The emergence of The Beatles and the other British Invasion bands prompted the formation of countless young bands in Bay City and in other communities all across the state. Band Canyon and the other teen clubs that sprouted up in Michigan around the same time provided an opportunity for these fledgling groups to play in front of large gatherings of their peers.
Inspired by The Beatles, Bay City Central students John Hale (vocals) and Tom Smith (keyboards) started playing music together. By the start of 1965, they had put together a band called 'The Epics' and signed on with Bill Kehoe and Delta Promotions who began managing and booking the group – most often at Kehoe's Band Canyon teen club in Bay City. Hale and Smith would become figures of controversy during the fall of 1965, however, when the length of their hair became a disciplinary issue at Bay City Central High School and the subject of numerous stories in the Bay City Times.
For the 11th consecutive year, two music junkies share our thoughts as to what we considered to be the best releases of the past year.
Even though it was one of Michigan's largest and most uniquely designed teen clubs, the Mummp was in operation for just under two years. Located in the Northland Center, the nation's first large-scale shopping mall, the venue was originally the home of a summer stock theater. Encased in a large tent under a futuristic, Buckminster Fuller-designed geodesic dome and featuring a revolving stage that presented many of the finest Michigan bands of the 1960s, the Mummp quickly became a hotspot for Detroit-area teens.
The commonly held belief regarding the connection between John F. Kennedy and The Beatles is that America was in mourning following JFK's assassination in November of 1963, and The Beatles came on the scene in early 1964 and helped lift the veil of sadness that had enveloped the country. There is a great deal of truth in that, but I believe there is a lot more to the story, including some interesting Michigan connections.
The most important historical performance at Band Canyon occurred less than three weeks after the teen nightclub opened in July of 1965. During the previous month, The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" single gave birth to the folk-rock genre and had the distinction of topping the charts in both the United States and England. It also had the effect of vaulting the young California-based group into the rarefied position of being referred to as "America's answer to the Beatles". The band's appearance in Bay City was part of their first national tour, a 26-day series of gigs in mostly Midwestern states including Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio. The Byrds arrival at Band Canyon on July 22nd was noteworthy as well because it was the band's first and only show in Michigan on their inaugural tour.
For the 10th consecutive year, Larry Van Cleve and I have selected what we feel are the finest albums released during the past year. As usual, our lists are quite different; and although we did agree on a few things, it's always fun to check out the stuff we didn't hear, or ignored, the first time around that made the other's list.