The Inner Sanctums were a teenage combo from Macoupin and Sangamon counties in downstate Illinois. The group released a lone single in 1968 and had a brief moment of national exposure due to their appearance on the television show Happening '68.
The leader of the Inner Sanctums was bass player Dave Hogan from Virden. Other members of the group included his younger brother, Joe Hogan, on drums; Gene Skeen of Gerard played lead guitar and sang; Mike Bates of Carlinville on rhythm guitar; and Linda Williamson from Auburn played the organ.
The band formed sometime in 1966 when most of the band members were still in high school or younger. Other than Dave Hogan, who had been taking bass lessons at the time, the boys in the group did not know how to play their instruments when they first started. Williamson, a former neighbor to the Hogans and the oldest member of the group, however had been playing the piano for six years when she decided to join the combo.
By November of that year, the Inner Sanctums participated in a “Battle of the Bands” in Divernon, Illinois. Other contestants included The Syndicates of Chatham and the Vibratones from Carlinville. No word on who won the contest.
The Inner Sanctums would continue to perform in the area at school dances and other events for more than five years. By the summer of 1968, the group had a standing gig at the VFW Hall in Gerard on Wednesday nights.
In an August 1967 article in the Jacksonville Journal Courier, the band was described as “having cut several records and have been extremely popular wherever they have performed.” Despite the claim, it seems unlikely that the band had made any records at this point.
In 1968 however, the band did record a single at the Golden Voice Recording Co. in South Pekin, Illinois. Released simply as Inner Sanctum on the studio’s house label, Thunder Records, the record included two songs written by guitarist Gene Skeen.
"Can't Make It Without You" / "Times Are Getting Better"
The group's big break came that same year when a cousin of the Hogans attended a taping of American Bandstand in California and mentioned the Inner Sanctums to the show’s producers. Incredibly, the show reached out to the band and asked for a tape which the group happily supplied.
Out of hundreds of submissions, the band was chosen to appear on Happening ‘68, a musical variety show hosted by Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere that aired after American Bandstand on ABC. (For another Downstate band to appear on the show, see the Mod 4.)
In May of 1968, the band flew to Los Angeles for four days, to tape two episodes of the show. While in California, the group reportedly met Moby Grape, the Electric Flag, Stevie Wonder and Carol Burnett.
On Saturday afternoon June 1st, 1968 the band's episode aired nationally. Michael Christian (Peyton Place), Stephen Young (Judd) and Christopher George (Rat Patrol) were the judges for the amateur band contest. Unfortunately, footage from the episode does not appear to have survived.
It is unclear what song the Inner Sanctums performed on the show but apparently it went well because they advanced to the next round of the contest and appeared in another episode a few weeks later.
Despite the national exposure and a new single, not much seemed to change for the band. An article in the Illinois State Register around the time mentioned that a St. Louis firm was going to take over distribution of their record. If true, the distribution was fairly limited. Fifty-plus years later, copies of the record remain scarce.
The group eventually simplified their name to just Inner Sanctum for live appearances. They continued to perform in the Virden area at least until early 1972.