Category Archives: Grand Rapids

The Barons of Grand Rapids

The Barons Jafes 45 Try a Love With MeThe Barons were one of the early garage bands in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They released their single on a custom Fenton label, Jafes 985, in August 1965.

My copy is signed by Dick Gates, Dave Marquette and Brandon Scott. Dave Marquette wrote the A-side, “Try A Love With Me”. Dick Gates wrote the uptempo “Don’t Come Back No More”. Marquette and Gates seem to have been stage names for Dave Rutkowski and Dick Steimle.

The West Michigan Music Hysterical Society lists a couple different names as members:

Dick Gates (Dick Steimle) – guitar
Dave Marquette (Dave Rutkowski) – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Bill McNamara – bass
Steve Carpenter (Mandrill Fern) – drums

The Barons Jafes 45 Don't Come Back No MoreSince that site doesn’t list Brandon Scott, I’m not sure if he was a drummer or bassist at the time of the single, or if he was even in the Barons.

The two sides of the single sound like they were recorded at different sessions, with the bass easy to hear on “Try a Love With Me” and fainter on the flip. Dick Steimle plays some fast and tricky guitar work with a dry tone on “Don’t Come Back No More”.

The record seems to have come early in their career, and they changed from a trio to quartet at some point. Their record label came from the nickname of their manager, Jim “Jafes” Kemp.

Dave Rutkowski would join the Pedestrians in 1967, in time to record their third Fenton single, “The Unpredictable Miss Kinsey” / ” You Aren’t Going To Say You Know”. Jim Kemp managed the Pedestrians as well as the Barons.

Dick Steimli would leave the Barons to join the Soulbenders, best known for their versions of “Hey Joe” and “Seven and Seven Is”.

The Jayhawkers and the Deltron label of Bay City

The Jayhawkers Delta Promotions Bay City Photo

The Jay Hawkers came out of Bay City, Michigan and were led by Jay Walker, who was later a DJ on WKNX (1210 AM) in Saginaw, Michigan and WGRD, eventually changing his name as Sonny Fox.

Discographies tend to list the Jayhawkers as the backing band for a single by Dwight Douglas and the Jayhawkers on Astra 3008 – “Interstate ’45′” (L. Drake, J. Stokes) / “Mr. Big” (Lenny Drake). This is a pseudonym for Lenny & the Thundertones, who were based out of Detroit. Certainly the songs were cut several years prior to the Deltron records, so I have to believe this is a different band.

I’ve sometimes seen them listed as a Grand Rapids band, but the promo photo above comes from Delta Promotions in Bay City, which also (I believe) ran Deltron records label. Bill Kehoe and Jim Atherton owned Delta Promotions, which managed Question Mark and the Mysterians, and was the company that created several fraudulent bands to tour the US, including a bogus Zombies featuring two future members of ZZ Top and a made-up Archies group that led to a devastating lawsuit from Don Kirshner.

Jayhawkers Deltron 45 Dawn of InstructionDeltron 21 (1227) – The Jayhawkers – “Dawn Of Instruction” (Trusdale Music, BMI) / “Searchin'”

As I wrote in an article about certain topical songs of the mid-60s, the Jayhawkers’ “Dawn of Instruction” is a straightforward inversion of P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction”. With over-the-top lyrics like “even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’ … my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin”, “Eve of Destruction” was an easy target. The Jayhawkers made the most of the hyperbole in their answer song, singing lines like “step aside, Mister Doom Peddler” and “[we’re] not old enough to vote, but ain’t young enough for runnin”.

The Jayhawkers version came out in October 1965, just a month after Barry McGuire’s recording hit #1 in Billboard. Interestingly there’s no song writing credit for this side, only Trusdale Music publishing, which, as Max Waller pointed out, is probably a dig at “Eve of Destruction” publisher Trousdale.

The Jayhawkers opened for Simon and Garfunkel on Wednesday, December 29, 1965 at the Saginaw YMCA.

