Combos of Nashville 50's & 60's

GROOVY SIXTIES

In the sixties bands were forming on every cul-de-sac and would soon bring the latest rock & roll music to every high school, teen center, ballroom, VFW, and nightclub in the country. The music they produced was Garage rock, a raw form of rock and roll that enjoyed its original period of wide success in the United States from 1963 to 1967. Garage bands that crept into the national charts included: The Kingsmen (Portland), Paul Revere and the Raiders (Portland) and The Gentrys (Memphis).

"Garage rock" comes from the perception that many such performers were young and often rehearsed in a family garage. Bands were mostly made up of middle-class teenagers from the suburbs. Garage rock peaked both commercially and artistically in 1966 and generally disappearing entirely by 1970.

1960's Nashville Combos included:
Allman Joys, The Exotics, The Nobles,
Ronny and the Daytonas, Deltas, Prophets, The Chessmen,
Lemonade Charade, King James and the Sceptres,
Johnny Jones & The King Casuals,
Gremlins, Continentals, Kapers, Crystals, Jaguars,
Remicks, Spinners, Barons, Jesters, The Citations,
The DeVilles, The Squires, The Chaparelles,
Sam Robinson and the Nashville Shadows,
The Ministers of Sound, Jerry and the Buccaneers,
The Loved Ones, The Marshmallow Mood,
Epidemics, Spidells, Fairlanes, Canned Soul,
Johnny Jones and the King Casuals,
Anglo Saxons, Alex Harvey Band,
Kenny and the Confidentials,
Silhouettes, Glass Hammer w/ Joe Meador,
Charlie McCoy and the Escorts, Steve Davis Group,
The Whole Damn Family, Counts of Nowhere,
Ugly Forest, Cavaliers, Taxmen, Feminine Complex,
We the People and hundreds more.

Typical equipment setup for the sixties.

Photo submitted by Jonathan Marx
Feminine Complex performing on NBC's Showcase Program in 1968
To order a compilation CD of tunes by the Feminine Complex visit Teen Beat Records
The girls formed the band in 1966 at Maplewood High in the 10th grade
and played all over Middle Tennessee.

For more information on Nashville's
rock origins read the Jonathan Marx
article in the 11/95 Nashville Scene


RONNY AND THE DAYTONAS John (aka Ronny) Wilkin, vocalist, songwriter, guitarist John "Bucky" Wilkin was the "brains" behind Ronny & the Daytonas; the group was comprised of mainly Bucky, but with input from Bergen White, who went on to become an extremely sought after arranger in Nashville; Buzz Cason, who filled in for Jerry Naylor as a Cricket, as well as having a hit under the name Garry Miles on "Look For a Star," and finally Bobby Russell, who composed hits such as "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (Gary Lewis & the Playboys), "Popsicle" (Jan & Dean), "The Joker Went Wild" (Brian Hyland), "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" (Vicki Lawrence --his former wife), "Honey" (Bobby Goldsboro) and "Little Green Apples" (O.C. Smith).	Lynn Williams, Drummer Don Henderson, Bass Lee Kraft, co-songwriter John (aka Ronny) Wilkin, Guitar Lee Kraft and John Wilkin met and became best friends as classmates at Hillsboro High School, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1960. Their big hit was "Little GTO". Ronny and the Daytonas Website

