From left: Bruce Peterson, Larry Borrisoff, Myles Kingan, Terry Jacks and Guy Sobell
Clockwise from top left: Al Wiertz, Guy Sobell, Terry Jacks and Bill Lockie.
The early roots of The Chessmen began in the late 1950’s with musical influences from the Swedish group The Spotnicks and the English group The Shadows. Guy Sobell was a guitarist in a Vancouver band, The Ken Clark Trio, and while in Europe, he had heard these groups and decided to form his own band when he returned to Canada.
At the same time, a 17 year old named Terry Jacks had put together a “surf” band”, The Sand Dwellers. The group never played live but recorded two unreleased songs including one original penned by Jacks and fellow member John Crowe called “Build Your Castle Higher”. It was later recorded and released by a California group Jerry Cole and The Spacemen with the title changed to “Midnight Surfer”. When the Sand Dwellers folded, some of the members re-formed as The Vancouver Playboys.
Jacks and Sobell were introduced by a mutual friend, Sam Bawlf, who later became the Environment Minister of British Columbia. (Sam,Terry, and Guy all happened to be going to the University of British Columbia at the same time). Guy and Terry teamed up with two other UBC students, Bill Lockie, a guitar player who was learning to play bass, and Erik Kalaidzis, a singer who played chess with Guy. Thus `The Chessmen’. They started out doing gigs at UBC fraternity houses for $40 a night without a drummer. Kalaidzis later left the group because his vocal style was more classical and not geared to what the group was doing at the time. So the band became an instrumental group.
The Chessmen played in the Okanagan (the interior part of British Columbia) in the winter of 1963 and stayed at some strange motels; namely the `Tell-a-Friend’ in Vernon, and ‘The Davy Crockett’ in Kamloops. Lockie recalls Jacks swimming in the motel pool at night while it was snowing and way below freezing. The next day, their newly found drummer, Tom Meikle didn’t show up and they had to play with no drums.
At a gig in Kelowna, Jacks met a guy named Craig McCaw who was played in a band called The Shadracks. He had come to The Chessmen concert with his friend John Tanner (who later went on to become a well known disc jockey in Vancouver). It was a fateful meeting as Craig would later play with Terry in The Poppy Family, an internationally acclaimed group.
Back in Vancouver, The Chessmen got a new drummer, Kenny Moore, who played with them on their first single, “Meadowlands” b/w “Mustang” and a third previously unreleased song called “When I’m Not There”. These were recorded at Robin Spurgin’s Vancouver Recording Studio in 1964.
Red Robinson, a highly acclaimed Vancouver disc jockey who had a lot of connections in the music business passed the tape on to Alice Koury, Vice President of London Records and in December 1964, London released The Chessmen’s first single, “Meadowlands” b/w “Mustang”. It did really well locally and Red Robinson who was undoubtedly instrumental in launching The Chessmen, was credited as the producer of the record. With Red’s help, the single was also released in the U.S. on Jerden Records out of Seattle, with the A-side listed as “Mr.Meadowlands” just to spice it up a bit.
With the success of their first single the band toured, playing roller rinks, high schools and dances across British Columbia throughout the spring of 1965. Terry recalls that because he wasn’t a great guitar player, the other band members were thinking about replacing him in the group. Then, he wrote a song called “The Way You Fell”. Because no one in the group could sing, Terry ended up singing the song and adding his own harmony to it. Up to that point the band had considered other possibilities for a lead singer including adding a female vocalist to their line up. They had tried out a girl named Bonnie Huber, who played some shows with them and even recorded some demos with the band. She was great but the band was too gross for a little girl.
With Terry now in place as the band’s vocalist, “The Way You Fell” b/w “She Comes By Night” was recorded at Vancouver Recording Studio with their new drummer, Al Wiertz and released on London Records in April 1965. That single ended up being one of The Chessmen’s most successful records, peaking at #4 on the CFUN Top 50 in Vancouver.
1965 was turning out to be a busy year for the group.
Terry had gone to see Brenda Lee at The Cave Supper Club in Vancouver, wanting her to hear a song he’d written with the hope that she would record it. He ended up becoming good friends with Brenda and her manager, Dub Allbritten who was one of the biggest managers in Nashville. Besides Brenda, he had worked with Red Foley, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and Roy Orbison just to name a few. He also had co-written Brenda’s huge hit “I’m Sorry”. Dub offered to manage The Chessmen and got them a recording contract in the U.S. with Mercury Records. They recorded four songs in Nashville with producer Jerry Kennedy who had produced Roger Miller, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Charlie Rich among many other famous artists.
It was an incredible step forward for the band. It was almost unheard of at the time for a little Canadian band with moderate success going to Nashville to record, and being signed to a major record label with one of the biggest managers and most prominent producers in Nashville.
In September 1965, The Chessmen made their way down to Nashville for a recording session via a Greyhound bus. New drummer Myles Kingan and electric accordion (Chordovox) player Bruce Peterson had since become members of the band.
Bruce Peterson was well known among the other band members for his dry sense of humour and the trip to Nashville was no exception. He had brought along a small box, wrapped up very carefully. As people walked by him on the bus they would ask him what was in the box. He told them that it was his pet aardvark. During the trip, when the bus entered a tunnel somewhere in Colorado, he stood up suddenly and announced loudly that his aardvark had escaped. Astonished passengers on the bus lifted up their feet as he pretended to search the bus for his fictional pet, which of course was never found.
Once in Nashville, the band was put up by the record company at a sleazy motel, where they all had to share a room. The walls in the room were full of holes and huge cockroaches had infested them; so the guys sprayed shaving cream into the holes to prevent the cockroaches from coming out. However, now it turned out even worse. These monster cockroaches would emerge from the walls, covered in shaving cream, and would run around the floor all night long! Guy’s memories in Nashville included buying Beatle boots and striped pants, and visiting Hank Snow’s guitar store.
Mercury had booked the group into Fred Fosters studio, where many famous hits had been recorded including all of Roy Orbison’s records. During the recording session, the group found it amusing that their producer Jerry Kennedy kept going to the vending machine, throughout the session, purchasing peanut butter filled Ritz crackers, which he seemed addicted to.
Following the session on September 16th and 17th, the band returned to a busy schedule in Vancouver. On September 24th they played the The Beach Boys show along with Charlie Rich and The Castaways at the PNE gardens. On November 5th they played with Buddy Knox, then toured the dance halls and high school circuit, and on November 28th ended up doing a show with Roy Orbison at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
The songs they had just recorded on their first trip to Nashville “Love Didn’t Die” b/w “You Lost Your Game” were released in December 1965 on Mercury Records. On December 29th the band played with Gary Lewis and The Playboys in Vancouver.
With new members Al Weirtz and Larry Borisoff.
On February 25th 1966, The Chessmen returned to Nashville for two sessions. This time the record company had booked them a flight to Nashville. Larry Borisoff, a new member on this trip, replaced Bill Lockie on bass guitar and also helped out on vocals.
While waiting for a connecting flight at the airport in Chicago, a drunken Jacks bet the guys he could get a bottle of rum from the bar without being seen. But the bartender spotted him as he swiped the bottle and he fled, running down the wrong way on the escalator to escape. In the parking lot he ditched the booze and jumped into a surprised girl’s car to hide. Although he wasn’t caught, the delay caused the band to miss their connecting flight to Nashville.
When they finally arrived, The Chessmen cut what was to be their last single “What’s Causing This Sensation” b/w “For Running Wild” which was released in April, 1966 on Mercury Records. Prior to the session Guy Sobell had shown up looking a bit pale, he had apparently been hit by a car outside the studio. Although shaken, he wasn’t seriously injured and proceeded to record his solo in “What’s Causing This Sensation”.
On the flight home from Nashville, drummer Miles Kingan passed out having had a bit too much to drink prior to leaving the airport. Terry and Guy remember pulling down his pants and putting his hand down his underwear, then calling the stewardess and complaining that Miles was acting in an obscene manner. The stewardess woke him up and told him to get his act together or she would have to report him to the pilot.
Upon their return, The Chessmen continued touring across British Columbia with their new drummer Duris Maxwell, their fifth and final drummer. Guy recalls the time when someone threw a beer bottle at Duris while the group was playing in Victoria. Duris stopped playing, walked up to the front where Jacks was singing and said “Whoever threw that bottle would you please come up to the stage”. Despite his polite request, he did not look like a guy you would want to mess with and no one responded.
