The Amarillo-Canyon Music Scene
Sorority Party in Amarillo / A Mysterious Musician / Terry Stafford & Rick Tucker Connection / The Ill-fated Denver Tour / The Gimini Five of Canyon Tx / The Soul Seekers / Recording at Cox's studio / The Viscounts / Jeckle & the Hydes/ Gimini Five update /
Joe Bob seems to have made his first recordings in Clovis while Holly was still alive and Knox was still on the charts. Barnhill also had several single releases from N.Petty Studio during this era. He is the only person I ever played a job with that co-wrote a song with the great American writer, Norman Petty. As it happened, we played a sorority party at the Amarillo Women's Club in late sixty-three or early sixty-four. At the time, his band (the Fayros who had an RCA release) had disbanded and he asked me to drive-up with him to Amarillo and play guitar that night. This was quite a thrill for a seventeen year old kid that had wild ambitions of being a rock star someday! (photo below: The Fayros with Earl Whitt, Ted Barnhill, Joe Bob Barnhill & Gary Swafford.)
When we got into town we learned that the 'Fireballs' were playing at the Nat Ballroom, which was right-up Georgia street from the women's club. So, we had time to drop-by and say hello to George Tomsco and Stan Lark (whom Joe Bob had also associated with in Clovis) before the sorority gig began. These two fine rockers (formerly of Raton, New Mexico) always had a wide smile and something nice to say to aspiring musicians! I guess Barnhill had spent a lot of time around them at Norman Petty's Studio as there was a lot of 'handshaking and back-slapping' going on, as we visited.
I guess the dance at the Women's club was a success that night but I'm not sure. I spent most of the time staring at my Fender guitar and trying to locate a good lead line. I remember that we played a few current hits but mostly fifties rock songs. Songs such as Carl Perkins 'Matchbox' and Dominoe's 'Blueberry Hill'. Joe Bob played good rhythm guitar (on a Gretch) and he played some rockin piano, too! Of course, he sang most all the songs that night and the drummer & bass player (whom we had never met before) hung in there and earned a pay-check, at least. The Musician Union had gotten mixed-up and sent over two older musicians that usually played Western Swing so we were really an eclectic collection of musicians that night, for sure. Being mainly a Surf-Fireball guitarist, I found myself playing rockabilly music with two Bob Will's wannabes and Joe Bob! In retrospect, I don't think we created much of a 'studio sound'......ya think?
However, Joe Bob was a good singer & front man and he certainly woed the sorority girls with his handsome looks, talent & natural charm. We were a long way from the original Fayros of RCA records, however. This band included Earl Whitt (lead), Gary Swafford (drums), Ted Barnhill (bass) and Joe Bob Barnhill on rhythm/vocals. I should also mention that Joe Bob (a native of Turkey,Tx) went on to become a writer, producer and successful publisher in Nashville. He wrote one song (Party Dolls & Wine) which was a country hit for Red Steagall and he published a 'CMA song of the year' during the 1990's.
Now let's revert back to the early sixties, before I enrolled at WT in Canyon. In the late fifties and until 1964 my brother (Bennie D. Brown) lived in Amarillo and worked at a government plant here. Being ten year older than myself, he began playing guitar a decade before I did. He got his first guitar in the late forties, an old hand-me-down 'Kay' from a cousin. After graduating high school in fifty-five he got married. Then in 1961 he and Myra were living in Amarillo and he was playing Chet Atkins instrumentals. He also was dreaming about hitting the 'bigtime music scene'! At about this same time Bennie also purchased a new, Webcor recorder and when I was visiting in Amarillo we would make home-recordings and have a blast! Like a couple of idiots, we even sent one such tape (of standards songs) to Norman Petty hoping to break into the music biz. Of course, since none of the songs were 'originals' and the recordings were amateurish we just received a big negative! Norman said something like, "We can't use the songs, nevertheless someone plays good guitar ... keep practicing!"
Still for a fifteen year old kid and his older brother, this was the beginning of a life-long hobby. Namely, playing guitars and recording. Our ultimate dream was to record in fine studios someday and achieve the mystic title... 'Recording Artists'! But were we abnormal because of our outlandish dreams? I don't think so!
