The Les-Buzz Ballroom: The Rock 'N' Roll Shows 1955-1960 (Spring Valley)

In the summer of 1949, Arthur "Buzzy" Verucchi and his brother-in-law Lester Dhesse opened the Les-Buzz Roller Rink on Route 6 in Spring Valley, Illinois.  A year and a half later, in late December 1950, the venue held its first concert.

The Les-Buzz Ballroom quickly became the premier spot for dancing in north-central Illinois.  For more than a decade the venue hosted legendary jazz performers and bandleaders such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and many others.  The ballroom's slogan:  "Where All The Name Bands Play."  For many of the performers, Spring Valley was their only stop in Illinois outside of Chicago.

In the fall of 1955, the venue started to bring a new kind of dance music to the area - rock 'n' roll.   Here is a list of some of the performers and dates.

September 17, 1955:  Boyd Bennett & His Rockets

October 8, 1955:  Bill Haley & His Comets

With one of the first uses of the term "rock 'n' roll" in the local press, one area announcement read, "On Oct. 8, Bill Haley and his Comets will invade Les-Buzz for a rock-and-roll session."  It would be the first of at least four appearances by Haley over the next few years.

November 17, 1956:  Teen-age Rock N Roll Show

Rock 'n' roll didn't immediately catch on in the Illinois Valley.  Les-Buzz continued to book mainly big bands and dance orchestras.  A "Teen-age Rock N Roll" show was advertised at Les-Buzz in November of '56 but no acts were listed.  The following year would be different however, with several big rock 'n' roll shows.  

May 18, 1957:  Bill Haley & His Comets

June 14, 1957:  Everly Brothers, Eddie Cochran, Nick Noble, Four Esquires

The poster refers to the Everly Brothers as "a relatively unknown act."  Their first hit record, "Bye Bye Love," had just come out a few months earlier.  They were reportedly paid $350 for their appearance.  A local group, possibly the Nite Caps from LaSalle, served as their backing band that night.  Don and Phil Everly, still fairly young themselves, reportedly went roller skating before the show.

Even though Eddie Cochran was perhaps better known than the Everly Brothers at the time, mainly due to his appearances in the The Girl Can't Help It and Untamed Youth, he had yet to record some of his biggest hits.   "Summertime Blues" and "C'mon Everybody" wouldn't be released for another year.

November 9, 1957:  Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps

This November date may not have been Vincent's first appearance at Les-Buzz.  There is some evidence that he came to Spring Valley as early as September 1957.  He performed at the Coliseum in Davenport, Iowa on September 22nd and was in Sterling, Illinois the next night, performing at the Sterling Auditorium.  A month later, on October 27th, Vincent and the Blue Caps performed at the Hub Ballroom in Edelstein, Illinois.

Incredibly, audio from one of Vincent's earliest performances at Les-Buzz was recorded by an audience member.  A tape of the show currently resides in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Archives.  Vincent and the Blue Caps can be heard performing "Be-Bop-a-Lula," "Lotta Lovin'," "Dance To The Bop" and "Right Now."  They also perform several Little Richard songs including "Long Tall Sally," "Rip It Up," and "Keep-A-Knockin."  Vincent returned to Les-Buzz in less than a year.

June 27, 1958:  Tommy Sands

"Tommy Sands, who's the latest rage of the teenage set as movie, TV and recording star, makes his only Illinois appearance this season on Friday night at the Les Buzz Ballroom in Spring Valley, flying there from Hollywood.  Doors open at 8, with dance and show from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. DST.  Sands is best known for his Sing, Boy, Sing recording and film." - Peoria Journal Star, June 25, 1958

On stage at Les-Buzz:  Tommy Sands' band including Hal Blaine on drums

July 5, 1958:  Buddy Holly & The Crickets

I could not find an advertisement promoting the concert but the show has been confirmed by several first hand accounts.  The date is provided by various online sources.  It appears to be the only Illinois show on this brief summer tour of the Midwest.  Holly was scheduled to return in February.

July 26, 1958:  Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps

August 16, 1958:  SUMMER DANCE PARTY

• Danny & The Juniors
• Gerry Granahan
• Poni-Tails
• Jody Reynolds 
• Buddy Morrow

September 13, 1958:  Bill Haley & His Comets

September 20, 1958:  AUTUMN DANCE PARTY

• Bobby Darin
• Jimmy Clanton
• Dion & The Belmonts
• Jo Ann Campbell
• Tony Pastor

October 25, 1958:  Dale Hawkins & The Hawks

 

November 1, 1958:  The Big Beats

December 31, 1958:  Conway Twitty, The Rockin' R's

In a 2019 interview, Ron Volz mentions that his band, the Rockin' R's from Metamora, Illinois, opened for Conway Twitty and Bill Haley at Les-Buzz.   He also talked about opening up for Gene Vincent but it is unclear if that was in Spring Valley or in St. Louis.