The Chessmen’s final gig was in Ladner, British Columbia on July 15th 1966 where the band was paid $180 to play. Terry and Guy recall that there was a lot of drinking before the performance. Local mobile sound engineer Douglas Gyseman (aka Kurtis Vanel) recorded the last gig. (Two of these tracks plus a bonus track that he recorded appear on the Chessmen Collection CD).
The break-up of The Chessmen occurred after Guy’s father gave him a choice of either going to London University (because Guy was quite “a brilliant guy”) or getting out of the house and continuing music with Jacks. He chose University. Checkmate.
While in England, he met Jimi Hendrix who purchased his white Fender Stratocaster guitar for £80. When asked in a 1966 Chatelaine Magazine interview if success had changed The Chessmen in any way, Jacks replied, “No, we all still eat raw eggs for breakfast!”
A CD of British Columbia’s Chessmen re-mastered from the original master tapes under the supervision of Terry Jacks contains their eight rare single sides, plus bonus tracks of the group live at their last concert in 1966 and a previously unreleased demo of ‘You Lost Your Game’. Fans of tough garage sounds will dig the never-before-heard “No Blood in Bone”.
The Clique came from Perth in the far west of Australia. Shortly after forming they won the western division of Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds competition in 1966. Though they didn’t win the national final at Festival Hall in Melbourne, they did secure a contract with the Go!! label, and a slot on television’s Go!! Show, notable as Perth bands were usually signed to the Clarion label.
Members were:
Joe Orifici – vocals, keyboards Lenny Hayworth – guitar Mike Carr – guitar John Tucak – bass Ferdie Ferrante – drums
The band cut their only 45 at Bill Armstrong Sound Recording Studios in South Melbourne. Joe and John were just sixteen at the time, while the others were twenty or twenty-one. The single has two excellent originals, each written by one of their guitarists. Lenny Hayworth’s “Love Me Girl” was the A-side, a driving song with nice tremolo on the guitars and a shouted chorus.
On the flip is the Mike Carr-penned “Stop, Look and Listen”, one of my very favorite songs from Australia in the ’60s. It was certainly catchy enough to be an A-side itself, with a loping rhythm and neat lyrics about how envious folks are of his girlfriend. I like how the backing vocalists shout “They stop” behind the guitar solo.
This was their only recording. They had the option of relocating to Melbourne or Sydney to promote the band through live shows, but they chose instead to return to Perth and break up for college and careers.
This Clique have no relation to the groups of the same name in the U.S. (who did “Superman” as well as a White Whale 45 I’ve seen mistakenly credited to the Australian group: “Soul Mates” / “I’ll Hold Out My Hand”) or the U.K. (“She Ain’t No Good” on Pye, etc).
Sources include: Kommotion!! #2 (thanks to Steve F. for locating that for me).
The Oceans on stage. Note the piano player and string quartet in the background ready to be next to perform!
The Oceans came from Athens, Ohio, releasing “She’s Gone” / “Abilene” on Pla Me Records in December 1966.
“She’s Gone” is a great, moody rock number with horns that actually help the arrangement. The singer snarls and yells out the lyrics, the guitar and rhythm is dense.
“She’s Gone” was written by the group. Publishing was by B-W Music, now Weldee Music in Wooster, OH.
The band must have used all their creative energy for “She’s Gone”, because the flip “Abilene” is a slow version of the 1963 country hit. Gary Rhamy produced both sides.
Richard Brown’s son Eric wrote to me with the photo above and some information on the band:
Mike Cunningham: vocals, also guitar and saxophone
Ed Lonas: guitar
Richard Brown: bass, also trumpet (on “She’s Gone”)
Jim Dean: drums
Oceans first, Cobras of Beverly secondThey were from Athens, OH. The played mostly around the Athens & Belpre area in SE Ohio, from ’64 – ’67.
The picture is from a Battle of the Bands in either Charleston or Huntington, West Virginia. They won that competition, as noted in the newspaper clipping. Three of the four were students at Ohio University (in Athens), and Richard & Mike were childhood friends.
Thank you to Eric Brown for his help with this post.
Kerrilee Male (vocals) Michael Rosen (guitar, vocals, trumpet) Georg Hultgreen (guitar, vocals) Trevor Lucas (bass, vocals) Gerry Conway (drums)
1967
August Canadian singer/songwriter and guitarist Mike Rosen is living in London and meets Norwegian singer/songwriter and guitarist Georg Hultgreen (b. Prince Georg Johan Tchegodaieff, Trondheim, Norway) in a restaurant in Bayswater called Bangers, where he is playing Gordon Lightfoot songs on his 12-string guitar. Hultgreen is the son of Russian prince Pavel Tchegodaieff and Finnish sculptress Johanna Kajanus. They suggest forming a group and round up players from the folk-rock scene. Australian singer/guitarist Trevor Lucas (b. 25 December 1943, Melbourne, Australia; d. 4 February 1989) is recruited after the pair see him perform at the Cambridge Folk Festival and he recommends fellow Australian Kerrilee Male (Newsome) as a singer. Lucas has recorded several albums in Australia before moving the UK in 1965 while Male has previously been a member of Dave’s Place Group with Dave Guard from The Kingston Trio. The final piece in the jigsaw is English drummer Gerry Conway (b. 11 September 1947, King’s Lynn, Norfolk), who was previously a member of Alexis Korner’s backing group. Rosen’s friend, Joni Mitchell names the band, Eclection because in her words, they were such an eclectic bunch. October (16) Band members, Trevor Lucas and Kerrilee Male appear at the Royal Festival Hall for a folk festival, which features a number of artists, including future Eclection singer Dorris Henderson. December (1) Eclection appear at Middle Earth in London, opening for visiting US act, The Electric Prunes.
1968
April (30)Eclection appear on BBC Radio 1’s Top Gear performing Mark Time, In Her Mind, In The Early Days, Morning of Yesterday and Confusion, which is broadcast on 12 May. June Eclection hold a press reception at London’s Revolution club. (21) The group’s debut single, Rosen’s Nevertheless backed by the non-album single, Hultgreen’s Mark Time is released but does not chart. Around this time, Eclection appear at the Paradiso club in Amsterdam and appear on Dutch TV. (28) Eclection perform seven songs from their forthcoming album on BBC 2’s Colour Me Pop, including In The Early Days, Morning of Yesterday, Nevertheless, Mark Time and Another Time, Another Place. July (23) Eclection record a second John Peel session for BBC radio, recording Another Time, Another Place, Nevertheless, St Georg & The Dragon and Will You Be The Same? The show is broadcast on 28 July. August (24) The band joins Ten Years After, Family, Peter Sarstedt, Fleetwood Mac, Stefan Grossman, Roy Harper, Fairport Convention and The Deviants for a show in Hyde Park, London. (30) Eclection’s eponymous debut album, produced by Australian Ossie Byrne, is released in the UK to critical acclaim. September (1)The group appears on John Peel’s Top Gear with Tim Hardin, Fairport Convention and Fleetwood Mac. (4)The band makes its debut at the Marquee in London, supporting by Keef Hartley. (11) The Eclection return the following week to the Marquee with Gordon Smith the opening act. (15) The band plays at the Bird Cage, Harlow. (25) They appear at Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, Middlesex with Village in support. (29) The band performs at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Surrey with Jethro Tull, David Ackles, The Alan Price Set, Spooky Tooth, The Nice and Julie Driscoll & The Brian Auger Trinity. October (5)Eclection travel to Birmingham and appear at Mothers with Ron Greesin. (11) The group’s second single, a cover of US folk-rock band, Kaleidoscope’s Please, which is another non-album track, is released but fails to chart. The group plays a show at the Factory in Birmingham. (12)They appear at Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex with Proteus. (16) The band is guest group on BBC 1’s Friday Play where they perform their latest single. American singer Dorris Henderson (b. 1933, Lakeland, Florida; d. 3 March 2005) replaces Kerrilee Male, who leaves after recording their second single. Male holidays in Rome, Italy while trying to decide on her future plans and eventually returns to Australia. (23) Eclection play at the Marquee in London supported by Pegasus. November Eclection’s latest single Please is re-released with Dorris Henderson’s lead vocal replacing Male’s. (6) The band appears at the Marquee in London, supported by East of Eden. (8) The group performs at the Student’s Union, Battersea, London. (19) Eclection record a John Peel session with producer Bernie Andrews at the BBC’s Piccadilly Studio 1, which comprises Please and three new songs: If I Love Her, Days Left Behind and Time For Love. The session log lists Kerry Male as female singer rather than Dorris Henderson and the show is broadcast on 18 December. December (1) The Beach Boys kick off a 10-day UK tour at the London Palladium with Eclection in support. (8) As part of the tour, they appear at the Astoria, Finsbury Park, London. (14) Eclection appear at Mothers in Birmingham with Ron Greesin. (28) The band plays at Leyton Baths Hall, Leyton, Essex.
