The Jesters band’s new CD is a Sure Thing, featuring the sounds of the Heeey Baby Days.

Click on image to enlarge







CD case with image of the poster advertising the appearance of Marvin Gaye and Jesters at the Beach Club in Myrtle Beach back in the day




Our pal, Don Rolader, sent us a copy of The Jester’s new CD, aptly titled “It’s A Sure Thing.” After listening several times to this great CD, all I figured was needed was a party room and a keg of beer. Not convinced? Click on the link below, buy one and see for yourself:

http://athensmusic.net/product_info.php?products_id=1933/


With at least eight members of the band that evolved from the hey baby days, the Jesters may be one of the most experienced bands in North America. I am just proud that their photo and story leads off the Georgia chapter in “The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music.”

We should be thankful that we still have bands like the Jesters, the Swingin’ Medallions, the Pieces of Eight, the Sensational Epics, Tyn Tymes and others that keep the tradition alive with their strong horn sections. All of these bands employ four or more horns and all of them started during the hey baby days. They are also nearing the half century mark as well but it’s more about the music than the longevity.
If you are really looking for a sure thing, a great representation of the Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music, the Jesters lineup of cuts is the real thing


. I Got A Sure Thing
2. I'm Losing You
3. I'll Be Doggone
4. Ain't That Peculiar ( featuring a sax solo by Harold Williams)
5. Stubborn Kind of Fellow
6. When Something is Wrong With My Baby
7. Unchain My Heart
8. I Never Found a Girl
9. Georgia On My Mind ( featuring a sax solo by Donny Whitehead)
10. Higher and Higher
11. Open the Door to Your Heart - Cowboys to Girls
12. With This Ring
13. Does Your Mama Know About Me ?
14. Shotgun (featuring a horn solo by Bill McDonald)

Not many bands out there have a truly great sax man. The Jesters have at least three.

The “Open The Door To Your Heart/Cowboys to Girls” medley is one that may be destined for the Top Forty Beach Music survey. Speaking of Beach Music and in particular the upcoming Carolina Music Awards that is held annually in North Myrtle Beach , isn’t it about time that the Jesters were honored with a life time achievement award ? They have done so much to preserve the music and the style that makes genre important.

Whether on display by choice or necessity, we’re happy

Since the publication of The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music, we continue to hear that it’s on display in homes and offices throughout the South… and probably other regions of the country as well.

It never was our intention for the book to be so large that it wouldn’t fit in a traditional bookcase… that was just dumb luck. We get comments quite often like: , “Hey I saw the book in my Doctor’s office ,” or “ When you walk in _____ ____’s home, the first you see is the display of the book.” That certainly makes us proud. In the big picture, this is what the owner of the book whose book is on display is saying: “this was an era that I lived in and loved … this was the music that I partied to in those days and the bands in the books were bands I knew , some of them personally.”

So if you have a book that is hidden in the closet and it’s of so-so interest to you , you might think about selling it as it has entered in the collectability category ( selling for more than the original retail price.) Check out the current pricing of “The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music” on the after market by going to www.abebooks.com

From The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music Mail Box: In-Men Ltd. Peace Core Pieces of Eight, Escorts, The Fabulous Generals, Cortez Greer

We have not posted in quite awhile and I thought I would use this posting as a catch up and present some of the emails we have received… Feel free to jump in and add your comments.





Eugene Baker on the In_Men Ltd. & Peace Core




________________________________________
From: "Eugene Baker"
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:36:18 -0500
To:
Subject: HEY BABY DAYS - Contact Via Website

Hi Greg,

I'm Eugene Baker (keyboards). I was really surprised when I stumbled across this site. (www.heybabydays.com) It really brings back memories.

I was the keyboardist that took Moose Smith's place after he got married and moved away. The In_Men were using the name "Peace Core" at that time. Freddy was singing, playing some bass, sax and fronting the group. Tommy was sill on drums with his brother singing. (What was his first name?) along with Howard, Freddy and Garth. Jerry Clapp was on guitar. I played Piano Bass and the Hammond. We practiced in an old church turned community center near Elon. I remember the night we hit a deer coming back from a gig and stopped at a country store about to see if there was a phone. It was about 3 Am

Before the Peace Core I worked with the Monzas till they retired. Also played Keyboard for them. What led me to the site was the fact that I was checking up on my old friend Eddie Middleton and was shocked the he also worked with Peace Core (In_Men) . We both ended up in Gospel music during the eightes & ninties each not knowing the other was in the same industry. I was in southern Gospel with Jake Hess & JD Sumner and he in Contempory.

I'll be checking out the books and music.
Yall have a great site.

Eugene Baker
Panama City Fl.

Eugene

What great info I have not posted to the blog in a month of Sundays but this info is too good not to share. it was Wilson Rogers singing lead and was Harold Williams playing sax then. He and Eddie were there toward the last ( of the In-Men/Peace Core) as they had been when King David and the Slaves thought they were a Third World Band. lol Here's another shocker for you... Most of the Original In-Men Ltd. came back together a few years back and recorded some fantastic cuts... I hope I am being objective; the band was a personal favorite of mine.

Regards

Greg Haynes
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Greg,

Thanks for the fast reply.

