| Butch
Fox and the Fairlanes
One of my brother's very early bands used to practice at our
house. I would sit outside the closed door of the room and
pretend I was in there playing. One day when I was about 10yrs
old, the bass player didn't show up for practice. Butch got
me to fill in on an old Silvertone bass from Sears. I was
in heaven. I never actually played a gig with this band, but
from that day on my fate was definitely sealed.
The Empires
I was approximately eleven years old. This was the first band
I ever played a gig with. I was so excited, that when they
were thirty minutes late picking me up, I cried and my mother
had to console me. I played two or three gigs with this band
before they let me go because I was too young to play in bars.
I played rhythm guitar with the Empires. They later changed
their name to the Imperials, and became a major band in this
area. |
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Gene
and the Team Beats
My brother Butch got me into this band when I was twelve to
replace Lewis Woodall who had been drafted into the army. Butch
switched to lead guitar and I picked up the bass. I ended up
playing with the Team Beats for several years, first on bass,
then on guitar and ending up as the bands drummer. I made two
records with them, both on drums, and these songs are still
being listened to today. We played shows with artists like Otis
Redding, Percy Sledge and the Shangrilas. I was too
young to drive then so |
when
my ride left the band, I had to leave too. The band was based
in Martinsville, Virginia - - thirty miles away.
The
Soulmasters
After the Team Beats, the bass player, Brian Thomasson and
I joined the Soulmasters, a band that started in North Carolina,
but was being reformed as a Danville band. I was in and out
of the Soulmasters several times over the next few years,
and played drums, bass, guitar, and saxophone with them at
different times over the years. With John and Jerry (the two
front men) and a full brass section, we were often tapped
to be the backup band for the many Stax-Volt artists who came
through this area. Artists such as Eddie Floyd, Percy
Sledge, Arthur Connely, Major Lance, and others.
This was a legendary band in the Danville area, and I am proud
to have played a small part in it.
The Majors
Butch talked me into leaving the Soulmasters and joining the
Majors, which only stayed together for a short time after
I joined. I played guitar here.
JB and the Soulsearchers
Butch Fox and Joe Johnson from the Majors fronted this band
and I switched back to drums. We had a full brass section.
This band was only together for a short time, and proved to
be no real competition for the Soulmasters, who were really
strong at the time.
Artie Tompkins Orchestra
I left the Soulmasters for a time to play with this mature
and very organized dance orchestra. All of these guys were
musically educated (I was not), and I learned a lot of chord
theory from them. I played bass.
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City
Council
When the Soulmasters broke up after a long and successful existence,
I approached a young man who had been going to gigs with the
band for a while and who was a potentially good drummer himself
named Danny Haymore (also known as Fat Man), and suggested that
we start a band. We decided to call the band City Council. City
Council went through many changes over the years, from a horn
band, to an Allman Brothers type rock band, to a funk band,
and ended up being a little bit of all these styles, with an
emphasis on creative expression. City |
Council
did cover tunes and a few original songs and traveled the
eastern U.S. The last incarnation of this band developed the
practice
of recording demos of our cover tunes to refine arrangement
and performance. This practice led to very interesting versions
of familiar tunes that were considered true to the original
recordings in general, but with creative additions that allowed
for artistic expression.
The
Manchesters
I only had a small part in this local group, but this was
a good band. Great musicians. This band was underrated.
Kicks
I joined the band KICKS when their bass player left rather
suddenly. I had to learn all their sets in two or three days.
This was a good band which traveled some, but not full time.
The band had two drummers, two keyboard players, two horns
and no guitar. It worked because of the showmanship (except
for me) and the good creative ideas of Doug Hyler and the
rest of the guys. When one of the keyboard players quit, who
also sang a lot of the material, we took on Lonnie Woodall
to play guitar. We eventually changed the name of the band
to Fox and Company.
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Fox
and Company
Formed out of Kicks. This band stayed together for some time.
We went thru many changes but continued the traditions started
in City Council of recording and creativity. We played locally
and did some weekend traveling. We played cover tunes with some
originals sprinkled in. Fox and Company released the CD "Tiptoe
Past the Giant" in 1990, which was well received and didn't
lose money. We considered it a success at the time.
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Paradise
After rededicating my life to God, I wanted to do some music
for Him .We started a contemporary Christan group called Paradise,
which was moderately successful for a couple of years, and recorded
and released two albums of mostly original music. This was a
great band and a wonderful ministry, and I was saddened to see
it end. |
58 West
58 West sprang forth from a jam session at a cookout. We liked
the way it felt to play together, and we knew a lot of the same
songs. We were asked at the cookout to play at a wedding reception
and we thought "Why not?" It worked and we kept doing
it. If I could hand pick local musicians to play with, these
are the guys I would pick. I play guitar in the band. We just
recently changed the name of the band to "58 West."
Kinda catchy, huh? Click here
to check out the band's website. |
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