Cardboard Bachs

Chances are that if you frequented "Le Scene" in the Fountain Square area of Indianapolis, around 1967, the Cardboard Bachs were your scene.

Maybe you remember this band painted van tooling around town.
Seems as perhaps something other than coffee and cigarettes may have been involved!

The Cardboard Bachs were one of many bands in the "Dino Enterprises" stable.

Rick Durrett - Seated at Harpsicord
Jack (Sean) Jones - Kneeling

Sadly, Sean passed way earlier this year. Blog friend Laura (Stout) Harmon opined that he was the best lead player in town.

Rick - here in the splendor that was the late 60's, went on to record with the Olivers, and joined Coven by 1968. He's still rockin' and played with many great bands since.

Thanks Rick for the great photos! And Laura for the great list of bands that I need to hunt down!

PJ and The Gentry - Beaver Records - Hammond

Totally unknown group, with little to go on, that's the challenge we love! "PJ" and The Gentry had a couple of 45's on the short-lived Beaver Records out of Hammond, Indiana.

The Wounded Camel
Sing and Dance

This 45 has writer credits of Hebel - Farag. It also states a "James B. Hebel production". Their other 45 has writer credit to H. Farag III.

Nice song production, it may be as early as 1962, but I am just going by the matrix designation - SS2538-01a. Anyone have any idea on the members of this group?

Randy Benjamin - Vincennes

Randy Benjamin is quite the enigma. From Vincennes, and Lincoln High School ('65), Randy managed to have his first 45 released with involvement of Mike Curb. Mike seemed to be golden on everything, except this time.

From Randy's website: "I was a songwriter and singer long before I became an author. I received my first guitar at the age of 4. It was bigger than I was! My first recording contract was with Mike Curb back in the early 60s in Hollywood, CA. I’ve also been an artist/writer for Mercury and Warner Brothers records. I had a top 40 record in Europe (Look At You Now) on Mercury in the late 60s. I owned a recording studio in Nashville, TN in the mid-70s."

The 45 is most probably recorded with Randy and session men.

Lovin' Man

Old Man

Randy also released a 45 on Mercury "Look at You Now", as far as I know it was released in early 1970.

I've tossed a few e*mails at Randy, but haven't heard anything. Look forward to filling in some blanks! Randy had to have a high school band...........

Kraftsmen - Parti Tyme 1965

The Kraftsmen (with an extended T, think BeaTles) were together from 1963 to 1966. Picked by Jerry Kunkle of the mighty WIBC powerhouse out of Indianapolis to go on a tri-state tour and open for the "Dick Clark Caravan of Stars".

Tommy Shields - Lead guitar - Lead vocals
Mike Shields - rhythm - vocals
Charlie Lashbrook - bass - vocals
Mike Mull - drums - lead vocals

Looking at the ads, I don't think Parti Tyme lasted more than a few weeks. A photo of the place would be great.......

Riddlers - LaPorte

The Riddlers:

Dan Malstrom - organ
Steve Kirkman - lead vocal / bass
Carl Roach - guitar
John Barkow - drums

From LaPorte, Indiana, the Riddlers. Other than Steve played with the band for awhile, I don't know much about them.

The ad is from December 1966.


Steve was a founding member of the Bare Facts, and thanks to him we now know the "Instant Happiness / There won't be a next time" 45 is from that band! Very cool!

Dimensions is new to me, but the Swingin' Stingrays are coming soon!

Thanks Steve for the photo!

Pillsberry Flower - Ft. Wayne

Let's get acquainted with the "Pillsberry Flower". Clever name from the band calling Ft. Wayne home. The members included:

Waldo Bickham - drums
Tom Gibson - lead guitar
Bill Bickham - keyboard/organ
Bruce (Boris) Sack - lead singer
Brad Long - Bass guitar

Vanilla Fudge, Hollies, Young Rascals, and the Bee Gees' filled out the boys favorite tunesmiths. I'd like to say that I've a 45 from the band, but I'm pretty darn sure that they never made it to the recording stage.