I mulled over Wilson Rogers's name all evening. I remember one gig we played at the Atlantic Beach Pavilion backing B.J Thomas. I think Harold was on sax & flute and Bobby Thomas was on bass,, Garth on Horn. I think Howard had gone with Rhondels and Harold might have come with us. (It seems we were always trading players with the Rhondels) You probably know the details better than I. Of course Tommy on drums; Jerry on guitar; (man! he is still probably the best slide player I ever worked with) . B.J.'s brother was there... drunk out of his mind. leaning on the side of the stage, beating it with his hand and cussing that the music was wrong! (Heck it probably was!) But what an obnoxious guy. Anyway, we rocked!!... Doing some Allman Brothers "Black Hearted Woman" & others. There isn't anything better than Allman Brothers with Horns.

Nice to hear from you. I'll spend some more time looking at the site later. I wanna get the book & CD's

Eugene Baker


Eugene

Great stuff but just beyond the hey baby days when the highs were still provided by PBR etc. Like I say in the book, we went from "Baby, I need your lovin'" to "War, what is it good for ?" in but a blink of the eye. Interestingly, when many of the bands of the transition era get together for reunions, they tend to use their play list from 1966 rather than 1972. As for the Allmans and horns etc. They had some pretty soulful stuff as Hour Glass. When traveling with the Gregg Allman band, Harold Williams recalled how Gregg would sing ( not as in a performance but offstage) some of the R 'n B classics with such authenticity.

That's not surprising.

Regards

Greg
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
________________________________________


Escorts from Richmond, Virginia.


The Escorts were founded in 1961 by Nick Cooleran. The band
lasted through 1969. We hope to add photos, member history and discography, soon..
Nick also recorded in the 1970's with Ron Moody , Bill Deal and the Rhondels, Ida Sands and many more groups. Visit his site at http://www.alphaaudioarchives.com


Hi Greg,


I sent you some Soulmasters and Fabulous Generals photos a while back which you were kind enough to post on your site.

I've just run across an old (and tattered) autographed picture of the original line-up that I thought you'd be interested in. ( See above)
The black and white photo of The Fabulous Generals is circa 1967. They were fronted by a great female vocalist, Debra Carol Crowder and did a killer version of the Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love." I was 10 when I saw them win a battle of the Bands at Ballou Park Shopping Center here in Danville, VA. There were so many groups that they had them alternating on 3 flatbed trucks in the parking lot, one after another. The Generals took the top prize, $100! The band signed 8x10s after the performance and sold their 45s for $1.00. They had two releases on independent labels. I have one of them somewhere.

The color shots (sent earlier) are from a later performance (also 1967) at the 360 Drive-In in Danville, after Debra left the band. They were then billing themselves as The Generals. The Generals and The Soulmasters (of Danville, VA) played as warm-up band for The Tams of Atlanta, GA, who were then riding high on the strength of their regional hit, "I've Been Hurt." They had earlier scored a national Top 10 hit with "I've Been Hurt." The Tams had their own band, featuring two drummers. Group member Charles Pope later told me they were brothers. The place was packed and the groups played on a small stage in front of the movie screen.
Those were the days.
Thanks.

Jack Garrett
Danville, VA

Hello Greg –

I can’t believe you’ve assembled so much material on Beach Music, but I’m damn glad you did!

I played tenor sax in Chester Mayfield and the Casuals in 1967-68, then played in Calvin Lindsay and the Hysterics in 1969-1970. I now run a website for a non-profit (http://uniconexed.org) after 25+ years in marketing and sales, following my wife around in her job from Allentown, Pennsylvania to Andover, Massachusetts to Morristown, New Jersey and now back to Andover, Massachusetts again for the past 14 years.

I wrote this up a couple of years ago, and added a few updates today, just trying to remember it all; it’s an on-going project –

In the late sixties, I worked my way through UNC Chapel Hill and continued playing full time for about four years after that playing Carolina Beach Music 3-4 nights a week on average. I played in 7- and 8-piece bands that usually had a 2 to 4 piece horn section and a black male singer “out front”; the horn guys sang backup a lot. We played stuff by Tower of Power, Sly Stone (Everybody is a Star in 5-4 time), Otis Redding (“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”; “They call Me Mr. Pitiful”), James Brown (Try Me), and songs by people like Willie Tee (“Walkin’ up a one way street and “Thank You John”), The Radiant’s (“Voice your Choice”), Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Spinners, Curtis Mayfield, Major Lance, Wilson Pickett and Ben E King. Play an hour or two of Beach Music and you could play just about anything else you wanted.

You couldn’t go into a club without hearing Billy Stewart, Smokey Robinson or Willie Tee.

I played every frat house from Virginia to Georgia (I am exaggerating only a little here). Also, many cotillions and country clubs and not a few military bases, not to mention the night clubs. We always played OD clubs in the summer – Ocean Drive near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In Greensboro, we used to have a standard Sunday afternoon gig at The Castaways (“The home church of rock and roll”). For a couple of years, we had a standard Wednesday night gig at The Cellar in Charlotte. We played The Embers Club in Raleigh all the freakin’ time. The club owner’s sons were also the leaders of a band called, naturally enough – The Embers. I remember playing the Kentucky Derby party scene once.

We played on the same circuit as Bob Collins and the Fabulous Five (no relation), The Embers, Calabash Corporation, The Catalinas and four or five other groups I can’t remember now. Shadowing us on the circuit was the bawdy group Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts from Carrboro, North Carolina (“My ding-a-ling”). The name groups booked through Hit Attractions in Charlotte (Tommy Hand, I think his name was and a partner); Doug Clark got his own bookings, which were numerous.

