U.P. acts recorded in Wisconsin

U. P. band Lexington Project included, from left,
Bill Morrison, Jim Heric, John Heric and Jim Lewis.
They recorded a single at a Rhinelander, Wis. studio
in the 1960s.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

As they attempted to establish recording careers in the 1960s, many Upper Peninsula rock bands shunned lower Michigan and instead patronized Wisconsin studios.

The most popular destination was Sauk City, near Madison, where the Cuca label was based, although other Wisconsin venues drew the Lexington Project and Kinetic Energy.

Founded by Jim Kirchstein in 1959, Cuca (pronounced COO-cah) enjoyed early success with the original recording of "Muleskinner Blues" by the Fendermen.

Just two years later, the studio attracted its first U. P. client, the Vigilantes. The group made the trip to southern Wisconsin from their Copper Country base to record their first 45 rpm single.

Inside the modest facility, the Vigilantes utilized Cuca's second-hand equipment, including an old Ampex tape recorder and an antique RCA microphone. But, the band also made use of Kirchstein's experience as a trained engineer to record "Ramblin' On" and "Someday (Someone Will Come to Me)." The tracks were issued as Cuca 1042 in August, 1961.

Next, Cuca was discovered by another popular northern Michigan combo, perennial favorites the Rhythm Rockers, who called Alston home. In December, 1962, they waxed a track titled "Bad News" and the instrumental "Twilight," both written by guitarist and saxophone player Dick Patana. To customize the project, the Rhythm Rockers arranged with Kirchstein to have the record pressed on their own "Copper" label.

Kirchstein's operation was building a growing reputation, both in the Badger State and neighboring U. P.

When Iron Mountain resident Joe Giannunzio was ready to cut several original songs with his group, Joey Gee and the Blue Tones, he too chose Cuca. Giannunzio told me the Wisconsin facility was suggested to him by John Christanovich, also known as Johnny Paladin, drummer for the Muleskinners, another Cuca act.

With Christanovich's recommendation, Giannunzio and his band headed south in May, 1964, to record "Don't You Just Know It" and "Little Searcher" for Cuca's Sara subsidiary.

Three months later, Jim Brogan, lead singer for the Vigilantes, returned to Sauk City to record another single as Jimmy B and the Rockatones. His original compositions, "Dream Girl" and "Everything I Do" were paired on Cuca 6481.

Four different northern Michigan bands made the trip to Cuca to record during 1967. The Henchmen VI, hailing from Ontonagon, taped two originals by vocalist Scott Heinski. "All of the Day" and "Is Love Real?" appeared in March as Cuca 6731.

Ishpeming musician Lane Dawson made good use of his Wisconsin stay in April by cutting four country-flavored tracks, which appeared on a pair of consecutively- issued 45s: "Black Mountain Rag"/Welcome to My World" and "I Stopped and Listened"/"Truckin'." His band, the Dawson Boys, included drummer Jim DeCaire, founder of Da Yoopers.

Meanwhile, Gary Alan Kerkes traveled 345 miles from the eastern U. P. community of Sault Ste. Marie to Sauk City in June to lay down "Girl Talk" and "Summer Winds." The 7-inch disc, Cuca 6761, was credited to Rob Kirk and the Word.

Negaunee's Fastells waited until August to make their Wisconsin excursion which resulted in the 45 rpm single, "So Much"/"Take You Away," issued on Cuca's Night Owl imprint. The songs were written by guitarist Mark Pyykkonen and keyboardist Robert Barabe, respectively.

Just why did these U. P. acts decide to cast their fate with a tiny independent studio hundreds of miles from home? "I think Cuca might have been the nearest studio that had much of a reputation," explained musicologist Gary E. Myers, who has written extensively on the Wisconsin music scene of the 1950s and 1960s.

Still, other Wisconsin recording facilities also worked with U. P. bands. Kingsford-based Lexington Project, which included Escanaba native Jim "Smiley" Lewis on drums, recorded their sole single at a recording studio in Rhinelander, owned by Mike Kuehl.

Kuehl told me he recorded Lexington Project in 1967 or 1968 and called the session "quite ground-breaking at the time for my studio."

The band brought along two original tunes. Lewis and bassist John Heric Jr. had written "It Looks a Lot Like Rain," while Heric and guitarist Bill Morrison penned "She Looks Much Older."

"I had only a two-track studio at the time I recorded Lexington Project, but I modified the recorder so we could record a 'left track,' sync and record the 'right track,' so I could divide the band. Then I mixed them down," Kuehl said.

Just 500 copies of the disc, Sonic 4626, were pressed through RCA, Kuehl said. Recalling the Lexington Project's label which featured black printing on a yellow background, Kuehl said Sonic was for his "psychedelic releases."

While recording took place all around Wisconsin in the 1960s, much of it was done in the metropolitan Milwaukee area, where rock band The Robbs ruled the scene for most of the decade. When Kinetic Energy, also known as the Kinetics, made their run at national fame in 1968, the Robbs took the popular U. P. group under their collective wing, recalled Frank Gallis, lead singer for the Houghton-based band.

Vocalist and songwriter Dee Robb suggested Kinetic Energy record a shorter "hard rock" version of the classic "Susie Q" at a Brew City studio, convinced the recording would beat CCR's version to the top of the charts. While Robb reached legendary status as a music producer and engineer, his forecast for a hit wasn't realized.

It appeared to end an era when many U. P. bands looked to Wisconsin to launch their recording careers.

Night Beats rocked U. P. fans

The Night Beats rocked the Upper Peninsula in the early 1960s. Members included, from left, J. D. Renny, Dave Barton, Gary Myers and Joe Arkansas.


By STEVE SEYMOUR

What was it like touring with a rock 'n' roll band in the early 1960s?

Gary E. Myers can tell you. He performed in the Upper Peninsula in those days with two musical acts, and kept track of the dates.

A drummer, Myers was a member of the Night Beats, and later played with the Darnells, a Milwaukee-based group which recorded a version of Gene Vincent's "She, She Little Sheila."

The bands played venues in Sault Ste. Marie, Marquette and Ishpeming in the era when John F. Kennedy was president of the United States and pop music was dominated by Elvis, Dion, Brenda Lee, the Four Seasons and the Beach Boys.

The Night Beats actually originated far from the remote locales of northern Michigan. Although he was born in Milwaukee in 1942, Myers moved to Bradenton, Fla., when his father retired. At age 17, he began to find drumming gigs, first with a band called the Swinging Saints, which included Dickey Betts, who later found fame in the Allman Brothers Band.

In St. Petersburg, Myers took a six-nights a week club gig with the Night Beats. When the group signed with Milwaukee booking agent ACA (Artists Corporation of America), Myers found himself on the road in the midwest, beginning in early 1962.

The Night Beats were led by Joe Hudspeth, a colorful rhythm guitarist nicknamed "Joe Arkansas" in reference to the state where he was born. In addition to Myers, the other band members included J. D. Renney on lead guitar and Dave Barton on bass.

"All of us sang, but none of us knew anything back then," Myers recalled.

After playing a few weeks at the tour's first stop in Madison, the Night Beats drove to Sault Ste. Marie where they performed at the Delmar Hotel, 227 Ashmun St., from Feb. 25 to Mar. 11, according to Myers. A return engagement to the eastern U. P. followed during the summer, after which the Night Beats appeared at the Hollywood Supper Club in Spread Eagle, Wis., just across the border from Iron Mountain.

On July 29, 1962, the day after the Wisconsin gig ended, the Night Beats entertained at the Venice Nite Club & Pizzeria, 113 N. 2nd St. in Ishpeming, during a week-long job.

In the months after the Venice gig, the Night Beats picked-up Milwaukee guitar player Denny King when his group, the Darnells, broke-up. The Night Beats then returned to Ishpeming for another stay, this time from Nov. 12 to Dec. 9, 1962.

Less than two months later, the Night Beats were performing shows at Marquette's Clifton Hotel, during a three week engagement beginning on Feb. 4, 1963.

King's tenure with the Night Beats was brief, however. In the period after the Marquette show, King and Myers left the group to re-form the Darnells.

With Joe Arkansas remaining at the helm, the Night Beats hired drummer Roger Dault, who had worked with the band in Bradenton, and continued on as a trio.

The new version of the Darnells found employment quickly, appearing at the Clifton Hotel from Mar. 18, 1963 to the end of the month.

During the summer of 1963, the Darnells left for Los Angeles where they recorded two instrumentals, "Spooner" and "Sleepy," which were released as a single on the Tide label in September.

The Darnells returned to northern Michigan in the fall when they performed at Gigs Gagliardi's Roosevelt Bar in Ishpeming from Oct. 1 - 28, 1963.

Released on the Tide label, the Darnells' 45 rpm record received some Upper Peninsula notoriety. "I was in Ishpeming the only time I've heard one of my records on the air. The Darnells had just returned to the midwest from southern California and an Ishpeming disc jockey liked our record, 'Spooner,' and used it to open his show for a while," Myers remembered.