THE REMICKS The picture from left to right: Gary Jones (drums), Tommy Curtis (bass), Joe Becker (sax), Buzzy Orange (guitar), and Rick Durrett (keyboards). Photo taken by James J. Krisgman in NYC while they were there playing at the Peppermint Lounge.	Their biggest hits was "This Little Girl of Mine" and "Night Train 65." These were both recorded in 1965. They played all over the east coast and did the old "package" shows with The Swinging Medalians, Rufus Thomas, Joey D and the Starlighters, Arthur Alexander, Ronnie Dove, and others. Their manager was the WMAK disc jockey, Frank Jolley and later Rhea Rippey. Gary is living in Nashville and is Senior V.P. of Essilor, Tommy is married and living in Florida, Joe Becker died around 1969 in an automobile accident, Buzzy is living in Nashville and is owner of Nashville Artist Management Exclusive (N.A.M.E.), and Rick Durrett is living in Nashville and is a producer. Manager, Rhea Rippey is also still living in Nashville and is an artist. Buzzy, Gary, and Rick continued the band after Tommy and Joe left. They were replaced by bass player, Ken Thompson. Ken is now living in San Antonio, TX and is an artist there. This group of four Remicks stayed together until 1967 when Buzzy was drafted. They are all still very close friends and still get together occasionally to jam. Submitted by Buzzy Orange

CHARLIE McCOY and the ESCORTS Charlie McCoy, Vocals, Bass & Brass Wayne Moss, Guitar Kenny Buttrey, Drums John Sturdivant, Baritone Sax Bill Aikins, Piano & Trumpet Wayne Butler, Trombone and later Mac Gayden, Guitar The Escorts were the busiest band in Nashville during the 60's. They played gigs in Printer's Alley, and for a while, around 1962, they even operated their own teen club, The Sack, next to East High School on Gallatin Road. They played all the high schools and Teen Clubs and were in great demand. They were truly a show band with great licks. Charlie McCoy would play multiple instruments at the same time and the band was as tight as it gets. Members went on to be sought after studio musicians. Charlie McCoy recorded 28 albums in the last 32 years, many albums featuring his harmonica. Guitarist Wayne Moss founded Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry in the early 70's. He currently operates Cinderella Studio in Madison, TN.	Pictured above Front row: left to right John Sturdivant, Baritone Sax Bill Aikins, Trumpet Jimmy Miller, Tenor Sax Back Row left to right Kenny Buttrey, Drums Charlie McCoy, Harmonica, Trumpet & Bass Wayne Moss, Guitar Other members included: Mac Gayden & Quitman Dennis
Charlie McCoy 16 years old with his Gibson Les Paul (Fretless Wonder) Recorded for Cadence Records Had his first hit, Cherry Berry Wine (Rock)	Please visit the: Barefoot Jerry Website Charlie McCoy Website

THE ORIGINAL FAIRLANES There were actually TWO bands called the Fairlanes. Tommy Allbert's band - and Danny Boone's band. They peacefully co-existed during the timeframe 1964 to 1968. I was in Dan Boone's group, playing bass. Our line up in 1966-1967 was; Danny Boone, guitar; Jim Tate, drums; Lehman Keith, bass; Jack Jackson, tenor sax; Tommy Smith, trumpet; Gene Golden, organ and lead vocals. Prior to Gene, lead singer was Robert Knight, who left the band after his regional hit written by Buzz Cason, "Everlasting Love" (later a hit by Carl Carlton and then once again a bit hit by Bono and U2). Submitted by Lee Keith	Left to right: Jimmy Miller, Tenor Sax Tommy Allbert, Vocalist Randy Allen, Drums Larry Taylor, Guitar Jimmy Mullins, Bass

THE DELTAS	The Deltas, a combo formed out of Gallatin, Tennessee in the early sixties. Dick Kent from WLAC in the 70's was a great fan of the Deltas and they played a lot of schools out parties for him. Members included: Wayne Wright, guitar, Don Lee, guitar, Larry Leath, bass and Bobby Dorris drums.
	The 'RCA" shot is mid sixties with original and founding members Don and Larry, now having added Gene Large, drums, and kneeling Dan Wilson, keys and trumpet.
The five member lake shot shows the late sixties lineup and most successful era of the band, along with Larry, Don, Gene, the band now featured Milton Blackford on rhythm guitar, and Jim Vantrease, fresh from Vietnam, as keyboardist. This version of the band recorded for Warner bros, United Artists, as well as backing up top performers on the day, Gene Hughes, Dobie Gray, and Larry Gatlin. They were a top rated country club act, with superior musicianship as well as top notch vocals. Larry's four 1/2 octave vocal's (without falsetto) were the signature sound.