1969
January (23) Eclection play at the Speakeasy in London. (25)The group performs at Lanchester Arts Festival in Coventry with Family. (28) The band is supported by Milkwood at Klook’s Kleek, West Hampstead. February (7)Eclection play at Mothers in Birmingham. (28) The band appears at the Fishmonger’s Arms, Wood Green. April (6) After Eclection shares the bill with Fairport Convention at Mothers in Birmingham, Mike Rosen leaves. The remaining members recruit top jazz guitarist Gary Boyle (b. 24 November 1941, Patna, Behar, India) from The Brian Auger Trinity and vibes player John “Poli” Palmer (b. 25 May 1943, Evesham, Worcestershire), formely a member of Blossom Toes. (21) Eclection’s new line up records another BBC John Peel session with producer Bernie Andrews at the Playhouse Theatre. The session comprises a cover of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, three new numbers written by Hultgreen: Earth, Restitution and Put On Your Face and the uncredited Charity. The show is broadcast on 27 April. (23)The revised line up appears at the Pavilion in Hemel Hempstead. (25)The group returns to Birmingham to play a show at Mothers. (26) Eclection perform at Portsmouth College of Education with Harmony Grass. May (11) Eclection play at Mothers in Birmingham with Fairport Convention. (14) The band appears at East Ham Town Hall with The Gods. (20) The group plays at the Speakeasy in London. (29) Sharing the bill with Yes, King Crimson, Bridget St John and Principal Edwards, Eclection appear at the Van Dyke Club in Plymouth, Devon. When Julie Driscoll leaves his band, Brian Auger contacts Gary Boyle and asks him to rejoin. The guitarist leaves just before a prestigious show at the Albert Hall the following week. June (5)Stripped down to a quintet, Eclection appear at the Albert Hall supporting American singer/songwriter Richie Havens. A third single, Rosen’s Confusion, taken from the band’s album is set for release and then delayed. July (6) Eclection play at Mothers in Birmingham with Fairport Convention. (7)The band returns to the Marquee in London supported by Grail. (21) The group plays another show at the Marquee, once again supported by Grail. (25) Eclection join Roy Harper and The Liverpool Scene for a show at the Lyceum on the Strand in London. (26)The band appears alongside Family at the Dunstable Civic Hall. August (3)The group plays at the Country Club in Belsize Park, London. (4) The band performs at the Marquee in London, supported by Cressida. (17) They play at the Nottingham Boat Club. (24) Eclection appear at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with Quintessence, Stray and Mariupilami. (25)The group performs another show at the Marquee in London. (29-31)Eclection appear at the Isle of Wight Festival, which features The Pretty Things, Mighty Baby, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Nice, Gypsy, Blonde on Blonde, Blodwyn Pig, Edgar Broughton Band, Aynsley Dunbar, Marsha Hunt and White Trash, Family, Free, The Who, Fat Matress, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues, The Liverpool Scene, Third Ear Band, Indo Jazz Fusions, Gary Farr, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, Julie Felix, Richie Havens, The Band and Bob Dylan. Soon after their appearance, Hultgreen leaves the band. He subsequently adopts his mother’s maiden name Kajanus and forms the group, Sailor, which scores with a UK #2 hit with A Glass of Champagne in 1975 and a UK #7 hit with Girls, Girls, Girls in 1977, both penned by Kajanus. SeptemberAfter getting married and visiting his wife’s parents in New York, sailing on the QE2, former member Mike Rosen returns to the UK and joins James Litherland’s Brotherhood, which later changes name to Mogul Thrash. (6) Eclection make an appearance at the Dunstable Music Festival in Queensbury Hall, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Fleetwood Mac, Junior Eyes and Eire Apparent. (12)The band plays at the Fishmongers Arms, Wood Green, London. (17)Eclection appear at the Railway Hotel, Bishop Stortford. (20)They play at Dudley Town Hall, Dudley. (23)The group performs at the Speakeasy in London. (26) Travelling to Birmingham, they appear at Mothers. (27) Eclection play at Philippa Fawcett College, Streatham, London. (28)The group performs at Redcar Coatham Hotel with The Third Ear Band. (29) The band makes its final Marquee appearance supported by Gypsy. October (3)The group joins Blodwyn Pig and Aynsley Dunbar for a show at University College, London. (4) Eclection play at St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham. (16)They appear at Green’s Playhouse, Glasgow with Fleetwood Mac and The Sleaz Band. (25) The band plays Barking College in Dagenham, Essex. November (2)Eclection appear at the Country Club, Belsize Park, London. (8) The group performs at Essex University in Colchester with East of Eden also on the bill. (9) Eclection play at the Wake Arms in Loughton. (21)The band appears at King’s College on the Strand with Shape of The Rain. (23) They are due to appear at the Nottingham Boat Club but the show is cancelled and Clouds take their place. (29) Eclection, The John Dummer Blues Group and Gracious appear at Chelsea College, London. December (5)The group plays one of its final shows at Goldsmith’s College in New Cross, London with Tech-Neek and The Night People. Palmer leaves to join Family while Lucas and Conway form Fotheringay with Lucas’s girlfriend, Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention. Henderson returns to a solo career but later revives the band’s name with new players.
Sources:
Down at the Boat: The bands that played at the Nottingham Boat Club by Keith and Juliet Atkinson and Tony James. London Live by Tony Bacon, Balafron Press, 1999. Mothers 1968-1971 by Kevin Duffy, Birmingham City Council, 1997. Peel Sessions by Ken Gardner, BBC Books, 2007. Revelation, Elektra Records’ newsletter Strange Brew – Eric Clapton & The British Blues Boom 1965-1970, by Christopher Hjort, Jawbone Press, 2007 Time Out magazine, 1968-1969 Richie Unterberger’s liner notes to Eclection CD re-issue on Collector’s Choice Music Valentine, 2 November 1968
Thank you to Georg Kajanus and Gary Boyle for their input in this article.
I would particularly like to acknowledge Mike Capewell’s exhaustive site for material: www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/
I have tried to ensure the accuracy of this article but I appreciate that there are likely to be errors and omissions. I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who can provide any additions or corrections. Email: Warchive@aol.com
I’ll be on the University of Texas, Austin radio station KVRX tonight, Wednesday Nov. 18, doing a phone interview on Michael Sedillo’s show Strictly Business. He’ll be asking me about Garage Hangover and some of the bands I’ve featured.
The show goes from 9-10 PM Central Standard Time (10-11 PM in New York), and I should be on twenty or thirty minutes into the show.
Great 45 with two originals by the Satisfactions on the Lee label from Lansing, Michigan. Production is a little murky and heavy on the echo but the performances are fantastic.
Don’t know much about the band except a Midland, Michigan origin, northwest of Saginaw. The RCA custom pressing code on the label TK4M-3735/6 indicates this was a 1966 release.
“Only Once” was written by Lashier and has a drum intro that picks up speed, a cool sounding nasal vocal and good rough guitar solo. “Never Be Happy” is the other side of the coin, a steady folk-rock ballad written by Weers and Hunter. Interesting how the rhythm changes up for the solo.
This is the same Lee label out of Don Lee Studios that the Marauders from Saginaw used for their June ’65 single, “Lovin” / “Nightmare”. That group paid $245 for one hour of session time and 1,000 45s, it’s likely the Satisfactions worked a similar deal.
Sources include: Article on the Marauders in Kicks #5.
The Orbits were from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Early lineups of the group included:
Ron Hanson – lead vocals and rhythm guitar, 12-string guitar Mike Daily (Daley?) – lead vocals Ron Glodowski – vocals and lead guitar Don Scholtz (Schultz?) – vocals and bass Bob Scholtz (Schultz?) – vocals and drums
Ron Hanson’s first band was Ronny & the Bonnevilles, soon followed by Ronnie and the Rock-n-Bops with Glen Schulfer and Jerry Starr; I don’t believe either group recorded. The Rock’n’Bops became Wanda Jackson’s touring band for a tour.
The Orbits’ first single is a remake of the Zombies “Make Me Feel Good” [sic] backed with Ron Glodowski’s original “Fuzzy”, released on Big Sound label out of Wausau. Big Sound had other great releases by the Benders, the Spacemen, the Corals and the Rejects.
Orbits promotional photo for Ecco Enterprises
The Orbits toured extensively and even performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966. That touring helps explain why this group from central Wisconsin listed El Monte, California on the labels of their second single on the Boss Sound label, a Cuca custom pressing.
