The Union Of Sound Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 1966-1968     During the mid-60s, The Union of Sound was part of the thriving garage band scene in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Although they began their short tenure as a relatively clean-cut act, the Union of Sound came to be known as one of the rowdier bands in the area. In 1965, guitarist Tom LaBarge was dead set on forming a rock band. While working at a country club during high school, he met drummer, Skip Fluck. Tom placed an ad in the high school newsletter and found a lead singer, named Randy Johnson. The band never really got off the ground but before Randy left, he introduced Tom to guitarist Kurt Myers. Kurt was reluctant at first but eventually agreed to join the band. Just prior to their first gig, Skip was replaced on drums by Kurt's friend, Jim Higgins. Also, Tom's 13 year old brother, Craig, was added on guitar (and later switched to bass). Tom, Kurt, Jim and Craig made their debut as The Union of Sound in 1966 at a private birthday party in Freemansburg, PA. Guitarist Isaac "Ed" George from Allentown joined the band later. Over the next few years, the Union of Sound worked steadily, performing almost every weekend throughout eastern Pennsylvania. For a while, Allentown disc jockey, Gene Kay from WAEB, used The Union of Sound as the house band at several of the dance parties he used to host throughout the Lehigh Valley. They played regularly at Lehigh University and Lafayette College fraternity parties and at the numerous dances and under-21 clubs in the area. The band once backed up The Crystals (of "Da Do Ron Ron" fame) for a performance at Gene Kay's Notre Dame Bandstand in Bethlehem. Towards the end of the band's life, they shortened their name to "The Union." The band gradually gained a reputation for performing outrageous stunts during their shows. At several shows, they destroyed their instruments during the last song of the night (using cheap guitars purchased from a pawn shop). They used lighter fluid to set fire to their mic stands and fired off a smoke bomb now and then. Once, during a battle of the bands show at Whitehall High School, they closed their set by discharging a fire extinguisher, covering the gymnasium (and most of the audience) in white powder. During some shows, the band wore long wigs. They also incorporated lighting effects into their shows, using strobe lights, black lights and lights that were modulated by the bass guitar amp. Graduation, girlfriends, and the real world eventually took their toll and the band gradually broke up. Sadly, only a few photographs exist of the band and there were no recordings. Although the band members look back on those days with fond memories, there were probably several owners of clubs that were trashed back then that were glad to see the Union of Sound break up. Personnel: Tom LaBarge - Lead Guitar & Vocals Kurt Myers - Rhythm Guitar & Vocals Isaac "Ed" George - Lead Guitar Jim Higgins - Drums Craig LaBarge - Bass Guitar & Vocals Influences: Just about anything being played on the radio at the time. We covered a lot of ground, musically. Setlist Sample: Louie Louie, Knock on Wood, Hold on I'm Coming, Gimme Some Lovin', Land of 1000 Dances, Hey Joe, Purple Haze. We also performed a few original songs written (individually) by Tom and Craig LaBarge. Equipment: We started out with no-name guitars and a couple of Sears Silvertone amps. Later, Tom, Kurt and Craig had matching black Hagstrom 6-string, 12-string and bass guitars, respectively. Isaac played a Fender Mustang. We eventually bought some Fender amps - a Bassman and two Bandmasters. Towards the end of our run, Tom also had an old Hammond M3 organ. Our sound system used a Bogen PA amp and two Bogen sound columns. Rehearsal Space: Anywhere we could find. We practiced a lot at Kurt's house in the early days. Later on, we used to practice a lot in Isaac's basement. Although we could be classified as a garage band, I don't think we ever actually practiced in a garage. Band Vehicles: Tom's 1960 Chevy and Kurt's 1960 Ford Falcon and any other vehicle we could get our hands on. Fashion Statement: We almost always wore matching clothes when we performed. The band's fashion statement changed over the years. Early on it was blue shirts and black corduroy vests. Later on it was matching sweaters. There were some Nehru jackets in there, too. Best Gig: We made a trip all the way out to Ohio to play one night at Wooster University. We drove out in 3 cars with a U-Haul trailer in a snow storm. That was an adventure I don't think any of us will ever forget. Gig from Hell!: While playing at a YMCA dance in Allentown, the stage collapsed. An amplifier fell over, narrowly missing Craig's head. Last Gig: Our last gig was a Lafayette College frat party (Alpha Chi Rho) in Easton, PA. We had some equipment stolen that night and the band never really recovered after that one.     Our debut performance in 1966. (Left to right) Kurt Myers, Jim Higgins, Tom LaBarge and Craig LaBarge Performing at Carroll Hall in Allentown. (Left to right) Craig LaBarge, Kurt Myers, Jim Higgins and Tom LaBarge Newspaper add for one of our performances. Our reputation preceded us. Business card. Our manager at the time, Jack Siegfried, was Tom and Craig's cousin. Jack worked hard to try and get us some exposure to folks in the recording industry. Unfortunately, the band just wasn't serious enough and Jack later dropped us.     Business card used towards the end of our run. Tom and Kurt took over the booking chores. The "Craig-O-Phonic-Craig" nickname was an inside joke and a tongue-in cheek reference to Philadelphia TV and radio Dee Jay, Jerry Blavat.     Where are they now? Winter, 2003 Thirty-five years after the band broke up, Craig managed to track down all of the other band members through the Internet. The four founding members - Tom, Kurt, Jim and Craig - all live in various parts of eastern Pennsylvania. Tom is an electrical contractor and all-round entrepreneur. He once managed a professional wrestler. Kurt, the band's resident artist, works as a sculptor in the toy industry. Craig works as a systems engineer for an aerospace company. He did some songwriting in the late 80s/early 90s and had a few songs signed with a Nashville publisher. Jim is the only band member still living in Bethlehem and spent most of his career in public relations. Isaac worked in management in the retail music business and is now a spiritual advisor in Oregon.    Information contributed by Craig LaBarge labargec@comcast.net

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