Aside from playing guitar, my brother's other hobby was to 'frequent music stores' where he could meet and associate with other musicians. The one thing Ben (and myself) liked about as much as jamming was 'fanatically talking music'. My recolletion is a little vague but in about sixty-one or two, I was visiting in Amarillo when my brother had met a young guitar-picker named Chuck at some music store or pawn shop. He had invited this Chuck cat over to his home to do some serious jamming. The Mesa Verde edition that my brother lived in was in the eastern part of town, north of Amarillo Blvd. There was an auto race track west, within a few blocks of their house, as I recall.
Nevertheless, when Chuck arrived at Ben's place he was full of music and stories. First, let me try and give an accurate description of this mysterious person. He was sorta tall, skinny, had red hair and a rough completion. I think he played on a Fender telecaster or strat and he played a lot of Venture & Fireball instrumentals. This fell right in place for me, as I knew 'Walk Don't Run', 'Perfidia' and 'Torquay' better than I knew my own brother! Although I eventually played lead on these songs, on this occasion I just played rhythm and let Chuck do his thang! Afterall I was only about 16 years old at the time. As I remember, he did a credible job of playing these songs & I guess I hung in there pretty good because he wanted to 'hire me' before the evening ended!
Anyway, this same cat told me and my brother that he had done a lot of recording in Clovis and had played with the Fireballs. He bragged about also knowing Norman Petty as well. Since a lot of musicians like to fabricate stories and accomplishment we didn't really know if the guy was lying or not, so we just ate it up like a couple of country bumpkins. Since he was basically a rock guitarist and since my brother leaned toward country, after that day I don't know if they ever jammed together again. As I stated, I was just in town visiting for the week when all this had occurred.
About forty years after this little jam session, I wrote a letter to the Petty estate on another business matter one day. When they answered my letter they included a post card which had a photo of the original Fireballs on it! When I saw the kid in front, my mind raced by to the long ago jam. I began to suspect that the mystery Chuck we had jammed with, might actually have been 'Chuck Tharp' (pictured on the card as an early Fireballs)! I soon asked my brother if he remembered this long-ago meeting and he couldn't. I told him the guys name was Chuck, and he thought it might have been another Amarillo guitarist (Chuck McClure).
I let the issue ride for a couple years and then while reading through Bill Grigg's booklet recently I discovered that Chuck Tharp had quit the Fireballs and was in the Amarillo area in 1961, where he became associated with Ray Ruff! Suddenly the mystery Chuck and the real Chuck Tharp began to merge into one!! Today I am 99% convinced that the noted musician Chuck Tharp did attend that long, ago jam session at my brother's home in Amarillo and we played some Fireball & Venture music together!! Anyone want to make a wager?
When I first arrived in Amarillo in sixty-four there was a sensational new singer on the radio that the whole town was talking about. It was native Amarilloan Terry Stafford and his recording of 'Suspicion' had hit top-ten radio just months earlier. Sometime after graduating from Palo Duro High in 1960 Stafford had moved to California where his hit songs were recorded. During his late teens Stafford had sung with one of Amarillo's earliest rock bands 'The Rhythm Teens'. This band had first been organized during the days of Bill Haley by bassist Rick Tucker & Larry Trider. This was in 1956. By the late fifties (or 1960) Terry Stafford began singing with this rockabilly group which at one time had been the house-band at the Clover Club. On one occasion Buddy Holly came to the club to play, probably before Stafford became a member of the Rhythm Teens. Nevertheless, Tucker played bass for Holly that night and other members of his band may have also joined in.
Perhaps it was this meeting of Buddy Holly that inspired Rick Tucker to record in Clovis, NM. He did just that but initially the two songs he cut (Patty Baby/Don't Do me this Way) were not well accepted. Columbia Records did suggest that Tucker re-cut the songs and when he did they were released as a single. (I don't think this second version was recorded in Clovis). The record failed to reach the charts anyway but in 1986 Petty's version was found among some old masters and a 'private issue' of the songs were released.
After his initial commercial success Terry Stafford appears to have spent much of the rest of life trying to prove he wasn't a 'one-hit wonder'. Before I left Amarillo in 1974 he had written a song that was being played locally on country radio. It was 'Amarillo By Morning' and of course it was hot in Amarillo, but probably didn't receive too much air-play elsewhere. Then George Straight came along and recorded this song a decade later and suddenly Stafford was back in the big-bucks! The song went straight to the top and Terry Stafford had finally proven he was not a one-hit wonder! This talented singer/writer returned home and spent his last years in Amarillo but finally succumbed to cancer in his mid (or late) fifties. A salute to this home-town hero was held in Amarillo Little Theatre (or the Civic Center). Aside from his successes as an artist/writer Terry Stafford will always be remembered as an Elvis's imitator. I still love the way he sang 'Suspicion' and I immitate Stafford onstage as a tribute to him each time I sing this pop standard.