	GLASS HAMMER in 1972, with the release of their single, Never Gonna Hide, Warner bros changed the name Deltas to the "GLASS HAMMER"...not to be confused with a 90's progressive Chattanooga group by the same name. In '74 and 75, they traveled with Frankie Valli as his opening act all over the east coast and Midwest, playing their hometown at the new Opry House in 1975. The Glass Hammer pic is the official Warner bros publicity shot from 1973.

THE SQUIRES The picture from left to right: Johnny McDonald, Bass (whereabouts unknown) Eddie Bayers Drums (Nashville Session Drummer) Larry Apple, Tenor Sax (Jack Daniels Distillery) Gene Golden, Keyboards and Vocals (has a recording studio in Old Hickory and a new CD available on-line) Doug Yoder, Trumpet (lives in Georgia) George Benham, Guitar (has an insurance agency in Nashville) The picture above was taken on the stage at the Lion's Club in Donelson. (Don's Den and Pirates Cove) Their stage clothes were from the famous "Mr. Dee's and also York Men's Shoppe in the Arcade.	Submitted by Gene Golden
There was an earlier version of the Squires that featured Bobby Brinkley on Vocals, Bucky Harris on Guitar, Ronnie Crawford on Bass, Steve Furman on Drums and Gene Golden on Piano. That group recorded "Would it Matter" on the Squire Record Label which belonged to DJ Lee Dorman. He produced the record which had limited success on the R&B charts. The picture to the right features the Squires Showband, 1969, at a Valentine's Dance. Front, L-R: Dale Apple, Doug Yoder, Larry Apple Rear, L-R: Jerry McEwen, R.E. Hardaway, Johnny McDonald

THE CHESSMEN One day they were sitting around jamming, trying to come up with a name for the group. On the TV happened to be a chess game going on between Russia and the US. And there is where the Chessmen were born. The Chessmen have been entertaining audiences since 1964 when they started as a R&B Band. In 1967, The Chessmen released a top 40 single, �How Sweet It Is.� Some controversy arose when Jackie Gleason called Woodland Studios and complained that he had the phrase �How Sweet It Is� under copy write. So the name of the single had to be changed to �How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)� By Tommy and The Chessmen. This single, recorded at Woodland Studios on the ABET label, charted in Billboard Magazine was number one in Chicago for ten weeks. The strength of this record helped popularize the band throughout the Southeastern United States. During those years, the Chessmen performed for many of the local clubs�Don�s Den, the Briar Patch, Teen Town, the Dog House, and Tiger A Go-Go. They hit the college scene at Vanderbilt, UT, Sewanee and of course, Fun Night at MTSU. They did out of town gigs also at places like the Cellar in Shelbyville and hit the Military circuit at the NCO Club, Officer�s Club and Stewart Air Force Base. Those of you who frequented The Starlight Dinner Club on Dickerson Road in the 70�s may remember The Chessmen because they played there every Sunday night for six years. They backed such big names as The Platters and Brenda Lee.	Original members pictured from bottom to top: Tommy VanAtta- Lead singer, keyboard David Adams- Lead guitar Michael Catalano- Saxophone Joe Veach- Bass Guitar Wayne Veach- Drums Bill Vernon- Alto Saxophone Tommy VanAtta is the only original member still with The Chessmen. He�s kept The Chessmen rockin� for 43 years and plays every weekend throughout the Southeast. You can visit their website at www.chessmenband.com

THE JADES COMBO Alan Gregory and Jan Carroll singing in the Jades Combo at one of the "Spy Dances". The picture was taken in '68	The Jades Combo taken at Overton High School in '69....Alan Gregory was lead singer, Sonny Johnson...bass, Keith Gregory...guitar, Steve Furman...drums, "Mac" McCracklin...sax, Bobby "packie rat" Stamps...organ!