We opened for Wilson Pickett, the Tams, the Drifters, the Shirelles, even Chuck Berry once, and backed up Barbara Lewis (“She-bop she-bop – seems like a might long time”) and regional sensation from Knoxville, Clifford Curry (“I’m going to hate myself in the morning, but right now, it’s alright” and “She shot a hole in my soul”). Chester Mayfield and the Casuals backed up Patty LaBelle once – in front of an all-black audience in Elizabeth City. She was with The Blue Bells at the time. Not a good gig.

There were three regionally successful groups I played with. I was with Chester Mayfield and the Casuals (I found this morbid link on my site – http://bigtuner.com/Chester-Mayfield-high-point-enterprise.htm). Chester was a cousin of Curtis Mayfield – sort of like the Neville clan in New Orleans. Another band that did well was called Calvin Lindsay and the Hysterics. We were booked virtually every weekend, booking as many as 5 gigs a weekend occasionally and 12 nights in a row around Christmas. I got in on the tail end of Cannonball; I’ve never carried so much equipment in my life. The drummer had his own roadie.

In the late sixties–early seventies, with two blacks in the band and my hair looking like a dandelion, we were frequently stopped by cops or harassed at restaurants. The Hysterics travelled with a well hidden 45 “just in case”.

The big thing was a dance called The Shag. This was a more or less polite dance requiring you to hold onto usually one hand of your partner and move lightly back and forth with lots of footsteps; if you were a guy, it helped if you wore Lacoste polo shirts in a sherbet color and I think Pappagallo shoes were the thing for women. The Shag was mostly adopted by the rich white local kids and their parents. But, it allowed the white kids to hear and feel the R&B that was all over the black communities.

Yes, I played the black clubs too in a band called Plenty D. Good; Plenty Dingle from Thomasville, North Carolina was the singer’s real name. Sounded e x a c t l y like Percy Sledge. I played both the black clubs paying liquor taxes and those back in the woods that served “un-bonded” home cooked stuff, but we played R&B, not Beach Music, although there were many crossover songs. Plenty started in gospel and I believe returned to gospel after the band broke up.

Regarding band members, when I joined The Casuals, some of the players I remember include Randy Flynt, owner and bass player, Mike Stephenson a soft-spoken, level headed accomplished guitar player, Curtis Fields, a well-trained jazz saxophone player that left for New York and another saxophone player, Johnny Lashley, who pissed on an elevator full of debutantes in Raleigh, thus launching my career. I’m sure that Johnny, if he is still alive, would not care in the least that I relate this. He really helped me in a number of ways, giving me a decent mouthpiece and encouraging me to “Just blow” – the best advice I ever received for playing extemporaneously. In a weird way, he was my mentor. According to Doug Reid, a guitar player that also played in both The Casuals and The Hysterics, “Randy Flynt, owner of the group, does operate a small music store, Big John's Music.....(336) 841-7309 in High Point, NC. He would be your best source for any pics of the Casuals.” (and Hysterics). Randy booked and played in a band called “Cut Glass” for a number of years after The Casuals.

Some of the Hysterics players in 1969-1970 included owner and drummer Lee Bowman, Jerry Hutchins, bass, Doug Reid, guitar (n1068d@aol.com) and Jerome Smith (AKA Juke), organ; Jerome also played in the Casuals for a time. According to Doug Reid, after a stint in Clearwater, Florida, “Jerome made his way to Atlanta and formed a group, "The Backstabbers ". His group was the backup band for "The Tams" for a number of years. Jerome returned to Thomasville about twenty years ago, and lives in the same neighborhood. He was the keyboard player at his church last time I checked.”

Wouldn’t you know it? I Googled it and these two say it all about The Shag –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0usNTJmwK-M

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_music

Both the Casuals and the Hysterics played a lot. We might play Thursday night in Atlanta, Friday in Charlottesville, Saturday at a frat in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, maybe Sunday at the Castaways in Greensboro. I used to hitchhike from Chapel Hill to High Point for practice, about 70 miles, then catch a bus back to Chapel Hill. We’d know in advance what songs we wanted to learn; usually it was some song or two coming up the Billboard R&B charts. You were expected to know your part and the form of the song on arrival. Whatever songs we learned at practice were the first to be played the next time we had a gig. Then, later in the night, we’d play them again. By the time the songs had made it up the charts and were on the radio, they were in our repertoire and pretty well polished, contributing to our success.

The gas crisis of 1974 changed the whole picture. After one moonlit night where we were literally the only vehicle on the highway and carrying 20 gallons of gasoline in the trailer so we could make it back from Charlottesville to High Point, the band I was in at the time reformed as “Payday” to play weekend gigs within a couple hours drive of High Point; these gigs were mostly at the apartment complexes catering to singles that grew like weeds in every city in North Carolina around that time. It was the same folks listening and much of the same music, but it wasn’t the same.

Anyway, I see that your book is out of print; I ordered it from athensdmusic.com, though.

Best regards and thanks for the memories….

Dan “Danny” Collins




Hi,

If you are still compiling places, I have one I did not see on the internet posting:

The exact location is fuzzy, since it was c. 1965-66, but I believe it was somewhere around Winston-Salem, NC, or the area between Winston and G'boro.