By the early 1960s, the Roosevelt Bar, 206 W. Division St., had became infamous as the hangout for folks who were involved in the filming of the 1959 drama "Anatomy of a Murder." Producer/ director Otto Preminger hosted a birthday party for Duke Ellington there when the jazz great was on location composing the movie soundtrack.

Musicians playing at the Roosevelt were offered sleeping rooms upstairs. Myers remembers writing his name on the ceiling with the soot from a lighted candle, along with a couple of other band members and imagining future performers looking up to realize who had preceded them.

While Myers was playing at the Roosevelt, rival band Dave Kennedy and the Ambassadors, a combo from LaCrosse, Wis., were performing at the Venice. Myers and Kennedy were also competitors offstage as each dated the same Green Bay girl for a few months. Myers related to me that Kennedy failed show up on stage for one Ishpeming gig because his fellow band members locked him in a closet when he became too drunk to play. The Ambassadors did that show without their leader.

Ishpeming resident Jim DeCaire, founder of the musical comedy group Da Yoopers, has fond memories of Joe Arkansas and the Night Beats appearing at the Roosevelt. DeCaire recalled the band playing material by Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, two influential American singers and guitarists. "Dirty rock 'n' roll," was how DeCaire described the songs, as opposed to the white bread, Pat Boone-type material which other groups might perform.

DeCaire and his buddies were too young to get into the Roosevelt, so they had to listen to the music through the building's open windows from their car parked in the alley. Those underage rock 'n' roll fans likely heard the band perform "Say Mama," which Vincent and his Bluecaps popularized during concerts in the upper midwest with Cochran. Bands covering Cochran, who died in a 1960 car accident in England which also injured Vincent, would almost certainly perform "Summertime Blues."

Arkansas also dressed for his frontman role and was often clad entirely in white, DeCaire remembered.

In the mid 1980s, when DeCaire formed a band, he decided to pay tribute to Arkansas by naming the new group after him. DeCaire called Arkansas, who owned a bar in Des Moines, and got permission to use the name. The Joe Arkansas Band then released "Yoopanese" on cassette in 1985. Shortly after, a cousin of DeCaire's persuaded him to change the name to more accurately reflect the regional nature of the music. DeCaire came up with "Da Yoopers," a moniker now widely recognized.

Myers, meanwhile, continued in music, releasing a solo 45, "Poor Little Baby" backed with "If (You'd Only Be Mine)," in November, 1963. He was also a member of Milwaukee's Mojo Men. Myers played in numerous Wisconsin and California bands, as well as gigging in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, until he left full-time performing in 1982. In a lengthy music career, Myers played pop, rock, jazz and country utilizing a variety of instruments, including guitar, bass, vibes, keyboards and drums. Over the years, he backed many name artists including Chuck Berry, Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, Johnny Tillotson, Mary Wells, Tommy Roe and others.

In recent years, he's written "Do You Hear That Beat?" and "On That Wisconsin Beat." The exhaustively researched books contain everything you'd want to know about Wisconsin music in the 1950s and 1960s, including band biographies, discographies, photographs and trivia enough to satisfy any music fan. Numerous Upper Peninsula groups which recorded for Badger State labels are also included.

Today, Myers lives in Downey, Cal., and continues to play music on a part-time basis.

Spoke label hailed from U. P.

One of the records released on Manistique's Spoke label, "Nicotine Fit," was by a Chicago group called The Society.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

During the 1960s, hundreds of independent record labels popped up to accommodate the explosion of musical activity brought on by the arrival of Beatlemania in America.

Even remote areas like the Upper Peninsula joined the fray. Marquette served as headquarters for the Princeton label, the Peninsula imprint was based in Escanaba, and the small community of Manistique boasted little-known Spoke Records.

Although none of the labels survived for long, Spoke issued at least three 45 rpm records.

Owned by the late Irene L. Davis, a local businesswoman who also wrote songs to fulfill her musical aspirations, Spoke Records received mail at P. O. Box 186.

The label adopted the motto, "Spoke speaks for itself," according to L David Vaughan, a member of the 1960s group Vandells and now morning personality on Manistique's WTIQ radio.

Despite the name, however, the label did not issue spoken word records.

Spoke's debut single, number 1000, paired "Suddenly Just Like That" with "Walk the Waves." Performed by a enigmatic group called The Innocence, both songs were written by Davis, who was born in 1919.

While it's convenient to assume The Innocence also came from Manistique, folks involved in the town's music scene four decades ago, including Vaughan and Tom Mercier, have no memory of the group. Since a local band issuing a record would be big news in a town of less than 5,000 people, it's likely The Innocence did not come from the immediate area.

Both men, however, remember Spoke's second release, by a band from Chicago called The Society. The seven-inch vinyl record, number 1001, matched the A side's "Just as Much" with "Nicotine Fit," clocking in at a meager one minute and 46 seconds.

BMI, an American organization representing songwriters, composers and music publishers, credits Davis with composing "Just as Much," although the record label attributes the song to Bunker Hill. "Nicotine Fit," meanwhile, is listed on the label as being written by Davis, Margaret L. Shampine and the Renegades.

Mercier, then lead singer of the Renegades rock group, told me Davis wrote the lyrics to "Nicotine Fit" and asked him to add the music. The Renegades then made a demo tape of the song, Mercier said. Today, BMI lists members of the Renegades among the song's composers: David A. Brooks, Davis, Monte Owen LaMartz, Robert Joseph Mercier, Thomas D. Mercier and Shampine.

A third 45 appeared on Spoke, performed by Frank Perry with the Swinging Strings, but listed a catalog number of 3099, which doesn't fit into the numbering sequence of the first two singles. The record's A side,"You Can't Hardly Tell," with a confusing double negative, was composed by Davis and Ronnie Layne, while the opposite side, "So Little Time," was written by Davis alone.

When I asked a few Manistique residents if they knew of Perry, none had. But I discovered Perry had recorded for Film City Records of Hollywood, Cal., owned by Sandy Stanton.

Stanton was a pioneer in the song-poem business and operated under the slogan, "Take your ditty to Film City." For a fee, Stanton would have a client's song-poem recorded and also manufacture a number of 45 records for distribution to the public and selected radio stations.

With such an arrangement, customers would be able to leave the difficulties of the recording studio and pressing plant to Stanton's company.

According to the American Song-Poem Music Archives, "Stanton would occasionally press up customer's records under their own imprint, with a label name and address selected by the customer. Song-poets could thus operate on the cheap."

Stanton issued records on dozens of labels, but used just a single lengthy numbering sequence. This may explain why the Frank Perry 45 was numbered 3099, compared to 1000 and 1001 for Spoke's first two 7-inch releases, by The Innocence and The Society.

While Vaughan remembers The Society playing a dance in Manistique, none of the acts appearing on the Spoke label came from the U. P.

Bands which did call the Schoolcraft County area home, like the Vandells and Renegades, did not record any 45s for the label. "I don't know of any Manistique bands which had a 45," Tom Mercier told me.

Davis apparently distributed some of her records in the area. I obtained two of them from Manistique resident Tony Martin who answered a classified ad I had placed looking for Spoke Records titles. Martin reported he had lived near the Davis residence when he was growing up.

Owner of local radio station WTIQ 1490 AM and choir director at her church, Davis wrote at least three songs in addition to the six which were recorded for her label.

She composed "Go Go Girl" with Ronnie Layne, the same writer she partnered with on "You Can't Hardly Tell." Then, together with Charles Wright, she wrote "Just Strangers Not Even Friend" and "Not Even Friends," which, judging from the titles, might even be the same song. It's not clear if these songs were ever committed to wax, but more information may yet surface.

When she died in 1995, Spoke Records and the songs Irene Davis wrote had slipped into obscurity, although a publishing company, Chris Music, and a cache of mystery, remain.

Prophets of Doom aced debut

The Prophets of Doom posed for this photograph at Ford River Cemetery. From left, Dave Watchorn, Jim Nelson, Jim Smith, Larry Olivares and Mike Steede

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Musician Dave Watchorn will never forget the last weekend of January, 1967.

That's because he got married on Saturday, Jan. 28, and played the first gig with his band, The Prophets of Doom (PoD), the next day.

The group's memorable debut performance came during a March of Dimes Telethon, then a popular talent showcase, broadcast from the studios of WLUC-TV6 in Negaunee, Watchorn recalled.

Making the trip to Marquette County were drummer Jim Nelson, guitarist Mike Steede, bassist/ singer Calvin Rose, lead guitarist/ singer Dave Watchorn (Steede's cousin); and keyboardist Jim Smith.

The PoD, one of six acts from Delta County to appear on Sunday, Jan. 29, started their segment at 8:20 a. m., according to a newspaper advertisement promoting the event.

After one of the guys in the band mentioned Watchorn was recently married, an announcer picked up on the fact and told the audience, "If this person is willing to play for us during his honeymoon, the least you can do is call in a pledge."

