THE MAGNIFICENT BOARD OF
DIRECTORS,
SIOUX CITY IA |
NIKKI
OF
NIKKI & THE NO
NAMES
CEDAR
RAPIDS IA
(WOMEN THAT ROCKED
IOWA
CATEGORY) |
The Board of Directors originated in
1966 in Sioux City Ia. as a 5 piece band called The Boys.
Within a couple of years a horn section was added and The Board of
Directors was born.
Their popularity took them into seven states,
playing all the major ballrooms and colleges. In 1970, The BOD
was recognized by the Entertainment Operators of America with an
outstanding service citation for their neat appearance, wholesome
entertainment and top quality danceable music.
It was also at this time that they
caught the attention of John Brown of Mid Continent Co. of Lawrence,
kansas. The band was brought into the fold of the Young
Raiders. Being asked to play as one of Mid Continents
top five bands was an honor reserved for only the best. In
1972 after a run of bad luck on the road, including 2 bus wrecks and
a hotel fire in Canada, The BOD disbanded. Their reputation
lived on.
Inductee
Members include:
Merle Pithan,
Joe Pithan, Mark Martin, Randy Martin, Dennis Brunssen, Danny Cain,
Mike Donovan, Joel Orthmann, Dan Harrison and Bob "Barney"
Martin
(deceased) | |
 
The original Nikki and the No Names
originated from Roosevelt - Jefferson High School(s)in Cedar
Rapids. Nikki grew up in Cedar Rapids and started in music at
Keeney Guitar Studio,
where
she took lessons on the Hawaiian Steel Guitar for 5 years from age 9
- 14. A school friend and her began playing guitars together about
the time "Bye-Bye Love" and the Everly
Bros. started. She traded her double neck
Fender steel for the electric Fender. Then they
began
playing Everly Bros.
music in local private clubs.
She toured with the concert choir and studied Music
Appreciation the last 3 years of high schooland picked up a few tips
on playing lead from local musicians in the area, and from listening
to the 45's.
She taught
guitar
at Hiltbrunner's
music
for a short time and
worked at Hiltbrunner's in sales, after high school, which was where
she was working when contacted by sax man, Don Poe from
Charles City to go on the road. He
had been contacted by an agent in Minneapolis and
was putting together a road group to
tour.
Eventually Nikki
Sullivan-Zimmerman
settled
in
California where she
worked with Li'L Bit Country, then Nite Life for several years and
finally the County
Hoedowners. | |
THE
RUMBLES,
SW
IOWA |
MYRON LEE & THE
CADDIES,
OUT OF
STATE CATEGORY |
 
The Rumbles have been one of the most
popular and successful bands in the Midwest for nearly 40
years. They continue a full appearance schedule today.
Original members of the Rumbles formed in 1963 were Steve Hough, Joe
Brunnworth, Bud Phillips and Rich Clayton.
Only Hough remains as a member today. They
made their professional debut under the Eddy Haddad Agency in
1964. 1967 brought the hit 45 "Jezebel" which reached #1 in
several local markets. Around 1970 psychedelic Music became so
popular, attendance at dances declined rapidly and The Rumbles
disbanded.
In 1979, the
group was asked to do a reunion concert in Omaha's Peony Park.
They played together again for the first time in eight years.
The dance was such a huge success, the band decided to reform later
that year. The lead guitarist position was filled by Lance
Hancock because Joe Brunnworth had moved to
California.
Eddy Haddad
returned as The Rumbles manager and booking agent. He remained
with them until he retired in 1985 and Hough took over his
duties. Hough, the Bands Drummer, also was lead vocalist and
provided backround vocals for other members. During their
eight year hiatus, he had a band called "Horse".
Today, the members of the band in
addition to Hough, are; Joe Buda, kris Chelf and Jim
Lippincott. The Rumbles continue to draw crowds of rock and
roll music lover and have done more street dance gigs than any band
in the area during their long, popular
career. |
Bobby Greenwood, Original
Member
of the Cliches who were
inducted in 2000 receives his plaque and recognition. We did
not locate Bobby and other Dubuque Members of the Cliches until
after the Ceremony in 2000. See the 2000 Inductees page for
more details. | |
Myron Wachendorf
grew up in Sioux Falls, S.D.
learning to play the piano from his father. As a Junior at
Washington High School, he formed a band with a string bass player
and drummer.
