The Centurys

I knew Billy a little from his days in The Centurys, and immediately thereafter. He used to book my band, The Cavaliers, into local hotspots, notably(?), the American Legion Hall on West Lehman Street. Billy was a straight shooter, who kept his promises and always paid cash. I felt sneakily privileged to follow Billy to the downstairs lounge at The Legion Hall, where he conducted business from his "office" booth. He was a bit of a wise guy with a sharp but never vicious sense of humor. Now and then he buy me a beer, which was way cool for 16 year old kid like me, hanging with the men.

The Centurys were a powerful band, who, like all of us in those days, had to carry a full night's work, playing 3, sometimes 4 or 5 sets. They rocked hard, played the usual hits of the day, and mixed in some originals, which sounded just like the hits, to me. When The Centurys broke up, The Cavaliers often picked up their gigs, which greatly helped us get established on the local scene. They were a hard act to follow, so, essentially, we didn't. The Centurys were a rocking garage band in a true sense. The Cavaliers followed more of an R&B path, a burgeoning trend in those days (mid 60s), employing several horn players and a Hammond B-3 organist (who later quit the band to manufacture..., uh, never mind).

I never did like that guitar Billy played, the white Stratocaster. I thought solid body guitars with cutaways were "impure". What!!? He had a great cutting tone with it, perfect for The Centurys sound. Of course, if Billy kept it, and his family still has it, it's probably worth about $30,000! So much for "impurity".

I remember those days very fondly, as the punk kid trying to break in to the scene. Billy was helpful enough to give our band a chance. After that, the music had to carry the day.

Thanks, Billy, and sincere condolences to his family for their loss.

PMac
Boston

So sorry too hear of Billys passing .When i was about 15 back in 1964 i spent two days at his Dads camp back of Bunker Hill Drinking Beer and shooting his Dads 38spl.And spent the nite b/4 at Coleman park watching the fireworks over the 4 of July. So many good times from the Lyken Ballroom with the Centurys.Great memories with a great band.

Hi Im the son of Larry Sr. Thank you for the comment about my pops band. They were one of the best of their times. Once again thank you. I also saw them play there but I was only 2 lol

My name is John. I played in the Centurys with your Uncle Billy. My Son told me about this website. When I first started playing with the Centurys, I converted from a rythm guitar player in a different band to a bass player who didn't know much about playing the bass. Your Uncle Billy and Larry took time to show me some bass runs that worked for most of the songs we played in those days. I then picked it up and got better by practicing allot. I was so impressed by Billys playing ability, that I worked as hard as I could so as not to make the band sound bad. I think he pretty much inspired everyone in the band to do their very best. He played the best, and Larry demanded the best. Those were the reasons for our success. None of us were natural musicians except for Billy, but we all worked very hard and became better for it.
I often thought of Billy over the years, and I miss his sense of humor. The world lost a good man.
John Iacavone December-08

John: I discovered The Centurys music through a CD collection that I picked up at Borders Books and Music, and it's fantastic! While reading the liner notes, I noticed that your band was from Lebanon, PA. I work near Reading, and a friend from work who grew up and still lives in Lebanon, remembered you guys. He told me that Billy had passed away, and I was very sorry to hear it. The day that I brought my CD home, I listened to "Hard Times" about 200 times throughout the day, and I'm listening to it as I post this comment. God bless Billy and all the guys from the Centurys. This is the grooviest, catchiest, purest rock n' roll that can be found ANYWHERE, and I hope hope music fans all over will be fortunate enough to discover them just as I did.