“Don’t” has all the elements of a good pop song. The song was written by Lena Davis and, as far as I can tell, originally done by UK act Joe Brown and the Bruvvers in June of 1964. That Piccadilly 45 didn’t receive a U.S. release to my knowledge, so the Orbits more likely heard it on the Roemans’ first 45 on ABC-Paramount from 1965, even though that wasn’t a hit. As it turns out, Ron met the Roemens when he sold them some VOX equipment, he befriended the band and probably heard “Don’t” at that time.
The flip is a slow take on the Searchers’ “Goodbye My Love”.
This 45 received a mention as a ‘Former Instant Pick’ on the local charts of WSPT in April of 1967.
The band recorded these songs at Cuca in Sauk City, Wisconsin, indicated by the J-6744 catalog number on the label. This band is not the Orbits from Portage, WI who had an earlier 45 on Cuca, “Orbit Rock” / “Slow Burn”.
The Orbits continued into the 1970s and had a few reunions. The lineup changed over the years with Hanson the only constant, and included Ed Niespodziani, Bob Wray on bass, Myrna Raatz (of the Furys) on vocals, Joe Cory on keyboards, Glen Schulfer on lead guitar, Steve Berendt, Ron Pitt and Dave Trickle on bass, Lyle Vickerman on lead guitar and Rick Martin and Jim Sether on drums. (Any clarification on when these people were in the group would be appreciated, some were in reunion bands as recent as 2001.)
In 1970 the group signed to Shelby Singleton’s SSS International label and released their third single, an original by Hanson and Schulfer, “House Without a Roof” b/w “Good Natured Emma”.
With an equipment sponsorship, the group changed its name to the Kansas Road Band, self-releasing the excellent Schulfer original “Back Again” b/w “Something About You” in a mid-western rock style. Ron and his group eventually became part of the Grassroots along with founding member Rob Grill and Dennis Provisor.
Ron Hanson of the Orbits
A mural of Ron Hanson’s early band “The Rock N Bops” can be seen in downtown Stevens Point with other noted local lore.
I’m sorry to report that Ron Hanson died on March 20, 2019.
Thank you to Beth Miratsky for the photos, news clippings and information on the Orbits.
Sources include: On That Wisconsin Beat by Gary E. Myers.
The Wanderers, 1968, left to right: Bob Thompson, Mike Bresnahan, Don Thompson, Jack Petersen, Dave O’Brian
Don Thompson, December 19631964, from left: Robert Thompson, Tom Devers and Don Thompson
Don and the Wanderers were from Belding, Michigan, about 30 miles east northeast of Grand Rapids. Brothers Don Thompson and Robert Thompson founded the Flying Mustangs in 1963, with Don on guitar and his brother Robert on bass. They changed their name to Don and the Wanderers in 1964.For the next seven years the band would practice in the Thompson house. Their father Russ Thompson became their manager once they started taking paying jobs.
The band’s first drummers were Steve Whitford then Tom Devers. In 1965 the band added Jayne Traynor on vocals, and a rhythm guitar player. The following year Janet Sinclair became the drummer. In 1967, Jayne left the band and Dave O’Brien joined on keyboards. At this time Robert Thompson moved to rhythm guitar and Michael Bresnahan joined on bass. Bresnahan had been taking lessons from Robert, and his first group was Davy James and the In Men from Grattan.
Their only 45 was recorded at Audio Studios downstairs from the WKYC station in Cleveland in Spring 1968, and released with an orange Kustom label.
Producer Dick Wagner had them cut his original song “On the Road” for the A-side, a song he had done with the Bossmen the year previously with little chart success. This version has a progressive style for early 1968, with elements of the heavier sounds that were coming over the next few years.
For the flip they cut a mid-tempo pop number, “Sleepin’ in the Sun”. If it’s a Dick Wagner song, it’s not included in his BMI listing. The transfer featured here has better sound than the 45, and is also about twelve seconds longer, as the 45 fades earlier. They pressed 500 copies, selling more than 400 of them.
The band continued until 1972, playing many of the same clubs as Ted Nugent, Bob Segar, and The Frost.
L-R: Bob Thompson, Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, John Goodsell and Ted Trudell on drums.
Don Thompson told me more about the Wanderers:
I started playing guitar in August of ’63 at age 10. Been doing it ever since. The band started out with my brother on bass and me on lead guitar and we just added members as we went along. Starting with the Ventures and grew into top 40 and then to heavy metal if you could call it back then. Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Doors, SRC, Amboy Dukes towards the end.
1966: Jim Wilson on rhythm guitar, Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson and Janet Sinclair on drums.Left to right: Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson, Tim Harris on keyboards, and Janet Sinclair.As a quartet: Don Thompson, Steve Connor on bass, Bob Thompson now on rhythm guitar, and Janet Sinclair.Late 1967, with new members Michael Bresnahan and Dave O’Brien
My father managed the band, built our band trailers, drove us to gigs, handled everything about the band. He had a gift of listening to a song on the radio, and could predict what song was going to be a hit. He’d buy the 45 record, and made sure we had our parts down and ready for each practice, and by the time the song hit #1 we already had it in our song list. I remember dad as one who took a chance on a 10 year old kid wanting to play guitar. He didn’t know if I had any talent or if I would stick with it, but he bought the best guitar to make sure I had a chance to learn on.
He made sure we worked, got paid for what we did, and we used that money to invest in better equipment. He taught us to do our best. Dad was not just our manager, but wore many hats, driving sometimes for hours in snow storms to get us to gigs and then hours to get us home. All the old band members I keep in contact with, say he was their friend. Not many teenagers would say that about most adults.
In West Michigan in the ’66 to ’69 era there were The Quests, Lynn & the Invaders, and the Soul Benders that recorded 45’s. Another great band was the Rainmakers out of Traverse City. It was very competitive back then.
We were a working band, most years we would have at least 45 to 50 weeks booked somewhere. Back then, every high school sponsored after-game dances. There were teen clubs all over Michigan to play. We played all over Michigan, from the west shores, South Haven to Traverse City, Rose City, West Branch, Bad Axe, Lansing, Detroit, just about any town that had a teen center, we’ve played it.
In 1966 there was a huge teen center in Grand Rapids called “The Place”. We won some of their Battle Of The Bands and we opened for the Music Explosion at The Place. I think that was sometime in ’67.
In August 1969 we were the opening act for Alice Cooper, in Hastings, MI. The name of the club was The Cobra. We had a wall of Kustom 3×15 cabinets and PA. Alice and the band got there, and realized the club didn’t provide a PA for them to use. The club was set up with a stage at each end of the main room. We did our first set, and wheeled our PA to their stage for their first show. The management had sold tickets for two shows, so they cleared the building and we did our second show for the late crowd, and wheeled our PA back for their second show.
I remember was Alice was in a really good mood and started swinging his (our) mic and the connector came loose and Alice launched our mic across the room and it hit the wall. Needless to say it didn’t work after that.
We met Dick Wagner through our booking agent. It was really important at that time to do a record for local radio play, so we met Dick, and he sold us the two songs we did, and he produced them. “On the Road” was side one and “Sleeping in the Sun” was the flip side. I was 15 at the time, it was huge to actually be making a record.
We recorded the songs in Cleveland and at the time of the recording Janet Sinclair was our drummer. The lead guitar intro on “On the Road” was done using a Fender Telecaster, a Mosrite Fuzzrite and recorded at half speed and played back full speed to get that octave up. I guess it was not cutting edge for the time but was effective.
We recorded on half inch tape and then transferred to 1/4 inch tape. The studio didn’t transfer just the masters but transferred all the takes so when the record company got the tape, they had no idea which was the master and didn’t bother to call us to see which take was the master, so we ended up with 500 45 RPM records with volume drops and gains. The MP3’s I sent were the masters and my brother had them done just last year from the original tape.
The record did get some local airplay, as did most of the local bands, [though] not as much as the Grand Rapids bands. At least we had the experience of recording and being part of that era. That was our only recording, we never did try it again.
As the photos show there have been lots of members over the years, I guess you have to make changes when they want something different. Some stayed for a few years, some made it less than a year. I’ve have the pleasure of working with lots of talented people through the years, yet marked with a lot of tragedy. The keyboard player and his brother were killed in a car accident in 1971, our main bass player’s brother joined the band on guitar in 1970 and was killed years later in a crane accident. Jayne was killed in a car accident in 84, so I guess I’m the lucky one.