The name of the club was The Cerise Lounge.

Vickie Koontz Smith
UNC-G '66

P.S. Love the walk down memory lane.


Cortez Greer

hey my name is dawn...my dad played with cortez greer....i have a 45 record of them with 2 songs on it...one called IVE BEEN WATING & the other is THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. I have their picture on a little magazine put out in augusta ga...i dont have any memories of that time cuz i wasent born till 1970....my dad played music all the time...most times i had a live band in my livingroom when i was a child...he played till he died...he was 38 when he passed...i was 17.... His name was charles pope but most people called him chuck......just thought u might want to know that & if u can give me any info it would be great...you can email any time and thank you for your time

DAWN POPE ALEXANDER



More missin’ Pieces


Greg,

I emailed you once before and now add this to the previous info on the Pieces of Eight.

I hope I can fill in a little info on the downfall and regrouping of the POE. I joined the POE in the summer of 68 replacing Jim Bumgardner on Bass. That was an interesting job because I spent the previous summer backing up the POE in PC in a band called the Disciples of Blues where I orignally played guitar. When we switched from blues to soul music, I moved to sax and flute and occasionally played bass so our lead singer, Don Hilburn, could get down. When Earl C called me to come to Opp to meet with Steve he didn't say what he wanted. I packed my King super 20 Tenor sax and an extra pair of socks and headed to Opp. After a little muddling around, Steve told me Jim B. was leaving in 2 weeks and they needed a bass player. I of course took the job. I remember when Michael Abdullah came in. He played sax. After a couple of months, since there was another frontline spot open (I can't remember who left), I was moved to sax and flute. WHEN Frank Rountree left THINGS REALLY STARTED FALLING APART. We were constantly changing personnel and Earl C. just hired warm bodies so we could keep the gigs. Earl called me one day and asked me to come to his house. By this time I was ready to quit myself. When I came in Earl said We've got a problem. I countered YOU sure do.
We (earl & I) wound up in the bus driving to Athens Georgia . Earl managed another band in Athens called the Elans. They had hit some bumpy roads also due to, among other things, the draft. We pulled up to a trailer where some of them were living and Earl kept me (not because of my talent but because I had worked with both the music (bass) and the show (sax and flute)). He combined me and the remaining 7 of the Elans to reform the POE. I only lasted a few more months before I came to my senses during a few days I spent in Muscle Shoals babysitting a broken down bus. I left early in 1969, March I think. The Elans included Ron Hicks, Bobby Dollar (guitar), Charlie Hughes (Trumpet), Johnny Seabolt (Sax), David Bernard (Keyboards), Roger Wright (Bass) and ??? (drums).

I am still looking for pictures of the Disciples of Blues. If I ever find them I will send copies.

Dennis Hodges (Sax, flute and occasional trumpet)1968-1969

Recalling Misty Waters, the P.C. Bop, etc.

Donna Overall continues to provide great remembrances of her good times in Atlanta during the 60s. Donna has truly been a great find for sharing so much about the club and band scene. As more and more folks discover the ease of using the Internet to reminisce bygone days, a treasure trove of memories will grow… who knows… maybe a Hey Baby Days addendum will emerge. We have already identified many bands that should have been included in the first edition. We really would like to post more original band photos that are not subject to copyrights. These photos really give the feel of the era that words can only partially portray. Anyone out there have photos from Misty Waters, Knotty Pines, the Moultrie Bowl, the Beach Club, the Embers Club, etc. etc.



More from Donna



I was thinking today about Misty Waters and how many dances I used to go to there. Chubby Checker even appeared there one time as I recall. Mack Davis and the Zots were regulars, as was Wayne Logiudice and the Kommotion. I remember seeing Ronnie Millsap there also. They had dances every weekend, and when I wasn't at the black clubs seeing folks like Jackie Wilson (what a performer!), then I was either at Misty Waters or Knotty Pines. I didn't care who the band was. I was there to DANCE. I used to keep myself in free passes to Knotty Pines by winning the dance contest often enough that I never had to pay to get in.

Misty Waters had a swimming pool and a lake with a sand beach in addition to the skating rink. The skating rink had a wonderful wooden floor, which was perfect for dancing. People danced either the P.C. Bop (Panama City Bop) or the Carolina Shag. I was a bop person myself, as was Wayne. I have memories of Spring Breaks in Panama City with Wayne and other guys I knew all being there. We were some dancing fools! We were young, foolish, and happy...and I don't know how some of us survived some of the crazy-assed things we used to do.

I'm putting together some stuff to send to Wayne. I hope he follows through on sending me his cassette of Christian music. I can't even imagine Wayne doing Christian music. He was born to boogie!

Best, Donna


Thanks Donna for your continued input about the going on’s in Atlanta of the mid to late 60s certainly a great time for music, dancing and partying. Hopefully others will read and weigh in on their experiences during this period of time that I refer to as the Hey Baby Days.


A note about the bop and the shag: Only the real experts know the differences in the shag and the P.C. bop and having seen both, I’d be pressed to look at a couple and tell you whether they were boppin’ or shaggin’. However, the best demonstration of the P.C. bop is one I saw by lawyer and fellow brother in the bond Spencer Lee of Albany, Georgia who know doubt honed his skills on the P.C. strip back in the glory days. Maybe someone will weigh in about the U.T., which was yet another derivation of the shag and/or the P.C. bop




Hello David! Tony here.

