A place to post your memories of the greatest music ever recorded !   Got something you want to add ?  Forward it to us.

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1966 Monkees song book

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Newspaper clipping showing the Corvettes playing at Adams Coliseum for a Lincoln High School 6th period convocation

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Beatles tribute band 'Brit Beat'performing at Carlisle, IN

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Ticket stub to the 'Valentine's Day' dinner-dance at the Vanderburgh 4-H Center Feb. 10, 2010 featuring 'Free Reign'.

This was just a few weeks before Neil Long was fatally injured in an industrial accident at his Shilo Fabraction shop.

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The Van Dells performing at Carlisle, IN

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Flyer for dance with 'Sir Winston and the Commons' from Friday, July 23, 1965.  This great Indianapolis based band played at Noth Knox high school in 1967

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                                  Dick Clark's
                         "CARAVAN OF STARS"
              August 28, 1965 at Mesker Ampi-Theater       
                    Keith Allison (left)   and Steve Alaimo (right)

                          The "Action Kids" dancers (bottom)

 

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Ticket stub from August 28, 1965
               at Mesker Ampi-Theater featuring
                 Dick Clark's "Caravan Of Stars"          

 

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                    The fabulous "Knickerbockers"
                    at Mesker Ampi-Theater - 1965

 

      "Lies girl........ your tellin' me whatcha know ain't true"  !!!
         "Tears, girl........... I cried a million tears for you"  !!!!

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              Felix Cavaliere and the 'Young Rascals"
               Mesker Ampi-Theater - August 1965
                           "Good Lovin"  !!!
 

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                     Ticket to the Beatle's movie
                       "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT"

                   at the Sunset Drive-In Theater
                           in Evansville, Indiana
                           August 14 - 20, 1964
 

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                   Ticket to the ABC - TV
                        "Shindig Show"
              at Roberts Stadium in Evansville
                           April 11, 1965

 

 

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Lamey's Grove dance hall, about 13 miles north of Evansville near Haubstadt, IN. Taken approx. 1965

Currently, it's an empty field.

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Even after the Corvettes had a major line up change in 1970, and rebranded themselves as Free Reign, they continued to pack the dance floor every Saturday night at Lamey's Grove, as evidenced by this 1972 photo.

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The Corvette's tour bus setting behind Lamey's Grove on a Saturday afternoon in 1965.

The band would arrive in the early afternoons on Saturday, and spend the day learning new material. Then, travel up Hwy. 41 for supper at the old Lakeview Truckstop, before returning for that evenings dance.

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Dick Clark's 'Where The Action Is' tour book from May 31, 1966 at Roberts Stadium.

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1968 photo of top Evansville band 'The Nomads' bass guitarist, Jeff Davis.  Taken at a dance at the Washington (IN) YMCA.

         Jeff went on to a very successful career in the music business as a Nashville, TN based studio musician and touring bass guitarist.  In 1980 he was a member of the "Amazing Rythum Aces", who had a top national hit record that year with 'Third Rate Romance, Low Rent Rendevous'. He is presently semi-retired and living in Florida.

   Of note to any NKHS 1970 graduates,  Jeff attended Evansville Harrison high school, graduating in 1968.  His girlfriend at Harrison was Cindy Shidler (Held), Tom's wife.

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                Evansville, Indiana late 60's band the
                                  "NOMADS"
                                business card
 

 

 

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Program purchased in 1985 at Mesker Ampitheater's "Hot Summer Nights" concert series.

This particular concert was the '1985 Happy Together Tour' featuring the Buckinghams, the Turtles, the Grass Roots and Gary Lewis & the PLayboys.

Awesome show and we had seats right up front !

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Bruce Stevenson, the late Jimmy Russell and the late Neil Long 'clowning' around Bruce's Hammond organ

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 Original Corvette founding members the late Rex Walters and Sonny Kixmiller, along with saxaphone affecianodo Charlie Vash, providing the entertainment at Dr. B.G. Odell's birthday party in 2003.

The highlight of the night, was when all the Freelandville residents, young and old, gathered around the band and sang the Freelandville High School fight song !

   "We're Loyal To You, Freelandville.........."

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    A late 1960's poster advertising every Sunday night dances at the 'Midway' near Oakland City, IN.

      The 'Midway' was just that,  located on SR 64 in Gibson County, 'midway' between Oakland City and Princeton !

     The Corvettes split time here with Princeton area band, the 'Koinsmen'.  

     Many big name 'national' bands played at this old converted roller rink over the years, including the Guess Who, Tommy James and the Shondells, Mitch Ryder, American Breed, Chicago, Bryan Hyland and Jerry Lee Lewis. I could go on, but you get the picture !