In the summer of 1965 a fledging high-school rock group in Canyon, Tx (the Cavaliers) approached me about going on tour with them. The grand plan was to go on a tour to Denver, Colorado and play some bookings there! I was skeptical but their lead-man was short on skills and I decided to play with them temporarily and see what developed. They had heard me play with the Westwinds and recruited me. Since John Holcombe had graduated college and wouldn't be back, I was in between bands and agreed to play with them for the summer. So, in a few weeks we worked up a number of 3-chord rock songs such as 'Rockn'roll Music' and 'Louie Louie' and were soon on our way to Denver with our sponsor (Ted Kelley) and our psuedo-manager Mike Morrison.
This thrown together group consisted of Lynn Kelley (rhythm guitar) Charles Knight (bass) Billy Cauthon (drums) and myself (Robin Brown) on lead guitar. I was unfortunately forced into singing as they couldn't play & sing simultaneously, if you get my drift. When we arrived in Denver in mid-summer we were in for a great shock! Our young manager (a former resident of Denver) had setup a schedule of phony bookings in which no jobs had actually been secured! It seems that the reason he had conned us into traveling to Denver was mainly so he could return home and visit his old friends and former classmates! Dumb, idiot!!
When we first got into the city we checked into a motel and got permission to practice in a cellar beneath the laundry. Practice was something we desperately needed, as you might suspect. When we found that we had no actual bookings we soon began auditioning at various night-spots for a job. After a few days in town Mr. Kelley became too ill to travel so he kept 'footing the bill' while we scouted around Denver for a gig. Ok, we also tested a little 3.2 beer which was available at the time.
After auditioning in several teenage night-clubs (and being rejected) we decided to hang-around and hear the house-band at one popular club. We noticed that the stage was filled with enough Fender equipment to stock a music store and surmised that if the band was as good as their equipment, we were in for a treat. Sure enough, when this 5-piece band kicked-off with the latest Beatle hits we were totally knocked-out! They sounded just like Paul, John, Ringo & George! They had the music down pat and their accents were perfectly 'english'. Us country rockers from West Texas just sorta slunk down in our seats and began to question our talents and musical ambitions. We began asking ourselves, "How could the Beatles sound ANY better? These guys are light-years ahead of us...she-it again."
Finally, toward the end of the week on a Thursday night (I think it was) we happened upon the Cinamon Club, a split-level structure that set on the side of a steep ravine. Our manager (whom by now we wanted to kill and disect) made a desperate pitch to the manager and they reached an agreement for us to play there, that very night. Play for a percentage of the gate, that was the deal. No audition was required, so we started to unpack the U-haul trailer. It had been days since any of us had even seen a good, square meal much less eaten one. We had been living off of fifteen-cent Coo-Coo burgers, which were not much larger than a silver dollar. I felt rather weak as we unloaded the equipment but carried on anyway out of desperation.
When we finally kicked-off the music that nite we began to understand how we had gotten the job so easily. The crowd consisted mostly of long-haired teenage cats that huddled around the bar and made snide remarks at the end of each song. They simpy refused to applaude. There were virtually no girls or young ladies present on this off-nite and the gate was very small. Fortunately, the club manager got tired of hearing our 'hick rock band' from Podunk, Texas and said after the first set, "You dudes don't have to play anymore if you don't want to!" I think he was getting tired of our noise & preferred the Juke Box but did I feel rejected? No! I felt quite releived! I was tired of being the 'front man' on a ship that was sinking faster that the Titanic! Yes, those wise acres that surrounded the bar were hard to face and even harder to play for!
Although our booking at the famous Cinamon Club was less than galliant we did make just enough money to get out of town. We loaded up our equipment, the ailing Mr. Kelley and headed back to West Texas the very next day, a rather disillusioned group of young rockers. I drove the Mercury & trailer at break-neck speed, I was so anxious to get back to Texas. Yes, we were a pitiful sight as we drove along. However, just before we reached Canyon Lynn Kelley said, "When we get into town, let's brag about playing the Cinamon Club and not let anyone know about all the crap we encountered on our fraudulent, crappy tour!" It wasn't hard to reach agreement on this and Lynn continued, "If our friends find out what really happened in Denver we'll be the laughing-stock of the whole town!" So, anytime someone asked about the Denver tour, we simply 'lied through our teeth' and said, "It was great, it was just faaaannnnntastic!
