The Reservation (Pontiac)

After our recent post about the Terregon in Forrest, Illinois, we thought we would highlight yet another gathering spot for young people in Livingston County in the 1960's.  

The Reservation was a teen dance club located in Pontiac, Illinois.  Unlike the Terregon which was fairly short-lived, the Reservation lasted for more than three years and held multiple dances nearly every week.  In fact, between July 21, 1967 and October 31, 1970, we've identified around 300 dances, all with live music!   Most of these events featured local bands as well as some Chicago area groups and, on occasion, national touring acts.

The Reservation was owned and operated by Ray and Katie Smith.  The 5,600 square foot steel building was located at 1221 N. Aurora Street in Pontiac and had once housed a printing company.   In 1967 it was remodeled by the couple to include a dance floor, stage and snack bar where soda and sandwiches were served.   

Ray Smith had been sponsoring teen dances at local schools and other locations in Pontiac for months prior to opening the Reservation.  Once the city council passed the necessary ordinances and regulations, Smith was issued the very first license to operate a teen dance hall in Pontiac.  Many of the town's residents were in support of the teen center, recognizing the need for such a place.  Pontiac at the time had roughly 1,600 youths between the ages of 13 and 19.   At the same time, there were several vocal citizens opposed to the Reservation.  At least one attempt was made to get its license revoked before it even opened its doors.  Concerns and complaints about noise, parking, loitering and other issues would be an ongoing battle for the Smiths.

 

The Reservation had its grand opening on July 21, 1967.  The music was supplied by a local group, The Crimsmen (they would soon change their name to the Backstreet Majority).  The club announced it would hold dances every Wednesday and Friday in the summer.   Once the school year started, it would schedule dances on Fridays and Saturdays.   As the list below shows, there were many deviations from this schedule.

Many of the bands during the first several months were local groups from Pontiac and the surrounding areas including nearby Bloomington-Normal.  There were however several Chicago groups that made the trip down to Pontiac including The Ides of March, The Trolls, The Flock, Saturday's Children and The Mauds.  The club also featured a number of all-girl groups from Chicago such as The Same, The Chips, The Daughters of Eve and the Weaker Sex (which were billed as The Weaker Six).  

Groups from outside of Illinois included December's Children (later known as The Corner Store) from South Haven, Michigan and the Detroit Wheels.  From California, The Union Gap and The California Spectrum both stopped in Pontiac on their tours of the Midwest.   In addition to the music, "the Mad Painter and his shirts" was advertised as a featured attraction with several of the early shows.

• July 21, 1967         The Crimsmen
• July 22, 1967         The Crimsmen
• July 26, 1967         The Crimsmen  (CANCELLED - STORM)
• July 27, 1967         The Crimsmen
• July 28, 1967         The Chancellors
• August 4, 1967 The Cobblestones
• August 5, 1967 The Regents
• August 9, 1967 The Same
• August 11, 1967 The Backstreet Majority
• August 16, 1967 The Backstreet Majority
• August 18, 1967 The Things To Come
• August 19, 1967 The Backstreet Majority
• August 23, 1967 The Undivided
• August 25, 1967 The Backstreet Majority
• August 26, 1967 The Naught Fadeway
• August 28, 1967 The Backstreet Majority
• August 30, 1967 The Cobblestones
• September 2, 1967 The Fugitives
• September 8, 1967 The Undivided
• September 9, 1967 The Ides of March
• September 16, 1967 Saturday's Children
• September 23, 1967 The Trolls
• September 29, 1967 The Undivided
• September 30, 1967 The Same
• October 7, 1967 The Flock
• October 11, 1967 The Cobblestones
• October 14, 1967 The California Spectrum
• October 28, 1967 December's Children
• October 30, 1967 The Chips
• November 3, 1967 The Present Tense
• November 4, 1967 The Detroit Wheels
• November 11, 1967 The Mauds
• November 17, 1967 The Undivided
• November 18, 1967 The Daughters of Eve
• November 22, 1967 The Shattertones
• November 24, 1967 The One-Eyed Jacks
• November 25, 1967 The Back Pages
• December 2, 1967 The Trolls
• December 8, 1967 The Department
• December 9, 1967 The Corner Store (December's Children)
• December 15, 1967 The Same
• December 16, 1967 The Flock
• December 22, 1967 The Union Gap
• December 23, 1967 The Destinations
• December 25, 1967 The Weaker Sex
• December 30, 1967 The One-Eyed Jacks

In 1968, the Reservation continued to feature primarily local bands including more and more groups from the Champaign-Urbana scene, many of which were being represented by the Blytham Ltd. talent agency, e.g. The One-Eyed Jacks, The Finchley Boys, The Regiment, The Esquires, The Seeds of Love, and The Light Brigade.  Another Blytham band, the Guild from the St. Louis area, appeared several times.  The group featured a young Michael McDonald.