It is good to here that at least one of the Morticians is still alive! (Sorry) Larry Sivley has a CD for you. I'm out. Sent my last one to a guy in named Rune in Finland! He is Eddie Hinton fan. Amazing!

Anyway, please refresh our memories on the members and instruments, and how was Phillip Johnson involved with Morts? And where are you? And did you guys ever carry a Hammond B3 up the stairs at Plaidland?? Bitch, huh? Tell us more!!

Tony


All,

Pretty sure I still have one or two copies of our (Blues) CD’s we had made during our re-union thing if anyone is interested in obtaining a copy.

I can give them to Tony for delivery.



Thanks for sharing, as it is an honor to know people are still interested in the history and times of us little “Local Mop Heads” from Gadsden Al.



Regards,

Larry Sivley

The Bleus

More From Donna about Wayne Logiudice, Hampton Grease band Plus Gadsden’s Morticians never played on the same stage with The Pallbearers

Gadsden’s Mortitians never played on the same stage with The Pallbearers

but according to a member of the band, David Stringfellow, “We murdered a few songs.” Morbid as it might sound, we could resist posing the question when we were informed that there was yet another great R&B oriented band from an area that seemed to have a lot of soul.

Greg

I saw your website and thought I would let you know about another Gadsden, Al band, the Morticians. We were not that good but we were entertaining and if I am not mistaken we were the first integrated band in Alabama. At least the only one I knew of and it did create some interesting moments. We formed in Dec. of 67 and went thru late 69 or 70. We were tight with the Bleus and played with them several times. I guess our highlight would have been when we opened for the Buckingham's in Florence the winter of 69. Dana from the Bleus had produced a few shows with them and hired us to be one of the openers.

p.s I have lost my 45's of the Bleus recordings. Any way you could find out if I could get a CD of there recordings? Thanks. Enjoy you site.

David Stringfellow


David,


Did your band ever "open" for Dan Penn and the Pallbearers or the Augusta Georgia Pallbearers? Sorry I couldn't resist. There is a CD that includes most all the Bleus recordings that is very good including those produced by Eddie Hinton. Do you have any band photos? We will be happy to include in our bands and if you want to a band directory we can do that. Tony Lumpkin sent me the CD I reference above.

Greg

David

Sorry never opened for the Pallbearers but we did murder a few songs. I have some old posters that I will forward. I would really like to see if I can get one of Tony's CD's. Could you forward my email to him? By the way I did attach our old photo business card, did you receive it?

Thanks,

David Stringfellow

Regards

Greg

More from Donna about Wayne Logiudice, the Hampton Gease Band etc.


Hey Greg,

Could you please correct "Georgia Terrace" to "Georgian Terrace" in one
of my emails that you posted on your blog? I didn't proofread my email
very well I guess. I was so excited to find Wayne.

Wayne and I talked for over two hours last night. I don't remember what
all we talked about but he did mention that one reason Ray Whitley was
so messed up was that he had been involved in a DUI vehicular homicide
in which he struck and killed a 12-year-old girl, for which he did 4
years in prison, and that he was never the same once he got out. We
mostly talked about various people we knew back then that were in the
crowd we ran around with.

I also learned that Wayne's father was Giorgio Sebastian Logiudice, who
was a concert pianist who graduated from Julliard. Wayne didn't see him
from the time he was 3 years old until he was 21, when he visited him in
Texas.

Wayne has promised to send me a CD of pictures of himself and his family
and their 4 cats. Also he's got a CD someone made for him of Ow!
Boogaloo, but he doesn't have the flip side. I sure wish I could afford
that $200 mint condition 45 on eBay!

Wayne was definitely a show stopper. He sure knew how to work a stage,
even when he first started performing and was playing venues like Misty
Waters. He was too young to get into Knotty Pines when we were hanging
out, or he would have been there too I'm sure.

I need to ask him how much I can share of what we talked about, but it
was mostly about how we met and different folks we hung out with over
the years. We exchanged addresses and phone numbers and have vowed to
stay in touch.

So the story continues...

Donna

Update 11/28/2009



I went and saw Glenn Phillips of the old Hampton Grease Band last night
at the Red Light Cafe. He's sort of legendary in the world of guitar
virtuosos. He remembered me from the 60's and 70's because we hung out
in the same venues, like the old Grecian Village in Brookhaven, where
his drummer, Jerry Fields (guy in turban), used to also play drums in a
bouzouki band! I also frequented the clubs they played like the
Catacombs, the 12th Gate, the Bottom of the Barrel, etc.



Glenn knew Wayne well and was just thrilled that I had talked to him.
I'm going to give him Wayne's contact info. Here is a picture of me with
Glenn, who had just finished a set and was dripping with sweat. I'm 67
now and certainly not the hot babe I was back in the 60's, LOL. Wayne
will turn 65 on January 28, 2010. Well, as Wayne used to say back when
he was just a kid, "Pee hockey damn!" I had to take a nap beforehand in
order to go, and it will probably take me three days to recover from it!
Don't know how I used to stay up so late and still function, but I'm
sure the addition of nearly 50 years of age and 40+ pounds of fat has
something to do with it.

