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!