The Gimini Five
by Robin Brown
J. Holcombe & Robin Brown (on right)
When we had returned to Canyon from Denver and got over the trip, I started teaching Kelley & Knight how to play their guitars with more skill. I had first picked up a string instrument (a mandolin) at age six and they had picked theirs up not so long ago. It was claimed that I was a 'natural musician' and I guess I was to a certain degree (but I was no Jimi Hendrix). I was impressed with the fact that Lynn could sing good harmony and Billy Cauthon was a trained and skilled drummer. Furthermore, Mr. Kelley had bought a PA system that improved our sound.
Ronnie Hester--1963
When school started that fall, I decided to continue with these 17-18 yr. old 'kid musicians' because they did show promise. They sorta thought of me as the old man of the group but I was barely 20, I should add. We soon asked my old friend Ronnie Hester to join the band, as lead-singer & rhythm. I wanted to concentrate on playing good leads so I limited my singing to harmony. Soon we five were playing all around the Canyon-Amarillo region as the 'Gimini Five'. I must admit we were a striking group with our long hair, pure-white coats & red turtle kneck sweaters. We took on the looks of an English group, no doubt. Since I could sing harmony (as could Lynn) we soon were singing 3-part harmony and imitating the Beatles, the Kinks, the Zombies, Beachboys & various other rock groups of the era. Aside from Canyon & Amarillo, we also played good jobs in Childress, Borger, Pampa, and Plainview during the next year. We did college jobs at Frank-Phillips college and the Lamda Chi's fraternity at Canyon signed us for half-a-dozen jobs that year. We became their unofficial fraternity band! We loved playing all their parties for the whole year. Thanks Mike Moreland, Robert Brandon & the rest of you old frats for all the memories at WT! In retrospect, I feel the Gimini Five was a good dance band but we made no studio recordings or attempted to release a record. The only recording that may have been made of Gimini Five (or the Westwinds) was made at a senior-prom in Tulia, Tx in 1965-66. This recording was made by the local radio station (KTUE) and excerpts from it were played later on the air, as I recall.
After Billy Cauthon quit the Gimini Five we replaced him with David Whatley temporarily, a drummer from the WT stage band. He played good solo's and also loved to play rock music but his style didn't really jell with our band. Cauthon concentrated on laying a good beat and minimized rolling around. Whatley could certainly play a better solo however. I stayed with this band until the summer of 1966 then I became disallusioned and quit, without notice. As I recall Ronnie Hester also departed and the Gimini Five soon folded and became history. Lynn Kelley got married and Charlie Knight moved on to bigger and better things.
At this same time (1966) a bass player named Bill Coleman became manager of a new, music store in Canyon, Tx. He also had aspirations to form a rock band. Ronnie Hester soon joined this group which would also would include Bill Waldrop (lead guitar), keyboard player 'Pat Howard' and an excellent drummer named James Holton. I heard the Soul Seekers play many times around the campus and although they started-out rough they matured into a good rock band. Coleman's store outfitted the group with super-beatle amps and a quality PA and this enhanced their sound greatly. On one occasion when they were playing regularly at the Bat Cave in Amarillo they called on me to sit-in for the weekend. As it happened, Bill Coleman was unavailable to play so Waldrop moved over on bass and I filled in on lead guitar. This was the last time I ever played a job with my old hometown friend, Ronnie Hester the first teenager I had ever met that could play good back-ground for me. We had first picked together when I was 13 and he was 14, back in fifty-nine at Matador, Tx! Can you believe it? Fifty years have passed since then. Although our professional association had ended we have remained friends to this very day. I would meet up with Bill Waldrop again however, not far down the road.
When Charlie Knight left the Gimini Five he fell in love with the new 'soul music' that was making the charts. Such artist as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and others were hot on the top forty about then. At this same time a new group arrived on the Amarillo music scene. They were the 'Vicounts' and he soon had opportunity to join this fine band (on bass guitar). In the fall of 1966 I found myself back at Checkmate Studio (Amarillo) to record two of my original rock songs (Man of Steel / To Say Know). This time Larry Cox, a local DJ had taken over the studio and when we arrived we noticed that a bus was in the alley, behind the studio. This turned out to be the Viscounts and we immediately enlisted their drummer (Scott) to help us on the tracks we were to cut. When the session began Robt Ashcraft was on bass, I was on electric guitar and Scott was on drums. After I over-dubbed the lead guitar part, Max Barton sang lead and we begin to sound something like 'Paul Revere & the Raiders' as I recall. Later we sent these same recordings to our ol' friend (Joe Bob Barnhill) in California. He had landed a job with a record company after leaving this area and he had become the 'ginney-pig' for all his old musician buddies back in Texas, trying to get a break. All us idiots expected him to take time-out of his busy schedule and make us 'stars', just cause he knew us back when!