Janet left the band a month after the recording and we replaced her with Jack Petersen. Jack and I are still working together playing music 40 years later. The Wanderers photo and 45 record are displayed in our Belding Museum. Never thought I’d be displayed in a museum while I was still alive!
One of my last bands was called exit 69 and I had a female singer onboard on that project. We worked for seven years and she and her family just moved to Texas. There are six tunes on the site that we recorded in the bass player’s spare bedroom, one person at a time is all that would fit, but I think it turned out a good demo.
My newest project is called LoRyder, we concentrate on all the one hit wonders of the 60’s and some Beatles. It’s funny how we can play songs 40+ years old and people in their mid 20’s will be singing right along with the band.
As far as what we are doing today, Bob now works for Negri Bossi Injection Molding Machines in Michigan and surrounding states. Don is an Independent agent for Aflac and holds a patent and manufactures the Tremorbender B String Bender for electric guitars – www.tremorbender.com. Janet is married, lives in Florida and still drums, and has several grandchildren who are musicians. Mike is in Everett, Washington and is an electrician. Jack is now semi retired.
Don Thompson, November 2009
February, 1968, just before recording the 45WKYC in Cleveland, home of Audio StudiosAudio Recording, unidentified engineer and Dick WagnerIn the studio with Dick Wagner, second from right in back. Janet holds lyrics to one of the songs.
Don Thompson, 1969
In 2007 Don and the Wanderers featured in a local Daily News article.Thanks to Mike Markesich for the 45 scans, and special thanks to Don Thompson for sharing his photos and band history.
The Centuries, late summer 1966. Recording The Scene TV show, hosted by WKY deejay Ronnie Kaye.
The Centuries were a major group in the Oklahoma City area during the 1960’s, regularly appearing at local hops and clubs, opening for touring acts and guesting on a TV show, The Scene. Recordings taped for The Scene show exactly how well the band could cover songs of the day. They give “I’m a Believer” the light touch it should have, and really drive “Midnight Hour”, including a guitar solo that is definitely hot!
Though primarily covering songs as a live act, their two records feature all original songs by band members Irmon Gray and Alan Rush.
“I’d Cry for You”, the B-side of their first single uses a fuzztone on guitar to accent the relaxed vocals. This is one of the first recordings ever to use the Gibson Maestro fuzz tone pedal. Cut in October of 1963, not long after the Ventures used the Maestro on “The 2,000 Pound Bee”, the opening note bend is a wild sound for that time, though the song wasn’t released until 1965.
Lead guitarist Stan Stotts gives the history of the group:
Historical Perspective
Rock n’ Roll was born in the 50’s, but its formative “teen” years were the 60’s. In the Oklahoma City metro area alone there were probably two or three dozen active bands. The most popular musical instrument stores at that time (Sharps and Nichols, Woodmansee Abbot, Driver Music, etc.) saw the demand for electrical instruments increase dramatically, so much so that some had greater sales in supplying for rock bands than they had for school marching band instruments which had been their mainstay.
Teens were so desperate to dance they would settle on almost anything that resembled music. The IONE branch of the YWCA held a teen dance every Saturday evening to raise money for a new building. The first time I attended a dance they had only one guitarist named Farland Stanley (he would later play bass for the Road Runners) and a drummer who stood while he played his one snare drum. The duo performed basically the same three instrumental tunes every 45 minutes for three hours and nobody cared because the only criteria for music was, “Does it have a good beat?”
The YWCA didn’t have a bandstand so the musicians played on the floor. When The Centuries had the privilege of playing there, we “upgraded” by hauling three large wooden tables in my dad’s pickup to the IONE building and setting them up to form a temporary stage. I also remember that this was the first place I ever received applause for a song I played. It was “Rumble” by Link Ray and I can’t think of a song that was any simpler to play. The kids thought I was a great guitarist because I could play it just like the record.
The first time I ever saw a live rock n’ roll band play a dance was in May, 1961, during an all night, city wide, Junior/Senior dance at Wedgewood Village Amusement Park. The two bands (The Road Runners and The Nightbeats) alternated playing from evening to the next morning inside the Bumper Car pavilion. This was the first time I heard Jim Edger and The Road Runners play and I’ll always remember their really cool rendition of the song “Little Egypt” by The Coasters.
The Centuries, five-piece instrumental lineup, early 1963. From left to right: Irmon Gray, Stan Stotts, Ron Smith, Greer Gambill and Alan Rush.
The Centuries – Early Years as an Instrumental Band
The band originated in Oklahoma City, OK, and all members were from there. Ron Smith and Stan Stotts started the band in 1961 while in high school and remained until the end in October, 1969.
During Stan’s junior year (1960-1961) at Northwest Classen High School, he and a friend he had known since grade school got together and played guitars. The friend had a party at his parents’ house one weekend where he and several other “musicians” played while the others watched or danced. While at the party, Stan was introduced to a drummer named Ron Smith and the three of them decided to form a band. Ron knew of a car club named The Centuries and thought that would be a good name for a band and that was what the group would be called for the next nine years.
They only knew three or four songs, all instrumentals, and their only gig was a New Year’s Eve party for Ron’s girlfriend’s uncle where each was paid $5. The friend was not as interested in devoting the amount of time it would take to develop the band so the group eventually broke up.
During the summer of 1961 Stan worked at a Humpty Dumpty super market and while there met a Putnam City student named Alan Rush who also played the guitar. Alan invited Stan over to his house one night after work to listen to a group called The Ventures. Alan came from a family of musicians and was truly a natural talent. Stan was hooked on rock and roll and although he was not blessed with the level of talent that Alan had, he was able to learn a great deal from him since they got together several times a week to learn new songs.
Stan brought Alan and Ron together and they decided to form the second incarnation of The Centuries. Even though Ron and Stan had ability, Alan was the one who really knew music and how all the different instruments fit into the mix. For instance, when Alan suggested they needed a bass man to complete the group, Ron and Stan debated the need for another “guitar.” Fortunately, Alan won out. He thought a friend of his would be a good match for this position so Irmon Gray became the first bass player and thus, The Centuries became a true rock band. Since Alan had the musical prowess, he was instrumental in giving musical direction, but Ron, always the businessman, became the de facto “leader” of the band. The foursome played wherever they could and practiced continually. One of the highlights was being hired ($40) to play for a Northwest Classen assembly.
In early 1962 Alan mentioned he knew a really good sax player from Putnam City named Greer Gambill. So, they added a fifth member to the band. This added a new dimension to the band’s sound and immediately expanded their repertoire of songs. But how could a band that played nothing but instrumentals continue to be booked? First of all, Rock n’ Roll was really starting to snowball and the teens wanted more of it and would, quite literally, dance to just about anything that had a beat. Secondly, the dance craze was intensified due to the release of “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. Many other groups jumped on the Twist bandwagon causing the phenomenon to continue much longer than most fads do.
One such group was Joey Dee and the Starliters. Their house song, “Peppermint Twist (Part 1)”, became the number one song in the United States for three weeks in January 1962. Ron and Stan got to see The Starliters perform when they came to Oklahoma City on February 14, 1962. The point is, like most things, the ability for The Centuries to continue as a band while they grew and “honed” their musical skills in the early years was, in addition to a lot of hard work and steadfast determination, a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
The Centuries six-man lineup with Ron Petty, September 1965.
Adding Vocals – Ron Petty Joins
Ad for appearance at the Comet Skating Club, July 11, 1963.A band called the Catalinas had a lead singer named Ron Petty who could sing just like Elvis and Roy Orbison. They had released a recording called “Cha Cha Joe” / “Echo One”. The Catalinas were known for having a female guitar player, which was unique at the time, but they hired Wesley Reynolds to play the lead guitar and a local group called the Kimberley’s to supply background vocals during the recording session of “Echo One”.
Petty tried out for The Centuries and was immediately hired during the spring of 1963. This addition brought the band full circle because now they could play any song on the charts, not just instrumentals, and besides he had a sound system. The first new song they learned with Petty as the lead singer was “Rhythm of the Falling Rain” by The Cascades. Also, while “Cha Cha Joe” was still on the charts the band would play it at dances with Alan on drums and Ron Smith on the bongos.
With so many members and so much equipment, the band decided to get a vehicle and trailer to travel in. They bought a used, black 1954 Chrysler limousine from a local funeral home, had the band name painted in silver on the sides and purchased an enclosed trailer also painted silver. They didn’t know it at the time, but that rig became somewhat of an icon across the state since most of the other bands drove their personal vehicles to a dance.