     I remember when the Corvettes played here, Sonny Kixmiller tells the story of a cow, that wandered up to the building, and stuck it's head in the open window by the band !!

Every band that ever played at the 'Midway' had their promo photos posted on the wall, just as you walked in the frontdoor. Proud to say, Pat Grabbe and I had our band photo on that wall !

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Photo of the 'Midway' from the mid 1960's.  It looks a little 'rough', but they sure packed them in every Sunday night.

Big name 'national' artists, too !

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Carl Stevens and the late Neil Long of Free Reign, blasting out the music at Lamey's Grove in 1972. The late Dave 'Harvey' Hargrave, of Mt. Carmel, IL, is hidden behind Neil.   RIP

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 Drumsticks used at 1966 concerts in Evansville, IN

 

(bottom) Used by the 'Left Banke' at Roberts Stadium

 

(top) Used by the 'Electric Prunes' at Mesker

                Ampitheater.

All these drumsticks were procured by my wife, with help from Jeff Davis. Currently on display in my 'Man Cave'.

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      Article from the March 17, 1966 Princeton (IN) Daily Clarion, covering the fatal accident of original Corvettes organist Mike Blythe.

   Rex Walters and Mike were college classmates at Oakland City College, and Rex invited him to join the Corvettes.  This accident happened just a week before they were to record "Our Love Won't End".....the band's most successful record. Rex and Mike had worked together to come up with the unique organ intro for the song.  Rex played the organ piece, himself, on the actual record, on an organd borrowed from Neil's grandmother !

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   Tom Held's ticket stub from the grand opening of the 'WORLD' nightclub on December 23, 1967.

    The 'Strawberry Alarmclock's' national #1 record was at the time, 'Incense and Peppermints'.

    The guitar player we saw that night, was a young 18 year old Ed King.  He had to get his mother's permission to go on tour with the rest of the band !  Ed is best known for writing, what is probably the most recognisable  guitar intro, in the history of modern day music.........that would be the opening of 'Sweet Home Alabama'.  Ed was asked to join Lynyrd Skynyrd, by Ronnie Van Zant, in 1971.  

     We understand that Ed retired, soon after that !!!

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Our NKHS 1970 classmate Pat Grabbe, did a masterful job of replacing Corvettes bass guitarist, Don Russell, at the band's reunion shows in the later years.

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     45 rpm record of 'Keep Kickin' Out The Jams' by legendary Louisville band 'Tom Dooley and his Lovelights'.

     I saw this nine-piece band at the Linton Armory in about 1968.  The band, with their 'tight' brass section was tremendous !   Tom Dooley has been described as a white James Brown. I would whole-heartedly agree !!

     Tom Dooley(real name) was a DJ for Louisville radio station WAKY, in the late 60's.  New in town, Tom advertised on his radio show, for musicians to form a band. He got some fantastic players to responded. And the rest is history !!  

     The band only lasted for about two years ('68-'69), as Tom eventually relocated to Los Angles, where he was a DJ for the top rated rock music station in southern California.

      Tom Dooley passed away in 2010 of brain cancer. He was a Christian radio DJ in Dallas, Texas, at the time.   -RIP

Tom Dooley, pictured just before his passing in Nov. 2010

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45 rpm record by the Olivers from Fort Wayne, IN

 

The Olivers(pictured) played at North Knox High School in 1968

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      50 Years of Guitar Pickin'

 

 Lifelong guitar picking friends, Pat Grabbe and Tom Held.  They started  playing together in 1965.

Photographed here, playing some bluegrass tunes, with Ray Hatton at the annual Freelandville Dutchman Reunion in Jan. 2006.

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A flyer advertising the new teen dance venue, "Down At The Scene" which was held at the Bruceville Rod & Gun Club.

Pat Grabbe and myself were there a few times. I recall hearing the Road Runners from Henderson, KY one Sunday night.  The only band I ever heard play "Sweet Soul Music', and they kicked butt on it !

I fell in love with the Road Runner's Gibson EB2 bass guitar, and soon owned one myself.

 

   The Corvettes playing at the Rod & Gun Club in 1967 with Gayle Long singing with her brother's band.

Everything thing she sang was very good. Especially popular with the crowd was the 1964 Mary Wells hit "My Guy".

     I believe this was the night that, during the band's break, Rex introduced Pat and myself to Doug Byers, originally of Vincennes. At the time, he was playing keyboards for Sam The Sham and the Pharohs. Rex introduced us as 'future' rock n' roll pickers.

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    Beach Boys and Paul Revere & Raiders concert tour books.

These 'concert tour' books were purchased at their respective concerts at Evansville, during the summer of 1966

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Thank you for your visit to '1960's Musical Memorabilia'.  We hope you found our exhibits interesting.