Hat's off to being there!

The Creepers - Terre Haute

The Creepers from Terre Haute!

Willard (Junior) Sollars Jr. - Lead Guitar / songwriter
Frank Hensley - singer / songwriter
William Wood - rhythm guitar
Johnny Ford - drums

The Creepers waxed two great songs on Rene' 502:

Jammin' Granny
Fried Potatoes

Written by Junior and Frank, the 45 has been so in demand that a reissue (unauthorized) is out there in Ebay-land. There is rumored to be two lp's worth of material in the vaults! Woo-Hoo!

I've been blessed with tons of info on the band, but in the interest of fair play, I'll point out some sites with band involvement, and I'm sure Justin will do a complete story on the Creepers. But for now, enjoy the tunes!

Creepers - Facebook
Creepers - MySpace
Creepers - Justin's Blog

Check 'em out and let them know they are remembered! Looking forward to the whole story Justin!

Thanks William for the pics and time on the telephone!

Olivers - last chapter - maybe......

The Olivers are always one of the most popular groups in the 60's Indiana Band Szene. And this installment must herald good news. Yes friends, it does! The legend of the "lost" album is now officially no longer a legend.

Not only has an acetate* of the album been found, it is in the hands of a historian / collector that hopefully will be able to release it in the near future.

I know, where is the music? If I put it all up here, who will buy the album? Here is a clip of what's in store:

Olivers - Kaleidoscope

For great info and interviews from Jay, Mike, and Rick, check out:

60's Garage Bands

Visit Mike's site and let him know that you support a release!

Last Chapter - how about a live tape? Roger that!

Sons of Sound - Bloomfield

Today's adventure starts again in Bloomfield, IN., home of Jim Bogans' TAGG (Teen a go-go) Productions. The Sons of Sound hailed from Terre Haute and may have been known as the Checkmates previously.

He's Gonna Ride
So Be It

The "Sons of Sound" played original material, which the one known 45 displays.

Band Members included:(corrected spellings -thanks John D)
Steve Peters - Drums
Bill Peters - bass
Steve Borgman - rhythm guitar
Doug Mason - keyboards
Charlie DiVincenzo - lead guitar

Steve and Bill went on and joined Goliath, a hard rock band that put out at least one LP in the early seventies "Hot Rocks and Thunder". The rest of the team, your guess is as good as mine!

Mother's Patroitic Apple Pie - Patriotic

Mother's Patriotic Apple Pie - although it is misspelled as Patroitic on the label. South Bend label, NorG , pronounced N - or - G (energy) no doubt.
I know what I can read on the labels, Dave Anderson and Steve Yeakey credited as being "the pie" and Eugene L. Anderson Jr. , the songwriter and publisher (E.L.A. music BMI). Not much to be sure.
The style screams '64 or early '65, but the zip code on the label almost assures '66 or later.

Wild Vacation
Soul Searching

Wild Vacation has definite surf vibe, but Soul Searching is, well, different.
Enjoy!

Six in the Morning - Elkhart

Presenting "Six in the Morning" from Elkhart , Indiana. This is one of the reasons I do this. Much information out there is just wrong! I know, I make plenty of mistakes myself. Look at the ad from August - 67, from DETROIT? No wonder I didn't think "Six In the Morning" had the Indiana pedigree.

Imagine my surprise when I received an e*mail from Bill Beaver:

"I was in this band from Elkhart that started as the Noble V in 1966 and became Six in the Morning after adding another member in 1967. We played throughout Indiana and the surrounding states until 1968 when we split up. Around central Indiana we played at Le Scene, Whiteland Barn, West Lake Beach Pavilion and The Jet Set Club. I’d like to see if anyone remembers Six in the Morning from Elkhart."

