|
I moved to Duluth in 1963
from Brimson MN. In 1964 started taking guitar
lessons and had a Mustang and Vibro Champ amp. I
was hanging out with a friend on 4th street and
heard this sound and asked him what was going on.
He said "that's Billy and Bob playing guitar on
Bill's porch, wanna meet them? I did and was
inducted into their fledgling band when they found
out I had this Fender equipment. We started with 3
guitars and a drummer, Bob later quit and we had to
decided who was gonna play lead who was gonna play
rhythm guitar. Bill showed me how to play a barred
chord using just the first two strings (cool). Bill
played rhythm guitar and did all the vocals and I
played lead.
We called ourselves "The Henchmen", CB & The
Henchmen, then later combining with fragments of
other groups became Charlie Brown & the Great
Society. The later ultimately led to a 4 piece
(guitar, organ, drums, and bill singing) called "
the Bodicia Design" in 68-69. Then Viet Nam did its
thing and ended that.
Doug Yingling, whom we all knew for years prior,
was the "Colonel Parker" for the Henchmen and
booked our first paying gig at the Welch Center in
Duluth. He and I also played years later in many
local country groups. One of which recorded an
original tune he penned for an "A" side titled:
"She'll be There", which received some moderate
play over the air waves. He plays guitar, drums,
bass, lead vocals and some keyboard. At times
doubled as bouncer for the country bands !
|
Personnel:
Greg Dahemers - Drums
Chuck Juntunen - Lead Guitar
Bill Spang - Bass/Vocals
Bill Rajala - Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Tom Borgren - Rhythm/Vocals
Tim Smalley - Organ/Vocals
Rick Anderson - Drums (not pictured)
Marty Tezak - Bass/Vocals (not
pictured)
Eric Jungemann - Guitar/Vocals (not
pictured)
|
|
|
|
|
Influences:
Music,
money, girls, fun, booze...Beatles,
Stones, Ventures, Animals, Kinks,
Yardbirds, Trashmen, Hank Williams,
Hendrix, Cream
|
|
Setlist
Sample:
If I Fell, In-A-Godda-Da-Vida, Hanky
Panky, Fire, Like A Rolling
Stone.
|
|
Equipment:
Fender (Jazzmaster, Mustang,
Stratocaster,Vibro Champ, Deluxe
Reverb,Princeton Reverb, Princeton,
Bandmasters, Bassmans). Danelectro, Guild,
Harmony, Ludwig, Shure, Electro Voice
horns, Shure mikes,Carvin, Epiphone,
Standell, Doric organ, Arbiter fuzz face,
Boomerang wah.
|
|
|
|
|
Rehearsal
Space:
Ma's
garage,drummer basement, bass players
basement, wherever !!
|
|
|
|
|
Band
Vehicles:
Drummer's
'61 Chevy & U-hauls, other drummer's
'59 Ford & U-haul, ma's '67 Chevelle,
organist's dad's Pontiac station wagon
etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Fashion
Statement:
World War
I Dough Boy jackets with chain on
shoulder, greaser (Beatle boots), cool
clothes from Goodwill and the like, tux
with tails and cowboy boots and 30's
depression hat plus western tie and other
variations...dickies were there for
awhile.
|
|
|
|
|
Best
Gig:
Battle of
the bands in Duluth, MN arena. Placed 3rd
runner up out of about 35
bands.
|
|
|
|
|
Gig
from
Hell!:
Coast
Guard Christmas party. Me and Marty T got
drunked up and pissed the rest of the band
off and they quit!
|
|
|
|
|
Last
Gig:
Coast
Guard Christmas party.
|
Comments:
"Personnel"
changes are inevitable. Early band member of the
Henchmen was Willie Cameron on drums (pictured at
the Jewish Educational Center...to the best of my
knowledge the only black drummer that played
publicly at this time and place locally...and a
golden gloves boxer!) There were many other black
musicians too. Mike Scott, a lead guitar player
played quite a bit although. There was an all black
group called " The Origins" played mostly
instrumentals in a garage on E. 5th street in
Duluth that I thought were excellent and definitely
an influence! Tom Borgren played rhythm and sang
and now has a recording studio in Duluth and
apparently keeping active with his group...I don't
recall the groups name. Dave Tyack was the first
bass player. We asked him if he wanted to play bass
in our band and he accepted ( his dad purchased the
Kingston bass and amp and he became the " bass"
player. I showed him how to play bass since I was
the only one who did not know how to play bass!!!
He took a lot of shit from me and learned how to
play due to "his own wanna"! Last time I saw him he
played me a tape of him and his wife (or maybe
girlfriend) which I was very impressed with! Where
is he now...don't know. Deen Dodge, an excellent
keyboardist, was part of the four piece band named
"The Bodicia Design" which consisted of Chuck, Bill
R. Chris W. and Deen disbanded in later 1969. I
heard a rumor he is or was music professor at a
local college in Duluth. Chris Walsh ( an excellent
9th grade drummer) worked later as a reporter for a
local TV station. Last time I saw of him was doing
a report of some kind on TV around 1971. The 60's I
think was a great time to play music. There was a
band on every corner it seemed like. Sometimes
jealousy broke out in to fights at gigs due to
infringements on playing territory, which sometimes
gave way to them becoming members in the "
invaders" band!! I hope other Minnesota garage
bands find this site. I noticed a lot are from
Michigan and that's great. hopefully it will spread
west as there was and still is known and unknown
talents from the Minnesota region and I'm sure from
the whole United States for that matter. The 60's
was truly a great time to play rock n roll. The
"unknowns" are a small but important part of
musical history.
|