Myron
entered a talent contest in 1958 on a program called "Tommorrow's
Stars" on KELO-TV in Sioux Falls. They won and were asked to
be on each Saturday; also to back up other contestants when
needed.
Rock and Roll became
the hot ticket, so Myron bought himself a harmony guitar and amp;
making the switch to the new music format when the television show
ended "Myron Lee and the Caddies" was born with the name coming from
Myron's job as a caddie at a local golf course.
The band consisted of 5 members. Joining
Myron were Jerry Haacke, Barry Andrews, Dick Davie and Randy
Charles.
The First
Record was cut in 1959 while Myron was a high school senior, and the
second the following fall on the Hep label out of Minneapolis.
The Song "Rona Baby", written by Myron , got a lot of airplay in the
Midwest. "Because of that we were able to branch out to places
like Fargo, Omaha, and Minneapolis, " he explained.
January of 1960 the band was hired
to back up Buddy Knox who was a major rock star. Myron Lee and
the Caddies was the first American band to do a trans-Canadian tour
with Knox. It lasted over three months and took them from one coast
to the other.
During that
time, the band met Bobby Vee on his way up to recording star
status. By 1962 Vee had hired the band to do all of his tours
throughout North America.
When the star was asked to headline the Dick
Clark Caravan of Stars Tour in 1963 and 1964, Clark hired the band
to do all the back up work. Some of the major acts they worked
with were: the Rolling Stones, Brian Highland, Freddie Cannon,
Conway Twitty, Jerry Lee Lewis and Dion. Myron credits Bobby
Vee with the success the Caddies enjoyed.
The Band was retired in 1992 after 34
years in the business. "I consider myself a lucky guy for
having the chance to grow up in a wonderful time with wonderful
music and I was able to make a living from having all that fun,"
Myron said.
Today, he goes out
on weekends in the Sioux Falls area occasionally to DJ dances, still
entertaining
people. | |
THE MAD
HATTER,
DJ
,
CLEAR LAKE
IA |
SANDY SHORE,
DJ
DES MOINES
& CEDAR RAPIDS |
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1977 brought 24 hour-personality rock and
roll to Iowa listeners on FM radio to North Central Iowa.
Darryl Hensley's "Mad Hatter Morning Show" used
a rock/talk format that featured news, weather, sports, telephone calls to
people like Idi Amin, Mohrmar Kadauffi, the Russian Kremlin with Hatters
voice characters (Trum, Buford Hayseed, Myrdle Morningside).
Hensley put showmanship into FM Radio and was
featured as one of the outstanding radio stations by "Rab's Magazine" in
1979.
He even bought and gave away
FM converters in order to reach more people on the FM waves. Hatter
is credited with starting the Buddy Holly Memorial Concert at the Surf
Ballroom in Clear Lake Ia in 1979. He has built an international
event bringing in people from all over the world. As a bonus the
concert has brought in millions of dollars to the communities in that
area. It also helped bring '50s and 60s rock and roll back into the
mainstream of radio. The event has been covered by NBC, ABC, CBS,
Entertainment tonight, PM magazine, PBS Special , the BBC, Associated
Press UPI and over 400 radio stations throughout the United States.
The Hatter built three rock and roll FM stations: Clear Lake/Mason
City, Burlington and one in Minnesota. To this day Darryl Hensley
continues to love good old rock and roll and has helped the IRRMA by being
Master of Ceremonies at several events in 2001. |
Sandy Shore was born in Cedar Rapids in
1939. He graduated from McKinley High School in 1957 and his first
job was at KPIG radio in Cedar Rapids. He worked 11pm to 7am six
nights a week for
$67.50. He stayed there for two years . In 1959
he was offered a job at KCRG radio to play a new thing called "rock and
roll".
While working at KCRG he was
invited to Philadelphia to fill in for Dick Clark on "American Bandstand"
, which he considers on of the highlights of his career.