Members:

Jim Neher - Lead singer
Jim Anderson - Organ/Vocals
Bill Beaver - Bass/Vocals
Al Zavatsky - Rhythm guitar/organ/vocals
Gayle Davis - Lead guitar/vocals
Greg Huffman - drums/vocals

Also in the pic from Feb -68
Bob Ossyra -

The "photo" is from the local (Columbus, IN) paper. Many bands played at the Donner Park Center, literally less than a block from my house!

Phantom Five - South Bend

The Phantom Five left one 45 and no other evidence of the band exists. Said to have hailed from South Bend, even that is conjecture at this point. Even the writers credits espouse "Phantom Five", with no name to track down.

GRAVEYARD
COOL-IT!

Obviously a custom label and the numbering even defies sleuthing. Said to be from 1966, but the surf sound is dated by that time frame.
Any help here appreciated!!!

Oscar & the Majestics

Let's start July with a fuzzed-out bang! Presenting for your consideration, and with their contributions:

Oscar & the Majestics

Oscar Hamod - lead guitar - vocals
Bob Wheeler - rhythm guitar -vocals
Vince Jachim - drums
Sam Hamod - bass - vocals

Much like many bands, the members did change occasionally, but Oscar was the driving force, founder, writer of the original tunes, while Sam joined in '63, Bob joined in the late '60's, and that has been the nucleus of the band since.

The legend was that Oscar and Sam played with fretboard covers so the chords would remain secret. I'm ecstatic to say that, yes, it's true, as the photo shows Oscar's cover. Coupled with the explorer that he wielded, it must have been a sight to behold.

From Oscar & Sam:

"In the 1960's Oscar and his brother, Bud, formed the band "Oscar and the Majestics". Soon Oscar's other brother, Sam, joined the band. It wasn't long under Oscar's leadership that their hard rocking sound catapulted them from growing popularity in NW Indiana to the entire Midwest. Eventually Bob joined Oscar and Sam in the band. Uniquely these three original and core members still comprise "Oscar and the Majestics". Starting in the early 60's the band began to record Oscar's original material. Eventually Oscar also chose to put the hard rocking "OTM" driving rock style on a few songs such as "House of the Rising Sun" and "I Can't Explain". Even though their style has been called "garage rock" all the recordings were done at the famous and prestigious Chess Studios, RCA Universal Studios, and Sound Studios in Chicago. These original recordings are sought after and embraced throughout the world. Until now fans had to settle for searching for vintage recordings or purchasing compilation albums for OTM recordings. The good news is that Sundazed Music is releasing (July 26, 2011) an all "Oscar and the Majestics" authentic 60's recordings album (CD/vinyl) titled "No Chance Baby" and a two-sided 7" vinyl. The album and single include well known "Oscar and the Majestics" recordings and some never before released original recordings. Every one of the recordings is special to the band because they had to write, arrange, play, sing, record, and pay for it all in the 60's garage rock era. Here is a list and short description of each song included on the Sundazed Music "Oscar and the Majestics" album.

House of the Rising Sun (1966): Our hard rocking arrangement showcases and demonstrates why we are called one of the original early hard rockers of the 60's garage era. We were looking to the future (futuristic) so we used 1969.

My Girl is Waiting (1964): Oscar wrote this melodic song describing someone who is missing his loved one through no fault of his own. It could be a mistake or injustice that he is in prison or a soldier across the sea far from home.

No Chance Baby (1965): In this song Oscar describes in a relationship one partner may be done and finished. The other person realizes that in life there is "no chance" to get this loved one back. Also in life many times there is just "no chance baby" to get many things back. It is one of our favorite songs and recordings. It is the title of our album. (Vinylfool notes: One of my favorites!)

The other songs on the Oscar and the Majestics "No Chance Baby" album are:

Soul Finger (1966): A hard rocking blue-eyed soul arrangement with lyrics by Oscar. It stole the show on the 2131 album.

Got to Have Your Lovin (1966): This lover's lament is led by a fuzz guitar and hard rocking bass.

Baby Under My Skin (1965): This original is loaded with trash talking and singing lyrics.

I Can't Explain (1966): Our hard rocking version of a great 60's song.