PoD then played two songs, Watchorn noting that the phone operators were busy and that everyone else was dancing. "Wow, that woke up everybody here and by the phone calls, we woke up the whole U. P.," a host announced as the band was unplugging their guitars. They were quickly asked to continue playing and ran through the eight songs they had practiced with Smith, who had recently joined the group.

With their appearance going so well, the band even took a request when a caller pledged $50 to hear a certain song, even though Smith didn't know the tune. "He looked at me with this horrified look on his face. I told him to turn the organ off and play. The camera was now on and we started wailing away on this song. Jim started bouncing around. The cameraman noticed all this action, focused on Jim and sent him out over the airwaves. Jim was oblivious to all this and didn't notice until the camera rolled within two feet of him. To make matters worse, the cameraman then focused on Jim's hands and the organ keys. That seemed to make him play even harder. All this and not one note coming out of the organ. We laughed about it for a long time," Watchorn said.

The upshot of the telethon show was the band quickly had several bookings.

With band members living all around Delta County, they carried business cards which declared: "From out of nowhere... The Prophets of Doom."

Early on, PoD emulated the Buckinghams and Cryan' Shames, two Chicago quintets who had hits with "Kind of a Drag" and "Sugar and Spice," respectively. "We dressed in black because of our name and also because the Buckinghams are all in white," Rose said in a 1967 article in the Escanaban, the local high school newspaper.

They played in Powers, Munising, Noway, Trenary, Manistique and at popular teen dances (known as "KC") hosted by booking agent Gene Smiltneck at Escanaba's Teamsters Hall. "Playing our first KC dance was very special. For a local band, it was like making the big time," Rose recalled recently.

"My favorite song to sing was '96 Tears' because it was always well received by the audience," said Rose. "One of the strengths of our group was that we all could sing and our voices complemented each other. I enjoyed the songs we sang as a group as much or more than the ones I was out front singing," he added.

By the fall of 1967, Rose enlisted in the Air Force, leaving the bass player position vacant. The search for a replacement turned up lead guitarist Larry Olivares, who had recently moved to the Upper Peninsula from California. "After we heard him play, we knew we wanted him in the band," Watchorn said. So, to accommodate Olivares, Watchorn switched to bass.

While PoD was growing in popularity as a live act, the band also followed local rockers the Riot Squad in making a 45 rpm single for the Peninsula Records label, owned by Smiltneck's brother, Leon.
While the Riot Squad had recorded cover songs, PoD's record contained two original tunes.

Watchorn was inspired as a songwriter by Dave Brooks of Manistique. Before Watchorn joined PoD, the two had played together in the group 4 Degrees North. Brooks contributed his song "Baba Do Wah" to the project, while "I Told You" was Watchorn's composition. "I had worked on the melody for a while. I did the lyrics in a bit of a hurry. They don't make a lot of sense but a lot of songs made no sense back then."

The songs were recorded in Smiltneck's basement studio. "He had a couple of two-track recorders, a couple of little Radio Shack microphone mixers and cords everywhere. It was a trial and error thing to get the sound right. Nothing could move an inch once we had it right. I can't remember how many times we did those songs. Glitches would happen now and then ruining a perfect take. We finished one of these perfect takes and the song was fading out when a teaspoon that was used to stir some coffee fell off a speaker, glanced off a guitar case and right into the microphone stand. It was barely audible to us but it sure was loud on the tape. It sounded like someone hit a gong with a sledge hammer," Watchorn remembers.

"Gene put a lot of time and effort into the making of our record. It was an amazing experience and a dream come true to be part of the whole endeavor. I only found out recently that Gene's brother had the Peninsula Records label in his name. I would like to thank Gene and Leon for the opportunity to make that record," Watchorn added.

As part of the effort to promote the 45, the band posed for what Watchorn called "the famous graveyard picture" at Ford River Cemetery. Used on posters, the black and white image was taken by studio photographer Gordon Nelson of Gladstone. "He thought we were nuts," Watchorn remembers. The band then brought a copy of the photograph to Photo Offset Printing in Escanaba where Gene Hebert suggested a logo of the band's name with the letters dripping blood.

In the late summer of 1968, several personnel changes came to the band as Smith moved away from the area with his family and Nelson went on to a four-year college. New drummer was Jay Olivares, Larry's brother. Smith was replaced on organ by Hank Mroczkowski, who had been in several early Escanaba rock bands, including the Nomads, Beat Incorporated and Johnny Evil and the Spirits.

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, 1968, PoD took part in a wildly competitive Battle of the Bands contest at the Upper Peninsula State Fair, won by the Ravelles, a popular show band from Iron Mountain.

"When the final list of bands to play included the Ravelles, everyone, including me, felt they would win. I remember us getting together and talking about it. Our plan was fairly simple. We planned to win or be a close second. We would do that with the right song choices and playing those songs the very best we could. When we finished our part of the show, we were pleased with what we had done. The Ravelles started their portion of the show and within 30 seconds I knew they had won the first place spot. I remember telling the guys: 'We just lost first place.'

"From the Ravelles we learned what 'showmanship' and 'audience participation' was all about. The Ravelles left the stage with doubts as to who won. They came directly over to us and congratulated us, saying they thought we had won. Well, we straightened them out on that.

"The Ravelles remain in my mind the nicest batch of musicians in one band that I ever met. In the following years we met again quite a few times on the road," Watchorn said.

Not long after, PoD played another Battle of the Bands in Kingsford. The Ravelles weren't contestants, but some of them were judges. "We won first place in that one. First prize was cash and more important several bookings deep in Wisconsin. I can remember a couple of those club owners asking if there were other good bands from the U. P. Our answer was always, 'Hey, there are lots of them.' We played all over Wisconsin after that."

The PoD always learned what they could from other acts, including the Unbelievable Uglies, a group from Detroit Lakes, Minn., known for adding comedy to their stage antics. Members of PoD watched closely when the Uglies played a teen dance in Escanaba. "In any case, we learned about entertainment. We changed our posters to say 'dance and stage show,'" Watchorn said.

"We had jokes along with some comedy skits. We had a rubber chicken called Clyde. We had a dozen or so things we did with that chicken. Mike would light his pants on fire. Mike and Jay would go in the crowd and dance the funky chicken. Mike would dress up as 'Sweet Sue' for the 'Along Came Jones' song.

"Over the years, we have met many people who still remember some of the crazy stunts we did on stage," Watchorn said.

The PoD performed extensively. "In the summer of 1970, we had a stretch of 90 days when we played 81 nights. It was a long summer. We played a lot of teen bars in Wisconsin. I look back now and all the summers meld into one," Watchorn said.

Besides the countless dances, PoD also played a few concerts. They opened for the Archies, famous for "Sugar Sugar," when the bubblegum group played at Holy Name High School and warmed up the crowd when the Animals played an engagement in Green Bay.

The band was also featured at a concert held at the Escanaba Junior High School on Dec. 16, 1970, which also included the Riot Squad and Jim "Smiley" Lewis. "We were excited about playing but we were a little disappointed that it was far from a sell-out," Watchorn said. Larry Brown had joined PoD at this time on lead guitar, while former member Mike Steede emceed the show for promoter Gene Smiltneck.

"There were some pretty wild sounds at times," with two lead guitarists, Watchorn said. "Larry Brown put up with us for about a year and he left when Mike Steede returned."

PoD was also working toward the release of a another single. "We recorded what was to be a second 45 at Target Recording Studio in Appleton. The two songs were originals. One song was named 'Things I See,' written by Larry Olivares and myself. The other was called '9th Street Earthquake,' written by Larry Brown.

"We never released the songs on 45. Our intention was to try to market the recordings to some larger labels with the funds to press the number of records needed for nation-wide release and to market them. We got really good reviews of the recordings from most of the labels. However, none of them were ready to take on new projects having already more bands signed than they could do justice to," Watchorn stated.

By the summer of 1971, Watchorn's priorities began to shift away from the band to his family. "I had given up all the things normal people do on weekends for too many years. Simply put, it became more important to take my son fishing or on a picnic than it was to play music for a crowd somewhere in the Fox River Valley," Watchorn said.

"I gave notice that as of a certain date, I was done with all the travelling," Watchorn said. "The band could have carried on with a replacement, but I think they admitted to themselves that they were tired of it all, too."

According to Larry Olivares, one of PoD's last jobs was at the Frank Karas memorial band shell in Escanaba's Ludington Park. "We generally wanted to quit at the top and be remembered for our best years, not just burn out," Olivares added.

Founding member Jim Nelson is pleased with PoD's legacy. "I'm happily amazed that there is still interest in a band I started with Mike Steede in my small bedroom in Pine Ridge so many years ago. I have played with many bands since but I have never run across such a wonderful group of true friends as the guys in the PoD.