CITATIONS COMBO Alan Gregory..singer, Lawson Keith..bass, Charlie McMahon...guitar, Lee Secrest...guitar, Don Johnson...drums. This picture was taken at a Vanderbilt "frat" party in 1962.

LEMONADE CHARADE Original Charades Left to Right Allen Tanksley (Keyboards, Vocals) Owsley Manier (Guitar & Bass) Drew Nixon (Drums & Vocals) Jerry Smith (Guitar) Peyton Hoge (Vocals) They were managed by One Eyed Jacks (H. Jackson Brown) and later by Tony Moon). Their biggest hit was San Bernadino (written by Bill Davidson.) They were signed to Epic Records, with their first single being "Yellow Brick Road". Submitted by Peyton Hoge	They did shows with the Allman Joys. Later with Hermans's Hermits, The Buckinghams, The Beau Brummels, Sam the Sham, The Swingin' Medallions, The Gentrys and The Kingsmen. Top row, Jerry Smith, Peyton Hoge Middle, Jim Ragland, Owsley Manier Bottom, Allen Tanksley, Drew Nixon

THE EXOTICS From left to right: Bill Adair: guitar-vocals Glenn Crowell: bass-lead vocals Loy Hardcastle: drums-vocals Jeff Cook: keyboards-vocals The Exotics remember playing on tennis courts, patios, driveways, Uptight club in Goodlettsville, Willow Plunge in Franklin, gymnasiums all over, country clubs, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas and several summers in Daytona Beach and the "Safari" Motel. There they swapped sets with the Allman Joys. They also were the back up band for the "Spidells." They were one of the first "Soul" music groups in Nashville. Submitted by Loy Hardcastle Drummer for the Exotics and the Fairlanes Submitted by Glenn Crowell, Bass & Vocals	They all live within 20 miles of Nashville. Glenn, the bass player and lead singer, retired from the Post Office in Franklin last year after working there 32 years. Billy, the guitar player, has his own music production company called ABS productions. Loy, the drummer, sell real estate. Jeff, the organ and sax player, works in sales. All of the Exotics are still active in music and still play together today.


KING JAMES AND THE SCEPTRES King James and the Sceptres regularly played at fraternity and sorority parties at Vanderbilt and other college campuses. Often they played for proms and prom breakfasts. They performed at a lot of private parties, at NCO clubs at military installations, played at many clubs in and around Nashville, and promotional events for various radio stations such as WMAK and WVOL. They were an extremely popular R & B band in Nashville during the late sixties.	The members are all still in Nashville. Nick Nixon, "King James" and the lead singer, has recorded several albums and has had a stellar career in music. He has a website jamesnicknixon.com and is playing every Tuesday night 8p-11pm at The Gibson Showcase in Opry Mills, "The Nick Nixon Blues Jam". Jim Deal, the bass player and singer, co-owned C & M Sound Studio on 18th Ave for a number of years, worked as an engineer at the old Woodland Studio, made guitars for Gibson, and owned a television repair service before his death in 1986. Larry Seeman, the guitar player, is a Psychologist and the Board President of The Nashville Jazz Workshop. Their website is nashvillejazz.org Bob Forrester, the drummer, is a Mathematics Professor at Vol State in Gallatin. Conner Walker, the organ player, was an electrical engineer for the federal government in Washington D.C. for many years, but is back in Nashville. Submitted by Bonnie Deal

JOHNNY JONES AND THE KING CASUALS Johnny Jones moved to Nashville from Chicago in the early 60�s. There he worked as a studio guitarist and formed the band the Imperial Seven and worked regularly at the renowned New Era club . The King Casuals were formed in Nashville in the early 60�s. Early members included Jimi Hendrix on guitar and Billy Cox on bass. IJohnny Jones joined the group in 1968 on guitar and vocals, but there are references to Jones and Hendrix having played together (as the house band on Night Train).	Early King Casuals with Jimi Hendrix on left In 1968 Brunswick Records signed the King Casuals (now billed as Johnny Jones & the King Casuals). They would record a series of three 45�s for the label between the end of 1968 and the middle of 1969.