February 7, 1959: WINTER DANCE PARTY

 

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were just days away from performing at Les-Buzz when their plane crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa on February 3rd.  Not more than a day after the crash, newspaper advertisements had replacement acts listed, stating "The Show Must Go On."

• Frankie Avalon
• Jimmy Clanton
• Dion & The Belmonts
• The Crickets
• Frankie Sardo

The poster for the show adds:  "This is Frankie Avalon's only Downstate Appearance.  He will not appear in Peoria with the show."  Instead of Avalon, a young Fabian performed in Peoria and Springfield, the last two dates on the tour.  

The Les-Buzz show was held the same day as Buddy Holly's funeral in Lubbock, Texas.  His friends and bandmates, the Crickets, which included Tommy Allsup and a young Waylon Jennings, were unable to attend.  Instead they were on stage in Spring Valley.

March 7, 1959:  Bobby Darin, The Bell Notes

April 4, 1959:  THE SPRING DANCE PARTY

• Kalin Twins
• The Bell Notes
• Link Wray & The Wraymen
• Bill Parsons
• Jesse Lee Turner
• All American Boys Band

April 18, 1959: Jimmy Bowen, The Big Beats

April 25, 1959:  Bill Haley & His Comets

May 2, 1959:  Duane Eddy, Dale Hawkins

May 9, 1959:  Fabian

May 23, 1959:  Conway Twitty & His Rock 'n' Roll Band

June 13, 1959:  VACATION DANCE PARTY

• Gary Stites
• Freddy Cannon
• Frankie Ford
• The Mystics
• Carl Dobkins Jr.
• Barbara Evans
• Johnny & The Hurricanes

July 3, 1959:  Frankie Avalon

July 10, 1959:  SUMMER DANCE PARTY

• Jerry Keller
• Carl Mann
• The Tassels
• The Addrisi Brothers
• Skip & Flip
• Jo Ann Campbell
• Dicky Doo & The Don'ts

July 19, 1959:  Fats Domino

August 1, 1959:  Jimmy Bowen and the Rhythm Orchids

August 8, 1959:  Jimmy Clanton, Gary Stites, The Tempos, Santo & Johnny, The Bell Notes, Dick Caruso

September 5, 1959:  Floyd Robinson, Sonny James, Tony Bellus, Paul Peek, The Flames

September 19.1959:  Talent Show Finals - 10 Big Acts

October 17, 1959:  Jerry Lee Lewis

November 26, 1959:  HOLIDAY TEEN HOP - Rock-A-Teens, Joe London, Tommy Facenda

March 5, 1960:  Jimmy Clanton, The Champs, Johnny Ferguson, Frankie Ford, Ray Smith, The Nite Caps, Sandy Van

March 19, 1960: Conway Twitty

April 9, 1960:  Bobby Rydell, The Nite Caps, Sandy Van, The Royal Notes

May 21, 1960:  Johnny & The Hurricanes, Rod Lauren, Gary Stites, Johnny Restivo, Nicky DeMatteo, Carl Dobkins Jr., Danny Valentino, Harold Dorman

The Les-Buzz Ballroom and Roller Rink closed in April 1961.  The building was sold and used as a discount center for a few years before it was completely destroyed by fire in December 1964.  Thirty-five years later, a section of West Dakota Street in Spring Valley was renamed Les Buzz Way.  

For those interested in getting a glimpse at what Les-Buzz looked like, an architectural model of the ballroom and roller rink is on display at the Spring Valley Historical Museum.  They also have an assortment of memorabilia and photographs from the venue.

Verucchi's Ristorante in Spring Valley also has many photos and an original Winter Dance Party poster displayed in their bar area.  In 2014, Dick Verucchi, a legendary musician in his own right, gave an in-depth and personal talk about his father, Buzzy, and the Les-Buzz Ballroom.

 

A.J. & The Savages (Havana)

Like so many downstate Illinois bands, A.J. and the Savages are often misidentified as being from Chicago by record collectors and garage rock aficionados.  It is somewhat understandable in this case given that their only record, an obscure 1967 single, was released on a Chicago-area label that featured several bands from the city and its suburbs.  A.J. and the Savages were an exception.

The five teenagers in the group (none named A.J.) were instead from a cluster of small towns in central Illinois, far from the Windy City.  Three of the band members were from Havana in Mason County:  Ron Stockert on organ, Jerry Armstrong on drums and Paul Glick on bass.  The two guitar players in the band were from nearby towns in Fulton County:  Jack Simmons (St. David) and Ray Fidler (Cuba).

A.J. and the Savages formed sometime in early 1965 and were playing at school dances and teen centers before the end of the year. In 1966, the band played regularly in central and western Illinois especially in nearby Canton and Galesburg.  In August, they participated in the "Combo Clash" at the Young America Illinois State Fair and were voted as one of the top five groups in the contest which earned them a trophy and other prizes.

