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In the 1960's,
Florida was one of the leaders for having
the most local Rock N Roll garage bands.
Everywhere you turned there was a local
garage band playing at a teen dance or a
concert. The Tempests was one of those
bands from the 60's that was very popular
in Florida.
They were formed
in 1963 in St. Petersburg, Florida when
the original members were just 13 years
old. The original band members included
Doug Palmer( rhythm guitar), Bobby Allen
(drums), Bill Hickman (bass guitar), Tom
Angarano (vocals) and the late Charlie
Bailey (lead guitar). The second version
of The Tempests replaced Bill Hickman and
Doug Palmer with Mike Hammer (rhythm
guitar and vocals) and Buddy Peterson
(bass guitar and vocals). These
replacement band members enhanced the
band's ability to play more songs with
harmony. This was a big plus since the
Beatles dominated the airways in the
sixties. As a result of this change they
won the Battle of the Bands at the
Electric Zoo.
Bobby Allen left
the area and was replaced by the late Brad
Myers (drums). The last version of the
Tempests replaced Charlie Bailey with Roy
Delese (keyboards) and included Mike
Hammer (lead guitar and vocals), Buddy
Peterson (Bass guitar and vocals), Brad
Myers (drums) and Tom Angarano (vocals) .
The Tempests broke up in 1967 after
recording 2 songs and the band members
pursued other musical interests. The
Tempests opened for many national groups
such as the Dave Clark Five, the
Shangrilas, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs,
Blues Magoos, GAP, McCoys, Mindbenders,
Allman Brothers, Left Bank and
more.
There were lots
of dances and concerts back in the sixties
at teen clubs, halls, rec centers and
armories, and the Tempests played at
almost every one of them. Eldorado
Showcase, Joker's Club, Surfers Club,
National Guard Armory, Bayfront Center,
Gulfport Casino, Yacht Club, Electric Zoo
and almost every rec center had dances or
concerts in St. Petersburg. Some of the
other dances and concerts in Florida
included The Village, Curtis Hixon Hall,
Letter Carrier's Hall, Tiger's Den, Darry
Downs, Lakeland Civic Auditorium, The
Wedge, Melbourne Civic Center, White
Bunny, Sarasota Armory, Bradenton Civic
Center, Dante's Inferno to name a few. The
Tempests were also chosen as the Florida
House Band for the Nationally acclaimed
Hullabaloo TV Show and Clubs in
the1960's.
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