In 1964 He became a KIOA Goodguy in Des
Moines. After 3 years there he went on to WKYC in Cleveland.
After 6 months he moved on to CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Cklw
was heard in 27 states and 4 provinces. RKO owned the station and
eventually was transferred to KFRC in San Francisco, Then to the RKO
flagship station KHF in Los Angeles where he worked until 1977.
Since then he has been successful in the voice over business, working for
CBS-TV, The Disney Company, Lincoln Mercury, and Universal Studios.
He has hosted a weekly countdown show, and subbed for Casey Kasem on his
internationally syndicated show. Shore Says, "I started in Iowa and
I am flattered and honored to return there this year for this special
occasion. " "As Wayne and Garth so eloquently put it...I am not
worthy...but thank you." |
FLOOD
MUSIC,
SIOUX
CITY |
THE SUADES,
NW
IOWA |
Flood Music has been a constant
presence on 4th Street in downtown Sioux City, Ia , since the early
1950's when Ray Flood and his wife opened its doors. It has
provided professional musical equipment to the area, and touring,
musicians throughout the years.
The Floods sold the business in 1975 to Tom Kingsbury
who has owned and operated Flood Music to the present day. The
store continues to serve the professional music industry with
instruments and sound equipment, but has branched out into related
areas such as providing sound and lighting for concerts and
corporate functions. Also related to those activities is live
video services, which includes large screen projections for concerts
and other events. When asked for examples, Tom stated that
Flood has provided services for many celebrities ranging from George
Bush to The Allman Brothers. Odds are good that if you attend
a concert in or near Sioux City, that Flood Music is providing the
sound, lights, and video. | |
 
The Suades were one of the
early rock and roll bands in Iowa to become established statewide
and also well known in Southern Minnesota.
Formed in the summer of 1958 by Wayne Cooper and
Dick O'Neal, they enjoyed doing some rock-a-billy tunes.
Cooper was originally from Alabama so his 'accent/drawl' lent well
to that type of music, amonth the favorites being "Pretend" and
"Mona Lisa".
O'Neal was from
the Havelock/Pochantas area.
In addition to Cooper on vocals/lead guitar, and
O'Neal on vocals/bass; other members of the original group were
Randy Larson, piano/trumpet (from Pocahantas); R.J. Myers, drums
(from Humboldt); Rosie Stevens, vocals/guitar/bass (from
Emmetsburg).
The inclusion of
Stevens made The Suades one of the first rock and roll bands in Iowa
to feature a female musician.
Myers left the band in 1962 and was replaced on
drums by Tom Schleuger.
The Star Ballroom in Dakota City was used as the
band's rehearsal hall on Sunday afternoons. They were the
"house band" at the Val Air Ballroom for two summers for he Thursday
night teen dances.
At the Val
Air, they became acquainted with KIOA DJ Frosty Mitchell, who
introduced them to Vic Blackatore who allowed them to use his West
Des Moines recording studio to make a demo tape.
Mitchell sent the demo tape to
Norman Fourge, owner of Spinning Records in Evanston, a suburb of
Chicago.
The Suades were
invited to a recording session where they recorded "Thats When Your
Heartaches Begin" featuring O'Neal on vocals and "Everybody's Trying
to be My Baby" with Stevens on Vocals. Both songs received
extensive airplay in the Midwest. The Group disbanded in
1963.
Cooper, a musician in
Minneapolis until 1983, now lives in Conway, Mo. Where he owns a
cabinet/woodworking business. O'Neal was newspaper editor in
Pochahontas for 17 years and is now a construction manager in
Phoenix, AZ. Larson retired as an engineer from Collins Radio
and now lives in Solon.
Myers was a college art professor and now substitute
teaches in the Humboldt area. Rosie Stevens Argabright
recently retired after 32 years as Emmetsburg City Clerk.
Schleuger joined the fort Dodge Fire Dept. in 1969 and was killed on
his first call as a
firefighter. | |
KWMT RADIO,
FORT
DODGE |
FREDLO
STUDIOS,
DAVENPORT IA |
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Fort Dodge radio station KWMT was one fo
the first radio stations in Iowa to make the bold move into the rock and
roll format. It made that giant "leap of faith" in the mid
1950's.
