Show us your "Rock Band" Days

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 15 Feb 2017 7:41 am

In 1964 I started my performing career as a member of "The Mustangs," a five piece rock band. We played Beatles, Beach Boys, Stones, Dave Clark Five, etc. Most of our gigs were high school dances in our home town and surrounding village
high schools. We appeared on Binghamton and Utica, NY TV shows but we never became famous. We did make good spending money for a bunch of kids, met a lot of girls, and had a blast. We traveled in two station wagons, driven by two band parents.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 15 Feb 2017 9:58 am

Here we are in 1959. I have my first good electric guitar, a Les Paul Jr. I don't now recall but we did Cliff & the Shadows covers and some Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent and all sorts...

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 15 Feb 2017 10:21 am

Roger, you pre-date me by a few years, but you have had a great career and played with some big names back in the day.
I always enjoy your posts and the history connected with them.

In 1965, we played at the New York World's fair near NYC.
Wolly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs was #1 on WABC Radio and we did a cover of it. That was probably the largest crowd we ever played for. There were several hundred people watching the the open NY Pavilion.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 15 Feb 2017 11:08 am

Okay - this one's even older ('58?) Not a rock band but a skiffle group and here I'm probably trying to copy Lonnie Donegan. In the UK skiffle ruled the roost from '56 - to '58. We had rock and roll bands, of course, but Donegan was the biggest star in the land.

Thanks for your nice comments, Larry.

Will Houston · Post by **Will Houston** » 15 Feb 2017 2:11 pm

Great pics guys, love the guitars.

Bill Ladd · Post by **Bill Ladd** » 15 Feb 2017 2:16 pm

Jeff Garden · Post by **Jeff Garden** » 15 Feb 2017 3:03 pm

The early 70's country rock years:

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 16 Feb 2017 6:18 am

Larry Jamieson wrote:In 1964 I started my performing career as a member of "The Mustangs," a five piece rock band. We played Beatles, Beach Boys, Stones, Dave Clark Five, etc. Most of our gigs were high school dances in our home town and surrounding village
high schools. We appeared on Binghamton and Utica, NY TV shows but we never became famous. We did make good spending money for a bunch of kids, met a lot of girls, and had a blast. We traveled in two station wagons, driven by two band parents.

Larry, I'm squinting hard but are those guitars a Mosrite and a Hagstrom?

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Feb 2017 6:50 am

1963 and by now we're on television....

Jeff!!!! Which one is you?

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 16 Feb 2017 7:38 am

Frank, I'm the guy on the right and my guitar was a cheap Japanese "Strat" copy, I don't remember the brand name.
My band mate had an EKO, made in Italy, and it was a nice guitar. I think he still owns it. My brother is playing an original Fender bass from 1964. It was later stolen from him when he was in the service. Our drummer had an old set, Slingerlands I believe, that had belonged to his dad.
In 1966 his parents bought him a new set of Ludwigs in black oyster pearl, just like Ringo's set. The 5th band member started out just doing vocals, but soon bought a Doric combo organ (poor man's Farfisa). I later bought a gold sparkle EKO "Strat copy. In 1967, three of us graduated from high school and moved on. The other two members picked up two more players and continued for another year until they graduated and that was the end of that band...

Jeff Garden · Post by **Jeff Garden** » 16 Feb 2017 9:34 am

Hey Roger...I'm the super cool dude in the dark glasses

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Feb 2017 10:06 am

Ha! I thought so. By the way, I used to do that too - pose with a good guitar so as not to obscure the high-end logo.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 16 Feb 2017 11:01 am

Great pictures, Roger. Show us some more!

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Feb 2017 11:14 am

Here we are in 1964 in Liverpool. We're warming up for Eden Kane. I've just noticed that I can see (on the left) my wonderful Fender Showman amp. To think I took it all for granted then - a Gibson Super 400 and a Showman! Wish I had 'em now.

Then, later on, Eden Kane grabs my Gibson and I'm relegated to hand-claps. What's up with that??? (EK was the good looking one.)

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 16 Feb 2017 7:09 pm

Nice pictures, Roger. Also nice Gibson 400 and Fender amp.
I never owned a guitar quite as nice. Did you see and/or play with any of the Beatles in Liverpool before they became famous?

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Feb 2017 7:40 pm

Funnily enough, during this week-long engagement at the Liverpool Cabaret Club, Ringo came by two or three nights. We'd hang out and have the odd scotch-and-coke together.

I remember being slightly dismayed that he'd put Â£200 on the red playing roulette - I thought I was being well-paid at Â£100 per week (a lot back then) but they'd already moved up a few notches from us. Â£200, though???

No, we didn't know them before their fame but saw a lot of them from '63 onwards. We did several shows with them and I did play with George in the '70s a couple of times.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 16 Feb 2017 8:38 pm

Brookline, Massachusetts - circa 1970. A true "jam band", we just made it up as we went.

This shot actually came out of my high school yearbook. 1965 Fender Mustang, white with red tortoise guard. Can't see the amp in this pic, it was out-of-view. Probably my '65 Bandmaster, but mighta' been something else. I also had an old Univox. Definitely a Big Muff and an old Vox Cry Baby Wah that day.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Feb 2017 9:04 pm

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 16 Feb 2017 9:07 pm

Are you rehearsing there, Jim, or is it a gig? Nice to share your efforts with the neighbours.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Feb 2017 9:09 pm

Roger Rettig wrote:Are you rehearsing there, Jim, or is it a gig? Nice to share your efforts with the neighbours.

Yes, I'm sure they appreciated it.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 17 Feb 2017 6:45 am

Dave, great hair, great guitar. Rock on!
Jim, great shot of your early days. What was the name of that band? Did you stay together and play some gigs?
Roger, thanks for the pictures and history. I would have liked to be a pro musician but I have had a day job all my life and been a weekend warrior for most of it.

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 17 Feb 2017 9:59 am

Probably 1975, not sure. My memory is kind of foggy throughout that period for some reason.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 17 Feb 2017 10:58 am

Since I came from bluegrass to country, I never had a real "rock band" experience, but I did play a bunch of country rock.

Brawley Inn, Brawley CA, 1971. This was a hard core country honky tonk gig, after the Stone Poneys and Tex, and before my move to TX to become part of the "progressive country" scene, which was the Texas name for "country rock."

Playing a 1971 Sho~Bud Professional through a 1964 Twin Reverb, next to our Shure Vocal Master PA head.

I didn't play in a rock band, but I look like I COULD have!

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 17 Feb 2017 11:53 am

I never played rock, until I moved to US to play country...

John Limbach · Post by **John Limbach** » 17 Feb 2017 12:21 pm

Herb Steiner wrote: Brawley Inn, Brawley CA, 1971. This was a hard core country honky tonk gig

OMG............The Brawley Inn. Now there's a name from the past. I spent 25 years in the Air Force and in the late 60's - early 70's spent a lot of time TDY to El Centro doing cargo airdrop testing. Man, was that area close to being the armpit of the universe in those days. There weren't many places to hang out, but the Brawley Inn was one of them and had great steaks. We used to call it the "Knife and Gun Club" because of all the fights that broke out there once the alcohol levels got elevated. Things were so boring in that godforsaken section of Imperial County, that the cowboys would come into places like the Brawley Inn on a Friday and Saturday nights and fight their best friends for no other reason than to have something to do.

I'm sure I must have heard you but it would be another 40 years or so before I took up the steel. Thanks for bringing back some good memories.

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Show us your "Rock Band" Days

Show us your "Rock Band" Days

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