Sometime in late '66 or early '67, the group recorded two songs for the Delaware label based in Roselle, Illinois.  The single was released in March 1967.  The A-side contained a Ron Stockert original tune, "Long Long Time."  The flip side is a cover of the Premieres' "Farmer John" (originally written and performed by Don and Dewey).  

In 2000, "Long Long Time" was included on Volume 15 of the Teenage Shutodwn! compilation series.  Listen to the song here:

(There is no online source for "Farmer John."  If anyone has this record or has even a recording of the b-side please get in touch at downstatesounds@gmail.com.  We'd love to be able to add the song here.)

The group continued to perform in Illinois and ever promoted their single for a period (see advertisement).  Before the end of 1967 however the group split up.  Despite the obscurity of the record and the fact that the band was fairly short-lived, several of the members went on to have lifelong musical careers.

After the Savages, Ron Stockert went on to form The Bushes while attending Knox College in Galesburg.  A few years later he joined up with some Champaign musicians and eventually moved to Chicago to help form the band Rufus.  Stockert would go on to write and sing about half of the band's debut album which was released on ABC Records in 1973.  

The band's second album, Rags To Rufus, which prominently featured Chaka Kahn on vocals, went gold and earned Stockert and the group a Grammy.   Stockert left the group soon after.  He eventually went on to play with Three Dog Night and many others over a long successful career.  He passed away in April 2020.

Drummer Jerry "Pork" Armstrong's next band after A.J. and the Savages was Yellow Bird.  The group was together just long enough to release a single on Stereo Village in 1968 (Stockert plays on it as well).   

  

Armstrong did not remain a drummer for long however.  Over the next few years he played in a few central Illinois bands (Light Brigade, Mackinaw Valley Boys) but eventually became a frontman, singing and playing guitar as Pork and the Havana Ducks.  Armstrong released three albums in the late 70's and early 80's and was a legendary live performer known throughout the Midwest.  Armstrong passed away on September 13, 2003.

Guitarist Jack Simmons was also a talented guitarist and singer that was in multiple central Illinois bands over the years, most notably the Spoon River Journeymen.  He passed away on June13, 2024. 

Midwest Delegation (Decatur)

The Midwest Delegation were five teenagers from Decatur, Illinois.  The band formed in late 1967 and included students from three different area high schools (Eisenhower, Lakeview and Stephen Decatur).  The initial group consisted of:

John "Jack" Medley on lead guitar, Hammond B3 organ and backing vocals; John Vest on rhythm guitar, percussion and lead vocals;  Harold Sloatman on drums and lead vocals; Gary Peek on Hammond B3 organ, electric piano, trumpet, saxophone and backing vocals; David Hambrecht on bass, trombone and backing vocals.

Over the next several years, the group performed regularly around central Illinois at teen clubs, high school dances and college parties.  They played the Morgue Club in Decatur, the Wick in Tuscola, the Sullivan Legion Hall, the Burgess-Osborne Memorial Auditorium in Mattoon, and Marty's Dance Party at the Miller Park Pavilion in Bloomington.

A typical setlist for the group at the time included covers of the Beatles, the Association, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and other hits of the day.  The group was also capable of playing music suitable for a Hawaiian luau which they did for private parties.

 

A 1969 article promoting the Midwest Delegation mentioned that that the band had recently finished taping a television commercial (for what exactly, the article did not say).  The group was described as being one of the best equipped bands in the area.  They reportedly performed with $14,000 worth of new equipment and that it was all "king size."  The article added, "They use amps eight feet tall, a full-sized Hammond organ, a drum stage, and a double set of bass drums."  

They also traveled with a Leslie speaker cabinet for the Hammond B3 and their own Voice of the Theatre PA system.  As a result, the group purchased a 60 passenger bus, removed most of the seats and used it to haul their equipment from gig to gig.   The bus was painted green and white with "Delegation" written in huge psychedelic letters on the side.  On the back, "Follow Us, We're Going To A Dance."

Sometime in 1970, the group motored to South Pekin, Illinois and recorded two songs at the Golden Voice Recording Company.  Both songs were covers: "We Love" by the Association and "Mr. Soul," written by Neil Young and originally recorded by Buffalo Springfield. 

 

The Midwest Delegation self-released the single:

By late 1970, the group had dropped "Midwest" from their name and were billed simply as The Delegation.  Also, by this point, Colleen Hickey had joined the group on vocals and percussion.  Hickey and guitarist Jack Medley would eventually marry in 1973.

Over the next few years, the Delegation evolved into a lounge act.  There were some lineup changes as well. According to a 1973 ad for their gig at the Decatur Holiday Inn, the best ways to describe their music at that point in time were "easy listening," or perhaps "liquid gold," or even "sensuous swing."  The Delegation eventually broke up in the mid-1970's.  Jack and Colleen Medley continued to perform together in Benji and the BeBops until 1997.  

John "Jack" Medley passed away on July 28, 2020.