NASHVILLE SHADOWS In 1964, Larry Rice, Mike Kelly, Ed Waller, and Baily �Bear� Gibson, all Glencliff High School friends, decided to start their own band. A Central High School guy named Sam Robinson joined the band and things picked up immediately. Dan Hoffman, �D J Dan� of WKDA radio, became the group�s manager in 1966 and changed the name to the �Nashville Shadows� to distinguish them from the other successful Nashville band named �The Shadows�. The �Nashville Shadows� with the additions of Larry Bell, and Dennis Carney, went on to play Vanderbilt fraternity and sorority parties, high school dances, and concerts with acts such as The Lovin� Spoonful, The Turtles, Lou Christie, The Circle, and B. J. Thomas for the next three years. Submitted by Larry Rice, larjanrice@netzero.com MORE PICTURES HERE

ANGLO SAXONS The group performed in the late sixties at the Briar Patch, the Hullabaloo Club and all the high school and college parties. They had a strong R&B foundation, but were heavily influenced by the British Invasion sound. They were managed by WKDA DJ Dan Hoffman and released the song Ruby on Lucky Eleven Records. The song was on it's way to becoming a hit when Kenny Rogers released his version. 1967: Drums Rob McLemore, bass guitar Jerry Williams, lead guitar Jimmy Shields, organ Freddie Birdwell and singer Bobby Neighbors

WE THE PEOPLE PERSONNELL: RANDY BOYTE - organ, piano A B C D E (1966-1970) DAVID DUFF - bass A B C D E (1966-1970) WAYNE PROCTOR - lead guitar A B TOMMY TALTON - guitar A B C (1966-1968) TOM WYNN - drums A (1966) LEE FERGUSON - drums A B (1966-1967) TERRY COX - drums C D E (1967-1970) CARL CHAMBERS - guitar D (1968-1969) SKIP SKINNER - guitar E (1969-1970) We the People might be considered the ultimate in '60s garage rock. Only a few locals still remember them today, but for the kids who heard 'em on WKDA, or who caught one of their live appearances, they were something different, all right. "They were the first longhaired group ever to come into the city," Tony Moon remembers. "Nashville, being as conservative, and as country, as it was, the rockers here all looked pre-Beatles--they all looked like they came out of '59 back in '65." "Other bands were good," he remembers, "but they didn't have the writing capabilities of We the People. The group had two really strong writers who wrote different types of stuff--it had this kaleidoscope of texture." Moon set up the group's first recording date not in Nashville, but in a cramped Tampa studio. The results were emblematic of the group's split personality: Guitarist Tommy Talton's "Mirror of Your Mind" was an explosive, leering come-on fueled by sizzling guitars and Moon's harmonica riffs. Proctor penned the other song, "(You Are) the Color of Love," an aching, sumptuous ballad that hinted tastefully at the dreamy psychedelia that was coming into vogue. Although the group handled most of the instrumental chores on their recordings, Moon called on some of the city's skilled pros to fill in a few holes at recording sessions. Upon encountering the likes of multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy, Proctor was awestruck: "I remember listening to them play music, thinking there has to be some kind of mechanical device for them to play so good. I couldn't imagine anyone being that good." We the People played dances, or combos, as they were called back then: "They just mesmerized these kids," Moon remembers. "Teenagers in Nashville just never saw anything like this. They'd heard about it, they'd seen The Beatles on Ed Sullivan," but it wasn't till We the People came to town that local kids saw this new breed of rock 'n' roll in the flesh. At one gig in a shopping-center parking lot, Proctor remembers, hordes of people turned out. "It was the first time that we had girls in front of us, trying to reach out and touch us. We were totally shocked. To them, we could have been from England."	We the People 1966 Such was the lot of a band who'd arrived in a town that was a few years behind the rest of the country. Mostly, the boys hung out around the pool at their Murfreesboro Road hotel, watching the traffic go by and waiting for the sun to come up. Even if We the People never quite made it, Proctor looks back fondly, if a little blithely, on his time in the group. "We were teenagers, somebody was paying for it, we didn't care." In the end, their story is like that of any other group: They came, they rocked, they broke up. But while they were rocking, hanging out at RCA studios and the Alamo Plaza Hotel, they showed Nashville just how exciting rock 'n' roll could be. ALBUMS: Available at Amazon.com DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (Collectables COL-CD-0532) 1993 MIRROR OF OUR MINDS (Sundazed SC 11056) 1998 a double CD retrospective, from the master tapes, with no less than forty tracks