Wayne Logiudice and Kommotion , Wayne Cochran & the CC Riders, Ronnie Milsap & The G’s and other stars of the Heeey Baby Days play the Apollo Theatre

We have been researching various articles and news clips that were published by Jet Magazine during the Hey Baby Days of Beach Music. We have been particularly interested in Wayne Logiudice and the all-star band from Atlanta, Kommotion. We know ALL the great R&B stars played R&B’s most famous stage but when blue-eyed soul brothers performed there, it brought attention.

From Jet Magazine February 3,1966 New York Beat page 63

“A blond, 20 year old singer from Atlanta, Wayne Logiudice was described as winning away some of singer James Brown’s followers during a recent appearance at the Apollo Theatre. He was discovered by C.B. Atkins at Atlanta’s Royal Peacock Club.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=frkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

note: we understand that there exists a photo of Wayne on stage at the Apollo but have yet to locate it in the Jet Magazine archives. The caption for the photo is “Who Is Wayne Logiudice?” (This may have been in form of an ad produced by C.B. Atkins or New York booking agent, Joe Glazer) Help us if you can by viewing the archives that are free to view through Google. There is another photo somewhere of Kommotion backstage at the Apollo that includes band members Rick Bear and Emory Gordy Jr. We would love to have the links available here:

_____________________________________________________________________


The Jet Magazine archives are loaded with information about the great R&B stars of the Heeey Baby Days, At the end of the entertainment section is New York Beat, which generally list the various R&B, acts playing in New York that week. The Jet Magazine is one of the foremost magazines covering the R & B scene and in the 60s; the royalty of Beach Music graced its pages.


From Jet Magazine March 3, 1966 New York Beat page 64


“At the Apollo Theatre for the week is WWKL deejay Rocky G, producer of the show which includes the Marvelettes, Wayne Cochran and the fabulous C.C. Riders, Dee Dee Sharp, the Superiors, the Exciters, Jackie Lee, Deon Jackson, Darrow Fletcher, Ronnie Milsap and the G’s.”


http://books.google.com/books?id=c7kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false



Note: Georgia blue-eyed soul brothers Wayne Cochran & C.C. Riders and Ronnie Milsap & The G’s (What does the G stand for?)


From Jet Magazine May 12, 1966 New York Beat page

“The Apollo Theatre is kicking off a new show with deejay Rocky G. in charge featuring the Marvelettes and Billy Stewart, The Spinners, Percy Sledge, Wayne Logiudice, James Carr, The Van Dykes, The Devons, Lou Lawton, Robert Parker also Rueben Phillips and his band will be on hand.



http://books.google.com/books?id=5LkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false


As we locate more interesting tid bits from Jet Magazine, we will post here:


Also, I have discovered that comments made to the blog do not come directly to me and the only way I know that a comment has been made to a particular posting is to review each posting. I am sure that there is a way to change this but my blogging skills still have a lot to be desired therefore for those out there that are just now getting a reply to a comment made some time ago, my apology.

Recent interesting emails from others:

Regarding Wayne Logiudice:




Hey Greg...

I've signed up to follow your blog after stumbling across it while googling my ol' buddy Wayne Logiudice, who I have known since he was 14 or 15 years old. I was the "older woman" in his life. I spoke with Wayne today after emailing his sister-in-law who's email address I found on your blog.

Wayne and I go back to 1960 when I met him in Piedmont Park.
I posted a couple of comments on your blog. I was very involved in
the whole music scene in Atlanta in the late 50's and throughout the 60's. I wrote song lyrics, and actually had several of my songs recorded.

I was involved both in the R&B scene and the folk music scene in
sort of an overlapping period of such incredible music that it's still
the all time favorite period of my life. Such stories I could tell you!

Between the R&B scene in the black clubs like the Royal Peacock and the Wallhaji Ballroom, and the whole folk scene on the Strip in
the mid to late 60's I've met more musicians than most people I know. I want a copy of your book so bad I can almost taste it! Is it still possible to get one?
Thank you,

Donna Overall

Donna

I can come up with a book for you. I am very interested in your input regarding the Atlanta scene since it was not covered as complete as it should have been in the book. I wish we had known as much about Wayne as I do now . We were lucky to have some last minute input that indicated that Wayne was indeed among the elite of the blue-eyed soul brothers...it is really sad that he never got a break out record that could have made him a household name... but the book does not necessarily focus on household names but rather stars of the stage... those who could get the crowd into the show which Wayne and the Kommotion obviously did well so please share what you can about the band. I need your address to mail book. (it will be slightly used; the only new books in the original shrink wrap if any can be found in random Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stores)

Regards

Greg Haynes

P.S. Please promise me that you will not eat the book; It is a good book and won an award for books in popular culture in 2007 but as part of a diet, I do not recommend !



Hi Greg!

Wayne's going to call me about 10 pm EST tonight and we're going to catch up on about 40 years. I've seen Wayne perform any number of times, but I also got involved in the whole Atlanta folk music scene about the same time, which sort of took over my life. I do remember seeing Ike and Tina Turner playing Knotty Pines when she was about 19 or 20 years old. I used to go to all the shows at the old Georgia Terrace Hotel in the Biltmore Ballroom. Saw Jimmie Reed, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, etc. What a time for music! Saw Sam Cook, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, Ray Charles, the Midnighters, The Five Royals, Little Richard, Hack Ballard and the Midnighters, etc. at the Royal Peacock and the Wallahaji Ballroom. Sometimes my date and I would be the only white people in the whole place.