Ron Smith could sing with the best of the soul music entertainers of the day and Alan, even though his voice was softer, could sing high harmony. Also, Petty could play the trumpet well enough to assist Greer when a “big band” sound was needed. This meant they could hold their own with any band in the state when it came to reproducing the sound of the Beatles, Orbison, most soul music, and especially the Righteous Brothers. By the way, the one thing that made The Centuries different than most bands was the intentional effort to mimic a song as closely as possible to the original. They had such a mix of talent it was possible to do so most of the time.
They needed a tune to play while announcing that they were going to take a break or that the gig was over. A song titled “Hold It” by Bill Doggett was chosen and it eventually became kind of a theme associated with the group.
The Centuries Play The Scene
The main events during this time, at least in Oklahoma, were the teen hops sponsored by WKY radio and their KOMA competitor. The Centuries played mostly for WKY hops hosted by various dee jays, but primarily with Don Wallace and Ronnie Kaye. Ronnie Kaye had a local version of American Bandstand called The Scene, produced at the WKY-TV studios. It was taped at 11:00 am on Saturday mornings and then aired that same day at 1:00 pm.
The Road Runners performed live on the first show; however, the sound engineer didn’t have a clue how to properly mike a rock n’ roll band. Consequently, the quality of the sound was less than adequate and that was a shame because they were one of the best, if not the best, hard rock band in the state. From that point on, most, if not all, bands pre-recorded their music and lip-synched.
The photo [at top] was taken from the control room thus showing the band, camera’s and teen dancers and the host. It’s a great representation of 1960’s Americana and shows our signature, collarless red blazers, black felt Beatle Boots and the clothing and hair styles of that period.
We are wearing our signature collarless red blazers, black suede “Beatles” boots and, as you will see, from the way the kids are dressed, its quintessential 1960’s. Also, in those days, the main attraction in Oklahoma were dee jay sponsored teen hops held in various towns across the state. By far, Oklahoma City based WKY was considered the best with the top dee jays being Ronnie Kaye and Don Wallace during the mid 60’s. We were fortunate to be one of the few bands that Ronnie, Don and the other dee jays used regularly.
Recorded at WKY radio station, Oklahoma City, 1963 to be used on The Scene:
Slippin’ and a Slidin’ – The WKY radio station recording studio was mainly used to record ads and promos. We were there was to record some tunes for Ronnie Kaye to be used as background and lead in music for his various promos. I guess we decided to take the opportunity to record some of our music as well. I do know that “Slippin’ and a Slidin'” was the first song I tried the Fuzz Tone.
Night Train – The only recording I know of that has Greer Gambill playing the sax.
A Fool Is What I Am – Our first attempt to record a song Alan and Irmon wrote. Although this was not a commercial sounding tune it’s what motivated us to seriously try to create tunes we could release which led to “Lonely Girl” / “I’d Cry For You”.
Even though The Scene was recorded, due to cost constraints Ronnie was forced to start reusing the tapes so, unfortunately, there are no videos available except for the last season or two which went into the early seventies. Ronnie Kaye is still a dee jay for our “oldies” station, KOMA. They had two reunions of all of the 60’s bands in 1994 and 1995 and that was the first thing I asked him about.
The Centuries, mid ’64
Our Look and Musical Equipment
Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone
Our very first “uniforms” were white shirts that had “The Centuries” and our first name embroidered on the pocket. When we became a five-man group, we worked out a deal with Sir Knight Formal Wear to provide tuxedo pants, shirts and bright red coats. After that, we wore black pants, white shirt, black tie and collarless red blazers with candy-apple red patent leather shoes.
After the Beatles came out, we dropped the red shoes for black suede boots like they wore. We then got shiny green suits with black velvet collars like the Beatles and wore those until Alan and Irmon left. After that for the most part, we stayed with the white shirts, black tie, black pants and the collarless red blazer when it wasn’t too hot wear it. When the band ended, the Nehru jacket look was in so our final uniforms were yellow jackets with a Nehru collar and black pants.
Gibson Maestro Fuzz ToneAt one time all of the guitarists in the group had matching Fender Band-Master amplifiers and Fender guitars. However, after the Beatles came, Alan decided to try something different and got a Hofner guitar and Irmon purchased a Hofner bass exactly like the one Paul McCartney used. They got an okay sound, but the quality was much less than what a Fender or a Gibson could produce. Breaking a string while playing was simply a hazard of the business, but on occasion, Alan’s Hofner would appear to explode when one of his tuners (used to tighten a string) would come apart from the tension and parts would fly across the stage.
I, on the other hand, was a Fender man all the way. During the first years of the band I owned almost every model of guitar that Fender offered at the time except for my favorite, the Stratocaster. I don’t remember why I never bought one. I owned and played a Duosonic, JazzMaster, Jaguar and finally a Telecaster. My final guitar was the Telecaster which I eventually customized by reshaping the body to fit like a Stratocaster, changed the color from the standard cream to a metallic blue, replaced the standard chrome bass pickup with another Telecaster lead pickup, had a customized pick guard made with my name on it and replaced the standard Telecaster neck with a Jaguar neck that had a rosewood fret board. I used a Fender Band-Master amp with two 12” Jensen speakers for a while and then changed to a Fender Super Reverb with four 10” Jensen speakers. When it finally quit working, I upgraded to another Super Reverb with four 10” Lansing (silver cone) speakers.
As far as the other members are concerned, the only thing I know is that Ron Smith preferred Ludwig drums and Bob and Greer preferred Selmar saxophones.
I can only speak for myself, but the major influence for me, musically speaking, was Alan Rush. Although I had taken lessons for several years from a local guitarist (Julian Akins), if it had not been for Alan’s willingness to teach me how to really play the guitar, I doubt I would have ever touched it again. The artists that influenced my style the most were The Ventures, Freddy King and a local player named Wesley Reynolds. Wesley knew how to play a Fender Stratocaster to its fullest and had a style all his own that I admired and could immediately identify just by hearing. One of my favorite songs to play was Wesley’s “219 84th Street”, which, in case you didn’t know, was the home address at that time of the WKY Dee Jay Don Wallace.
The Centuries with Sandy Posey, 1967.
Live Highlights
Ad for the Centuries at the Wedgewood, July 24, 1963Another venue was teen hops every weekend at Wedgewood Village Amusement Park on Northwest Highway. Many big named acts (Paul Revere and The Raiders, Hermans Hermits, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, etc.) came there as well.
We were the lead-on band for Herman’s Hermits on April 27, 1965 at Wedgewood. It didn’t have a stage area that would accommodate the estimated 8,000 people who came to see the two shows (7:30 pm and 9:30 pm), so we were put on top of the swimming pool building, which looked down over the park. We were so far away and the sound was so bad it took the audience a few minutes to figure out we were not the Hermits. I still have the two tickets we were given to gain entrance to the park with the autographs of all the Hermits, including Peter Noone.
Herman’s Hermits playing on top of the pool building at Wedgewood, 1965At Wedgewood Village we backed up Del Shannon for his show on August 8-9, 1964 and for a new singer called Sandy Posey on June 9-11, 1967. Sandy was a real trial for me because it was the first time I had to go it alone working with a non-band member without Alan.
We were the lead-on group for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels when they performed at Wedgewood Village on July 22 1966. I must admit this was the first time I really felt intimidated because his guitarist (Jim McCarty) was so good that I was actually embarrassed to go back on stage after they played each set. Fortunately he was very gracious and actually complemented me on my guitar style. I knew he was just being nice but it helped regain my confidence just the same. Mitch Ryder was a class act the whole time he was there. For instance, his drummer used Ron’s drums and played so hard that he busted the snare drum head. When the concert was over Mitch told the drummer to pay Ron for the drum head and he said he would do it before they left. Mitch said “pay him now” knowing that otherwise the drummer would “forget” to do it.
The Centuries’ First Single
During the summer of 1963 Alan and Irmon started writing songs and the group decided to record some of them. They were not pleased with the recording facilities available in OKC and couldn’t afford the ones in Dallas so it was decided to record at an up and coming studio in Hot Springs, Arkansas called United Southern Recording Studio. In the Fall of 1963, the group recorded five songs co-written by Alan and Irmon and were working on releasing two of the tunes (“Lonely Girl” and “I’d Cry For You”) through the RICH record label sometime in late 1963 or early 1964.
However, the owner, Jack Rich, held back releasing it because he said “something bigger than Elvis was about to hit the music industry”. Ron Smith remembered thinking he was stalling for some other reason because “nothing could be bigger than Elvis”! The “something” turned out to be a group called the Beatles. It wasn’t until the summer of 1965, after the initial British Invasion had begun to subside, that it was decided to release the record.
