60s band sound really love this 45, with “Do You Have to Ask” being especially tough and original. Frank Guida who was also owner of S.P.Q.R., is listed as one of the songwriters. “Do You Have to Ask” was recorded in the fall of 1965, “Comin’ On Back Home” five or six months later.
“Comin’ On Back Home” reached #39 on a Syracuse, NY AM radio station, WOLF 1490 in early June, 1966. How it reached the charts so far away from their base is a mystery.
Besides the 45 there is an early version of “Do You Have to Ask” and a simply amazing rocker, “Brother Look Out” that were unreleased at the time. They’re both now available on the Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things series.
There is also a tape of ten cover songs recorded in a studio, probably made as a demo to get live gigs. The songs include versions of “Tell Mama”, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, “Fire”, “Spooky”, “Get Ready”, “Wrap It Up”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Rock and Roll Woman”, “To Love Somebody” and “Dear Eloise”.
I would love to hear a live recording of the band – if anyone has a tape, please get in touch.
In 1967 Wayne Richardson joined on trumpet. Bob Weaver was a later member as well. Vince Screeney from the Sting Rays replaced Evan Pierce while he was in the army. Rocky Cantrell filled in on occasion.
Gary Richardson died tragically from a drug accident in July of 1968. The Swinging Machine continued for a short time with William “Rocky” Smith on vocals, but soon disbanded. Dick Bocock and Bob Weaver formed a new group, the Machine.
Producer Frank Guida passed away on May 19, 2007.
I want to say thank you to Diane for sending in these rarely seen photos of the band. Diane and Lee Caraway were married until he passed away in 1979.
Diane had this to say about the photos:
Anyone who hung out with the band will know the panel truck. That was their equipment truck for many years.
The Lighthouse pics show them unloading the equipment and setting up for the dance that night. The pics of them on stage don’t do it justice because the camera won’t pick up all the colors and psychedelics flashing on the stage background, the lights in that place were hooked into the sound system.
One pic is Gary and Wayne Richardson standing in front of a cottage the band was staying in at Nags Head when they were playing at the Casino.
Steve Curling wrote to me with his recollections of the band:
I will give you a brief history of the band as I saw it.
The band originally was called “The Chevelles” which consisted of Evan Pierce on bass, Dickie Bocock on drums, Bobby Fisher and myself on sax (I doubled on trumpet) and several different lead guitar players but the one I remember most was Eris Ben Lubin [Esdras ben Lubin] who was older and taught us the ropes. We didn’t have an established keyboard player until Billy Stallings came along.
The band centered around Dickie’s home. Dickie’s father was a prominent doctor in South Norfolk and financed most of the equipment for the band. I loved hanging out at Dickey’s because he lived on the Elizabeth River on about 4 acres with a pool and a 85 foot yacht named the Blue Haven which we spent many days and nights, plus he had all the toys including speed boats and a 1967 Olds 442 which Dickie and I decided to total one night coming back from the old Ambassor’s club in Portsmouth.
I remember playing at several of the clubs on the Naval Base, the Ambassor’s Club which we called the AB Club, the lighthouse and the casino at Nags Head. We realized that we needed a steady lead guitarist and a lead singer. While interviewing Gary Richardson for lead guitar we discovered he was a much better singer than guitar player plus his friend Lee Caraway came with him and he turned out to be a great lead guitarist and Gary stuck with singing. So the band was formed as the Swinging Machine and it really took off.
There was a battle of the bands and several groups entered the competition. Most of the people voted for their own local favorites. Since Gary and Lee were from Portsmouth and the rest of us were from South Norfolk we had the inside track on the voting from both Portsmouth and South Norfolk.
After we won the battle of the bands, things really started to happen but I had to make a decision on whether to stay with the band on continue with school. I left the group and headed to Roanoke College where I played on the weekends with several bands including Ricky and the Romans, a local Roanoke band consisting of 8 members.