I have never in my life seen anybody perform like Wayne. He was just totally amazing. The first time I ever saw him do the splits in his tight pants, I thought I would die! Most of my interaction with Wayne was actually before he made it fairly big on the music scene.

I'm going to pick his brains when we reminisce tonight. I actually found a couple of mp3 clips of Ow! Boogaloo and whatever the flip side was. There's a copy of the Phillips recording in mint condition selling for $200 on eBay right now, but I can't put out that kind of money.

Wayne did indicate that he, Rick Bear, and some of the others were talking about getting together in Athens and doing some recording at some point. I'm going to see Glenn Philips tomorrow night. He was the guitarist for the Hampton Grease Band. I haven't seen him since the 60's. Got a nice note from him telling me how to contact Jerry Fields, who was the Grease Band's original drummer and a buddy of mine in the 70's.

I will send you a PDF file of my memories of the late 50's through the 60's if I can find it. I need to put Wayne in it first. I had forgotten about him. I fell down the steps and cracked my head open recently and since then I've been having flashbacks to the 60's! That's when I started searching for Wayne. I didn't know how to spell his name, but when I found the reference on your site, I knew it was him. I'm attaching the mp3 excerpts from Wayne's record that I found today. I'm gonna find out from him if he's got any copies of his own record. I hope so because I'd love to have it.

My neighbor Lisa Coston wrote to you also. She's in her 40's and a real fan of that whole era and just about flipped when she found out that I knew some of these people and that I once played kissyface with Mac Davis in the back seat of a 57 Chevy. We will not speak of what a wild chile I was back then. But hey, I survived the 60's and 70's!

Maybe you can do an updated version of the book at some point.

What do I owe you for the book?

Donna Overall

Donna

You have already paid for it with your emails which I plan to post. I really want to do a story about Wayne who I consider the lost blue-eyed soul brother. He and the Kommotion deserve a legacy. Hey Baby Days is strictly a 60s project.

Regards

Greg


Greg,

Lisa said she hasn't written to you yet, but plans to. She loves music history and wants to start her own music blog. She's a writer and keeps wanting to interview me for an article on the 60's. She said she would kill to have been around during that period of time. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get everything in sequence. Some of it all runs together because like most of us back then, ( note: I know what you mean). My mother would have died if she knew where I was spending my time.



Donna





Regarding the Candymen:


Hi Greg,

Shawn Nagy of SuperOldies.com here in Duluth, MN, a friend of the surviving Candymen members. I had unearthed some video footage and sent it to them a few years back and now have been contacted to do liner notes for a legit Candymen CD release due out in February from the Darby Pop label.

If for some unknown reason you should EVER want to part with your Candymen photo, please write me...it would be an absolutely cherished possession in my collection as well. A true rarity!

Keep rockin' - thanks for your time,

Shawn
www.superoldies.com


Shawn

About 50 percent of my memorabilia from those glory days got away including the IOU ( A free show ) from Wilbur Walton. Thankfully I was able to hold on to signed albums by the Tams and Swingin' Medallions. The promo photo signed by ALL

The Candymen is as cherished as the above. I am very happy to get your email about the CD release as it makes me happy to see a great band like the Candymen get its due. If you read my book you know what I think about them. Stay in touch and when I kick the bucket, contact my estate and you can probably get it for a song, one by the Candymen no doubt.

Thanks to Robert Nix I have gone through my life thinking I was a "Good Egg" whether that is the case or not.

Happy thanksgiving to you

Regards

Greg

P.S. Very sorry to hear about Robert Nix’s illness; we’ll pray for him.

Bruce Channel-signed Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music book sells big at fundraiser

Bruce signs photo in "The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music"














"When he saw you walking down the street ..."






Bruce Channel and Greg backstage in Springfield Tennessee



The Rock Roll & Read concert to raise funds for the reading program at the Springfield (Tenn) Middle School this past Saturday night was a great success as some rock 'n roll greats came together for a benefit concert. To say the performances by Bruce Channel, Bonnie Bramlett, Pat Upton, Buzz Cason, Leroy Presnell, Dickey Lee, Billy Swan, The Beachettes and all backed by Steve Jarrell and the SONS OF THE BEACH were GREAT would be an understatement of incalculable proportions. Thanks to Steve Jarrell for inviting me and especially for letting me hang backstage with these legends.This time around I was indeed smart enough to have extra cards for the camera and was not only able to get photos made with the entertainers but to get a photo of Bruce Channel signing "the Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music." I also used my camera to video Bruce singing the signature song of the Hey Baby Days. I hope to post a small clip of this soon.

Get well Clifford Curry: Clifford has been sick and in the hospital. He was scheduled to perform Saturday but of course could not. Clifford is everyone's friend and he was missed by all !










Greg with the Queen of blue-eyed soul, Bonnie Bramlett. She was joined on stage by her daughter, Bekka, ... another sensation in the making




Bonnie and Bekka






Bonnie signed "The Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music"




Billy Swan ( "I Can Help", "Lover, please" ) and Greg






Buzz Cason led off the show in his spectators; Buzz has a great book out "Living the Rock 'n Roll Dream" with a forward by Georgian Brenda Lee.

"This book makes me want to quit my day job gig and run off and join a rock 'n roll band."

Jimmy Buffett

"He (Buzz Cason) is living proof that nice guys do just fine, and they have the most fun."