"For the last two years, the PoD have had a reunion of sorts. Mike Steede, Dave Watchorn, Calvin Rose and myself have met at Mike's house and swapped stories and jammed for several magical hours. That first reunion was completely indescribable. To be playing drums with most of the original Prophets of Doom after so many years was like a dream come true... and the emotion in the room was like we had never left. Maybe someday we will be fortunate enough to have Larry Olivares and Jim Smith join the fun," Nelson said.

"As you can imagine the stories were flying. One of my favorites was about the very snowy and slippery day we were driving to a Catholic school youth club dance in Marquette. As we entered the city, we slid right through a snowy intersection cutting off a car coming from the other side. The car followed us all the way to the Catholic church complex. We were sure the driver was ready to read us the riot act and probably beat us up. As we pulled up to the church complex he drove up next to us and rolled down his window, ready to read us off. He glanced into the car and saw five young men all dressed in black. He blinked a few times, said 'I'm sorry, fathers' and sped away. We said a little prayer of thanks, had a good laugh, set up our equipment and played our hearts out for the next three hours."

Prophets of Doom Picture Gallery


The Prophets of Doom debut public performance, at the WLUC-TV Telethon, was heralded in this newspaper advertisement. The band was said to be from Ensign because that was the mailing address of member Dave Watchorn, who took care of the details of booking the group on the program.











Mark Olivares took these three color photos of the Prophets of Doom at their final sound check at the Karas Memorial Band Shell in Escanaba's Ludington Park. On stage, from left, is Larry Olivares, Dave Watchorn, Jay Olivares and Mike Steede.

Record stores get their day

It wasn't exactly at the top of the front page, but last Saturday (April 19) was National Record Store Day.

You'd think such news would be on everybody's lips, but I didn't even find out about the celebration until Andrew Jones of Gladstone called to tell me about it.

That record stores have existed for decades without being recognized with their own day seems like an incredible oversight, I know.

So, a few folks got together to correct this blunder, including the Alliance of Independent Media Stores, Coalition of Independent Music Stores, Music Monitor Network, Newbury Comics and Value Music Group of Indie Stores.

Besides those behind-the-scenes groups, some people you've actually heard of, like Paul McCartney and the heavy metal band Metallica, supported the day as well.

Metallica backed the observance by showing up for a rare in-store appearance at Rasputin Music, just outside San Francisco. Coincidenially, the group's first two albums were re-released on 180 gram vinyl earlier in the week.

McCartney, meanwhile, saluted independent record shops with the following statement:. "There's nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in L. A., I realized what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I'm more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!"

The former Beatle may have been lavish in his praise, but I have to say I've always loved purveyors of vinyl.

Growing up in a small community, I bought my first LPs and 45s from "record departments" inside larger stores.

But as the Baby Boom generation grew up, "mom and pop" independent record stores proliferated around the country. Each store was different, quite unlike the "cookie cutter" chain stores of today.

Those small independent music retailers made their own decisions and stocked the product they thought would appeal to their customers the most.

Independent shops were a unique combination of the owner's personality and the music culture evolving in society at large.

Stores in many communities became havens for young people indulging in the anti-establishment youth culture of the 1960s and early 1970s.

In fact, upon graduating from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant in 1973, I had owning a record store as one of my goals, although it wouldn't happen for a dozen years.

It was especially fun discovering new shops whenever I traveled. The first thing I'd do at a new destination is check out the record stores any particular city had to offer.

Many people remember Teletronics, the Marquette store owned by Dick Wagner which catered to the community and students at Northern Michigan University. Other stores drawing my attention were Pipe Dreams in Green Bay, Mad City in Madison and the many cool shops located across from the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing. As you might expect, many of my favorites were in Mt. Pleasant, like the Log Cabin Record Shop, Mountain City and Boogie Records.

By 1985, after collecting vinyl since my teenage years, my wife Sue and I finally decided to open our own shop. The Record Rack has been keeping us busy now for almost a quarter century.

About the time we opened, compact discs appeared in the marketplace, breathing new life into record stores, but also increasing competition as more retailers joined the fray.

The compact disc soon became a loss leader at many discounters, meaning the price a customer paid could be less the wholesale cost. Stores managers saw new releases as a way to attract customers and hoped to turn a profit by adding high mark-up accessories to each sale.

In the late 1990s, the compact disc began a steady decline when customers completed upgrading their collections to CD. In addition, digital downloading of music began to hurt sales at brick and mortar stores. The compact disc was labeled a "tired format."

Many small retailers adapted to the CD's decline by adding movies and video games to their racks. A change in direction was nothing new for stores which had witnessed numerous format changes over the years as eight-track tapes, cassettes and LP's came and went.

Despite the high risk competition, many independent stores have continued to survive and thrive by doing what they always did: stocking a selection tailored to the local market and backing it with knowledgeable personal service offered by staff members who were enthusiastic and passionate about music.

Still, the deck has become increasingly stacked against the traditional music store. The internet brought international competition to everyone's doorstep. Distributors increasingly don't want to deal with the small orders many independent stores place each week. One giant discount chain, located in nearly every community, can now dictate to record labels what they'll pay for the product they buy, not the other way around.

In the last 50 years, record stores have seen good times and bad times. But, they've always played an integral part in their communities in so many ways: musically, culturally, socially and economically.

Actually, I'm glad record stores finally have their own day. I still love 'em.

How to write a music column

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Have you ever wondered how to write a music column?

For me, it takes some modern technology and the assistance of many people.

My laptop computer has been a godsend because it stores the email, photographs, and other documents necessary to complete this column every week.

Email has been especially useful because it allows me to communicate with people around the country without having to make long distance phone calls or resort to writing letters, dropping them in the mail, then waiting for a reply. Sometimes email is answered almost immediately, if the other person happens to be at their computer at the time.

I receive some interesting emails, too.

Last week Richard C. Robinson, an instructor in the department of communications at the University of Tennessee in Martin contacted me. Conducting research for his Ph.D. dissertation in mass communication and media arts, he saw a story I had written about a pioneering late-night rock 'n' roll radio program I remembered from my youth called "Beaker Street." My article, posted on the internet, was one of the first to spotlight the show which broke radio programming rules to the delight of millions of fans, beginning in the mid- 1960s. A DJ known as "Doc Holiday" who operates a website about the KAAY program, offered a link to my story, which contained the reminiscences of a few people who fondly remembered the show.

My story, dated Oct. 4, 2007, was titled simply "'Beaker Street' swayed listeners."

The title of Robinson's dissertation, however, is slightly more elaborate: "KAAY's 'Beaker Street,' 1966-1974: Late Nights of Underground Radio Programming from Little Rock to the Western Hemisphere, on the Airwaves of the Nighttime Voice of Arkansas." I can't wait to read the dissertation that goes along with that descriptive heading.

Another email I received about the same time came from Chris Claflin, who grew up in Algoma, Wis., a community located on Lake Michigan between Sturgeon Bay and Milwaukee. He was hoping I could identify a song he heard between 1966-1968 which he hasn't been able to get out of his head since.

"It was a bit of a novelty record, and the lyrics listed many of the towns along the Lake Michigan shoreline, on the Wisconsin side. The song had a distinctly twangy/folk/bluegrass sound, and featured a solo singer and his guitar, with a light rhythm backing," Claflin recalled.

Claflin remembered that the refrain went: "Up along the shoreline, you hear them lonesome sounds..." Unfortunately I wasn't familiar with the song, but I referred Claflin to someone I thought might know, Gary E. Myers. Myers has researched the Wisconsin pop/rock music scene of the 1950s and 1960s for decades. Not only that, but he's published two books on the subject, "Do You Hear that Beat?" and "On that Wisconsin Beat." Hopefully, he'll help the frustrated radio listener in his quest to pin down the obscure tune.

My emails have yielded some unexpected results as well.

Last month former Escanaba resident Al Gossan emailed me a color photo of his band, 3 Days and a Night, performing at a 1968 Battle of the Bands contest at the Upper Peninsula State Fair. The photo showed Kim Erickson, organ; Al Gossan, drums; Dick Peterson, lead guitar; and Tim Mulvaney, bass. Five bands performed during the competition, and 3 Days and a Night was the only band for which I didn't have a photo.

Gossan asked me for bandmate Erickson's email address, which I just happened to have, since I've built up a collection of contacts in the years I've been writing about the Upper Peninsula music scene. The former band members have now re-established contact with each other. "Because of you, our band is re-connecting and we're trying to have a picnic reunion sometime during July when I'm in Escanaba," Gossan told me.

Upstairs to the Left

Erickson's name came up again when Mick VanEffen of Escanaba recently brought me an old band poster he had been saving for decades. The 17 x 22 inch poster pictured VanEffen's group, Upstairs to the Left, which had played a Valentine's dance at the Escanaba High School commons on Friday, Feb. 13, 1970. Besides VanEffen, members of Upstairs to the Left included Dick Peterson, Dennis Combs, Kim Erickson and Dave Berndt.

It turns out plenty of people are willing and eager to preserve U. P. music history. With the help of many people, I've gathered enough information to put together 143 weekly columns, so far. If you haven't been reading them from the very beginning, the entire series is available at rocknrollgraffiti.com. Because of unlimited space on the internet, the web version of the stories often contain additional photos, and are updated when new information becomes available.