The Jay Hawkers Deltron 45 To Have A Love (As Sweet As You) Deltron 1228 – The Jay Hawkers – “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” (T. Saputo, B. Kirener) / “Send Her Back” (Walker, Huntleigh)

Their second single came out in April, 1966, this time Jay Hawkers listed as two separate words. Both sides show a very different side to the band, and for me this is the best of their singles. “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” is catchy and very commercial. The song seems to be original to the band, though I don’t think the writers were members of the group.

The Jay Hawkers Deltron 45 Send Her Back “Send Her Back” is a slow and very affecting ballad. It may be the only song they recorded that was written by people in the band, namely Walker and Huntleigh.

The Jay Hawkers continued with two more singles, all cover songs in different styles:

Lucky Eleven 232 – “Come On (Children)” / “A Certain Girl” (produced by “Terry Nnight” aka Terry Knight, October 1966)

Lyke Til 4147 – “Love Have Mercy” / “Baby Blue” (Produced by Jay Walker, June, 1967)

The Deltron label

I can find three, maybe four, additional releases on this Deltron label out of Bay City:

Deltron 812 – The One Way Pedestrians – “I’d Like to Say (I Love You)” (Rod Clowthier) / “Hey Miss Sally” (I haven’t heard either side yet)
Deltron 813 – The Bed of Roses – “Hate” / “I Don’t Believe You” (August 1967)

Deltron AR895 – Dick Rabbit “Take Me to L.A.” / “You Come on Like a Train” (both by The Thayber Brothers, produced by James Atherton, Package Music BMI)

Dick Rabbit also had “Love” (Phil Gordon, Rich Thayer) / “Trip” (Donavan) on Great Lakes GL-103, both published by Rabbit Music Co.

See my follow-up post for more detail on the Bed of Roses.

Deltron SS-6518 – The Deltrons (Craig, Bob, Dan, Greg) – “I Found My Baby in Bad Axe” / “Tonya” (Dan Richards, Greg Young) from April 1966

The Deltrons single is crude and great garage single on “Tonya”. I doubted it was related to the Deltron label from Bay City but the group recorded in nearby Sebewaing, so it likely is. I cover the Deltrons in more depth here.

Photo at top from the West Michigan Music Hysterical Society.

Thank you to Gary Rappaport for providing detailed background on the Simon and Garfunkel appearance with the Jayhawkers.

Don and the Wanderers

The Wanderers of Grand Rapids, MI photo
The Wanderers, 1968, left to right: Bob Thompson, Mike Bresnahan, Don Thompson, Jack Petersen, Dave O’Brian

Don and Robert Thompson and friends

 Don Thompson, December 1963
Don Thompson, December 1963
 1964, from left: Robert Thompson, Tom Devers and Don Thompson
1964, from left: Robert Thompson, Tom Devers and Don Thompson

Don and the Wanderers were from Belding, Michigan, about 30 miles east northeast of Grand Rapids. Brothers Don Thompson and Robert Thompson founded the Flying Mustangs in 1963, with Don on guitar and his brother Robert on bass. They changed their name to Don and the Wanderers in 1964.For the next seven years the band would practice in the Thompson house. Their father Russ Thompson became their manager once they started taking paying jobs.

The band’s first drummers were Steve Whitford then Tom Devers. In 1965 the band added Jayne Traynor on vocals, and a rhythm guitar player. The following year Janet Sinclair became the drummer. In 1967, Jayne left the band and Dave O’Brien joined on keyboards. At this time Robert Thompson moved to rhythm guitar and Michael Bresnahan joined on bass. Bresnahan had been taking lessons from Robert, and his first group was Davy James and the In Men from Grattan.

Their only 45 was recorded at Audio Studios downstairs from the WKYC station in Cleveland in Spring 1968, and released with an orange Kustom label.

Producer Dick Wagner had them cut his original song “On the Road” for the A-side, a song he had done with the Bossmen the year previously with little chart success. This version has a progressive style for early 1968, with elements of the heavier sounds that were coming over the next few years.

