Old Dark Horse Inn, Hays, Kansas calendar ad

Playmate Blue Band old poster

Another old Flippers poster

Flippers Poster

Old Flippers' poster from their reunion tour in 1994 held at the Belleville Kansas fairgrounds.

Red Dogs in Hawaii

Rising Suns-Coffeyville, Kansas

The Rising Suns-Coffeyville
Inducted Members: Steve Alter, Doug Bundy, Steven Datson, Mike Floyd, Randall Grundy, Jim Jensen, John Keith, Richard McBride, Isy Martin Jr., Jacks Rawlins, Dougls Ricke, Bill Snow, Butch Neese, Gene Tucker
Home Town: Coffeyville, Kansas

Everyone fondly remembers the exciting show band, the Sensational Rising Suns. The Rising Suns were another of the incredible horn bands booked, promoted, and sold through the legendary Mid Continent Productions of Lawrence, Kansas.
With such groups as the Fabulous Flippers, The Young Raiders, and the Roarin’ Red Dogs, the Rising Suns are another in the long line of creative and highly successful Kansas show and horn bands, entering the IRRMA Hall of Fame in the out-of-state category.
The band started out in 1967 in Topeka, Kansas and went on the road as the Rising Sons. Six months into their new career, the group would experience a terrible bus accident, and the group no longer existed. Mid Continent needed to find another Rising Sons and fast, as bookings were starting to pile up.
This time they recruited a great horn band out of Coffeyville, Kansas that was originally called the Dalton Gang. The band took on the new name of the Rising Suns and would tour as the Rising Suns all the way into 1972.
The Rising Suns were a 7-8 man horn and show band that featured Mid Continent’s first interracial soul band fronted by black singers, “Big” Walter Downing and Izzy Martin. Walter was the younger brother of the legendary R&B performer “Big” Al Downing.
Mid Continent was not sure that a multi-cultural band would be accepted in many of the Midwest ’s small rural ballrooms, but the opposite occurred, as the band became one of the hottest sellers on the Mid Continent roster. With Downing’s and Martin’s incredible live shows, they became a Midwest rock and roll rage. One special aspect of their show was that their last set of the evening featured a complete costumed recreation of James Brown’s Live At The Apollo show. The band was heavily featured on KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City, and KAAY in Little Rock Arkansas , so when they showed up in town, it was always a major music event.
Because of being a Mid Continent band, they played virtually every ballroom in Iowa including: the Roof Garden-Arnolds Park, Cobblestone-Storm Lake, Surf-Clear Lake, Val Air-Des Moines, Inwood-Spillville, Matter’s-Decorah, Electric Park Ballroom-Waterloo, Avalon Ballroom-Remsen, Danceland Ballroom-Cedar Rapids, Starline-Carroll, The Library Ballroom-Iowa City, Dancemor Ballroom-Swisher, Star Ballroom-Dakota City, Lake Robbins Ballroom-Woodward, Lakewood Ballroom-Lake View and the Pla Mor Ballroom in downtown Fort Dodge on three separate occasions.
In 1972 the group would disband with Downing and Martin relocating to California and becoming members of national soul group, the Undisputed Truth and their big hit record, “Smiling Faces”.
The Sensational Rising Suns of Coffeyville are honored to be inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall Of Fame. They were inducted into the Kansas Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. What an exciting Induction Spectacular show it will be, when all the horns and original players along with Izzy Martin are on the Roof Garden stage for the Hall of Fame concert. “Big” Walter Downing passed away in 2004 due to complications from diabetes but will certainly be there in spirit!

Arnold's Park- Lake Okoboji, Iowa

Arnolds Park Amusement Park - 2011 Spirit Award
Home Town: Arnolds Park

In the late 1800's, when steamships carried passengers to historic ballrooms and other grand sites around the Iowa Great Lakes, pioneer developer Wesley Arnold envisioned an attraction that would draw visitors to his lakeshore property in Smith's Bay on West Lake Okoboji. The construction of a formidable water toboggan slide on that property gave birth to the Arnolds Park Amusement Park , a landmark that would evolve over the next century into the very essence of the Okoboji experience.
Throughout the next one hundred years - as the amusement park diversified into a Coney Island-style attraction and became known as a vacation destination, throngs of visitors and local residents alike filled the 21-acre lakeside site to ride the roller coaster, bumper cars and go-karts, shop the Queen's Court for Okoboji memorabilia, nutty bars and listen to big bands and rock n' roll at the legendary Roof Garden under star-studded summer nights. Arnolds Park Amusement Park became synonymous with the best music anywhere in the USA.
The "Roof,” as it became known, was a “must” destination for several generations of music lovers. Thousands danced to the music of the big bands in the 1920s, 30s and 40s - Count Basie, Harry James, Dorsey Brothers, Duke Ellington, and Glen Miller orchestras, to name just a few. The 1950s ushered in the Rock and Roll era and the ballroom featured nearly all of the top-40 artists and bands of the time, including Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin and the Four Freshmen.
Throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s impresario and Roof Garden owner Darlowe Oleson continued to bring the stars of the day to Okoboji. Teenagers boogied to The Beach Boys, Bobby Rydell, Johnny Cash, Bobby Vee, the Yardbirds, the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, and more – if they had chart-topping hits, they played “The Roof.”
The ballroom also featured regional bands, including perennial favorites The Fabulous Flippers from Lawrence, KS and The Rumbles from Omaha . Iowa-based bands competed in an annual Battle of the Bands competition and the top finishers were rewarded with future performance dates. Playing “The Roof” became the sign that a band had “arrived.” Interestingly, many of the groups that played the ballroom back then have been inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘N Roll Music Association Hall of Fame and many are still performing.
Although different owners and attractions came and went over the years, the park and music remained a staple of Iowa Great Lakes tourism and fashioned generations of fond Okoboji memories. After a stunning renovation by owner and philanthropist Chuck Long that revitalized attendance, the park’s existence was threatened by a developer who announced plans to turn the historic landmark into a condominium, hotel and retail complex. The battle to save the park was won when a non-profit, “Save the Park” group raised $7.25 million and purchased it.
The entertainment complex is now officially titled Historic Arnolds Park, Inc. (HAPI) and is run by a board consisting of community leaders who oversee the operations of Arnolds Park Amusement Park , Arnolds Park Raceway, the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum , Preservation Plaza , the Majestic Pavilion, the Roof Garden and the Queen II excursion boat. With the proven fiscal and management skills of these individuals, the preservation and bright future of this historic landmark is certain.
The HAPI board and staff was and is dedicated to bringing live musical entertainment throughout all of these years. They erected a large performance stage on the “Green Space” area on the east end of the Amusement Park and present regular free concerts during the summer season. A new Roof Garden was built in 1997 so that rain or shine; the public can enjoy live entertainment. The IRRMA Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have been held in that facility from the very beginning. The IRRMA Museum is located adjacent to and under the roof of the new Roof Garden.
The "Park” staff works diligently with the IRRMA board, staff and volunteers to present 10 Thursday night Rock the Roof concerts during the summer for locals and visitors to enjoy. Keeping the music alive and accessible to the public garners Historic Arnolds Park Inc. the 2011 Spirit Award.