Kris Kristofferson







Buzz wowed the audience with "Everlasting Love" a song that he wrote that has been covered by many including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Gloria Estephan, U2 and others






Buzz Cason and Greg






Stve Jarrell and Pat Upton








Kelli Workman, one of the Beachettes, sings a little Beach Music






Dickie Lee

"Patches"
"I Saw Linda Yesterday"


One of the show's highlights was Dickie Lee's duo with Bonnie Bramlett on
"Never Ending Love For You"

I could go on and on about the show Saurday and I think I will:

Pat Upton received a standing ovation for the song he wrote:

"More Today Than Yesterday"

Talk about sounding like the record... Pat was that...& Thanks to Pat for taking so many of the photos of me with others.

Thanks to Steve Jarrell for his kind words on stage about the book. Steve and the Sons of the Beach performed their hit, "Sand in my shoes" and received a huge round of applause. We're gonna try and talk Steve into letting us post that video from Saturday night.

Heard and seen backstage::

Accoladaes for Kris Kristofferson:

" All Kris's work in Nashville have turned into standards",said someone.

One of the performers came up to Bruce Channel with a cell phone and pleaded with him to please sing a verse of "Hey, Baby" to the performer's wife who was on the phone. He did it with apparent pleasure and with a smile on his face.

Big Birthday cake for Buzz Cason, his 39th ?

It Was Opening Night At The Beach Club

In a box of material that was given to us after the Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music exhibit was closed at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2007 was a CD that included photos of the opening night of the exhibit. About 70 different musicians representing 40 bands from the Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music were on hand to remember the good old days. Most of these musicians had not seen one another in 30 years or more. It was a special night and we wanted to share these found photos. Enjoy!










Director of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Lisa Love, reads proclamation from the City of Macon honoring the musicians of this very important genre and era

"No, I really can't sing, nor play an instrument, but what does talent have to do with it."

Nora and I with two great Caravelles: Tommie James and Cliff Meyers


Nora and I welcome musicians and others to the Beach club in Macon at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
bottom: l-r Ben Bernard (Oxford Nights), Gene Lee ( Sensational Epics) top Johnny Cox (Swingin' Medallions), Don Baker ( Monzas) Ron Moody ( Centaurs ) and members of the Sleepless Nights (see photo below C. Leslie Vaughn and His Sleepless Nights )
Seated with white pants( Wilbur Walton,Jr.) Standing with cup (Paul Hornsby of the Five Men-its, Hourglass ) and in Crimson Tide colored polo, Jimmy Dean ( James Gang)
Wayne Scarbourgh ( King David & The Slaves) Greg And the late Russell Martin (KDS)
Kim Venable ( K-Otics) Joe Morris ( Swingin' Medallions) and Greg
A great line up of musicians from The Heeey Baby Days set to receive their complimentary copy of book
Stacy Sirmans ( New Bushmen) Tabby Crabb ( Strange Bedfellows) Denny Green ( Rubberband) John Bradley ( Dynamic Consouls) Tommie James( Second Nature, Caravelles, Duprees, et.)
South Georgia Connection: Larry Brown ( Tip Tops) the New Bushmen: John Bennett, Charles Whitley Sparky Smith , Stacy Sirmans, and the Strange Bedfellow's Tabby Crabb
Biggest turnout by one band were the Sleepless Nights of Knoxville, Tennessee Seven members of the band present including Senator Rusty Crow seated l-r standing Doug Cruey, Larry Cole,Jack ____; C. Leslie Vaughn (lead singer); ______ _____ and _____ ____.
Seated: Wayne Scarbourgh, standing _____ _____ _____ )______ Russell Martin (King David & The Slaves) Jack Bernard( The Oxford Nights) George Croft (Pallbearers) Richard Peterson (Mod VI)
Tommie James, Cliff Meyers ( Caravelles), Johnny Seabolt ( Pieces of Eight) Nora Marion, Dick Hilliard and Bill Pratt (Soul Set)

Drop Shot (Rufus Cromer of Liberation) Greg and Rodney Justo of the Candymen at Georgia Music Hall of Fame





The World's most loaded Beach Music Jukebox was available for those that visited to Museum

Beginning with Ben Bernard in navy blazer (Oxford Nights... I'm Such A Lonely One) and going in a counter clockwise direction) Fred Pugh ( Swingin' Medallions) Johnny Cox ( Swingin' Medallions) Kind Edward Martin (BD's) John McElrath (Swingin'Medallions) Hack Bartley (Swingin' Medallions) Greg, Dino Cecchi (King Edward & The BD's) and in the back where they seem most comfortable are drummers: Kim Venable ( K-Otics & Classics IV ) and Joe Morris, (Swingin' Medallions)

Rusty Cromer of the Rockin' Gibraltars appears incognito (Others Previously identified)

Writer publisher Andrea Powell joins Hack Bartley on stage. Read Andrea's recent article about the Medallions in the Greenville SC magazine

http://www.gvillemag.com/print/2745

Meanwhile at the keyboards, King Edward Martin and John McElrath discuss how the Medallions' M.Y.L. T.T. becomes a big hit in the U.K. for King Edward & The BD's

At the top: Fred Pugh looks on while K-Otic drummer , Kim Venable and Medallion Drummer Joe Morris discuss the important the opening drum roll to Double Shot of My Baby's Love.

Ron Moody of The Centaurs and Marion Carter of Ripete Records make their appearance on stage at the Beach Club