For the flip they cut a mid-tempo pop number, “Sleepin’ in the Sun”. If it’s a Dick Wagner song, it’s not included in his BMI listing. The transfer featured here has better sound than the 45, and is also about twelve seconds longer, as the 45 fades earlier. They pressed 500 copies, selling more than 400 of them.

The band continued until 1972, playing many of the same clubs as Ted Nugent, Bob Segar, and The Frost.

Wanderers Kustom 45 On the Road

The Wanderers color photo 1966
L-R: Bob Thompson, Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, John Goodsell and Ted Trudell on drums.

Don Thompson told me more about the Wanderers:

I started playing guitar in August of ’63 at age 10. Been doing it ever since. The band started out with my brother on bass and me on lead guitar and we just added members as we went along. Starting with the Ventures and grew into top 40 and then to heavy metal if you could call it back then. Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Doors, SRC, Amboy Dukes towards the end.

1966: Jim Wilson on rhythm guitar, Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson and Janet Sinclair on drums.
1966: Jim Wilson on rhythm guitar, Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson and Janet Sinclair on drums.
Left to right: Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson, Tim Harris on keyboards, and Janet Sinclair.
Left to right: Jayne Traynor, Don Thompson, Bob Thompson, Tim Harris on keyboards, and Janet Sinclair.
As a quartet: Don Thompson, Steve Connor on bass, Bob Thompson now on rhythm guitar, and Janet Sinclair.
As a quartet: Don Thompson, Steve Connor on bass, Bob Thompson now on rhythm guitar, and Janet Sinclair.
 Late 1967, with new members Michael Bresnahan and Dave O'Brien
Late 1967, with new members Michael Bresnahan and Dave O’Brien

Don and the Wanderers photo

Wanderers Kustom 45 My father managed the band, built our band trailers, drove us to gigs, handled everything about the band. He had a gift of listening to a song on the radio, and could predict what song was going to be a hit. He’d buy the 45 record, and made sure we had our parts down and ready for each practice, and by the time the song hit #1 we already had it in our song list. I remember dad as one who took a chance on a 10 year old kid wanting to play guitar. He didn’t know if I had any talent or if I would stick with it, but he bought the best guitar to make sure I had a chance to learn on.

He made sure we worked, got paid for what we did, and we used that money to invest in better equipment. He taught us to do our best. Dad was not just our manager, but wore many hats, driving sometimes for hours in snow storms to get us to gigs and then hours to get us home. All the old band members I keep in contact with, say he was their friend. Not many teenagers would say that about most adults.

In West Michigan in the ’66 to ’69 era there were The Quests, Lynn & the Invaders, and the Soul Benders that recorded 45’s. Another great band was the Rainmakers out of Traverse City. It was very competitive back then.

We were a working band, most years we would have at least 45 to 50 weeks booked somewhere. Back then, every high school sponsored after-game dances. There were teen clubs all over Michigan to play. We played all over Michigan, from the west shores, South Haven to Traverse City, Rose City, West Branch, Bad Axe, Lansing, Detroit, just about any town that had a teen center, we’ve played it.

In 1966 there was a huge teen center in Grand Rapids called “The Place”. We won some of their Battle Of The Bands and we opened for the Music Explosion at The Place. I think that was sometime in ’67.

In August 1969 we were the opening act for Alice Cooper, in Hastings, MI. The name of the club was The Cobra. We had a wall of Kustom 3×15 cabinets and PA. Alice and the band got there, and realized the club didn’t provide a PA for them to use. The club was set up with a stage at each end of the main room. We did our first set, and wheeled our PA to their stage for their first show. The management had sold tickets for two shows, so they cleared the building and we did our second show for the late crowd, and wheeled our PA back for their second show.

I remember was Alice was in a really good mood and started swinging his (our) mic and the connector came loose and Alice launched our mic across the room and it hit the wall. Needless to say it didn’t work after that.

We met Dick Wagner through our booking agent. It was really important at that time to do a record for local radio play, so we met Dick, and he sold us the two songs we did, and he produced them. “On the Road” was side one and “Sleeping in the Sun” was the flip side. I was 15 at the time, it was huge to actually be making a record.