Bands also came from Wisconsin (Michael & The Messengers, The Beau Gentry, The Robbs, The Iron Gate) and Indiana (Boston Creme Pie, The Olivers, Him Her and Them, The Boys Next Door, The Sons of Sound).    Touring groups such as Archie Bell & The Drells, The Music Explosion and The Royal Guardsmen also made appearances in Pontiac that year.

At a Pontiac City Council meeting in April of 1968, several residents living near the Reservation voiced complaints, mostly about the noise.  A woman that lived across the street from the club claimed the music was so loud that it vibrated the pictures on her walls.  

• January 5, 1968 The Cobblestones
• January 6, 1968 The Weaker Sex
• January 12, 1968 The Lykes Of Us
• January 13, 1968 The Regiment
• January 19, 1968 The Chancellors
• January 20, 1968 The Shags
• January 26, 1968 The Undivided
• January 27, 1968 The Corner Store 
• February 2, 1968 The Chancellors
• February 3, 1968 The Family
• February 9, 1968 The Regiment
• February 10, 1968 The Same
• February 16, 1968 Michael and the Messengers
• February 23, 1968 The Back Pages
• February 24, 1968 The One-Eyed Jacks
• March 1, 1968  The Chancellors
• March 2, 1968  The Cherry Slush
• March 9, 1968  The Esquires
• March 16, 1968  The Trolls
• March 22, 1968  The Weaker Sex
• March 23, 1968  The Five Emprees
• March 29, 1968  The Cobblestones
• March 30, 1968  The Shags
• April 5, 1968   The Seeds of Love
• April 6, 1968   The Robbs
• April 10, 1968   The Chancellors
• April 11, 1968   The Same
• April 13, 1968   The Corner Store
• April 15, 1968   The One-Eyed Jacks
• April 19, 1968   The Crimsmen
• April 20, 1968   The Esquires
• April 26, 1968   The Chancellors
• April 27, 1968   The Family
• May 3, 1968 London Mills S.R.O.
• May 4, 1968 The Byzantine Empire
• May 10, 1968 The Sons Of Sound
• May 11, 1968 The Beau Gentry
• May 17, 1968 The Undivided
• May 18, 1968 The Music Expolsion, The Coming Generation
• May 24, 1968 The Rain
• May 25, 1968 The Reel Blues
• May 31, 1968 The Geneva Convention
• June 1, 1968   The Trolls
• June 7, 1968   The Cobblestones
• June 8, 1968   The Light Brigade
• June 12, 1968   Boston Creme Pie
• June 14, 1968   The Third Booth
• June 15, 1968   Eddie and The Sensations
• June 19, 1968   The One-Eyed Jacks
• June 22, 1968   The Corner Store
• June 26, 1968   London Mills S.R.O.
• June 27, 1968   Archie Bell and The Drells
• June 29, 1968   The Chancellors
• July 6, 1968   Friend and Lover, The Chancellors
• July 13, 1968   The Byzantine Empire
• July 17, 1968   The Royal Guardsmen
• July 20, 1968   The Regiment
• July 22, 1968   The One-Eyed Jacks
• July 24, 1968   The Cobblestones
• July 27, 1968   The Shags
• August 3, 1968 The Trolls
• August 7, 1968 The Corner Store
• August 10, 1968 Eddie and The Sensations
• August 17, 1968 The Byzantine Empire
• August 23, 1968 The Corner Store
• August 24, 1968 Jimmy Stokley and The Exiles
• August 31, 1968 The Iron Gate
• September 6, 1968 The One-Eyed Jacks
• September 7, 1968 The Chancellors
• September 14, 1968 The Guild
• September 21, 1968 The Reel Blues
• September 27, 1968 The Backstreet Majority
• September 28, 1968 The Regiment
• October 4, 1968 The Backstreet Majority
• October 5, 1968 The Outsiders
• October 11, 1968 The Backstreet Majority
• October 12, 1968 Midwest Hydraulic Co.
• October 13, 1968 The One-Eyed Jacks, Backstreet Majority
• October 19, 1968 The Olivers
• October 26, 1968 Him, Her and Them
• October 30, 1968 The Backstreet Majority
• November 2, 1968  The Raindear Army
• November 8, 1968  The Coming Generation
• November 9, 1968  Forest City Sound
• November 10, 1968  The Five By Five, The Backstreet Majority
• November 15, 1968  The Boys Next Door
• November 16, 1968  The California Prune Advisory Band
• November 27, 1968  The Backstreet Majority
• November 29, 1968  The Corner Store
• November 30, 1968  The One-Eyed jacks
• December 6, 1968  The Sons of Sound
• December 7, 1968  The Trolls
• December 13, 1968  The Backstreet Majority
• December 14, 1968  Fat Water
• December 20, 1968  The Guild
• December 21, 1968  The Finchley Boys
• December 23, 1968  The One-Eyed Jacks, The Chancellors
• December 30, 1968  The Mauds, The Backstreet Majority