The record did well in the local market, but the music scene had shifted greatly by this time and, although the song was well written and produced, it’s pre-Beatle doo-wap sound probably sounded a little dated thus there was no interest in releasing it nationally. The record may not have made it to number one but it probably would have been very successful if it could have been released nationally 3 to 4 months before the Beatles. How it happened we don’t know, but “I’d Cry For You”, the B side to “Lonely Girl”, made it to #42 in Flint, Michigan in 1965.
Recorded at United Southern Recording Studio, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Fall, 1963:
Lonely Girl – written by Alan Rush and Irmon Gray
Ron Petty – Lead vocal Alan Rush – Background vocal, rhythm guitar (acoustic) Ron Smith – Background vocal, Drums (Ludwig) Stan Stotts – Lead guitar (Fender Jazzmaster) Irmon Gray – Bass Bass (Fender Precision Bass) Greer Gambill – Sax (Selmer but not on recording)
“Lonely Girl” reaches #23 on WKY’s Top 50, August 12, 1965I’d Cry For You – written by Alan Rush and Irmon Gray
Ron Petty – Lead vocal Alan Rush – Background vocal, rhythm guitar Ron Smith – Drums (Ludwig) Stan Stotts – Lead guitar (Fender Jazzmaster using a Maestro Fuzz-Tone) Irmon Gray – Bass (Fender Precision Bass) Greer Gambill – Sax (Selmer but not on recording)
Actually, over the years, many people who heard the record, whether they knew the group or not, usually said they preferred “I’d Cry For You”. It was a little unique since it was decided that Stan should use the new FuzzTone he had just purchased to give it more of an edgy sound. Although it will never be known for sure, perhaps, the wrong side was released.
But, on the bright side, as a local band, the arrival of The Beatles was a real boon for the group because they could mimic them and most of the other English groups to a tee. From that point on they played nearly every weekend during the school year and probably around 80% to 90% of the days during the summer breaks.
The Centuries with Jim Edgar and the Road Runners, WKY Go Go Show, September 1965
The only time I know of that the Roadrunners and The Centuries were on the same stage at the same time was for an event called the WKY Go-Go show held at the State Fairgrounds race track on September 28, 29 and 30th, 1965. The radio personalities emceeing the show were Danny Williams and Don Wallace. I remember one of the stunts performed during the show was to set fire to a rag put inside Greer’s sax just before he would take the lead in a song. I’m sure we said something “cool” like “that is really one hot sax” while he performed.
Greer Gambill had to leave for military service around the beginning of 1966 and was replaced by Bob Mills who was a music major at Southwestern State College in Weatherford, OK. Bob was a talented saxophonist and, as it was discovered later, pretty good on the piano as well. He was somewhat shy at first, but a hard worker and it didn’t take long at all for him to fit in.
ad for the WKY Go Go Show, September 1965
The Second 45
Alan and Irmon continued to write songs and became friends with a couple of guys in Del City who converted their garage into a fairly sophisticated recording studio (A&W Recording Studio) where the group recorded two more of their songs that had a commercial sound – “Don’t Let It Fade Away” and “Just Today”. We were much more of a rock band than our recordings show.
Recorded at A&W Recording Studio, Del City, OK. Spring, 1966:
Just Today – written by Alan Rush and Irmon Gray
Ron Petty – Lead vocal, Trumpet Alan Rush – Background vocal, Acoustic guitar Ron Smith – Drums (Ludwig) Stan Stotts – Acoustic guitar (Echo with an electric pickup) Irmon Gray – Bass Bob Mills – Sax (Selmer)
Don’t Let It Fade Away – Written by Alan Rush and Irmon Gray
Ron Petty – Lead vocal Alan Rush – Background vocal, acoustic guitar Ron Smith – Drums (Ludwig) Stan Stotts – Acoustic guitar Irmon Gray – Bass Bob Mills – Piano
1966 and After – New Members and Styles
Ad for the Wedgewood, June 1, 1966
After these recordings Alan and Irmon decided they wanted to go in a different direction than the other members. So, on June 11, 1966, Alan and Irmon played their last dance with The Centuries and soon after formed a band called “The AIR”. However, the two songs were released as a single right after they left, so it became a little awkward having a record being played on air but the people who wrote and played on it were no longer in the group.
This was a very stressful time for Stan because he was now the lead guitarist and primarily responsible for figuring out the chord progressions. He wasn’t sure he could do it but, fortunately, he had learned a lot more from Alan than he realized, thus he was usually able to produce when needed. Alan and Irmon were replaced by Clay Mangum (guitar) and Tom Killup (bass).
Ad for the Wedgewood, July 15, 1966Clay decided that attending college full time along with practicing and learning three to five new songs each week was too much so his last night with the band was October 3, 1966. John Whitehead replaced Clay and his first night was October 6, 1966. He was nicknamed “the kid” because the current members were in college and he was still in high school. John was a good rhythm guitarist and could sing some as well. After this point though, things started changing quickly and, in hindsight, it was evident that the band’s days were numbered.
Tom had to leave for military service, which meant that, once again, a replacement had to be found to play the bass. His last night was December 31, 1966. One of the people auditioned was Randy Jenkins who was playing for a group that Bob Mills had also played with called The Marauders. Randy was a pre-med student who was quiet, studious and just an all-around sharp guy. He eventually graduated and became a doctor. At the audition, Randy pulled a Gibson EBO bass out of his case. An EBO was considerably smaller than the Fenders Ron and Stan were used to hearing so they wondered if it could match the big sound of a Fender. It didn’t take Randy long to prove the Gibson could and then some. His first night was January 6, 1967 at a Ronnie Kaye teen hop in Seminole.
The primary recording studio in the 60’s was Gene Sullivan’s on Commerce (25th) Street in Capitol Hill. Three songs were recorded at Sullivan Recording Studio between 1/1/1967 and 3/15/1967:
Midnight Hour – Used during a performance on The Scene TV show and for possible release. This song is more representative of our rock roots and much more like what we played early on. When Petty left at the end of March and Bob at the end of August, we moved more toward the soul sound which what Smith was best at and we had a Hammond B3 organ by then.
Ron Smith – Lead Vocal, Drums Stan Stotts – Lead Guitar Randy Jenkins – Bass John Whitehead – Rhythm Guitar Bob Mills – Sax Ron Petty – Trumpet
I’m A Believer – Used during a performance on The Scene TV show. We chose this song because one it was number one the Billboard Hot 100 on December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks.
Ron Smith – Background Vocal, Drums Stan Stotts – Lead Guitar Randy Jenkins – Bass John Whitehead – Background Vocal; Rhythm Guitar Bob Mills – Sax Ron Petty – Lead Vocal
Please Listen – The one and only song ever written by Stan Stotts had a gritty, catchy intro and a strong follow through. But, we never could find the 3 part harmony it needed in the bridge to sustain the overall sound, which caused it to lose “the sound” at that point. Otherwise, it would have been considered for release. Unfortunately, it was the last of these 3 songs being recorded that day and we ran out of time and recording money. So, we let it go with the intent to work on it later but Petty had to quit the band a few weeks later and it was never pursued again).
Ron Smith – Background Vocal, Drums Stan Stotts – Echo 12 string electric box guitar; customized Fender Telecaster through a Maestro Fuzz Tone Randy Jenkins – Bass John Whitehead – Background Vocal Bob Mills – Tambourine Ron Petty – Lead Vocal
Third generation of the Centuries, at the Scene, 1967
By 1967 Ron Petty was married and working a full time job at a local steel company and although he needed the extra money, the hours were wearing him down so his last night was March 25, 1967 at a Don Wallace teen hop in Kiowa, Kansas. Actually, this wasn’t as big a hit as the group thought it would be because the musical style was changing to more soul and this was right up Ron Smith’s alley. But it did impact the group’s versatility when it came to performing tunes requiring combined harmonies like the Righteous Brothers, Sam and Dave, The Mamas and The Papas, etc.John Whitehead was an avid flyer and wanted to make that his career. After playing his last dance at Southwestern State College in Weatherford, OK on June 20, 1967, he left to pursue his love of aviation. The last they heard he was a pilot for UPS.
To replace John the group decided to take a different path. Bob had made friends with another music student at Southwestern, a keyboardist, named Mark Schwartz. The group agreed that bringing in a keyboard player instead of another guitar was a good idea because, again, the music style was changing. His first night was at the Bandito Club in OKC on June 30, 1967. Mark was younger than the “old guys” and remembered attending several of The Centuries’ teen hops in his hometown of Watonga. It wasn’t too long before Mark purchased a Hammond B3 organ with two Leslie speakers. It was a real hassle transporting that monster but it was worth it because it totally redefined their music style and sound.