Why-O/Jungle Beat (1964): Acappella singing and a drum beat lead the hands on conga line!

Jackie Jackie (1964): This early Oscar original is based on a true story of justice done.

Come On Willie (1964): A song about a fella who is dumped by his chick and is told "come back Willie"

Top Eliminator (1964): This is a hard rocking instrumental drag racing recording.

Dawn (1964): Oscar liked the chords changes and put them to his rock style guitar work.

Fanny Brown (1964): Oscar tells the story of a girl running all over town and now her boy friend is done with her.

I Feel Good (1965): Features the unforgettable sounds of Oscar's '58 Gibson Explorer guitar.

We would like to thank and recognize the entire Sundazed Music team for doing an outstanding job on the entire Oscar and the Majestics "No Chance Baby" album package. Also, we would like to thank our worldwide fan base for their support and tell them "this is just the beginning, Baby". Now we will let our music speak for itself."

"Oscar and the Majestics" played so many venues that there is not enough room here to list all of them. However they include many universities (Purdue, Indiana University, IUN, Valparaiso U., Northwestern, U. of Chicago, W. Michigan, etc), rocked the Marquette Park Pavilion for 10 yrs., many live concerts including a huge concert at the Hammond Civic Center with Chuck Berry and a Tivoli theater concert with the "Cyrkle", Valparaiso armory following Kiss's attempt to set it on fire, the huge Purdue U. armory, gigs with WLS disc jockeys, Madura's Danceland, Embassy Ballroom, Wells St. (Chicago), Marina Towers (Chicago), major hotels (including the Radison Star hotel), major churches and temples in the mid west, Lake Michigan cruises, etc. While playing in Milwaukee pro-wrestlers "Dick the Bruiser" and "The Crusher" became our fans."

I'm pumped, pre-ordered the vinyl, and I'm waiting for the comments!

Also check out Oscar & the Majestics website, and get the album!

Dignified Five - Columbus - 1967

The Dignified Five, a group of Central Junior High School students in 1967.

Keith Guthrie - guitar
David Lanham - guitar
Chris Carlson - drums
Jerry Milan - bass
Terry Sullivan - organ

How cool would it be to be on cable TV in 1967. I don't think I knew what cable TV was in 1967!

If you know these kids, tell them to check in and let us know what the szene was like! We always want to know who went on and stayed in the music business, and if there are any recordings out there in the wild. What other bands did happen, or was it one time and out.

Westlake Beach Club Reunion - June 4, 2011

Saturday marks the 5th annual
"Westlake Beach Club Reunion".

Meet and reminisce with many others who frequented the WBC in the day. The featured bands are the "Time Bandits" and the"Vlasics", both firmly rooted in Indiana 60's.

Many great bands played for the kids (and older kids), such as the Stingrays and Sir Winston and the Commons.

What do you remember? Help me shake the cobwebs off my brain!

WIFE - Lucky 1300 - Indianapolis - Radio

To a central Indiana kid in the 60's, nothing was mightier than WIFE. They had it all, great DJ's, music, contests, and a signal we could get 40 miles away! AM at it's finest.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA!

This "jingle" mentions a few of the highlights of Indianapolis circa 1963:
Clowes Hall, Garfield Park, James Whitcomb Riley, and of course the Indianapolis 500!

I recall DJ's: Lee Masters, Bruce Hunter, Jay Reynolds, and of course the legendary "Reb Porter".

What do you remember?

Oscar & the Majestics - Brad Long - July 2011

News Flash!!!!!! Coming in July 2011, for your consideration:

Oscar & the Majestics - 14 cuts via Sundazed records.

Oscar and the boys cuts some of the most blistering tunes that Indiana has ever witnessed. Expect a nice feature on them on here after the release July 26th!


Brad Long isn't exactly a '60s band legend, but he is a legend among 60's band collectors. Brad composed, and recorded this 1977 release that has it's roots squarely in the 60's that he witnessed growing up. Try finding one for less than $100. Can't be done, until now. Available in July from Sing-Sing records. Brad is a fellow collector, historian, musician, and friend of the blog!