We recorded the songs in Cleveland and at the time of the recording Janet Sinclair was our drummer. The lead guitar intro on “On the Road” was done using a Fender Telecaster, a Mosrite Fuzzrite and recorded at half speed and played back full speed to get that octave up. I guess it was not cutting edge for the time but was effective.

We recorded on half inch tape and then transferred to 1/4 inch tape. The studio didn’t transfer just the masters but transferred all the takes so when the record company got the tape, they had no idea which was the master and didn’t bother to call us to see which take was the master, so we ended up with 500 45 RPM records with volume drops and gains. The MP3’s I sent were the masters and my brother had them done just last year from the original tape.

The record did get some local airplay, as did most of the local bands, [though] not as much as the Grand Rapids bands. At least we had the experience of recording and being part of that era. That was our only recording, we never did try it again.

As the photos show there have been lots of members over the years, I guess you have to make changes when they want something different. Some stayed for a few years, some made it less than a year. I’ve have the pleasure of working with lots of talented people through the years, yet marked with a lot of tragedy. The keyboard player and his brother were killed in a car accident in 1971, our main bass player’s brother joined the band on guitar in 1970 and was killed years later in a crane accident. Jayne was killed in a car accident in 84, so I guess I’m the lucky one.

Janet left the band a month after the recording and we replaced her with Jack Petersen. Jack and I are still working together playing music 40 years later. The Wanderers photo and 45 record are displayed in our Belding Museum. Never thought I’d be displayed in a museum while I was still alive!

One of my last bands was called exit 69 and I had a female singer onboard on that project. We worked for seven years and she and her family just moved to Texas. There are six tunes on the site that we recorded in the bass player’s spare bedroom, one person at a time is all that would fit, but I think it turned out a good demo.

My newest project is called LoRyder, we concentrate on all the one hit wonders of the 60’s and some Beatles. It’s funny how we can play songs 40+ years old and people in their mid 20’s will be singing right along with the band.

As far as what we are doing today, Bob now works for Negri Bossi Injection Molding Machines in Michigan and surrounding states. Don is an Independent agent for Aflac and holds a patent and manufactures the Tremorbender B String Bender for electric guitars – www.tremorbender.com. Janet is married, lives in Florida and still drums, and has several grandchildren who are musicians. Mike is in Everett, Washington and is an electrician. Jack is now semi retired.

Don Thompson, November 2009

Don & the Wanderers, February, 1968, just before recording the 45
February, 1968, just before recording the 45
 WKYC in Cleveland, home of Audio Studios
WKYC in Cleveland, home of Audio Studios
Audio Recording, unidentified engineer and Dick Wagner
Audio Recording, unidentified engineer and Dick Wagner
 In the studio with Dick Wagner, second from right in back. Janet holds lyrics to one of the songs.
In the studio with Dick Wagner, second from right in back. Janet holds lyrics to one of the songs.

Don & the Wanderers

 Don Thompson, 1969
Don Thompson, 1969

In 2007 Don and the Wanderers featured in a local Daily News article.Thanks to Mike Markesich for the 45 scans, and special thanks to Don Thompson for sharing his photos and band history.

The Chevron’s V

The Chevrons photo, Jerry Vanderwal Wal at front left
The Chevrons, Jerry Vanderwal Wal at front left
Chevrons V Nook 45 I Lost You TodayThe Chevrons V came from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Their first 45 from January 1966 has a sharp bluesy lament, “I Lost You Today” on one side and the nonsensical chant “Niat Pac Lavram” (read it backwards) on the flip. Total time for both songs clocks in at a succinct 3:40! Bands today should consider that approach to recording.

It was considered a rare 45 until 2008 when fourteen or more copies turned up. No song writing or production credits on the label, but the same band released a later 45 as simply ‘The Chevrons’ on Fenton, “Hey Little Teaser” / “What Everyone Wants”.