1969 brought new sounds and bands to Pontiac.   An early lineup of REO Speedwagon (originally advertised as R.E.O. Speedway) made several appearances.  Chicago area groups such as The Shadows of Knight, The Mead, The Dontays and Aorta made appearances for the first time.  Touring groups such as Three Dog Night, The Electric Prunes, The Human Beinz, Derek, Crow, Steam and The Hardy Boys all headlined shows in 1969.

• January 2, 1969 For Days and A Night
• January 4, 1969 R.E.O. Speedwagon
• January 10, 1969 The Undivided
• January 11, 1969 The Nickel Bag
• January 17, 1969 The Mead
• January 18, 1969 The California Prune Advisory Band
• January 24, 1969 The Four Americans
• January 25, 1969 The Shades of Blue
• January 31, 1969 The Sect
• February 1, 1969 The Guild
• February 7, 1969 The Present Tense
• February 8, 1969 The First Chapter
• February 11, 1969 The One-Eyed Jacks
• February 15, 1969 The Corner Store
• February 22, 1969 Three Dog Night
• March 1, 1969   The Guild
• March 2, 1969   The Backstreet Majority
• March 7, 1969   The Chancellors
• March 8, 1969   The Mead
• March 22, 1969  The One-Eyed Jacks
• March 28, 1969  The Midwest Hydraulics
• March 29, 1969  The Rain
• April 2, 1969   The Shadows of Knight, The Backstreet Majority
• April 3, 1969   The Lykes Of Us
• April 5, 1969   Derek
• April 6, 1969   The Backstreet Majority
• April 12, 1969   The Rat Pack
• April 18, 1969   The One-Eyed Jacks
• April 19, 1969   The Esquires
• April 26, 1969   The Guild
• May 2, 1969 Maximus
• May 3, 1969 Aorta
• May 10, 1969 Cryan Shames
• May 17, 1969 The Mead
• May 24, 1969 The Light Brigade
• May 29, 1969 The Nickel Bag
• May 31, 1969 The Trolls
• June 3, 1969  The One-Eyed Jacks
• June 4, 1969  The American Breed
• June 7, 1969  Crow
• June 9, 1969  The Chancellors
• June 11, 1969  The Mauds, The Chancellors
• June 14, 1969  R.E.O. Speedwagon
• July 3, 1969  The One-Eyed Jacks
• July 5, 1969  The Young Turks
• July 9, 1969  Fat Water
• July 12, 1969  The Human Beinz
• July 16, 1969  The Backstreet Majority
• July 19, 1969  The Rain
• July 21, 1969  The Cryan Shames, The Backstreet Majority
• July 23, 1969  The Soul Messengers
• July 26, 1969  Dontays
• July 31, 1969  The Electric Prunes
• August 2, 1969 The Mead
• August 6, 1969 The New Colony Six
• August 9, 1969 R.E.O. Speedwagon
• August 13, 1969 Mickey, Larry and The Exciters
• August 16, 1969 The Guild
• August 20, 1969 Underground Sunshine
• August 23, 1969 The Light Brigade
• August 25, 1969 The One-Eyed Jacks
• August 30, 1969 The Crystal Tower
• September 6, 1969  The Rain
• September 12, 1969  The Chancellors
• September 13, 1969  The Dontays
• September 19, 1969  The Chancellors
• September 20, 1969  The Backstreet Majority
• September 27, 1969  The Rugbys
• October 4, 1969 Blue Ice
• October 11, 1969 The Blue
• October 12, 1969 The American Breed
• October 17, 1969 The Chancellors
• October 18, 1969 The Rain
• October 25, 1969 The Electric Prunes
• October 31, 1969 The Chancellors
• November 1, 1969 Crow
• November 8, 1969 The Mead
• November 10, 1969  The Guild
• November 15, 1969  The Hardy Boys, Sweet Fannie Adams
• November 22, 1969  The Corner Store
• November 22, 1969  Frog
• November 26, 1969  The Backstreet Majority, Sweet Fannie Adams
• November 28, 1969  Steam, Sweet Fannie Adams
• November 29, 1969  The Chosen Few
• December 6, 1969  Frederic
• December 13, 1969  The Zebra
• December 20, 1969  Uncle Meat
• December 23, 1969  The New Colony Six
• December 27, 1969  The One-Eyed Jacks

In 1970 the Reservation featured a number of groups from the Detroit area including Frijid Pink, The Amboy Dukes, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Bloomsbury People, Virgin Dawn, Third Power, Springwell and Ormandy.   In July it was announced that the Zombies "from England" were to perform at the Reservation.  In truth, this was likely one of the imposter groups that toured the U.S. pretending to be the Zombies (The True Story of the Fake Zombies).   Later that same month, Vanity Fare, an actual English group, did perform at the Reservation.   Genesis, another group that played at the Reservation several times in 1970, was NOT the English group with the same name.  Instead it was a local band from Champaign-Urbana.