During this period Evan joined the Army and only played when he had leave. In his absence, Vince Screeny filled in and did a great job. After Evan’s Army service he returned to the group. I would occasionally play with the group but by this time they had become established with one sax and I mostly just filled in when needed on sax, bass and trumpet.
I don’t recall the band ever going to California but I do remember talking about it since I was dating a girl from Los Angeles at the time and she was looking into renting a house for us in the Santa Monica area but it never happened. Instead we rented an old 2 story house off Indian River road and most of us hung out there to party, sleep and practice.
It was in this house that Gary died. He actually died on his own vomit. Bobby Fisher tried CPR but was unsuccessful. The band was scheduled to play at the Peppermint Beach Club and canceled. The band continued on for a while but disbanded shortly afterwards.
Lee decided to go into the ministry and rented a house from my uncle, Herman Johnson in the Great Bridge area off Cedar Grove Road. I saw him a couple of times with his Church bus but he had changed. Later I found out that he had a brain tumor which he succumbed 4 years later.
Bobby Fisher went on to play with Bill Deal and the Rhondels but by far the most talented member of the group was Billy Stallings, who was trained at Juilliard School of Music in New York. Billy practiced 6 to 8 hours everyday for years. His father owned the Triangle Billiards in South Norfolk. Needless to say, Billy could play anything. As soon as a new song would come out, Billy had already learned all the parts including the lead guitar, bass and the brass parts.
Billy was never a healthy person and the life of a musician was a hard one. Later Billy moved to Baltimore and I saw him one time at Evan’s home years ago. I understand he passed away a couple of years ago.
After the band broke up Dickie lived alone in the home his father had built on the river. His father had a heart attack and died after the band was established. He has two brothers, Tom and Harry. I always thought is was funny that they was known as Tom, Dick and Harry Bocock. I would visit Dickie when I was in town and we would sit and reminisce the band.
I recently retired from USAirways and live on Lake Norman, North of Charlotte, NC. Evan Pierce owns an appraisal business in Norfolk. I hope this gives you an insight of the Swinging Machine as I lived it. It was a part of my life I will never forget.
Lee Caraway with the Swinging Machine van
Photos below from the Lighthouse, April 1968
Setting up at the LighthouseInterior of the LighthouseBobby Fisher and Vince ScreeneyLee Caraway and Wayne RichardsonLee CarawayLee Caraway and Gary RichardsonBobby Fisher on rightDickie BocockBilly Stallings at the LighthouseLee Caraway at the LighthouseGary and Wayne at Nags Head – July ’68Bob Spain and Lee Caraway – July ’68The Swinging Machine and Willie T. & the Impressions at The Other PlaceWayne Richardson, Sherry Cheston and the Proclaimers at the Upstairs, Virginia BeachThe Swinging Machine at Ohef Sholom TempleThe Swinging Machine at Sigota Dance, Temple IsraelOpening weekend at the Light House, July 1967! Other groups include the Prophets in Flight, the Chaparrals, Beachnuts and Sound Effects.The “Swingin’ Machines” opening a WNOR show for acts from Where the Action Is at Norfolk’s Foreman Field along with lesser known groups like the Wild Kingdom, the Triumphs, the Knights and Kon Tiki and the Rafters.At Boykins Fire House, December 30, 1967
All photos and poster scans courtesy of Diane except the Boykins Fire House poster (sent by Jay Jenkins of SouthernSoul.com), and the Ohef Sholom, Sigota Dance and Light House opening posters, which were sent in by Kelly Miltier. The Ohef Sholom, Sigota Dance and Foreman Field posters are from the collection of Billy ‘Hurricane’ Harrell.
Evan Pierce, Jr. has written a substantial history of the band that I recommend – look for Swinging Machine on Facebook.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
The Chantells came from Richmond, Virginia, where they attended Manchester High School. I love records like this but I didn’t know a thing about these guys until some comments came in below.
Sound On Sound were from Grundy in the western part of Virginia, close to a three hour drive to any large city like Roanoke or Johnson City, Tennessee.