There’s also another single as the Chevrons on the Dawn label, “Seeing You” (B. Goote, pub. by Nigel Music) / “My Mind’s Made Up”, produced by Goote and J. Williams, product of Midwestern Sound Productions, engineer Denny Cuson, “label by John Stevens”.

Patrick Strong wrote to me that he played guitar on “What Everyone Wants”. I’m not sure if he was in the group for the first 45.

I knew almost nothing about the band until Bob Goote commented below that I’ll repeat here:

Chevrons V Nook 45 Niat Pac Lavram

I was a founding member of the Chevrons. The members of the band were:

Bob Goote (keyboards/lead vocals), Pat Strong (lead guitar), Bob Vandenberg (guitar/vocals), Steve Vanderark (bass/vocals), and the great Jerry Vanderwal on drums.

I wrote “I Lost You Today”. “Niat Pac Lvram” (Captain Marvel spelled in reverse) was a collaboration with the whole band, I wrote the music. I also wrote the songs “What Everyone Wants”, “Hey Little Teaser”, “Seeing You”, and “My Mind’s Made Up”.

Our record “Hey Little Teaser” / “What Everyone Wants” made it to #5 on the radio music charts in Grand Rapids.

We had a great time playing gigs while in High school at East Christian High in Grand Grand Rapids (65-68). After high school in 1968 we all sort of went are own ways and the band broke up. After the group retired I wrote and recorded a song called “Somewhere (Someone Is Waiting)” on the Coventry label. It also got some air play in the Grand Rapids market.

Bob Goote

Thank you to Chip for sending in the photo of his uncle’s band and correcting the name to Jerry Vanderwal Wal. If anyone has more photos of the band please contact me

Jerry Vander Wal Bell Sound Demo 45 Seeing YouUpdate, January 2020:

I found this demo lacquer 45 of “Seeing You” / “My Mind’s Made Up” credited to Jerry Vander Wal instead of the entire band, and dated 2/28/68. Interestingly the labels read Bell Sound Studios in New York City, though I don’t believe it was recorded there!

I wonder what the story is behind this demo?

Jerry Vander Wal Bell Sound Demo 45 My Mind's Made Up

The JuJus

The JuJus United PS Do You Understand Me

The JuJus started as a trio doing a parody of the Beatles at Godwin high school in Grand Rapids in 1963. Members were Rod Shepard on guitar, Max “Junior” Colley on sax; and Bill Gorski drums, their name came from Max’s little brother’s pronunciation of “Junior”. JuJus Fenton 45 You Treat Me Bad

In 1964 the band added Ray Hummel III on vocals and guitar and Rod moved to the bass. Hummel had a distinctive voice, and his talent for folk-influenced songwriting changed the band’s sound. Later on Rick Stevens of the Paeans (who had an unreleased 45 recorded at Fenton) came in to play guitar.

The band played live shows at the Ponytail in Grand Rapids and nearby towns like Holland and Saugatuck. In 1965 worked out a deal with Dave Kalmbach of Great Lakes Recording to do their live act between films at the Hour Theater in exchange for recording time when the theater was closed.

Great Lakes was a vanity label: the bands had to cover all recording and pressing costs and do their own promotion. Studios were originally in Dave Kalmbach’s basement, then moved to the Hour Theater, and later to the nearby town of Sparta. Bands would chose whatever label name they wanted for their 45, Fenton being the most common choice. The records were pressed at the American Record Co. in Owosso, MI, later destroyed by fire in October, 1972. Rod Shepard says, “those records sold for about ninety-eight cents of which we ended up with about a dime.”

The Ju Jus first 45 had two Hummel originals, the amazingly powerful “You Treat Me Bad” and the fifties-sounding “Hey Little Girl”. The record did well locally, supposedly reaching #2 on a chart in western Michigan in October, 1965. The future looked good and Drummond Records of Detroit offered Ray Hummel a contract based on his songwriting. The band couldn’t sign because a newly-married Ray refused to tour out of state, and Ray soon left the band. He recorded a few solo pop 45s over the years, including “Gentle Rain” / “Fine Day” on Fenton with Max Colley playing sax and Bill Gorski on drums.