After some effort the only positive thing he reported was that my songs had been considered by the producer of 'Dino, Desi & Billy'. They eventually were rejected however because they were too hard to play, at least that's what I was told. "Ain't life unfair," I muttered when I got my rejection notice!!?? I now wish that Max Barton and myself had released those songs on a 'local label' and went from there. (Actually we wanted to but our finances had run out, I now recall.) As it happened, we tried to start at the top and now the masters are lost and our acetates are worn-out. Stupid, stupid move!! Max, don't you agree? I suppose someday these songs may appear on a compilation but I'll be pushing up daisies by then!
The Vicounts were a large group of about 7-8 players which included brass & woodwind instruments along with drums, bass & lead guitar. Their leader Deryl Moon played trumpet (and sang?) while Charlie Knight was on bass and Danny Darling became their drummer in late 1968. I've forgotten the rest of their names but I think some of them were originally from Minnesota including their original drummer Scott. We had met up with these same cats again (onstage) in Ruidosa, NM at the end of 1966 (New Years) but that's another story! The circumstance of their arrival in this area is unknown (to me) but I do know that Deryl Moon was attending WT in the fall of 1968. I heard that they moved to Lubbock sometime in 1969 to play at the Capri Lounge (according to Danny Darling). In conclusion I will say that the Viscounts were a fine band that played around Amarillo & Lubbock during 1966-69. They were more equipped to play advanced music than most rock bands that were active around Amarillo at the time. They could imitate James Brown's fabulous Flames and also play 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' type music, too. The last information I have on the Vicounts in Amarillo is that they had played Friday's Steak House & Lounge (on W. 10th in Amarillo) in late summer of 1968, just after I had left Gary Swafford's band there. In c.1970 I received my last message from my old friend Charlie Knight while I was living in Lubbock. He was back in Amarillo and was wanting to start a new band! Some thirty years later I recieved word that Charlie had died young, possibly in the military during the VietNam era. I still must say, "Hats off to you Charlie Knight! I knew you when you were a 'beginner & an amateur' but at one time you were one of Amarillo's finest bass players!"
The singer (Lloyd Watts) would come onstage in a cape and put-on a wild show to highlight each performance. I still recall seeing the 'Hydes' in the Ballroom of the SUB (in 1965-66) and they were playing some good, english sounding music at the time. I don't know if they made any rock recordings but Lloyd Watts went on to write & record a couple of original songs in Lubbock in the early seventies which were released on a single. He later traveled to Nashville and recorded a pop-country album ('Leaving Caroline' in 1976) which Joe Bob Barnhill promoted. The title song (by Barnhill) reached the charts in Reno, NV but otherwise the album was unsuccessful. About this same time Lloyd was playing bass in Lonnie Brown's blues band (Flick) at the El Toro club in Plainview when I returned there. After Lloyd moved to Padre Island and late in life he began to write again and he placed some original songs on the internet which have some credibility. A mutual friend, Wallace Shackelford told me not long ago that Lloyd Watts had met his fate and was no longer alive. I must say, "We didn't know you well Lloyd, ol' fellow musician but you have won a vote from us for your efforts and perserverence. You chased your dream to the end and never gave up, you sure did!"
About 6 months ago (or near the first of 2008) I became determined to track down some of my old musician pals, to relive some of my favorite memories of rock'n roll! I had a second motive in mind too, namely I was tired of 'skeptical people' refusing to beleive I once had excelled at something & had done things that many local musicians only dream of. Since I have no 'gold records' to hang on the wall or fancy photo's to display (or big stacks of money to flash) I guess I was just considered a petty musician that specialized in lying!!