Under owner/manager Jim
Mauer, 540 KWMT became a powerhouse for Iowa's initial foray into, and
eventual love affair with, rock and roll music. Many talented DJ's
sat behind the microphone at the radio station and appeared at sock hops
throughout the area promoting the format embraced by Mauer. Some of
those well-known personalities were; Roy Chase; Phil Robbins: Paul Brown,
who coined the phrase "54, that's easy to remember"; don rose, who went on
to become a leading morning personality in both Philadelphia and San
Francisco; and Peter "Peter Rabbit" McClain, who is an inducted member of
the IRRHOF.
KWMT's strong signal had
DJ's doing sock hops all over the state and one as far away as
Wisconsin. Not only did the staff keep busy with sock hops; they
were also active as emcees for various live acts.
In 1959 KWMT was involved in sponsoring the Winter
Dance Party at Fort Dodge's Laramar Ballroom featuring Buddy Holly just
two days before his final appearance in Clear Lake.
KWMT rocked from the mid '50s until the mid
'60s. |
Fredlo Records, based in Davenport, earned
a place of honor in this states musical history when the company recorded
and released what is thought to be the first Rock and Roll record to
originate in Iowa. "Janet" , recorded in 1957 by IRRHOF
inductee Layton Zbornik.
Fredlo was owned and operated by Fred and Lois Mauck out of
their Davenport home. The Maucks lived upstairs while the ground
level was occupied by the business and studio. The company
functioned both as a recording studio for hire and a record label.
Mr. Mauck acted as both label head and recording engineer. Aspiring
musicians would pay to have themselves recorded and records made up.
If Mr. Mauck sensed some commercial potential he might record and artist
at no charge and release the recording as a Fredlo record on "spec" ,
hoping for that big national "Hit" record that all independent labels of
the day dreamed of releasing.
Details of the Fredlo operation remain sketchy as both the
Maucks have since passed away, but it is thought that the label operated
at least from the late 50s to the late 60s. Fredlo recorded and
released many different recordings and although none is known to have made
the national charts many were sold in the Quad City area. Fredlo
Records should be remembered not just as the source of Iowa's first Rock
and Roll record, although that would be enough, but also as a place where
many of eastern Iowa's Rock and Roll Pioneers could go and record their
music under the careful and sincere guidance of Fred and Lois Mauck.
It is because of this that it is fitting to add the Fredlo Record Company
to those honored by the Iowa Rock and Roll Associations Hall of
Fame. |
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THE
QUARRYMEN,
DUBUQUE |
THE
CAVALIERS,
DES
MOINES |
|
 
Driving around the streets of Dubuque
into the wee hours of the night/morning singing Beatles songs was
the favorite pastime of the Quarrymen. High School Buddies
Steve Vanderah, Bob Meloy and Tom Gloden just could not seem to get
enough of the "fabulous four". They spent hours picking out
harmonies on every song; the harder and higher the
better.
Once they had
convinced themselves their harmonies were tight, they decided it was
time to form a band with Bob Meloy's brother, Ron joining
them. They called themselves the Quarrymen (original name of
the Beatles).
In 1966, The
Quarrymen released a record under the Sara label, it was voted the
number one single in the Dubuque area soon after its release.
From 1964 to 1968 the band played in the tri-state area of Iowa,
Illinois and Wisconsin including gigs at Danceland in Cedar Rapids
and others in Madison Wisconsin.
Highlights for the band members were: opening for The
Shawdows of Night: winning a "Battle of the Bands" with the
popular Madison group called Lord Beverly and the Moss Men:
ramp dances; Clarke College mixers and the extremely popular
Friday night dances at the KC hall in Dubuque. Drummer Steve
Vanderah says, "This was a fantastic experience for us at a time
when our biggest concerns were what new shongs we should learn and
where else can we play, It was a great
ride!" | |
The Cavaliers had their humble
beginnings when two Des Moines East High School students, a
preacher's son and the student council president started them in
1961. Gary Grimes on Sax and drummer Steve Gleason
were equipped with one small amp, an old
set of school band drums, and a vintage sax. Within three
years they were joined by Dominic Guidichessi (of Dominic and the
Dominos fame). Marvin Spencer, a well known soul singer from
Waterloo and 15 year-old bass guitar sensation Joe Hernandez.