The JuJu’s had several personnel changes before making their next record. Brett Wells came in on vocals, and Bruce Essex, who had played guitar with Rick Stevens in the Paeans joined for part of 1966. Then Max Colley left and Bill Gorski was drafted, so the band found guitarist Ron Burke and drummer Ron Homrich. Before long Brett left and Ron Burke took over on vocals. Rick Stevens now became the primary songwriter for the band.JuJus United 45 I'm Really Sorry

Though missing Ray’s unique vocals, their second 45, from 1966, is just as good as their first. “I’m Really Sorry” has been one of my favorite garage songs since I first heard it, and “Do You Understand Me” is a strong Stones-influenced punker with sharp guitar, buzzing sounds and broken glass. The United label is another band-financed record recorded through Fenton.

In the summer of ’67 their manager Jim Geeting opened The Island, a teen club in Ludington, in which the Ju Ju’s played regularly and supported touring national acts like the Kingsmen and the Electric Prunes. By this time the band had a tougher rock sound.

In late 1967 the band broke up as Rod Shepard and Rick Stevens went into the military. Rick Stevens joined the Air Force and later died in a plane crash in New Mexico. A number of unreleased songs recorded over the years at the Hope, Chess, and Phil Robert studios have yet to see commercial release. Until recently they were distributed on tape and CDR, but they are currently unavailable, and I haven’t heard them yet.

Sources: 60sgaragebands.com interview with Rod Shepard, Ray Hummel interview by Dave Walters in R.P.M. #4 now reproduced on GrandRapidsRocks.com

The Renegades (IV, V) “She’s Your Find”

The Renegades: Dave Heth, Craig Menees, Scott Vanderleest, Fitz Green and Rick Idema
The Renegades, from left: Dave Heth, Craig Menees, Scott Vanderleest, Fitz Green and Rick Idema

Renegades V Dubonay 45 Wine, Wine, WineThe Renegades of Grand Rapids, MI, had roots in a music scene that predates the British Invasion. As the Renegades IV and Renegades V, they released two 45s, instrumentals “Greensleeves” / “Autumn Night” on Fenton 945 and “Wine, Wine, Wine” / “Love and Fury” on Dubonay 982 (a Fenton offshoot) that are steeped in 50’s rock ‘n’ roll, as their frantic version of “Wine, Wine, Wine” attests.

Dropping the roman numerals, they cut their finest and most original record, “She’s Your Find” / “Raving Blue” in 1966 for the Cambridge label. Here the band is at their peak, playing with intense restraint behind Scott Vanderleest’s impassioned vocals on two well-crafted songs by the band.

“She’s Your Find” is a collaboration by Scott Vanderleest and guitarist Fitz Green, and features a fine guitar solo, booming and precise drum work and prominent tambourine. The other members of the band were Craig Menees on five string bass, Brian Bracken on the Conn organ (prior to the Cambridge 45, as Craig points out below), Dave Heth on organ, and Rick Idema on drums.

Fitz Green wrote the other side, the beautiful lament “Raving Blue”. My copy of the 45 is scratched as can be, but I had to include this song despite the less than perfect sound quality.

All three of their 45s charted locally on either WERX or WLAV. Unfortunately the band broke up soon after releasing “She’s Your Find”, ending their promising career.

Recently bassist Craig Menees filled out the history of the group:

The group began instrumental-only and I was not the original bass player. My predecessor was named Bruce Baldwin, the bassist on “Greensleeves” / “Autumn Night”. When he left East High for private school I came on board which would have been Rick, Fitz and my junior year in high school – 1964. We were classmates and knew each other well. Brian was a year older and his mother sort of managed the group. East High was the connection.

We knew early on (Kingtones?) that a vocalist was important in order to appeal to a larger audience. A few groups (Dave and the Shadows) had a female singer, but traveling at our age and the parental concern nixed that idea. One guy (Dwayne King?) from up North was very talented, but wanted to play lead guitar and sing which would have diminished Fitz’ role and Fitz was much too talented to just play rhythm guitar.