Anyway, after consulting the internet I came-up with a couple of phone numbers and soon located my old friend 'Ronnie Hester' who now lives in Dalhart, Tx. We had a nice visit but he couldn't refer me to any other musicians we had played with, some forty odd years ago. I had asked Ronnie about some old recordings we had made but he never sent anything, so I guess they are now lost. The first rock band he, Roy Morrison & myself formed was 'The Shadows' of the Silverton-Quitaque area of Texas (c.1962-64). Later we added Kenny Thornton on bass & played locally & around Plainview, where he was attending college. Roy currently lives in Lubbock and I met his wife & daughter just last Sunday, but Roy wasn't present. Glad to hear he was 'still kickin' anyway! Where Kenny Thornton is now, I have no clue.
As I wrote in another article, I played in a band called the Gimini Five in 1965-66 amd we worked out of Canyon, Tx. Besides Ronnie Hester & myself, three CHS students also played in the band: Lynn Kelley, Charlie Knight and Billy Cawthon. About the same time I was visiting with Hester, isn't it ironic that Lynn Kelley (who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia) started searching for me also! We finally made connections when a friend of my brothers mentioned me on her internet blog. Cora Gail (who now resides in NM) came to a home-town jamboree last March where we played & she mentioned this on her website (it appears). Anyway, Lynn wrote and asked about contacting me. Cora forwarded the letter 'general delivery' & it arrived in my local post office, just a couple weeks ago (July 2008)!
I noticed in his return address, that Lynn is now working for a big, stockbrocking firm there. So, being just a local roustabout I was a little intimidated about answering his letter. Nevetheless, I did and was glad to discover he is doing well & still treasures our rock'n roll days together! I had gotten to know Lynn's parents very well as we practiced regularly at their beautiful home in Canyon. I didn't expect them to still be alive but it was a real shock to find that our fellow bandmate Charlie Knight had died in Viet Nam, before the war ended (years ago). I had always envisioned Charlie as having a successful career as a musician and it broke my heart to know he had 'died young'. It was near Christmas of 1968 the last time he and I jammed together in Canyon & by then he was playing really fine bass!! It looked as though he was headed to the top. Strange thing is, I recall being told in late 1970 that Charlie was wanting me to join his new band in Amarillo. But I guess I may be wrong about the 'date'. Anyway, Life is so unpredictable & if it is true Charlie!.... and life dealt you such a tragic fate, remember 'You gave it your best while you were with us & we salute you & will always remember you'!
After exchanging a few e-mails I finally called Lynn and we had a fine visit! Although Lynn's mother worked in the Registar Office at the college and his dad was an educated man, he chose to marry at seventeen. Aside from Lynn's parents, the Gimini Five wanted him & Ricky to wait at least another year, but they wouldn't have it. Anyway, Lynn went to work and studied at night to receive his HS diploma! I believe his brother had forfeited his education for ranch work. Nevertheless, Lynn soon made a life-altering decision. He applied for a salesman job at Fedway Shoes in Amarillo, Tx. He did so well in the business that he either was transferred to St. Louis or he took another job there, in management. To make a long-story short, he did well enough in Missouri that an opportunity in NY City opened up for him, while he was still in his mid-thirties. There he rose to the top of the heap once more and eventually would organize a syndicate to buy-out a large Shoe Company, headquartered in Atlanta. This company specialized in a popular line of women's shoes. After expanding the companie's chain of stores, he sold out his controlling interest and by age 45 was able to retire. Thus becoming one of Canyon High School's most successful drop-outs! Hats off to you, Lynn Kelley for proving that hard work, patience & endurance does pay off!
Anyway, during our lengthy conversation I learned that Billy Cawthon had continued playing drums and now lives in Las Vegas. Lynn also stated that Billy had played in numerous professional bands over the years and I guess his training at CHS really paid off. Aside from playing with Gimini Five, Billy had been the main drummer in the high school band in Canyon during the 1964-1965 era. I should also add that Ronnie Hester continued to play in secular bands until about age thirty-five. Then he became a born-again christian and joined a Church. Today he is the music director of a Baptist church in Dalhart, Tx. After Lynn Kelley got married in the summer of 66, he quit the Gimini Five and retired temporarily. Then after playing drums in a club trio, the following year he quit playing onstage entirely. Today Lynn does still own a guitar and a set of drums and he still plays as a hobby. I myself played my last 'paying-job' at the Cross Roads motel in Amarillo in early 1970. Since then, I still do a lot of dreaming about the 'good ol' days' and periodically I play onstage at local Jamboree's and parties. In fact I am scheduled to appear on the 'Turkey Jamboree', August 2, 2008 with my brother Bennie Brown, another avid guitar picker! We play JUST FOR FUN!
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