• January 2, 1970 Mitch Ryder and Detroit Wheels
• January 3, 1970 The Backstreet (Majority)
• January 17, 1970 The Ritual
• January 24, 1970 The Mead
• January 31, 1970 The Guild
• February 7, 1970 The Rain
• February 11, 1970 The American Breed
• February 14, 1970 Zebra
• February 21, 1970 The Light Brigade
• February 28, 1970 Feathertrain
• March 1, 1970  Fuse
• March 7, 1970  The Ritual
• March 14, 1970  Bloomsbury People
• March 21, 1970  The Backstreet (Majority)
• March 26, 1970  Young Blood Hawk, Sweet Fannie Adams
• March 28, 1970  Frijid Pink
• April 4, 1970   The Light Brigade
• April 11, 1970   The American Breed, Young Blood Hawk
• April 18, 1970   R.E.O. Speedwagon
• April 25, 1970   The Guild
• May 2, 1970  The Virgin Dawn
• May 9, 1970  Third Power
• May 16, 1970  Backstreet
• May 23, 1970  Liquid Smoke
• May 30, 1970  The Mead
• June 6, 1970 The Amboy Dukes, Young Blood Hawk
• June 16, 1970 The Ides of March
• July 4, 1970 The Ring
• July 15, 1970 The Zombies, Morningside
• July 18, 1970 Backstreet
• July 22, 1970 Vanity Fare
• July 25, 1970 Moses
• July 29, 1970 Genesis, R.E.O. Speedwagon
• August 1, 1970 Frijid Pink, Springwell
• August 8, 1970 Mitch Ryder and Detroit Wheels
• August 15, 1970 The Cryan Shames
• August 22, 1970 The Neighborhood
• August 29, 1970 Morningside
• September 5, 1970  Moses
• September 8, 1970  Moses
• September 12, 1970  Genesis 
• September 19, 1970  The Mead
• September 26, 1970  Feathertrain
• October 3, 1970 The Esquires
• October 8, 1970 Morningside
• October 10, 1970 R.E.O. Speedwagon
• October 17, 1970 Genesis
• October 24, 1970 Ormandy
• October 31, 1970 Feathertrain

The Halloween dance featuring Feathertrain from Champaign was, as advertised, the "Last Dance" for the Reservation.  The club wasn't closed for long however.  In December of that year, Ray Smith took on a business partner, Ron LaPiccalo, and remodeled the building at 1221 N. Aurora Street once again.

Together they soon opened Club Smilo, a new private teen club with membership restricted to high school students only.  In addition to dances on Fridays and Saturdays, the club also served dinners on Sundays and Tuesdays, which were open to the public.

Club Smilo lasted for several years.  In 1975, it relocated briefly to 318 ½ N. Mill Street in Pontiac before closing for good.  That same year, the building at 1221 N. Aurora Street became the Knights of Columbus Hall and remained so for 20 years.  Currently, the old teen dance hall is a church.

If anyone has any memories of the Reservation please share in the comments below.  If you have any photos please reach out to us directly and we'll try and add them to this post:  downstatesounds@gmail.com

The Terregon (Forrest)

The Terregon Ballroom was not a grand old hall with a storied past as the name might suggest.  Instead, it was a grain storage building on Route 47 at the north edge of Forrest, Illinois - a town of roughly 1,200 people.  For a brief time in the late 1960's however, it was host to some big name rock and pop concerts by groups such as the Grass Roots, the Cryan Shames, the New Colony Six, and many others.

Ronnie Rice, New Colony Six at the Terregon

How did these bands come to perform in a metal farm building on the edge of a small town in rural Livingston County?  It appears to have been the work and determination of one man.  Glenn Terrell was a local truck driver, a business owner, a World War II veteran, and a father of teenagers.  

In 1967, Terrell converted the 60' x 120' steel building into a concert venue, dance hall and community center.  He added a new floor, built a stage, covered the walls with wood paneling and added some colored tables and chairs.  The Terregon was born.  It had a reported seating capacity of 900, though it proved to hold more, possibly when the tables and chairs were removed.