Somehow I think Scott heard we were looking for someone (I’ll have to confirm this with him) and he came over to try out and we knew very quickly that he was a good choice and why not? – tall, Elvis look alike who sounded like him too. Maybe a bit more like Ral Donner out of Chicago.

Our drummer, nicknamed HI3 (Henry Idema III), was often courted to join other bands, including, if I recall, the Kingsmen when they were playing the Michigan State Fair one summer.

“Greensleeves” / “Autumn Night” and “Wine Wine Wine” / “Love and Fury” were recorded at the Our Theater [in the basement, the first location of Dave Kalmbach’s Great Lakes Recording Studio]. I believe that to be the case because I do not recall traveling to Sparta.

Renegades Cambridge 45 She's Your FindLike many groups eventually personality issues flared up and Brian was replaced by Dave who had attended Albion, but was living in GR and going to Calvin at the time. Dave had a younger brother, Jeff, who was a classmate of ours so we knew the family and I knew Dave through athletics. We underestimated his musical abilities until he auditioned. Once we began practicing in earnest and playing regularly things worked out very well.

The keyboardist on “Raving Blue”/”She’s Your Find” was actually Dave Heth. Dave and guitarist Fitz Green sang the harmony on “She’s Your Find” behind Scott’s great voice. “Raving Blue / “She’s Your Find” were recorded in Phil Robert’s family home basement studio in East Grand Rapids before he opened Midwestern Sound [on] Leonard St. I was never in the facility, but Fitz probably was at various times. Like so many others we were big Kingtones fans, knew Phil and his brother Dave, and in some ways tried to emulate them.

“Raving Blue / “She’s Your Find” were recorded in Phil Robert’s family home basement studio in East Grand Rapids before he opened Midwestern Sound. I suspect the neighbors complaining about a business in their residential midst (lots of cars) and Phil’s increasing client list lead to his move to Leonard St. I was never in the facility, but Fitz probably was at various times.

Rick’s pearl gray Ludwig drums and Fitz’ white Fender Jaguar (he also had a beautiful Gibson 12 string heard on Raving Blue) came from Manny’s Music House in New York City. Scott’s sound system consisted of a Bogen amp, Shure microphone and JBL speakers with no enhancement which was a tribute to his voice. Fitz used a Fender amp with reverb and I played a rare white Fender 6 string bass through a Dynaco amp with a 15″ JBL speaker.

Our senior year in high school the band played every week including three consecutive weekends at the old Ponytail Club in Petoskey/Harbor Springs. Frank Russo, who was a close friend of Scott’s from South High, was the informal manager and we used to meet at his family’s pizzeria on S. Division and critique our performance when we returned to Grand Rapids, typically well after midnight.

Probably the best the group ever sounded was the summer of 1966 when we played two separate two week gigs at the Shamrock Lounge. Problem was we were underage except for Dave so our contemporaries could not get in to see us.

Four songs I recall would at times cause the audience to stop dancing and watch – Fitz’ playing “Misirlou” and “Johnny B. Goode”(his right hand was a blur), Rick playing “Let There Be Drums” (long, powerful solo) and Scott’s soulful rendition of “Old Man River” (not often heard in rock circles). Scott was both charismatic and humble which doesn’t always happen with a lead singer. Turns out he and I were in Vietnam within a year of each other although we didn’t know it until recently.

The band broke up primarily because of geography (Fitz – Kalamazoo; Rick Idema – Ann Arbor; Scott – GR; myself – E. Lansing) and Dave Heth’s untimely death in an automobile accident. I recently spoke with Scott and we hope to rendezvous in the near future…

Craig Menees
June 2009

Thank you to Bill Vander Ploeg for the photo of the group at top!

I’m sorry to report Scott Vanderleest passed away on January 13, 2021.

Update: Fitz Green has continued in music, playing with the Moonrays, among other groups.