Both of these are a real discount from finding the 45's, trust me. You won't be disappointed!

Ballad of Jimmy Bryan - Harry Weger - Indianapolis 500

It's May in Indiana, and all thoughts turn to the Indy 500. Quite a few records have memorialized the race and drivers, so why not have a go here.

Harry Weger had quite a country music career, record producer, and music store owner. He passed away in 2007 at 80 years.

Ballad of Jimmy Bryan
Back Home Again in Indiana

Harry had become close to quite a few drivers and recorded and released this tribute to Jimmy Bryan, 1958 winner who lost his life in a 1960 accident at Langhorn Speedway (Pennsylvania)

Released in 1961 - 4:22 was very long for contemporary 45's. Back Home Again In Indiana needs no introduction for any Hoosier. Wonderful arraignment on this.

Harry Weger also released a 45 on Adair, which was Bryant Wilson's label for his bluegrass output. (Only Adair 45 that I still need - hint hint). Read Harry Weger's obituary here.

the Children - Ft. Wayne 1967

The Children is born of the "Miles Bluffton Blues Band" with one member change. The group spanned 20 years, quite a run.

Gary Sauers - drums
Mike Madrid - bass
Kevin Walsh - rhythm guitar
Cliff Webb - Lead guitar

From Gary:

The Band just is us at age 18 and 19. We were ALL living in a big house in Fort Wayne together. Shared the rent and played in the living room for a practice place. We did gigs and parties in the city and began playing in night clubs. This night club thing was supposed to be a very short thing to get up some money only. We never wanted top play any top Forty stuff. Well, 20 years went by and we were still doing clubs and bars around the city and from time to time out of town. Again, Lots of people knew us, but we never did anything big time.

Special thanks to Gary & Mike for the photo and info!

Surf Suns - New Haven - Ft. Wayne area

The Surf Suns formed in 1966, a joining of two bands.

From left:
Denny McComb
Mike Kelly
Tony Lello
Phil Himelstein
Jason Liechty

The Surf Suns open for the Lovin' Spoonful and the Association at the Coliseum. Very cool.
In an interview circa 1967, the Surf Suns confided that their ultimate goals were making a record and purchasing a bus to go on a cross-country tour.

I can confirm they made the record!

Still In Love with You Baby
I Can't Stop It Now

I Can't Stop it Now is an original penned by McComb / Kelly.
The flip is a Beau Brummels tune. Maybe you remember the "beau brummelstones" on the Flintstones........maybe not.

Just some record geek musings:

Every copy I have ever seen has the labels reversed. BEN records could possibly be "Billy E. Nix" records, since Nix had a high output on the label.

Teen Tones - Mike Ryan

Once upon a long time ago there is the "Teen Tones" with Mike Ryan. Mike hailed from South Bend (translation to non-hoosier - way up north) and the band kept pretty busy before college called.

Mike Ryan - Sax -lead vocal
Tom Hemminger -guitar
Ken Kidder - electric piano /key bass
Lew Kimbal - drums
Roger Lackey - guitar

The Teen-Tones recorded three 45's, with the first in 1963.

Premier IV - 368 (1963)
Long Cold Winter Ahead
Hurtin' and Cryin'

T and T Records (1964)
Do You Want to Dance?
Long Cold Winter Ahead (different version)

Don and Mira (1964)
Poison Ivy
Fortune Teller

Mike went on to the Other Five, Decembers Children, Walking Catfish and Poppa Jazz. Currently with the Souled Out Band (r.i.p. Russell) out of Indianapolis.

Band pics courtesy of Mike Ryan!

Swingin' Surfers - The Questions - Nov. 66

This tiny little ad in the "Indianapolis Star" November '66.
This much is known about the "Swingin' Surfers":

All hailed from Warren Central High School
Danny McMullin - Bass
Roger Carr - Guitar / vocals
Patrick Rafferty - Drums
Steve Griggs - Lead guitar
Jeff Mills - rhythm guitar

Mills and McMullin also played in the "Joys of Life".

