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Johnny Greenwell, 1951-2023
Our bandmate, classmate, and dear longtime friend John Greenwell died March 3 in Avon Park, Fla.
John — aka Johnny Dreamwell to many, especially in his later incarnation as a stellar professional guitarist in Florida — had been ill since July 2022 following multiple strokes, but he spent his final months without pain and in hospice care under the loving and tireless attention of his sister, Judith George, and with the help of the staff of The Oaks at Avon Park.
John’s sisters Judith, Janice Cassedy, and Jane Greenwell, and his friends, thank the many classmates who sent cards of encouragement, compassion, and prayer to John. You did not forget him, and he did not forget you.
To us, John was not only a founder of the Reactions but a brilliant musical mentor and friend over many decades. With Wayne Poore — who with John was himself an all-state musician and musical prodigy — they locked into rock and soul in the winter of 1966. John played a red-sparkle Slingerland drum set he had persuaded band director Rodney Daniels to lend him. Wayne played piano, and in a few months they were joined by Charlie Everett and Donnie Challenger on guitars and Bobby Everett on bass.
Through our high school years — joined under several band names and in various incarnations by John Rinker, Anthony Sampere, Mickey Anderson, and Steve Smith — the band became a way for a group of friends to tap into the emerging creative and cultural power of pop music. We grew up on sock hops, fire hall dances, battles of the bands, and, especially, the fondly remembered Century Club on Commerce Street.
With our friends Marion Sudler, Jimmy Riley, Jimmy Wallace, and the late Lawrence Wright, the Reactions also backed the Soul Revue, a school talent show project that went on to perform occasional sets with the Reactions.
It’s easy to forget, if you don’t have an old Reactions photo — and there aren’t many — that John was first a drummer. Somewhere in the last year or so of high school, he seemed to master the guitar in about 15 minutes. It was on that instrument that he went on to greater musical acomplishments, beginning in Delaware with old Reactions bandmate Wayne, drummer Jim Cantillon, and guitarist Charley Simmons, among many others.
In subsequent years he kept growing as a musican and expanding his turf. He toured with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps — Elvis Presley’s backup vocal group; appeared as a member of the Outlaws and with Firefall’s sax/flute player Dave Muse; fronted popular Florida groups Road Doll and the Rent Money Band; toured with the retro ’60s band Yesterdayze; and for years hosted the wildly popular open-mic nights at the Tampa-area Brady’s Backyard BBQ. Along the way, he shared stages with dozens of blues, rock, and R&B luminaries.
And, of course, John was not too busy to return to Smyrna for Class of 1969 reunions in 2009, 2014, and 2019, playing acoustic sets with friends on one night each reunion weekend, and, on the other, joining the Reactions of the late ’60s — Wayne Poore, Charlie Everett, Donnie Challenger, and Anthony Sampere — to revisit the music that helped shape our younger selves.
John was a superb musician, an abiding friend, and a truly bright and funny guy who
was most at home on stage. Lost in those memories, perhaps, is the fact that John suffered
from a bone disease that required multiple surgeries and left him in braces, in a wheelchair,
and ultimately on crutches for most of his youth.
Miraculously, and sometimes through sheer will, he overcame it all while living the life of a working musician. But he never fully graduated from the pain, or from the scars — physical and otherwise — of that burden.
Yet he did transcend it — sometimes spectacularly, though his music, and sometimes quietly, through gestures of friendship or Facebook musings about his family. For better and for worse, John marched to his own drummer. He wrote his own story. In his way, he was the bravest man we’ve ever known.
— Donnie Challenger and Charlie Everett for the Reactions
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Hello everyone. I want to thank those of you who have helped with planning our 50 year class reunion. Your commitment to making this a memorable weekend is very much appreciated!
1. The apparel that was ordered has arrived. If you would like to get your order prior to the parade or other planned events, please call me (302-222-8213) to arrange pickup. Otherwise, I will have the orders at the parade, firehouse and the Opera House.
2. Friday, October 18
3:00 Set up for the Social at the Smyrna Firehouse. Thank you Easley for securing this venue for us!
4:15 Line up for the annual Homecoming parade. Be in front of the JBM gym on Frazier Street. Our “float” will be easy to pick out thanks to Dwight. The parade will begin at 5:00. We will be one of the first groups in the parade. The parade will end at North Smyrna Elementary School.
6:00-11:00 Social at the Smyrna Firehouse. Please bring a covered dish to share. There will be a cash bar available all evening. This event is open to all classes. There will be a $5 cover for those not tied to the Class of 1969. Thank you Karen for helping fund a DJ for our evening’s entertainment.