Bob left the group just before the Fall semester of 1967 to finish school resulting in The Centuries becoming what it had been in the beginning, a four member group.
Final four lineup at the Take 5 Club, 1969
Nightclub Years, Breakup and Reunions
By the late 1960’s the teen hop scenario was starting to diminish. Getting jobs consistently was getting more difficult, so the group began considering the nightclub scene as a venue. However, getting into a good club was not that easy since most built their clientele by promoting one band. The group started playing on a semi-regular basis at a night club (more of a low end “fight club” actually) called the IWANA in Seminole, Oklahoma. Even though it could have been steady income this was not what the group wanted and they were tiring of the constant traveling and the setting up and taking down equipment every night. So in September, 1968 they accepted an offer to play every Thursday, Friday and Saturday as the house band at a relatively new club called the Take Five located on the N.E. corner of 10th & MacArthur in Oklahoma City, OK.
Although playing at the club was easy money, by the summer of 1969 it was becoming evident that the band was getting close to the end. Stan had gotten married and he and Ron were working full time jobs, plus they had been with the group since the beginning (8+ years) and playing was becoming more of a chore than the joy it used to be.
Oklahoma Historical Center exhibit featuring Centuries memorabiliaIn addition, Randy was married and working hard to get into medical school and Mark, who was just beginning his musical career, was eager to start his own group (he would eventually start a group called The Mark IV and then later one called Starflight). Thus, it was mutually agreed that the time had come to end the band. In August of 1969 they sold the Chrysler limousine that had served them so well over the years. So, on October 26, 1969, at the Take Five Club, The Centuries played their last job. In attendance were Ron Smith, Stan Stotts, Mark Schwartz, Randy Jenkins, Alan Rush, Irmon Gray, Bob Mills and Ron Petty. All participated at some time during The Centuries finale.
The next time they got together as a band was twenty-five years later for the KOMA Rock n’ Roll Reunion held at the State Fairgrounds, Made In Oklahoma building on August 13, 1994. Ron Smith, Stan Stotts, Mark Schwartz, Randy Jenkins, Bob Mills and Ron Petty participated plus they added a trumpet player and three female background singers, one of which was Ron Smith’s daughter. The last time they were together as a band was a year later for the KOMA Rock n’ Roll Reunion held June 10, 1995 at the State Fairgrounds arena as a benefit for the Murrah Building bombing victims. This was even more of a family affair since not only was Ron’s daughter a background singer, but so was Randy’s.
After leaving the Centuries, Alan, Irmon along with a very talented local musician named Randy Cullers (drummer) formed a group called “The AIR”. Eventually, Alan and Randy took the “big leap” and went to Nashville to pursue a truly professional music career.
Alan started working in the industry as a writer, studio/road musician and recording engineer and is still there today. Also, he, Randy and several other musician/songwriters formed a group (JUBAL) and released at least one album that I know of. Alan co-wrote “Till You Opened My Eyes” on John Denver’s Some Days Are Diamonds album released in 1981.
After the band days I started a semi-professional photography endeavor. My main niche, and the most fun, was taking promo photographs for local bands/performers. This all started when Mark Schwartz was displeased with the results he got of his group from local photo studios. They usually just lined the people up as if it was for a mug shot at the local police department. Since I came from a rock group I had good idea of what they were looking for.
The Oklahoma Historical Center started an exhibit in May, 2009, called “Another Hot Oklahoma Night”. I got involved with them early on and many of The Centuries artifacts got displayed. I think that makes us official museum relics. The photo from the exhibit shows our red jacket, a photo of when were a totally instrumental group and the Maestro Fuzz-Tone I used on “I’d Cry for You” and a few other songs.
Stan Stotts
Stan Stotts at the Take 5 Club, 1969Stan Stotts at the KOMA Rock n’ Roll Reunion, State Fair Grounds, OKC 1994.
Both photos are of the same player, guitar and amplifier 25 years apart.
The Warlocks photo on their NWI 45 sleeve, from front to back: Mark Lanfear (drums), Jerry Sloan, Jon Anderson, John Crew and Steve Messuri (with bass)
I had read about this 45 but hadn’t actually heard the songs until lead guitarist Jerry Sloan contacted me and sent transfers of the music and the great photo below. “You Keep Me Hanging On” is done in the style of Vanilla Fudge though not as heavy. “Banana Soul” turns out to be an adaption of “Watermelon Man”.
The picture sleeve consists of a printed card glued to a plain white 45 sleeve. Interesting that the sleeve has the band’s name as Warlocks while the 45 spells it Worlocks. The sleeve reads “Futura Enterprises, Inc. Caldwell, Idaho 82605.” Caldwell is 25 miles west of Boise.
The 45 was recorded at NWI (Northwestern Incorporated) studios in Portland, Oregon, which bands hired to record and press their records for them. The label number 2709 is close to that of the Gentlemen Wild 45 on NWI (#2694), which dates this to late 1967 or early 1968.
I guess NWI also handled publishing for original songs recorded by groups, as Neuchatel Music BMI is listed as publisher on “Banana Soul” just as it is on the Gentlemen Wild’s “You Gotta Leave”. However, neither song is currently registered in BMI’s database.
It wasn’t unusual for bands to leave Boise to record – William Penn and the Quakers traveled to the Bay Area, and the Mystics went to Sountronics in Lodi, CA to record their great 45 “I Get So Disgusted / “Weekend People” (released as by the Mystic on Frantic – hear it on the Up From the GraveCD from Frantic Records).
The Warlocks at the Soul Kitchen
John Crew was leader of the group, and had been in other bands prior to the Warlocks. The members of the group were:
John Crew – vocals Jerry Sloan – lead guitar/vocals Jon Anderson – keyboards/vocals Steve Messuri – bass Mark Lanfear – drums
Jerry added this information:
John Crew formed the Warlocks a year or so before I joined the group. I was playing with another group at the time, but saw an opportunity with the Warlocks that I thought had, if not potential for fame and fortune, at least fairly steady local work.
Recording a record was a goal of most local bands at that time, so we decided to give it a try. Portland was the closest city with a reputable recording studio, so we pooled our money and scheduled a recording session. “You Keep Me Hanging On” was a favorite of John Crew’s, so we decided on it for the lead song, and John Anderson had written the instrumental, “Banana Soul” for the flip side. We ordered a 1000 records, and probably sold half of them, and gave the other half away to friend and relatives. The record was played on local radio stations a few times, but never took off as we had hoped it would. I still have one copy framed on my den wall.
I am attaching a picture of Warlocks playing at the “Soul Kitchen” (formerly called the “Cinnamon Cinder”) in Caldwell, Idaho, our Saturday night gig for about three years. The band eventually broke up for various reasons, and some of the members played in other local groups…none achieving fame and fortune that I know of.
Some other groups playing in the Boise area during that time were the Crystal Ship and the Lee Curtis Group. I played in the Lump Sum, the New Critics and, later, Street Level. I quit playing in bands when Street Level broke up in 1978. There was one person that I used to jam with who did become quite well known for his music and song writing…Bill LaBounty, who played with Fat Chance out of Seattle.
If I may, I’d like to say that my son, Todd Sloan, picked up the music bug from me I suppose. He has made made a career in the Seattle and Boise area. His band is low-fi, check him out at myspace.com/lowfirocks. Todd writes all of the band’s material, and they are planning to record a new (independent) CD in January.
Jerry Sloan, December 2009
Thanks to Alle. for the scans of the record sleeve and labels, and for inspiring this article.
“Sorcerors of Sound”, BHR Productions in Boise Thank you to Rick Stedtnitz for the photo of the poster.
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
With Terry now in place as the band’s vocalist, “The Way You Fell” b/w “She Comes By Night” was recorded at Vancouver Recording Studio with their new drummer, Al Wiertz and released on London Records in April 1965. That single ended up being one of The Chessmen’s most successful records, peaking at #4 on the CFUN Top 50 in Vancouver.
The Clique came from Perth in the far west of Australia. Shortly after forming they won the western division of Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds competition in 1966. Though they didn’t win the national final at Festival Hall in Melbourne, they did secure a contract with the Go!! label, and a slot on television’s Go!! Show, notable as Perth bands were usually signed to the Clarion label.
The Orbits toured extensively and even performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966. That touring helps explain why this group from central Wisconsin listed El Monte, California on the labels of their second single on the Boss Sound label, a Cuca custom pressing.