Incredibly, for about a year the Terregon brought in a string of top-tier groups from Chicago as well as national touring acts.   Almost all of the "teen" concerts were emceed by a WLS disc jockey.  A local group from nearby Pontiac, the Chancellors, served as the opening act for many of the shows.

The Terregon opened its doors on September 2, 1967 with a teen concert featuring the Cryan Shames and the Flock.   The Cryan Shames would play the Terregon at least four times in less than a year.  

According to the Pontiac Daily Leader, over 1,500 attended the debut concert.  Before the end of the year, the Terregon hosted at least four more teen shows, each on a Saturday night:

• Sep 2, 1967     The Cryan Shames, The Flock   
• Sep 23, 1967   The Yellow Balloon, The Ides of March
• Sep 30, 1967   The California Spectrum (members of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band) 
• Oct 28, 1967   The Same, The Chancellors
• Dec 16, 1967   The One-Eyed Jacks, The Chancellors

Starting in early 1968, owner Glenn Terrell decided to shift the teen shows to Sunday afternoons instead of Saturday nights.  This change, which seemed innocent enough, would spark a controversy that would put the Terregon and the village of Forrest in the news for the next several weeks.  

On January 17th, 1968, the Forrest Village Board held a special meeting to discuss the town's new dance hall.  First, they imposed a $50 license fee for any dance held during the week.  In addition, they denied Terrell's permit request to hold dances on Sundays.

The board was apparently split on the matter of allowing these dances but came to their decision after casting a secret ballot in a closed session (later determined to be an illegal action).  They justified their ruling by invoking a "blue law" enacted in the 1880s that remained on the town's books.  

One of the board members, Ray Steffen, told the Pantagraph, "It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my life."  Steffen had voted against the ballroom.  When ask why, he said, "Because of my concern for the youth."  He added, "I have a strong belief in the Ten Commandments.  The fourth covers this situation - Remember the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy."

Public outcry over the decision was immediate.   Newspapers across the state of Illinois ran stories about the small town that banned dances on Sunday due to an outdated statute.  Several people wrote letters to the editor of the Pantagraph in support of the Terregon and the rights of teenagers.

When Glenn Terrell was asked what he planned to do next, he responded, "Like John Paul Jones, when asked if he was ready to surrender, said, 'I have just begun to fight.'  I guess that's the position I'll have to take."   Terrell petitioned the board for a new hearing.   When they dragged their feet, Terrell informed them by letter that he intended to continue operations until they provided him with a documented report requiring him to close on Sundays.  The Village Board instead granted him permission to operate "as is" until their April meeting.  For the next several months, teen concerts were held on Sunday afternoons without incident.

• Jan 7, 1968       Jay and the Techniques, (Art Roberts - WLS)
• Jan 21, 1968     Cryan Shames, (Clark Weber - WLS)
• Feb 4, 1968      The Destinations, The Chancellors, (Art Roberts - WLS)
• Feb 11, 1968    One-Eyed Jacks, (Ron Riley - WLS)
• Feb 18, 1968    The American Breed, (Bernie Allen - WLS)
• Mar 17, 1968   The One Eyed Jacks, (Jerry Kay - WLS)
• Mar 24, 1968   The Classics IV, (Larry Lujack - WLS)
• Mar 31, 1968   The Cryan Shames, (Clark Webber - WLS)

On April 4th, during their regular town meeting, the Forrest Village Board reversed their earlier decision and granted the Terregon permission to hold Sunday concerts.  Some board members still expressed concerns however about kids dancing on Sunday.  Terrell assured the board that the events were concerts not dances.   He admitted some attendees do dance but the concerts were meant for entertainment not dancing.

Terrell had won the battle but Sunday concerts did not last much longer.  There were two in April.  By June, concerts were happening on Thursday or Friday.

 

• Apr 21, 1968   The New Colony Six, The Chancellors
• Apr 28, 1968   Grass Roots, The Chancellors, (Ron Riley - WLS)
• Jun 7, 1968     The Cryan Shames, (Larry Lujack - WLS)
• Jun 20, 1968   The World Column, The Chancellors, (Art Roberts-WLS)
  
• ?              Gary Puckett & The Union Gap

Thanks to Randall Hollister and his sister Judy who attended several concerts at the Terregon, we actually have photographs from some of these shows.

The Cryan Shames - January 21, 1968

The New Colony Six - April 21, 1968

The Grass Roots - April 28, 1968

Top L-R: Warren Entner, Rob Grill; Bottom L-R: Rick Coonce, Creed Bratton

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap reportedly played the Terregon as well but the exact date has not been confirmed.   The group did perform at the Reservation in nearby Pontiac on Dec. 22, 1967.

