Ok, so I need your help. No, I’m not moving houses and need help carrying the big stuff; I’m writing a book. So I can hear you groaning, ‘Yeah, you’ve done that before, and more than once’. ‘Yes’, I would respond if you could hear me, ‘but this time it’s not about Christmas or a talking dog, it’s about stuff I need help with’.
You see, the book is about bands. Rock and roll bands, to be specific. Rock and roll bands in Central Alberta, to be more specific. From the years 1960 to 1975 to be totally specific... non-fiction.
My good friend Marion, an archivist, put the bug in my ear last summer and it’s been buzzing around in my brain ever since. Then my good friend Gary reminded me of his treasure trove of historical materials, research, journals and archives of the young travelling bands of the 60s and early 70s. And that’s when the brain buzzing got so intense that I either had to start writing or start slamming my head with something large and heavy.
Back in about 2012 or so, the Red Deer Museum and Archives and a few of us reprobate fossilized musician types got a committee going for a Museum exhibition and fundraiser concert called “Central Alberta Rocks!” And it wasn’t about igneous or granite or sandstone kind of rocks, it was, as I know you’ve figured out by now, “rocks” as in a bunch of bands rocking and rolling back in the day.
And this is where I need your help.
The List of Bands that came out of that Museum project contains 48 bands! That’s four dozen outfits that played for “pay” and performed at teen dances, schools, dance halls and clubs. We didn’t include family or country bands, duos or trios; we are trying to bring to light the names of rock bands and the players in those bands, and some of their crazy stories and challenging adventures.
The thing is, we have the list of band names and players, but we need more stuff. This is where you, dear readers, come in. If you happened to be in a rock and roll band in the 60s and 70s, I would love to hear from you.
Or if your spousal unit, your offspring, cousin, neighbour, parole officer or psychiatrist or anybody you know happens to have a picture, poster, newspaper article or memento or any stuff at all of said bands, I would love to hear from them too!
I’m looking for information on local bands with names like: The Invaders or The Bishops (1964), What Five or 7 Foot Sound (1966), The Coloring Book (’67), Indifference (’68-70), Stray Leaf (’69). How about an Innisfail band from 1970 – Mid Green Persuasion? Does anybody know anything about any of these cool, hip, far-out rock groups?
Or how about these groovy gangs: Bloodstone, and/or Powerhouse (’71), Shane (’71-75), Autumn (’72), Python (’74) or New Moon (’75)?
Just contact me at the email below, on Facebook or at 403-302-4442. I will be sure to mention you in the book. (At the back, in very small print, wink, wink.)
Anything at all to help document those heady days when heads were in the clouds and young bands were in the dance halls would be greatly appreciated. Also, don’t you just love the names of bands from those Dance Hall Days?!
I mean who can forget a Red Deer band on our list with by the name of “The Society Into The Realm of Royal Misconception”? Apparently, they changed their name to “Expedition. Now there’s a story.
Harley Hay is a Red Deer author and filmmaker. Reach out to Harley with any thoughts or ideas at harleyhay99@gmail.com.