Music from many of the bands I've profiled is also available. In fact, the U. P. jukebox category allows you to listen to 88 songs performed by 30 different northern Michigan performers. Most of music originated from hard to find 1960s era 45 rpm singles issued by musicians who hoped their record would propel them into the big time.

I've discovered many people are also interested in reading about the U. P. music scene, both past and present.

My wife Sue, webmaster at rocknrollgraffiti.com, has been tracking visits through Google Analytics, which gives detailed statistics about how visitors find your site, how long they stay and their geographical location.

We just started gathering information on March 13 and in the first month, the site has received 2,567 hits from 65 countries. People from every state, except Wyoming, have visited, as well.

Escanaba has been responsible for the most visits- 230, as you might expect, but people from 711 U. S. cities have stopped by the site. I don't know why, but Brooklyn, New York, is in second place with 130 visits, averaging almost six minutes each. Appleton, Wis. is third and Los Angeles is fourth in the number of visitors.

Google has calculated that the top drawing post concerns the rock band the Excels, followed by a story I did last summer about the Goose Lake Music Festival, Michigan's version of Woodstock. Until my piece, very little information was available on the internet, although it's estimated that 200,000 people attended the event held near Jackson in 1970.

So, there you have it. With the help of Google, my laptop computer, email, and some great readers, before you know it, I've written another music column.

The Tongue band favored U. P.

Escanaba native Jim "Smiley" Lewis,
right, was rhythm guitarist in
The Tongue band in 1969.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Although it was based in the college town of Menomonie, Wis., the Tongue band owed a debt to the Upper Peninsula.

The band frequently toured the U. P. over a ten-year period and even featured Escanaba resident Jim "Smiley" Lewis as a member for a time.

Founded in 1967 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout by singer/ guitarist Paul Rabbitt and bass player Bob "Hippie" Collins, the group was originally known as the Tennis Shoe Tongue Band.

Lewis, a well-known local musician who died in 2005, joined the group in 1969, intrigued by their shared interest in the blues. "He played rhythm guitar and sang vocals for about a year before moving on," Rabbitt told me last summer.

At the time, Rabbitt, who lives in California, was unaware that Lewis had passed away. "This is the first I have heard of the death of my brother Jim Lewis. I am saddened," he stated.

Lewis had moved to Wisconsin to join the Tennis Shoe Tongue Band, which quickly became student body favorites for its blues-based hard rock sound and ferocious live shows which the group took on the road around the midwest.

"Those were free and easy days for the Tongue and Escanaba was a big part of the early life of the band," Rabbitt remembered. The band worked extensively with Escanaba promoter Gene Smiltneck for Michigan gigs as well as booking jobs with former Escanaba residents Bill Stein and Bob Streit.

Rabbitt recalled playing teen dances here which were sponsored by Smiltneck through Bands Unlimited at the Teamsters Hall located at 1st Ave. So. and 9th St. "We would often travel for weeks in the area. We would slip over to Iron Mountain for gigs and dip down to Eagle River, Wis.," Rabbitt added.

"The Tongue was lucky as our audiences accepted our original material even though we did not have top 40 radio airplay," Rabbitt said.

Tongue LP cover

By 1970, the band, which included Rabbitt, Collins, keyboardist Mick Larson and drummer Dick Weber, released an LP recorded at Scott Sound Studios in Eau Claire, Wis. "Keep On Truckin' With Tongue," spotlighted the group's own material and included a few cover tunes for good measure.

The title track was the Tongue's take on a traditional song arranged and recorded by British folk singer Donovan Leitch in 1965. The group took this bare-bones tune, added the Tongue formula, and turned it into a show favorite. With lyrics such as "Keep on truckin' mama, truckin' them blues away" and "you've got great big legs and pretty little feet," fans were quick to sing and dance along.

Despite the fact the Grateful Dead also recorded another tune called "Keep On Truckin'," the Tongue paid tribute to their psychedelic heroes from San Francisco by recording "Morning Dew," from the Dead's first album. Although strongly associated with singer Jerry Garcia, "Morning Dew" was actually written by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson in 1962.

Showing their sense of humor, the Tongue even added a brief "hillbilly" version of a novelty song made famous by Arthur Godfrey and the Too Fat Trio in 1948 called "Slap Her Down Again, Paw." While no band in these politically correct times would likely include this song (about a girl dating against the wishes of her family) on an album, the song first appeared when attitudes were different than today.

Other tracks on the album were composed by Rabbitt or co-written with Collins or Larson, while one was a group composition.

The LP and a 45 rpm single of "Keep On Truckin'," issued on the band's own Hemisphere label, focused attention on the Tongue. "We traveled throughout the 20 states in the middle of the U. S. with regular stops in Oklahoma, Colorado and California," Rabbitt noted.

Tongue live

Tongue toured extensively with another Wisconsin band, Soup, and opened shows for many headliners on the midwest concert circuit. Tongue toured with the Cleveland-based rock band James Gang, featuring Joe Walsh, and played with Chuck Berry, Cheap Trick, Michigan's own Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper.

In 1972, Rabbitt and Larson moved the band to Milwaukee where they were joined by bassist Rick Clark and drummer Ted Mueller.

Tongue returned to Escanaba even as the 1970s wore on. They performed at the Nite Hawk bar when it was owned by Gene Smiltneck, one of their booking agents in the early days.

Rabbitt and Collins even tell the story of the Tongue appearing in Crystal Falls, where they were confused with another group. Fans in the isolated U. P. town mistook Tongue for the British power trio Cream, which included famed rockers Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

After gigging around the midwest for a decade, the Tongue called it quits in 1976.

Interest in the band was renewed when their album was issued on compact disc and re-released on LP in 2000 by the European label Gear Fab Records. Three bonus tracks were included.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001, the group reunited for a homecoming concert at the University of Wisconsin- Stout campus, sponsored by the Alumni Association. Following their first gig in 25 years, members of Tongue went their separate ways but remained active musically.


Tongue reunited: from left, Bob Collins, Dick Weber,
Mick Larson and Paul Rabbitt.

Unfortunately, the band lost a member when Mick Larson passed away on Aug. 13, 2004.

Additional concerts seem unlikely, but fans can still dust off their old records and "Keep On Truckin' With Tongue."

Photo gallery
Tongue with Jim Lewis

Excels' Clark Sullivan kept recording

Clark Sullivan

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Influential record producer Ollie McLaughlin saw promise in Upper Peninsula rock band the Excels and their lead singer, Clark Sullivan.

After producing five singles for the Excels from 1965-68, McLaughlin continued to record Sullivan as a solo artist.

A student at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Sullivan, who grew up in Republic, graduated with a teaching degree in the spring of 1968. Shortly after, the Excels also "graduated," moving from recording in Detroit, to New York City for their newest single, "California On My Mind" and "Arrival of Mary."

The songs were recorded at Atlantic Studios with some overdubbing at the Hit Factory, Sullivan told me. It was quite an experience for a group of young men from Michigan. "It would not be uncommon for any major star at the moment to walk in and listen to your session," Sullivan remembered.

The recording sessions, publicity photographs and advertising for their record were paid for by McLaughlin and Atlantic Records, a major label in the recording industry.

As the new single, on McLaughlin's Carla label, was being promoted, Sullivan took a job teaching American history and art at Beecher High School, near Flint. He still travelled to gigs booked by the Excels, but soon grew weary of the schedule. Consequently, he and the group parted ways at the end of 1968.

Sullivan, however, found time to continue writing and recording with McLaughlin. "This did not negate all the travel, however, as the recordings that I did with Ollie during this time were recorded in New York. I would leave school in the afternoon, travel to New York, record until 1 or 2 in the morning, fly back and start teaching at 8 a. m. I was thankful that this wasn't every week," Sullivan said.

In 1969 and 1970, Sullivan recorded songs for three 45 rpm singles, all produced by McLaughlin.

Appearing on the Romac label, "Let Me See Those Lights Again" and "I Can't Get Away With It" were put on tape in the spring of 1969. The songs were written by Sullivan and Jack Strongman, a friend of the singer from Ishpeming.

The pair also composed "Feel Like Trying" which was recorded in late 1969. The track was coupled with "Leave Me Alone," credited to Bobby Lane, when it was released as a single on the Enterprise label.

"I had the opportunity to go with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (famous 1960s songwriting team) when I was recording 'Feel Like Trying' in New York, but I would have never left Ollie under any circumstances. There was no better individual on this planet than Ollie.

"It was always a surprise to answer the phone with Ollie saying,'someone would like to talk to you,' and on would come Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals or Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, giving you a little pep talk. He was always doing things like that to light a fire in you."

"Feel Like Trying," along with tracks by British star Lulu and the Cufflinks, was listed as "hit bound" for the week of Jan. 9, 1970 by WTAC in Flint, a popular Top 40 radio station of the 1960s and 1970s.