While no teen shows could be identified after June 1968, the Terregon also held concerts for "mom and dad," some of which continued into 1969.  Here are some of the other concerts and private events we could identify:

• Sep 16, 1967     Ted Weems Orchestra
• Oct 14, 1967     Tiny Hill & His Orchestra
• Nov 11, 1967    Ferlin Husky, Cristy Lane
• Dec 2, 1967      Tiny Hill & His Orchestra
• Dec 23, 1967   Leon Ashley, Margie Singleton, Cristy Lane, (Stan Scott - WJJD)
• Feb 24, 1968   Bud Sherman
• Apr 6, 1968   Strawn Firemen's Ball: Howard Jacobs Orchestra
• Apr 20, 1968   Bud Sherman
• Jul 28, 1968   M&W Gear Co. party: Rex Troyer band
• Apr 12, 1969   Strawn Firemen's Ball: Howard Jacobs Orchestra

It is unclear why or exactly when the venue closed its doors.  If anyone has any more info or memories about the Terregon please leave a comment below or reach out to us directly at:  downstatesounds@gmail.com

Special thanks again to Randy Hollister for sharing the photos as well as scans of the Terregon flyers.  Thanks also to Reverberation Vinyl for making it happen.

The Jades (Herrin)

The Jades were a popular teen combo from Herrin, Illinois.    In early 1966, the lineup consisted of Rick McNeill on vocals and lead guitar, Carl Sutton on rhythm guitar, Steve Sutton on bass, Ron Minter on drums and Greg Marlow on organ.  Sometime after August, Paul Helms replaced Carl Sutton on rhythm guitar.

On March 26, 1966, the Jades were one of nearly a dozen southern Illinois bands to perform at a "Battle of the Bands" at the Mt. Vernon Armory in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  Other local groups on the bill included:  

The Crescendos (West Frankfort), The In Crowd (Mt. Vernon), The Ivy Five (Mt. Vernon), The Niks (Centralia), The Screwdrivers (Carbondale), The Sting Rays (Mt. Vernon), The Universals (Centralia), The Vibrations (Salem) and The Yakks (Mt. Vernon).

The Jades performed everything from "Shout" to "House of the Rising Sun," and claimed the grand prize of a $100 and a trophy.  According to the Southern Illinois newspaper, the Burgandys of Southern Illinois University (not on the original bill) came in second.  The Vibrations of Salem were third in the "experienced" division.  Judging was done by popular vote from the 1,100 teens in attendance.

The Jades performed all around southern Illinois that year.  In the summer of '66 they held a weekly "Splash Party" at the Herrin pool.  They also performed at Teen Beat '66 which was held in the Bank of Illinois parking lot in Mt. Vernon.  

Beyond dances, they continued to "battle" other bands at events around the state such as the Young American Fair in Springfield as well as the Du Quoin State Fair Teen A Go Go.

While promoting an upcoming performance by the Jades in January 1967, the Mt. Vernon Register-News mentioned, "the popular Southern Illinois group is scheduled to cut a record for RCA Victor in Nashville, Tenn. sometime in the near future."

It is unclear when in early 1967 the band traveled to Tennessee to record their only single but it appears they headed north of Nashville to the Nugget Sound Studio in Goodlettsville.  There they recorded "Island Of Love" and "You Have To Walk."  Both songs were written by Paul Helms.  The single was released on Clark Records in May 1967.

According to the YouTube video below, Helms provided the lead vocals for "You Have To Walk."

The Jades continued to perform throughout 1967 around Herrin and southern Illinois, ending the year with a gig at the Herrin Teen Town New Year's Eve dance.  In 1968 however, the shows came to a stop.  According to information provided by Paul Byron Helms on the above YouTube video, the Vietnam War broke up the band.

Here are the Jades in simpler times, playing in their swim trunks at the Herrin pool for around 250 teens in the summer of 1966:

 

____________

Additional photos and info about some of the other area bands:

  

            

The Echos (Mattoon)

The Echos were six teenagers from Mattoon, Illinois:  Gerald (Gus) Pedigo, Roger Pedigo, Bob Perry, Mike Perry, Ron Lass and Bill Phillips.  The group's business manager (pictured in back) was Gene Clark - another high schooler from Mattoon.

The band formed in May of 1959.  An early version of the group performed at a Future Homemakers of America dinner at Mattoon High School.  According to the Mattoon Journal-Gazette and Commercial-Star, they played "I've Had It" (presumably the Bell Notes song) and an original, "Louise," written by Ron Lass and Mike Perry.

By that summer, the Echos was performing at local dances and area events. They also appeared multiple times on a local television program for teens.  