This much about "The Questions":
Zip - nothing, can we fix that?

WFYI - Indy in the '60s!

Short notice 60's Indiana Band Szene Team.

Tonight - 8:00PM - WFYI (local indy PBS station) will have a two hour retrospective on the Indy scene. The TV schedule says "indy 500" but that seems to be a typo.

Wayne Wilson (drummer - sounds unlimited, owner of Dino Enterprises) called and said they filmed at his place for several hours as he talked about the Sounds Unlimited, Boys Next Door, Idle Few, Sir Winston and more.....

Should be interesting!

Hitch Hikers - Portage

Bill, from St. Paul, MN, sends a suggestion for the Hitch-Hikers from Portage, Indiana! "Great idea" I exclaim!

The Hitch-Hikers had several 45's (I'm not sure how many) and released an LP (that I don't have, yet).

HH1:
Beaver Shot
Fool

HH2:
Stay Away
Five To One

I know nothing about the band with such a great output. The writer credits are simply:

Healey - Cole
Garrison - Rubino
Healey - Boese

Just not much to go on. There are a couple of other 45's, namely:

Thank you for your love (HH7)
Somf (HH8)

This could be just one 45 and a strange numbering. I need help here!

Thanks for the inspiration Bill. I have to share his "insight", it's priceless!

"Maybe you folks have heard of them. The rude & crude "Beaver Shot" was written by Healey and Boese. The sensitive/teen whiner ballad flip, "Fool" is credited just to Healey. I especially like the rude lyrics/double entendre sub-category of garage 45s for no other reason than you can speculate how it went when they got home. The Hitchhikers probably hit up everyone (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa) in their respective families to press the record up. The boys spend the $4-500 on a disc that has zero chance of radio play and then they still have to go home and play it for their families. A most of the Moms no doubt hit the roof, the Grandmas were disgusted. The Dads and Grandpas probably had a laff over it, at least Gramps did."

I can't say I disagree with that assessment!

Jersey Chains - Ft. Wayne 1966 - 67

The Jersey Chains hail from Ft. Wayne.
From Wil (Bill Babcock):
"The original band members.
Left /right:
Dale Newman - Rhythm,
Bill Blosser - Bass,
Mike Hanson - Drums and lead Vocal,
Bill Babcock - Lead Guitar.
That was my 57' Olds we are standing in front of. When we originally got the name, we wore football jerseys and chains for belts. We played all over the Fort Wayne and surrounding area. We played several times at Tri-lakes, just north of Columbia City, IN. Had a ball doing it but we worked our butts off. The pic has to be circa 1966."

A later (March 1967) photo from the Ft. Wayne Gazette show a few new band members, and announcements that they had dates scheduled for San Diego, Houston, Des Moines, and more.

Pictured (I know the photo is horrible, but at least I have it):
Mike Chenoweth - organ
Dale Richhart - rhythm guitar
Steve Muldoon - bass
Dale Newman - lead guitar
Mike Hanson - drums

Let's give the boys a hand for doing it, and thanks to Wil for the great pic!

Chessmen - Ft. Wayne

John Finchum, drummer of the Chessmen, tells the tale of the band.
"Me and Steve Griebel , started the group in "62". We added Steve's friend Phil Motley, then Chuck Weick, and played as a 4 piece almost 2 years before adding Kevin Evans on keyboards. Kevin didn't know how to play keys but learned fast. Steve and I did 99% of the lead singing. The last couple of years together I stood up playing drums and play standing up full time today. I got it from the drummer for the McCoys (Hang on Sloopy). In 66, the draft took 3 of the guys, so there was a couple of member changes. Mike Geise on bass and Al Crow on rhythm. Mike and I went on to form Faith then on to The Peace and Love, Snake and the
Armpits 50's floor show which took us all over the country in the 70's. In '66 when the Chessmen were going really good, I got a call from Phalanx. I really don't know if one of the other Ft.Wayne bands gave them our name or if the record company happened to notice all the bands that were available to solicit to ,but we jumped at the chance of being "recording stars"! We pretty much had to promote them ourselves, but we did get an interview on WGL with Al Russell one night.
We wrote both songs on the record. A little side note about "You can't catch me"..... The original words in one line in the song was "You chase MY ASS all over town". They insisted we change it to you chase me "round" all over town,because they said the radio station wouldn't play it. My how times have changed!!!!!!!!!!