Although the song, clocking in at 3:55, wasn't a hit, it did lead to Sullivan's next record.

"When I was recording 'Feel Like Trying,' Lou Christie came into the studio and offered one of his compositions to me," Sullivan said. Christie was well-known for his number one hit, "Lightnin' Strikes," but had also scored a Top Ten with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," in 1969. "It was a nice tune, but sung in Christie's falsetto range, was far beyond my capabilities," Sullivan recalled.

"I did, however, get a tune to record when Larry Weiss, who I had met at a previous session, sent me one of his songs."

Weiss, who would later gain recognition as the writer of Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy," gave Sullivan a tune called "Reaching for a Rainbow." The song was issued commercially in Sept., 1970, with "Leave Me Alone" making another appearance as the flipside.

The tracks were issued on the Enterprise label which was distributed by fabled Stax Records, the Memphis company which had released records by Otis Redding and Sam and Dave.

As Sullivan was working to establish himself as a solo artist, he appeared at a number of "record hops" in Detroit with other artists who had records out at the time.

Early in the 1970s, Sullivan and some of his old bandmates from the Excels got together and discovered their musical spark was still intact. Before long Sullivan found himself in a band with guitarist Howard Ylinen, bassist Ed Rogers and drummer Garry Stockero, all U. P. natives and veterans of the Excels.


Liberty included drummer Garry Stockero and from left, Ed Rogers, Howard Ylinen and Clark Sullivan

The new group was named Liberty. Very popular, the band played together until 1982, performing mostly downstate but also doing two week gigs at the Four Seasons in Marquette each summer.

They travelled to the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Ala., used by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and the Staples Singers, to record a single, "Girl You Better Wake Up." The track, written by Sullivan, was released on the BASF label in 1973, with an instrumental version of the song appearing as the record's b side. The elaborate recording, featuring a horn section arranged by Ylinen, was produced by Sullivan's long-time associate, Ollie McLaughlin.


Ernie Harwell, left; and Clark Sullivan

During this time, Sullivan also "teamed-up" with Ernie Harwell, the beloved broadcaster known for doing the play by play for the Detroit Tigers for 42 seasons.

The two wrote songs, combining Harwell's lyrics with Sullivan's music. "We wrote off and on for close to 20 years. We never had anything that was recorded, except for some of the things I recorded which are still in the can, " Sullivan said. United Airlines and General Motors expressed interest in a couple of their compositions for use in commercials, Sullivan noted. "They got the dubs, but never used them."

During his tenure with McLaughlin, Sullivan had ten songs issued as a member of the Excels, five as a solo artist and another as vocalist for Liberty.

However, even more material remains unreleased. Sullivan counted ten Excels songs, six solo tracks, and eight tunes cut by Liberty, which are still "in the can." McLaughlin died in 1984, "so where the masters are is anyone's guess," Sullivan said.

Sullivan, who plays guitar just about every day and occasionally writes a song or two, still spends considerable time in the Upper Peninsula every year at the family's cabin on the Peshekee River.

Reflecting on his musical career, Sullivan, now retired from teaching and living in the lower Michigan community of Swartz Creek, said he wouldn't change anything.

"I don't put any blame for not getting a hit record on Atlantic, Ollie, Stax or any other company or individual we dealt with. We had a golden opportunity and we are thankful for that. It all boils down to material. If it doesn't sell, it just doesn't sell."

Renaissance Fair aimed for top

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Upper Peninsula rock band Renaissance Fair issued three 45 rpm records in the 1960s, even contacting the Beatles' Apple Records in a quest to get a major label recording contract.

Band member Rob Benjamin is credited with suggesting the group use the title of a Byrds' song as their name. A flower power anthem, "Renaissance Fair" appeared on the "Younger Than Yesterday" album and as the flipside of the Byrds' 45 rpm cover of Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages," released in the early months of 1967.

Based in Sault Ste. Marie, the group was comprised of John Ordiway, guitar, trumpet; Gordie Moon, guitar, keyboards; Greg Myner, drums, saxophone, guitar, bass; Rob Benjamin, bass, drums; Larry Verrett, guitar, bass; Jim Rogers, bass, guitar; and Larry McGahey, guitar. Besides playing their instruments, all members of Renaissance Fair also sang.

The group was influenced by contemporary acts like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Animals and Yardbirds, but also by "many other things in our backgrounds including country and jazz," said McGahey, who now lives in Kalamazoo.

As the group was performing all around the U. P., and occasionally in lower Michigan and Ontario, Canada, they made contact with Fred L. Crook, owner of Princeton Records in Marquette, a small independent label which had already issued 45 rpm records for The French Church and 'Country' Tommy James. Renaissance Fair travelled to Marquette and taped "Every Moment" and "It's Still Her."

"I wrote 'It's Still Her,' which was corrected by the English teacher of one of the band members still in high school to 'It's Still She,'" McGahey recalled. Renaissance Fair promoted their first 45, which appeared as Princeton 107, at live dates.

A number of months later, they returned to Marquette County to cut a track written by Ordiway called "In Wyrd," and another McGahey composition, "Simple Love."

"We rehearsed and recorded all day at Superior Recording Co. with Crook using mono RCA equipment he said he bought from the RCA studio in Nashville," McGahey said. The label owner may have been assisted by Mike McKelvey, according to McGahey.

Crook had recently recorded a pair of tracks by a Northern Michigan University student named Mike Koda. While the songs, "Let's Hear a Word (for the Folks in the Cemetery)" and "More Than Me" were released as Princeton 110, music fans would later come to know the aspiring musician as "Cub" Koda, famous for the hit "Smokin' in the Boys Room" by Brownsville Station.

"We listened to the songs Cub Koda had recorded and then jammed and partied all night with Fred. I remember Fred asking someone to open a beer and then breaking into the Nat Stuckey song, 'Pop a Top Again.' Most of us who weren't married slept on the studio floor until morning.

"In the morning, we packed up our equipment and then listened to the recordings again. We didn't think 'In Wyrd' was what we wanted so we unpacked everything, resumed drinking and re-recorded 'In Wyrd' the way it was meant to be. I remember needing to sit in a chair, because I couldn't stand, watching the spray from John's mouth as he sang, taking hits of Southern Comfort between verses.

"I had just received my new Gibson SG the day we left for Marquette to do the recording and didn't have a real good feel for it yet so I didn't know where I was going on the guitar solo. We were never able to play the song the same way again," McGahey noted.

Besides McGahey's guitar work, the single also features some great organ fills by Moon and Ordiway's compelling vocals.

Gordie Moon and singer John Ordiway during a Renaissance Fair performance

Issued as Princeton 111, "In Wyrd," received the unique spelling because songwriter Ordiway was studying Norse mythology and "y" relates to female personifications of fate or destiny. The song itself has gained mythic status over the years for sounding like Black Sabbath before Black Sabbath. (It's the lone Renaissance Fair song to be released on compact disc, appearing on a collection called "Psychedelic Experience, Vol 3." Unfortunately, it may be available only as an import and to make things more confusing, there are at least three different discs with that name, only one containing the Renaissance Fair tune.)

Later, Renaissance Fair issued a third 45. This time, the band held sessions at Grand Rapid's Midwestern Sound Studios, located at 444 W. Leonard St. McGahey, Verrett, drummer Richard Rand, and keyboard player Terry Bumstead recorded material with studio owner Phil Roberts. Their record paired "Always Love You" with "She's a Woman," not the Beatles song but an original composition by Verrett. The tracks were issued on Astral Records, owned by McGahey, as single #117.

Renaissance Fair: From left, Richard Rand, Terry Bumstead, Larry McGahey and Larry Verrett

"Phil liked our band and had us learn the music for a song someone else was going to sing so we also recorded those tracks at the same session. He told us how he wanted the song to feel and then sang the chord changes into our headphones as we played. I have never heard what he did with it," McGahey said.

About this time, the Beatles had placed an ad in Rolling Stone magazine announcing the launch of Apple Records. The Beatles, it turns out, were looking for talented acts to sign to its new label and requested that interested parties submit demo tapes.

Taking the initiative, McGahey wrote a letter to Beatle John Lennon, telling him about Renaissance Fair. Lennon forwarded the letter to Apple employee Peter Brown, who answered McGahey's inquiry.

McGahey still has the letter and envelope from Apple Records. The Beatles' label received hundreds of tapes in the mail and Apple hired staff to listen to them, but the label didn't sign anyone.

Still, Renaissance Fair carried on.

"We went on playing under the same name as a quartet with John Antonelli on drums, Rob Benjamin on bass, Larry Verrett, and myself on guitar until the early 1970s," McGahey recounted. The band played around the midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, North and South Dakota and Iowa.

Renaissance Fair: Clockwise from top, Tim Hatfield, John Antonelli, Rob Benjamin and Larry McGahey

Eventually, a trio of Antonelli, Benjamin and McGahey emerged. Later, Benjamin left, replaced by Tim Hatfield, who was later replaced by Chuck McGill.