On May 6, 1960, almost exactly one year after forming, the band released their one and only single on Sage Records out of Hollywood, California.  Both sides were instrumentals.

"Haunted" was written by the youngest member of the group, Gus Pedigo.  The flipside, "River Beat," was credited to the entire band.  You can listen to a sample of both songs below:

How exactly a group from Mattoon ended up on a California label is a mystery.  Other than a mention in the local newspaper the record got no real promotion or press.  The band doesn't seem to have lasted past 1960.  Several of the members would graduate high school that year.  

By 1963, Gus Pedigo would go on to lead another Mattoon rock 'n' roll band, the Continentals.  Roger Pedigo, Gus Pedigo and Bob Perry were also members of the Artistics from Mattoon at one time or another in the 1960's.  Along with Mitch Easter of nearby Charleston, Illinois, the Artistics recorded several singles for the Cha Cha label out of Chicago.  

 

In the photo below, Bob Perry is shown playing bass and Gus Pedigo is on the far right, playing guitar.

The Artistics performing at the Blackhawk Village Lounge, Jacksonville, Illinois, 1966

By the late 1960's and into the early 1970's, Gus Pedigo and his brother Roger were two-thirds of the Gus Pedigo Trio which played mostly around eastern Illinois but also performed in Florida on occasion.

Gus Pedigo would eventually move to Florida where he would continue to write songs and play music for the rest of his life.  He passed away in 2019.

____

The artist bio for Gus on ReverbNation and other online sources paint a much more colorful musical career.   Pedigo claimed to have played guitar for Faron Young at the Grand Old Opry in the 1960's as a member of Young's backing band, The Country Deputies.  He also claimed to have worked as a studio musician at Owen Bradley's Barn outside of Nashville.  Even more incredibly, his bio included playing with J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers "during Last Kiss" and allegedly performing with Country Joe and The Fish at Woodstock on one song.

The Psychedelic Sounds of Howie Thayer (La Moille)

On December 19, 1967, eighteen-year-old Howie Thayer of La Moille, Illinois travelled nearly 150 miles south to Roger Francisco's basement recording studio in Urbana, Illinois.  With rented instruments and six paychecks to cover the cost of one marathon session, Thayer recorded all of the different musical parts and vocals for both sides of a single.

According to the Bureau County Republican, Thayer used "a total of eight generations (overdubs) of tape on each song - five instrumental overdubs and three vocal overdubs.   The newspaper added, "Thayer played the drums, piano, organ, bass guitar and lead fuzz guitar and sang two background vocals and one lead vocal in his two arrangements."

The two songs that Thayer recorded that day were "Movin' Groovin' Fairy Tale" and "If Death Don't Get You (Then The Government Will)."  

At the time, Thayer told the Bureau County Republican that the song "If Death Don't Get You" was about the saying "You only have to do two things in life - pay taxes and die."  He added that it was "mainly about the plight of the factory worker."  He jokingly said that "Fairy Tale" was about the plight of his love life.

Despite recording all the parts himself, the single was credited to Howie Thayer and His Psycho-Electric Happening and was released on his own Psychedelic Sounds label.

 

Thayer had graduated from La Moille High School earlier that same year.   While in school, he had been a drummer in a teen combo, the XKE's, along with Larry Lucas, Steve Westerlin, Jim Ewalt and Dale Edlefson.  After graduation, Thayer had started working as a disc jockey at a local radio station.  When the single was released, the local paper mentioned that "he will be playing the two songs occasionally on his sock show on WZOE radio."

In a 2018 conversation, Thayer confirmed many of the details of the recording.  He added that he had 1,000 copies pressed at the time and sold out.  He also mentioned, at one point you could buy the record at Clickner's in Princeton, Illinois, where the owner had provided Thayer with a special rack to display his single.

Thayer would return to RoFran Enterprises in Urbana two more times in 1968 according to the RoFran studio log (March 9th and September 5th).  The result was another single, likely recorded in the same manner as the first.   

Again both song were written by Thayer - an instrumental, "Bazap!," backed with "Side 2," a tragic love story referencing LSD and suicide among other things.  Once again, the single was credited to Howie Thayer and His Psycho-Electric Happening and released on Psychedelic Sounds.

 

It is difficult to imagine how people in north-central Illinois responded to these records in 1968.  Thayer remembers "Bazap!" getting some airplay on WSDR in Sterling, Illinois at the time - another radio station where he had worked.  

Whatever the reaction, these two singles would prove to be Thayer's entire recorded output as a musical  performer.  His radio career, on the other hand, was just beginning.  From 1967 to the current day, Thayer has worked at more than 50 different radio stations throughout the country.  At some point along the way, he legally changed his first name to "Dr."  In 1992, he earned a doctorate degree from Florida International University, officially making him, Dr. Dr. Thayer.