They soon cut a 45 RPM record that rose to #21 on the charts
followed by an Album. On the road they traveled throughout the
country but remained a popular soul act primarily in the upper
Midwest. As one of the few fully integrated groups in Iowa in
the '60s, they faced many challenges.
For example; there were incidents of being
chased out of town by angry locals.
Today, Grimes is a highly successful business owner in
Des Moines. Gleason is a physician who served the nation in
the White House and is now the Iowa Commissioner of Health.
Hernandez and Guidichessi are restaurateurs.
Spencer still an avid singer, has watched
his daughter, Tracy Spencer, rise to stardom with a gold and
platinum album in the United States and three Platinum albums in
Europe. Today she continues to be a hot soul and hip-hop
sensation. The Cavaliers feel they owe their success to
friendship, persistence, and the Cavalier extended family that has
included over 50 musicians since
1961. | |
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TIM HORSMAN &
THE
FABULOUS
TRAIDMARX,
NW
IOWA |
COUPE DE
VILLE,
CLINTON/QUAD CITIES |
|
The Fabulous Traidmarx band was
formed in the fall of 1967 in the small Northwest Iowa town of
Dickens. The band performed together until the fall of
1971.
The Traidmarx was a
popular "horn band" and made public appearances in the five state
region of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri and
sometimes journeyed as far away from its roots as
Montana.
An appearance at the
Roof Garden Ballroom in Arnolds Park in 1968 launched a busy
career.
Although they
did not win the "Battle of the Bands" that night, owner Darlowe
Olsen was so impressed, he hired them back several times. He
also helped The Traidmarx to break into the entertainment lineup at
other venues such as The Macombo Club in Sioux Falls,
S.D.,
The Dancemore in
Swisher; The Surf in Clear Lake; and the Starlight Ballroom in
Carroll.
Late in 1968, the
band won a KIOA Battle of the Bands at the Starlight. although
some members changed over the years members of the core group
were: Tom Culver of Dickens on Bass, Jim Rusk of Dickens on
drums, Bob Rusk of Dickens on trumpet, Scott Pederson of Terril on
sax/vocals, Wally Morris of Linn Grove on organ/vocals, David Lady
of Havelock on lead guitar, Tim Horseman of Lauren's on lead
vocals.
By 1969 all but
Horseman were out of high school, attending college in the Ames and
Des Moines area so this became their new base of operations.
Other Band members through the band's career were Dennis Johnson of
Dickens, Murky Langfit of Laurens,
Mike Joyce of Des Moines, Greg Hokstra of Terril, Rick
McFarland of Des Moines, Roger Fletcher of Stuart, and Rick Herman
of Milwaukee Wi.
Late
inb 1969 the group recorded their only 45 on the Universal Audio
Label in Sioux Falls. It was a make of the Jackie Wilson
classic "Higher and Higher".
Horsman continues to perform. He has been the
headliner at Ruebin's Theater on West Broadway St in Arnolds Park
for the past 11 years. He performed in various clubs
throughout the Iowa Great Lakes Region over the years after The
Traidmarx disbanded, butTim has found a real entertainment home at
Ruebin's.
He sings and
plays a wide range of
music. | |
 
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NEVER TO OLD TO
ROCK-N-ROLL
The summer of 1966 was to be the beginning of what was to later be
described by "Entertainment Bits" (a Minnesota publication) as "The
best 50's & 60's band in Iowa and probably the
midwest."
CoupeDeVille was the brain child of Jim Clark and Bob Coon While
just sophomores at Clinton High School they knew what the future was
to bring. After several personnel changes they finally
settled on a quintet that consisted of Jim Clark, Bob Coon, Jon
Crook, Julie Goldstein and Steve Mckinney. They traveled throughout
the midwest as "The Jon Crook Band" for about four years.