THE SPINNERS The band members are (from left to right): Rick Loudermilk, bass Pat McGee, Drums Tom McGee, rhythm guitar & lead vocals Jim Craig, lead guitar & lead vocals Leighton �Bubba� Cammuse, tenor sax. The band gigged pretty heavy from 1965 until late 1968. They played the typical circuit of Vandy frats, the Towers, the Dog House, Don�s Den, Pirates Cove, Ryan Teen Town, and the occasional auto show, club, or private party. The band was devoted to playing R & B but caved in later and added some of the more gutsy English Invasion stuff. You know, Animals, Zombies and the like. In 1967 they added a great lead singer in the form of Vandy student John Hall and a really ass-kicking B3 player also from Vandy named Rich Weinstein. He could do anything with the B3 except haul it! Submitted by Pat McGee	This photo of the band was taken in the early Fall of 1966 when they were the house band at the Tennessee State Fair.

THE SPIDELLS Michael Young Wallace Brown William Lockridge Frank Pillow These young men sang and performed precision dance moves. They were backed up by the Exotics.

THE JAGUARS Jim Tate, Drums Robert Owens, Guitar Leo Seidner, Vocals Lehman Keith, Bass Howard Harlan, Organ This photo of The Jaguars was taken at the Jewish Community Center probably around 1964. Submitted by Lehman Keith

Tom Crain, Lead Guitar Barney Evers, Bass Guitar Bart Graves, Hammond B3 Chip Curley, Vocals Tom Groover, Sax Richard Cannon, Trumpet Several drummers listed below Manager: One Eyed Jacks	THE SHADOWS Vandy Frat Party
Bart Graves on Hammond B3	Barney Evers, Bass & Tommy Crain, Guitar
Tom Crain went on to tour and record with the Charlie Daniels Band for 15 years. He won a grammy for co-writing The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Barney and Bart played with local groups for the past 30 years including the group "1969". Chip retired from music in 1970 and went on to raise a family and build this website. Tom Groover lives in Houston. Phil Maxwell lives in Green Hills and is a home builder. Many of the others are currently M.I.A.	Vandy frat house
Phil Maxwell, drummer for the Shadows, Fairlanes, King James and the Sceptors, Chessmen, Continentals and Canned Soul, & Julie Goldstein	Tommy Crain and Judy Baum
Phil Maxwell, Drums	Chip Curley, Vocals
Chip (left) & Tommy (right) working on echoplex	Pete Zimmerman, Drums
Bill Davidson, Drums	Kinny Cosner, Drums
Vandy Poster	Tom Groover on sax Chip Curley, Vocals (right) Hillsboro High Dance 1968

Chip Curley, Vocals & Bass Guitar Richard Brown, Lead Guitar Bart Graves, Organ Gerry O'Donnell, Rhythm Guitar Chuck Pomy, Drums Ken Nash, Sax Manager, John Reale	THE SANDS COMBO

Rock Combos of Nashville