In 2004, Thayer bought a radio station: 96.7 FM-WZPH in Zephyrhills, FL - "The Zephyr."  The format of the station is strictly "oldies" with no commercials whatsoever.  As a result, it holds a world record for playing more than 3.5 million songs in a row.  The streak was sadly broken on October 10, 2024 when Hurricane Milton destroyed the station.  Dr. Dr. and the Zephyr however are back on the air in 2025! 

In addition to radio, Dr. Dr. is also a math teacher and a body builder... he might even be the Incredible Impressive Hulk.

Michael Day's 1972 Demo Recordings For Columbia Records

Billy Rose II, Michael Day, Kip Cohen, Paul Leka

In late March of 1972, 19-year-old singer-songwriter Michael Day of Bloomington, Illinois headed east to record an audition tape for Columbia Records.  Day had been playing keyboards and singing in bands in Illinois since junior high.  Even though he had written a number of songs by this point in his young career, Day had yet to release anything.  A demo tape for one of the biggest record companies in the world would mark his debut as a solo artist.

His introduction to the prestigious label was likely arranged by local talent agent, Irving Azoff.  Now one of the most powerful men in the music business, Azoff was just starting to make a name for himself beyond the Champaign-Urbana music scene in 1972.  One of Azoff's earliest discoveries, Dan Fogelberg, had recently signed with Columbia.  REO Speedwagon, another of Azoff's, had their first album released on Epic, a subsidiary of Columbia, the year before.   Day was hoping to be the next.

Joined by a group of mostly central Illinois musicians, Day spent six days at the Connecticut Recording Studios with producers Billy Rose II and Paul Leka (the same studio and producers REO Speedwagon had used for their first album).  There they recorded five of Michael's originals to present to Kip Cohen, head of A&R for Columbia Records:

• Dr. Freedmont's Bone Elixir
• Back On My Own
• Lead Me Love
• Whiskey Woman (later renamed "Let This Good Man Be")
• I Can Feel It

With Day on keyboards and vocals, the rest of the musicians included Norman Zeller on guitar, Doug Mazique on bass, Bobby Carlin on drums and Gale Pelletier on flute & sax.  The Freedom Soul Singers (from Connecticut) provided backing voices.

It is worth noting, Day and the other musicians had never played together as a group before these sessions.  This was not a band that had fine-tuned these songs over many months of playing together on the road.  Instead, most of the musicians were likely hearing and learning the songs for the first time.

Pelletier, a horn player who was attending Illinois State University at the time, had met Day in Bloomington and had only jammed with him a few times at Day's parent's house before being invited to join him on the trip to Connecticut.  All these years later, Pelletier still had Michael Day's handwritten lead sheet for "Lead Me Love" from the 1972 recording session.

After the sessions were over, Pelletier remembers going with Day to the Columbia Records headquarters in New York and playing the tape directly for Cohen in his office.

You can now listen to the five songs that Kip Cohen heard that day:

Cohen was apparently impressed enought that Day would soon return to Connecticut to begin recording an album for the label.  Day, along with several of the musicians, would eventually move to Bridgeport, CT during the process.   There they shared a house at 394 Saunders Avenue.

It would be almost a year later before it was finally announced that Day had signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Records.  Announcements in Billboard, Cash Box and Record World all suggested that the album would be ready by May of 1973.  A few of the other up-and-coming singer-songwriters scheduled to make their debuts for the label that same year included Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel.

For a time, things looked promising for Day.  An album of ten original songs was completed.  Cover art was prepared which included photos by the legendary photographer Raeanne Rubenstein.   Columbia Records assigned it a catalog # (32555).  Test pressings were produced.  A possible working title for the album (according to one tape box) was First But Not Last which would prove to be deeply ironic.   

Unfortunately for Day, Columbia Records was in turmoil by May of 1973.  Clive Davis, then president of the label, was eventually fired amid a scandal involving payola, drugs and other misappropriation of company funds.  Before the end of the summer, Kip Cohen, the man that brought Day to the label, also left Columbia Records.  The album's future was suddenly in limbo.  With no one at the label looking out for his interests, the 20-year-old Day was "orphaned" within the company during the shakeup.  

For a time, Day stayed on the East Coast.  In November of 1973, Billboard listed some live dates for Michael Day in New Jersey. He was still listed as a Columbia Records artist.  By 1974 however, Day had returned to Illinois without an album.  His debut and solo career derailed by executive turnover and bad timing.

The 1973 album remains unreleased to this day.   For more on the story including photos and audio from Day's life and career see our earlier post.