We pretty much stuck to cover songs from the top forty for awhile. Our first year was pretty much instrumental songs,though, like from the Ventures, Astronauts, Pyramids, Sandy Nelson and others. Then THE BEATLES CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!! We along with so any other bands, felt the enormous influence that is still a part of my music today. The whole British Invasion back then influenced so many bands way of playing and also their way of dressing and their lists of songs. The invasion was kind of like Woodstock was later.There will never be another one like it! When the stones came in shortly after the question came up that to this day is asked of people when talking about the British bands. "You like the Beatles or Stones better? Well for the rest of the band they were pretty much Beatles fans. I myself liked the "bad boy, rebellious image the Stones had. I tended to dress more like them when I could. (Got me sent to the Deans office in South Side a couple of times too! Ha Ha) We did songs from both. Although they both influenced and continue to influence my music, one band that influenced my showmanship very much was Paul Revere and the Raiders! When I first saw them on Dick Clark's "Where the action is" I said to myself "that's what I want to do! I want to play my music and move around and act crazy while I'm doing it. That's another reason why I continue to play drums standing up,to this day.It helped me alot in showmanship when I got into the Peace and Love Band. Tom O'Brian can attest to that.

As far as our worst gig, we were so new and so into playing back then just about all of our gigs were good, but one that we kind of dreaded, although kept playing it, was at a place called Covington Downs, a few miles out of Fort Wayne on Covington Rd. For one thing, it was a big hall, so it was our first experience with an echo sound and how it can really screw up your sound. Then there was the fact that we played only on Sunday nights, and with all of us having school the next day, we were would be draggin' in school. Also for that same reason, we never had more than 8 or 10 people show up. We made very little money and just didn't have too good of time, but we kept playing it, even against our parents wishes. We alternated Sundays with a group called The Ravens. The cool thing I remember about that great bunch of guys was every Beatle song they did, they sounded like them so much it was awesome!

One of my favorite "gigs" if you can call it that,was when we were on Channel 21 on a show called "21 A-GO-GO", a local show that promoted the local bands. We taped the show on a Weds. night and got to sit home with our friends and relatives and watch it on the following Saturday afternoon. What a thrill! After we taped it on Wednesday we were able to go into another room and watch it right away. My first experience with video tape. I thought that was amazing! We played 3 songs on that show. "The Climb" by the Kingsmen, "Money",by the Kingsmen,and "Get off of my cloud" by The Stones. I developed an enormous crush on one of the dancers
on that show named Sue. Oh well that's another story,ha ha. I sure wish I could get a copy of that video tape but I doubt if channel 21 has a video archive of something as minor as that that far back. If you ever find out let me know. (Don't worry, I will!!! - Tim)

As far as Peace and Love and our alter ego "Snake an The Armpits", we put out 2 records. Nothing that was ever put on the charts though. We we simply a show lounge act with a lot of comedy that did Top 40 dance sets too. Our main moneymaker was the Snake and the Armpits floor show act. It was like Sha Na Na with twice the comedy and energy.We were together from 1970 to 1977. Played the "Cats Meow" to a packed house standing room only crowd many times. Our very last gig together was New Years Eve at Eli's in Fort Wayne when it was out in industrial park. Undoubtedly and to this day the best group I have ever been in."

Many thanks to John for taking the time to "fill in the blanks"

And now some music!

You Can't Catch Me

Mr. X


Stay tuned for the next round of 60's Indiana Band Szene. Keep the comments coming, the bands will know you care!