3. Saturday, October 19
2:00 Set up at the Smyrna Opera House
4:00 Tour of JBM
5:00 Meet on the steps of JBM (South Street steps) for a group picture weather permitting. In case of bad weather, the group picture will be in the auditorium of JBM.
5:00-6:00 Cocktail Hour. Cash bar. Please remember to bring an item you would like to donate for our raffle. Raffle tickets will be sold until 7:00.
6:00-7:00 Dinner
7:00 Raffle of donated items
7:30-11:00 Music and Dancing. Thank you to the members of The Reactions for providing us with the entertainment for the evening! Doors open to members of other classes with a $10 cover and cash bar available. During this time we will be selling 50/50 tickets.
4. Sunday, October 20
11:00 Meet at the Lemon Leaf Cafe located at 1 North Main Street for brunch. Cost on your own.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Cindi
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I would like to thank everyone for making our 50 year class reunion weekend so memorable. The planning committee did a wonderful job coming up with ideas for our weekend. Dwight did an outstanding job on our float and he pulled our float in the parade. Wayne Davis secured our weekend photographer, Gene Shaner. Margie Edmondson Sloan made our nametags. Easley Pierson secured the Smyrna Firehouse for our social and found the DJ for the evening. Karen Parsell Price helped to fund the DJ.
What can I say about the band short of what a talented group of musicians! We truly appreciated the sets played by Johnny and Wayne on Friday night! The performance on Saturday with the entire band was amazing and enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Thank you so much!!
I thank each and everyone of you for adding to our Memorabilia Table. That table was visited all evening. Many of you visited our In Memory Table remembering our classmates who are no longer with us.
I was totally overwhelmed at everyone's generosity for our Raffle Table. There was something for everyone. Thank you all so much for your donations!
I also want to thank those of you who donated money to help offset some of the expenses. Thank you so so much!
I worked with amazing people throughout the planning of our weekend. Brian Hill at the Smyrna Opera House saw to the set up of the Opera House. Jim Cantillon assisted with the band's every need. Kim Wood was an excellent bartender. The Main Street Market crew prepared and served a delicious meal. The Lemon Leaf Cafe hosted our brunch. Thank you all so much!
As all of you know, I am not good with technology! I THINK I have managed to get the photos on our website.
Click on the 50 year reunion tab near the tab that says home page and you should be able to see the pictures.
I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend as much as I did. I would not have had so much fun if my family had not helped take care of the Welcome Table, the raffles and cleanup. Thank you Jodi, Amy, Julia, Emma, Landon, Jeremy and Logan!
Sending hugs and love to you all. Please keep in touch.
Cindi
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The members of the Reactions thank you for the support and enthusiasm you’ve shown us — not only at the Class of 1969’s recent 50-year reunion, but across the past decade as we reunited to play individually and collectively at the 40th and 45th as well.
It’s been an incredible ride. Johnny Greenwell and Wayne Poore founded the band in the spring of 1966, and Charlie Everett and Donnie Challenger joined shortly thereafter. By 1968, Anthony Sampere had signed on as a part-time drummer as Johnny moved to other instruments. Along the way, in various incarnations and under several names, we were joined by friends Steve Smith, John Rinker, Mickey Anderson, and especially — in our coming-of-age at the old Century Club — the late Bobby Everett.
We eventually followed separate musical paths, but we’ve never forgotten those first steps we took together in late-’60s Smyrna, practicing endlessly in the hope of impressing our classmates, and building lifelong friendships in the process. We had the time of our lives.
But as we struggled to learn our first Beatles, Stones, and Motown songs more than half a century ago, we could never have seen this far down the road: Five guys graduating from the same small class in a small-town high school, not only surviving but willing and able to reunite and play some of the music that helped define our generation.
As we got together this last time to rehearse before our 50th, we wondered how unusual that must be. And we looked around Anthony’s basement at one another and realized: vanishingly rare. Sort of impossible.
It’s been precious to us to find that our old chemistry was still within reach, if we were only willing to stretch back into our collective past and find it. It was equally precious to have all of you listen, dance, respond, and appreciate what we were able to summon up from days gone by.
We’ll continue to cherish the history we shared as a band. We owe a great debt to longtime friend and soundman extraordinaire Jimmy Cantillon for helping us to bring the music to life at the Smyrna Opera House. We thank Cindi Allen and the 2019 Reunion Committee, as well as their fantastic predecessors in 2014 and 2009, for their enthusiastic support and assistance.
And we’ll always be grateful for the indelible moments you have given us — as a class, as friends, and as listeners, then and now.
— The Reactions
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