McGahey has fond memories of Renaissance Fair, and treasures the close friendships of the band members and "all the fun we had travelling around the U. P. playing music. One trip we thought of putting Simon & Garfunkel's 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' in John's tape deck and driving off Pictured Rocks at high speed."

McGahey also recalled driving to a job in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the winter. "We had an accident with all three cars, two of them running into each other. That was fun."

Hatfield recollected an especially fiery gig in lower Michigan. "I remember when the club we were playing at in Alpena almost burned to the ground. The club was called The Roost, but after it burned it was then changed to The Roast. Our equipment was only smoke damaged and a little water logged. We called our agent in Little Chute, Wis., and he told us to pack up and drive back to the Soo and he'd have a place for us to play by the time we got there. And he did. He told us to drive to Fond du Lac, I believe, and play there for a week. After getting there and driving around endlessly, we finally asked where G. G.'s Pussycat Lounge was.

"It was just a house that this girl G. G. turned into a 'gentlemen's club.' I was, at the time, 19 years old and had never been into one of those places before. The thing that I thought was hilarious was that we didn't play your traditional stripping kind of music. We played the top hits of the time, like 'Your Mama Don't Dance' and 'Proud Mary.' When you're young and impressionable, things like that will stick in your mind forever," Hatfield noted.

With a cache of songs by band members, Renaissance Fair often played original material. "In fact, the band would have liked to play all originals, all of the time, if we could. But playing in clubs means you have to play mostly what the people want. The originals that McGahey and Verrett wrote were really great songs, not to mention Rob Benjamin's tunes. He wrote some beautiful songs that no one will hear." Hatfield said.

In the years since Renaissance Fair disbanded, Larry Verrett and Gordie Moon have died, but Larry McGahey, Greg Myner and John Ordiway each continue to make music today, as does Tim Hatfield.

Renaissance Fair Picture Gallery
Photos courtesy of Larry McGahey, Tim Hatfield and Greg Myner


Renaissance Fair when the band first formed. In front, Gordie Moon. In back, from left, Rob Benjamin, Larry McGahey, Jim Rogers, John Ordiway, Greg Myner, Larry Verrett


Renaissance Fair reunited about 1975-80 in Kalamazoo, Mich. under the name Friends of Mine. From left, John Antonelli, Greg Myner, Larry McGahey, Larry Verrett, Rob Benjamin. They played southern Michigan mainly and were the house band at the Light House in Plainwell, Mich.

U. P. garage bands flourished

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Although no 1960s era rock band from the Upper Peninsula had a national hit, it wasn't for lack of quality material.

From the beginning of the decade, till the end, from east to west and north to south, U. P. bands recorded plenty of great rock 'n' roll singles.

But, because the region is isolated geographically and far from any large city, U. P. rock bands often had to travel to a distant recording studio to commit their songs to tape. Geography also conspired against these local acts when it came to getting airplay in those metropolitan centers hundreds of miles from home.

Despite its rural character, the rock 'n' roll spirit pervaded the 15 counties of the U. P.

Many northern Michigan groups took a shot at musical infamy by releasing 45 rpm singles, although this regional "garage band" scene has been largely undocumented.

The Beatles' appearance in America in early 1964 is credited with spawning an explosion of homegrown rock 'n' roll groups, but two of the most popular U. P. bands were launched before the British music invasion.

The Excels, headquartered in Marquette, and Houghton's Kinetics each enjoyed significant success after being formed in 1963. Fashioned in the mold of the Beach Boys, the Excels issued five singles on the Detroit-based Carla label, owned by respected producer Ollie McLaughlin. Performing original material, such as "Gonna Make You Mine Girl" and "Little Innocent Girl," they toured extensively and appeared on several well-known television programs.

The Kinetics, meanwhile, officially named The Kinetic Energy, cut two 45's and a LP record album called "Snow Children," all the while building up a significant reputation as a live act. They competed with Creedence Clearwater Revival to make a hit of "Susie Q," but broke up in 1969.

Still, the Excels and Kinetics weren't the first rock bands from north of the Mackinac Bridge to make records. Danny and the Galaxies, from the Ironwood-Hurley area, and the Vigilantes, calling Ontonagon home, beat them to the punch. Danny Sullivan and his Galaxies cut an Elvis-sounding rockabilly number called "If You Want to be my Baby," for the Darbo label in Minneapolis, early in the decade. A second 45, "My Tattle Tale," followed a year later.

The Vigilantes, a group of school friends from the Copper Country, toured around the U. P., and released a 45 called "Ramblin' On" in 1961. A second single, containing the instrumentals "Warm Wind'' and "Caterpillar Crawl" appeared the following year. The group moved to Chicago and recorded under various names beginning in 1963. Vigilantes member Jim Brogan also issued his song, "Dream Girl" on the Cuca label as Jimmy B and the Rockatones.

The Rhythm Rockers, a popular musical attraction in the U. P. for decades, released two 45s. Based in tiny community of Alston, the group issued "Unchained Melody" and "Bad News" in 1962.

Fellow western U. P. residents, the Henchmen VI, issued a single, combining "All of the Day" and "Is Love Real," five years later. Both songs were composed by lead singer and guitarist Scott Henske.

The central counties of the peninsula also contributed to the catalog of garage band singles released during the decade.

In 1964, Joey Gee and the Bluetones, based in Iron Mountain, cut a single called "Don't You Just Know," backed with "Little Searcher." Both songs were written by singer Joey Giannunzio, under his real name.

Iron Mountain's Ravelles released an original composition called "Psychedelic Movement" in 1968, featuring the Grace Slick- like vocals of Carmella Altobelli. Not long after the group changed its name to Sainte Jon's Academy and issued a follow-up called "Smile at the Flowers," on the Daizy label.

Nearby Kingsford, meanwhile, produced Lexington Project which recorded "It Looks a Lot Like Rain" and "She Looks Much Older," both original band compositions. Only 500 copies of this 45 were pressed, according to Sonic label owner Mike Kuehl.

About the same time, two rival Escanaba bands made forays into the regional hit parade. The Riot Squad 45 included their take on Ritchie Valens' "Come On, Let's Go," while the Prophets of Doom released "I Told You," written by bassist Dave Watchorn. Both records appeared on the Peninsula Records label.

In Marquette, French Church recorded "Slapneck 1943" for the local Princeton label. Negaunee's Fastells, meanwhile, travelled to Cuca Studio in Sauk City, WI to record their 1967 single which included "So Much," written by guitarist Mark Pyykkonen, and "Take You Away," credited to keyboard player Robert Barabe.

Meanwhile, Menominee resident Gerry Cain saw his band, the Benders, issue "Can't Tame Me," while a later group, the Why Four, released "Hard Life." Years before, another group from this area, John Dee and the Shadows, issued "I'm a Rolling Stone," on the Raynard label.

Sault Ste. Marie added to the garage rock scene, as well. Rob Kirk and the Word issued "Girl Talk" in 1967, while Renaissance Fair cut ''Every Moment" and the legendary "In Wyrd" for the Princeton label in Marquette. A third disc, "Always Love You" and "She's a Woman," appeared on the Astral imprint, located in Grand Rapids.

Certainly, the complete story of this era in northern Michigan has yet to be uncovered. There is at least one lost chapter.

For example, many people know that Marquette and Escanaba boasted their own record labels, but so did Manistique. Yet, little is known about Spoke Records, beyond the fact it was founded by the late Irene Davis, then owner of radio station WTIQ, and released 45s by the Renegades, Innocence and a group from Chicago called Society. The label's slogan was "Spoke speaks for itself," WTIQ employee L. David Vaughan recalled.

Still, taking the bounty of 45s into account, it's evident many U. P. garage bands, some barely remembered, made some surprisingly memorable music.

Kinetics energized U. P. in '60s

The Kinetics

By STEVE SEYMOUR

After years of gigging, the Houghton-based rock group The Kinetics were poised on the cusp of national exposure in 1968. They had released two singles, an LP, toured extensively around the midwest and filled concert halls in Chicago.

Formed in 1963 as The Kinetic Energy, the group was led by singer Frank Gallis, who was a 'dancer' while on stage and always moving, giving life to the name, which means energy in motion.

The group included various players through the years, but the most popular version was comprised of Gallis, lead vocals; Chuck Roberts, drums; George Tiggis, keyboards; Mike Krenitsky, lead guitar; and C. J. Lindecamp, bass. Gallis, who also served as manager, said this line-up lasted the longest, although other players, including Huey Letourneau, Benny Ripila, Roger Lewis, Chuck Labine, Gary Parpavich, Peter Polzak and Gary 'Jake' Jacobs played in the band at various times.

Although the group never formally changed its name from Kinetic Energy, fans quickly shortened it to the Kinetics.

The band began playing various venues around the Upper Peninsula, gaining valuable experience and popularity. While playing in Ironwood, a talent scout saw the band and invited them to cut a 45 rpm single. The group traveled to Studio City Records in Minneapolis and recorded two songs written by drummer Chuck Roberts, both sung by Gallis.

