Nightshades Gear 45 American Boy

The Nightshades on Gear

Flyer for the Nightshades with WLS DJ Ron Riley at A Better Mouse Trap Club in Vernon Hills

Nightshades Gear 45 American Boy

The Nightshades formed as the Deadly Nightshades at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, IL, a suburb of Chicago. The group’s lineup changed, sometimes to a quartet or trio format, but included at various times:

Gary Schaeffer – vocals
Bob Zemke – lead guitar
Larry LaCoste – rhythm guitar
Phil Jernigan, replaced by Tom Lavin – bass
Don Locke, replaced by Kenny LaCoste – drums

I only have one of their singles, the second of three the band released on Gear Records in 1967 and 1968.

The first was “Summertime” / “Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight” on Gear 747/8.

“Summertime” and the Kinks cover are cool enough, but I like the original songs on their second single on Gear C 749/750, “Flying High” and especially the heavier “American Boy” with its sustained guitar sound and lyrics that would tell an interesting story if I could decipher more of them. The labels list Zemke, La Cost, Jernigan as writers for both songs, published by Gear Music BMI, with arrangement by Bob Zemke, plus Gear Enterprises, c/o Ed Zemke.

Their last single was “Sweet Cecelia” / “My Mother Done Told Me (That You Were a Lover)” on Gear 751/2.

Flyer for the Nightshades at The Exit on 1810 Walters Ave

Deborah Fortune wrote to me with the flyers for the Nightshades at The Exit and the Mouse Trap. She wrote to me:

Nick Rush was their first drummer. Sometime in 1965 or so. He lives in California now. I went to high school with Larry and Kenny, Bob, Nick and Gary. Gary Schaefer is alive, Nick is too. Bob Zemke died when we were all kids in high school. Bob’s dad was the band’s manager.

I grew up on the Northshore; Glenview, and went to all the different teen clubs. I found it interesting, looking back, that the Glenview Park District forked over its golf course clubhouse to be used as a teen club every Friday and Saturday night. That was The Pit. They also supplied an off duty policeman. Why, I was never sure as we certainly were not a rowdy bunch back then.

Nightshades Gear 45 Flying High

16 thoughts on “The Nightshades on Gear”

  1. Saw the Nightshades play as a power trio with singer at IIT in what ’67,’68? They played Sweet Cicelia and did a Who-like finale with their Vox amps tilted back and the guitars laying on the speaker cabinets feeding back! My buddy Barry had bought their single. Its cool!

  2. Don Locke, not Dan Locke. Don went on to be a gifted artist and author as well as graphic artist for NBC’s Tonight Show for over 25 years….

  3. Around five years ago I found 500 unplayed 45s of the Nightshades on Gear at a house liquidation sale. I believe they were all the same record(?). I also believe it was their last single from what I read above. I passed on these at $1.00 each, believing they were some sort of reissue because they were way too mint for a 45 year old record. My question is, Did one of the members live in North Tonawanda, NY where these records were found? Maybe someone in the production end lived there? Chicago is a long way off from this Buffalo, NY suburb. Any information would be greatly appreciated. This person (who owned the 45s) may have passed away sometime around 2011 or 2012(?).

    1. No all from Glenview but lost track of most by 1980, Phil lost finger in motorcycle accident last he was great painter artist, bought his 8 string Hagstrom bass. Kenny the last I know was making dentures in a lab and moved to FLA. Bob died from cancer stupid thing think Larry move west to coast.
      Still see Jimmy John’s of Shadows of Knights, he still performs.

    2. None of us lived or had family in NY area…amazing find😎🎸….

      Larry LaCoste
      The Nightshades

      1. Hey Larry where Kenny you met me few times at your mom’s house think first time was with Greg Costanzo Jill Daslacha(?) Lost track Kenny and Phil. Who was guy lived kitty corner from you niehbor that lost that one day. Getting old man hard to remember but it come tonight.
        How the are you?
        Remember Good Vibrations 57 chevy wagon think was copper paint job.

  4. I was briefly in the band as well!
    Larry LaCoste and I are still best friends .
    Bob Zemke — we raced go karts together
    back in the early sixties – died of bone cancer
    at age 20.

  5. wow! found this by accident. what a flashback . what a shame about bob.i knew you guys through the thornwald brothers.those were the days, go carts, mini bikes homemade fireworks and officer bauman always trying to bust up “the robin crest gang”

    1. Officer Joe Baumann he hated me, but my dad had political clout than Judge had to tell him , look his under my supervision can’t arrest him to after you speak with me.
      Sure bringing back memoirs. You mean Twin Brothers lived across street from Sanders.
      Ran into Cosmo few times past years

  6. I vaguely remember a trio band in Hawaii in 1967-68 called the Nightshades and i think they were also from Chicago area .. i remember the guitar was named Vic and the Bass was named Rich i think and i was wondering if they had any connection with this Nightshades Band as surprisingly the logo on the bass drum head looks the same .. just wondering as they were a really great rock trio ..

  7. I was a substitute drummer in the years between 1960s
    The drummer then was Nickie and he would have to leave to travel with his family on occasions and that’s when I was invited to sit in on some gigs. Ironically I was drafted in 1965 and went to Vietnam 1966/67 and had to leave my own band and the part time gig with the Nightshades. It was a great time back then.

  8. The first time I heard the song “Gloria” was at The Mouse Trap in the mid-’60s, performed well by the Nightshades. When I later heard the Shadows of Knight version on the radio, I thought it odd their band names were so similar. As a working professional drummer, I joined the Shadows of Knight in ’69 and was with them for 3 years. Was the band name similarity a coincidence? All these years I’ve wondered. R.I.P. my dear friend Jimy Sohns. What a character!

  9. Kenny LaCost sadly has passed away on March 2, 2024 in Morton Grove. He was with family during his passing. He stayed in the Glenview area, and is survived by his son and two daughters.

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