While working for Hoffman Talent Agency from the twin cities, it was
recommended that they change to a more 50's sounding name.
Hence the birth of,
CoupeDeVille
"The Cadillac of Rock &
Roll".
Soon after the
release of their first album in 1984 Julie decided to leave the band
to devote more time to her family. She was quickly replaced on
keyboard/vocals by Kevin Cox. Jim Clark moved from drummer to
out front on lead vocals/percushion and was replace on drums by
Kevin Oppendike. This was to be the start of a run that would
last for the next 12 years and the release of two more albums. They
quickly developed a large following and all through the 80's and
90's they were to appear at all the major rock-n-roll shows in
eastern Iowa and western Illinois, sharing the stage with such
legends as Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, The Crickets, Gary Lewis, The
Shirelles, Buddy Knox and Johnny Rivers just to name a few.
Playing such legendary ballrooms as the Col, Surf, Laramar, Val
Aire, Lakeside, Fairyland and Hollyhock in Minnesota. They
were regulars at River Boat Days in Clinton, Pufferbilly Days in
Boone, The Worlds Largest Beach Party in Williamsburg and at the
Easter Seals shows throughout the state. The band still
reunites for special fund raisers and private
gatherings.
Being inducted into The Iowa
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame solidifies their efforts to keep the
oldies from fading away.
KEEPING ROCK-N-ROLL
ALIVE! | |
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Singer/Songwriter
Paul Evans Performing at
our 2001 Labor Day
Event! |
LAKESIDE BALLROOM
GUTTENBURG IOWA
|
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Sandy Larvick of Sioux City was
the Winner of the 2000 Victory Motorcycle
raffle! |
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A Musical family with the need for a place
for their children to enjoy and share their talent brought about the
building of Lakeside ballroom at Guttenberg in 1927. William Hubert
"Bill" Kann and his wife Josephine, decided there needed to be a place for
their children and local citizens to congregate, play music and have
fun. The cost of construction was $27,000.
Kann knew that his dance floor needed to be special.
He enlisted the help of his friend Louis Bahls. The two would lean
back in their arm chairs with feet braced against the pot belly stove in
Kann's general merchandise store, discussing a good "floor plan".
They wanted something so comfortable the dancers wouldn't get tired.
The floor should give spring to their movements. They also took into
consideration sound effects and lighting. A local carpenter, Louis
Schroeder, did the actual construction on the lakeside.
A visionary, Kann knew his children, May,
Edmund(sonny), Carl and Lee, had talent so he had their family band play
at the intermission when the big bands were on break. he also knew
the people would travel some distance to have fun.
No lock and dam system existed in Guttenberg at
that time so his market area included Glen Haven and Cassville,
Wisconsin. Kann purchased a river launch, traversed the river to the
Wisconsin Towns, picked up the guests and delivered them to the Guttenberg
side of the river behind his warehouse. There they were met by a
driver with a Studebaker Limo to transport them to the Lakeside. All
of this was free or included in the price of a night's ticket to the
ballroom.
The extravagant
floor Kann and Bahls spent so many nights discussing was a tremendous
success. People loved to dance and never seemed to get
tired.
Because of Sonny's
enterprising methods, the Lakeside became a landmark. Sonny was in
charge of food, beverage and maintenance at the Lakeside. His father
purchased a surplus Hispana Suresa plane from the U.S. Navy so he could
keep up with the demand for supplies.
Sonny would land in the field north of the ballroom.
They painted Lakeside in large letters on the roof of the building to use
for aerial navigation. Pilots only had their sight to depend on for
navigation in the early days of Lakeside.
Lindbergh and other pioneer aviators used Lakeside as a
checkpoint flying from Minneapolis to Chicago and St. Louis. It was
many, many years later before the letters were removed when a new roof was
constructed on the Lakeside.
The big
bands kept the sound of music filling the Lakeside until the '60s when
rock and roll music impacted Iowa's entertainment scene. The
ballroom with its wonderful dance floor and sterling reputation, provided
a perfect venue for the music that would rock the nation for generations
to come. |
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Recipient
of the 2001
Danny Matousek Lifetime Achievement Award is John
Senn
Click Here for Information
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