"I'm Blue" was designated as the single's A side, while "Feeling From My Heart" appeared on the flip. Published by Aqua City, the recordings were given the catalog number 1033 when issued on the Studio City Records label.

"We produced the sessions ourselves and paid the studio time and pressing cost also. We had no backing or a contracted label at that time," Gallis explained. The group was also responsible for distributing the disc which is very hard to find today.

Although the single didn't sell well, the band was earning a growing reputation as an exciting live act. Their shows at the Calumet Armory were legendary.

"We filled the Armory every time we ever played there. Hundreds of fans came out whether we played during a winter storm or in the heat of the summer. We played there as many as three times a week, especially after the Hancock Teen Center burned down in 1965," Gallis recalled.

Of course, the band played other venues on its home turf, such as Michigan Tech's Memorial Hall and Dee Stadium in Houghton, as well as Northern Michigan University Fieldhouse and the Four Seasons in Marquette and dozens of "other wonderful places with wonderful loyal fans," Gallis said. The group was an attraction at teen dances held at Teamsters Hall in Escanaba, as well.

With a great response where ever they played, the Kinetics decided in the fall of 1966 to aggressively seek a record deal. Instead of waiting to be discovered, they made a demo album to distribute to music executives who might be interested in the band.

Armed with popular songs from its stage act like "96 Tears," a number one hit by Question Mark and the Mysterians from Saginaw; "Black is Black" by Los Bravos; and the Thirteenth Floor Elevators' "You're Gonna Miss Me," complete with a mind-blowing distorted guitar solo, the Kinetics cut a "covers" album at the historic Calumet Theater.

Produced by Fran Locatelli, the long player was titled "Snow Children." Credited to the (Five) Kinetics, the LP was issued by Recorded Publications Co., Camden, N. J., and carried the catalog number 81262.

The album's simple two-color cover features various geometric shapes, but no image of the Kinetics. That's because the cover wasn't considered important compared to the record inside which was supposed to sell the group.

An order was placed for 2,500 copies of the album, which was also sold in some Copper Country retail stores, at dances, and distributed to selected disc jockeys.

As the 1960s rolled along, the Kinetics' popularity on the live circuit continued to rise. They played before 5,000 fans at Chicago's Holiday Ballroom and 7,500 more at the extravagantly decorated Aragon Ballroom.

Finally, the Kinetics got a break when they were contacted by Mercury Records executive and producer Eddie Mascari. Mascari, who was working freelance for Chess Records, asked Gallis to Chicago to finalize a recording contract. Gallis, as the Kinetics' manager, took guitarist Mike Krenitsky along to review the paperwork.

Mascari put the Kinetics in touch with Dee Robb, leader of the Robbs rock group, who invited them to their hometown of Milwaukee to record. On a trip to the west coast just two weeks earlier Robb had heard a "country-rock" take of an old tune by Dale Hawkins called "Susie Q," this time done by a new group, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Robb was convinced the Kinetics could tape a "harder rock" version and top CCR's recording which got off to a slow start.

After two days of sessions in Milwaukee, the Kinetics travelled to Chicago where Mascari helped in the final production of "Susie Q" at Stereo-Sonic Studios. While Mascari and the group brought the final "master" to Chess, company executives decided to "farm-out" the record to the more mainstream Amy/ Mala/ Bell label, because the Kinetics didn't seem to fit the Chess profile.

Gallis said the 45, credited to Kinetic Energy, appeared on all three of the company's imprints, which were shipped to different parts of the country. On the Amy label, the 45 was assigned a catalog number of 11,028. Clocking in at a radio-friendly two minutes and 10 seconds, "Susie Q," was published by Arc Music, a division of Chess Records and produced by Johnny LaMont.

LaMont also produced the single's b side, "Margaret Ann," credited to songwriter William LeHotsky and published by Bob-Cor Music. Although the band didn't spend a lot of time on "Margaret Ann," the song does include a sitar solo by a musician from Western Studios in Los Angeles known as "Squirrel."

Flown in from California, the sitar player listened to the song once, practiced his part a single time, and played it a second time for taping, as Gallis sang his vocal part live. Then, without saying a word, Squirrel left the studio and returned home, Gallis recalled.

The Kinetics' version of "Susie Q" got some midwest airplay thanks to disc jockey and WLS radio personality Dick Biondi, who played the tune on the 50,000 watt Chicago station. However, in the race to make "Susie Q," a hit, CCR's version topped out at number 11 to become the California band's first charter, while the Kinetics' take languished.

With additional recordings "in the can," including a track called "Dirty Old Man," the Kinetics were prepared to issue more 45s, if their version "Susie Q" reached number 50 or better on the Billboard chart. They even hoped for a chance to record a "full ten song LP," Gallis remembered.

But fate did not work in their favor and a few months later the Kinetics played their last live show at the Sahara Club in Green Bay on March 1, 1969.

In the aftermath of the Kinetics, Gallis went into insurance sales and rose to vice president in a major insurance company for many years. Kretitsky moved to Florida where he won several awards for his work in country music. Lindecamp returned to his home town of Mansfield, Ohio, and played bass for a time with the bubblegum group, The Ohio Express, famous for "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy." Chuck Roberts still lives in Houghton. There was talk about a reunion concert in the Copper Country about a decade ago, but that possibility ended with the untimely death of George Tiggis.

As the years passed, Gallis lost touch with Mascari, the music industry insider who "discovered" the Kinetics. Then, a few years ago, Gallis' wife pointed out Mascari's obituary in the newspaper. They were "stunned" to learn that Marcari had lived just three blocks away, in the same Chicago suburb. They had driven by his house for 30 years, even noticing Mascari's "Fast Eddie" license plate, but never making the connection. That irony seemed to reflect the Kinetics' own brush with fame, which didn't quite connect nationally.

Today, memories of the Kinetics linger with fans.

Childhood friends Keith Polkinghorne and Ron Kentala, who grew up in the Copper Country community of Mohawk, vividly remember Kinetics' shows.

Polkinghorne said he and his aspiring musician buddies used to "worship at their feet," that is--stand in front of the stage and watch what they were playing. By the way, that is how I learned to play bass. I used to watch C. J.'s fingers, watch for patterns, and then go home and replicate it. For years, I never knew what I was playing, I just knew it sounded right. I later went on to college and became a music major and it shed a whole bunch of light on what it was I was doing."

"I was in awe of Mike and his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar," Kentala related. "My most memorable experience was in the summer of 1968 when Mike was selling his Mosrite Fuzz Tone guitar. He didn't know me from Adam, but he let me take it home and try it out. Me, a young punk 14-year-old kid. Talk about being on cloud nine. Keith and I jamming at his house with the Kinetics' Fuzz Tone! I never did buy it. My parents wouldn't loan me the money. But, it's something I'll never forget."

Kinetics Picture Gallery
Photos courtesy of Frank Gallis


















Kinetics & Robbs


Kinetics and Robbs in recording session

Kinetics with the Robbs

Metallica embraces U. P. native

U. P. native Steven Wiig, left, works for Metallica co-founder Lars Ulrich, right. He also appeared in the movie "Into the Wild," released on DVD this week.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Upper Peninsula native Steven Wiig will never forget the date he saw Metallica perform at Brown County Arena a few months after the heavy metal band released their self-titled album.

Wiig will tell you the day, Nov. 12, 1991, changed his life forever.

Born in Negaunee, Wiig had travelled to Green Bay to see Metallica perform "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," "Nothing Else Matters," and other tracks from the massively-successful compact disc known by fans as the "Black Album."

Released three months before, the album elevated Metallica from cult status to major headliners. Founded in Los Angeles a decade earlier, the band included drummer Lars Ulrich, vocalist James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bass player Jason Newsted.

Attending his first Metallica concert, Wiig stuck around after the show and met Ulrich, who co-founded the group with Hetfield. "We hit it off pretty quickly," Wiig told me about meeting Ulrich.

Wiig, now 35, is a 1991 graduate of Negaunee High School where he played football, basketball and tennis, as well as participating in band as a trumpet player. The son of high school teachers, he continued his education at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. but, to pursue his goals, Wiig decided to move to Duluth, then Minneapolis, where he met his wife, the former Tricia Wheeler. They were married on June 30, 2001.

In Minnesota, he played music and began working with Metallica, first on the road and later in the studio. After doing that for a few years, Wiig was invited to move to California to work with the band full-time.

Over the years, he and Ulrich became close friends.

"I've been working with them for around twelve years now and my role has been constantly evolving," Wiig told me. "My current 'title' would be personal assistant, which covers a lot of ground. It's constantly changing, depending on which cycle we're in. I work and travel with the band year around-- at home, in the studio and on tour. I mainly work with Lars, who is the 'business center' of the band."

While that may seem time-consuming enough, Wiig also plays in a Metallica-related band called Papa Wheelie.