The Sensational Showman are mentioned under Hatfield, MN

When you think “Minnesota,” you might immediately picture the scenic North Shore or the bustling Mall of America. But Minnesota is much more than that. The Land of 10,000 Lakes is peppered with small communities, and Little Minnesota spotlights 100 towns with populations under 100. Each entry features folks who know what it means to help their neighbors and locales that range from quaint to historic.

Jill has been working on Little Minnesota for the last few years. The project began as an effort to recall the history of Strandquist, MN, the small town where her father, Jim Musburger, began his coaching career. Excited by the fascinating stories she found there, she continued on to other small towns in the area, eventually covering the whole state in search of the tales and characteristics that make each little city so special. The 100 towns represented are now “around 100″ in population after the 2010 census, as some of them have grown, bucking the trend of metro migration of the last few decades.

Each town has a photo gallery, a story of how and why the city was founded, and where it stands today. When you read about these little places, still alive and well in most cases, you will want to see them for yourself. Enjoy the journey with us, and then plan your own visit to see what makes each town unique. You will find everything from a top-class steakhouse to fabulous pies to a biker bar or two. These are quiet places, away from frantic traffic (harvest time excepted), noise, and bright lights — cities where you can still see the stars.

Publication date: November 28, 2011 from Adventure Publications. http://www.adventurepublications.net

You can order from Beagle Books & Bindery in Park Rapids. http://www.beagle-books.com

Or you can contact us directly at the address below, or via email with the form on the “Contact” page.

Little Minnesota

PO Box 649

Park Rapids, MN 56470

Listing of the 2012 Kansas Music Hall of Fame Inductees

The 2012 inductees will be Bloodstone, Burlington Express, Max Carl, Clocks, Cole Tuckey on Rye, Finnigan & Wood, Johnny Isom, Krazy Kats, Morningstar, Stanley Sheldon, Tommy Stephenson, Craig "Craig Twister Steward, White Clover. The inductions will take place at Liberty Hall in Lawrence on February 25&26, 2012. Congrats to all of our new KMHOF inductees.

The Red Dog Inn, Lawrence, Kansas

Blue Things Video - Great Pics!

The Blue Things - Doll House 1966

The Red Dogs - Then and Now

More rare posters from the 60's

Rare Band Posters

The Fabulous Flippers - Don't Want To Cry No More

1966 Bio - The Fabulous Flippers

THE FABULOUS FLIPPERS:

THE EIGHT EIGHTH WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Watch-

Listen-

And talk about-

THE FABULOUS FLIPPERS

The Fabulous Flippers were originally formed in Hays, Kansas almost seven years ago. The band was then a five piece. Terry Wierman was the leader who formed the group for the purpose of playing local dance jobs on the weekends. Unlike most groups, this band early in high school met with very good success locally and were able to stay together through four years of high school.

The beginning of the eight piece show band that has captured the attention of everyone in the mid-west, was in June 1964. Auditions were held over a four state area to come up with the best talent possible. Seven men were selected and were told they had two days to put together a show and get on the road. The boys had just me, but it was soon discovered that working together was easy. Each man that was selected had been playing in various bands for at least five years. All of the boys were 19 and 20. Terry Wierman was still the leader and was the only original Flipper.

The summer of 1964 proved to be one summer that the people of Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa will never forget. Radio station KOMA in Oklahoma City was used for advertising. Regular spots ran every day and people all over [the] central United States heard the name of the Flippers. Posters, handbills, and newspapers were used that summer as the Flippers started their journey across becoming a legend that was to build bigger every time they played. It was not uncommon at all for the Flippers to be mobbed when they came into town. Many times extra police officers had to be called in to hold back the excited mobs that would try to get to the band on stage. By the time the band had been on the road for five or six weeks the word [began] to get around about the band. Many newspapers interviewed the boys and did full page articles on the band. In almost every town pictures appeared in local newspapers about the band.

The reason for the large success of the band was this. The band was then seven pieces, using a standard five piece [rhythm] section plus one trumpet and one sax. The band was playing the current hits, but had re-worked the songs, [adding] horns, [choreography], trick lighting systems, and dyed [blonde] hair. This unusual combination of horns with popular songs was [new] [to] the kids [;] they were liking it so much that the Flippers would average 1,000 people a night playing in towns that most agencies have never heard of.

Probably one of the main secrets of the success of the band was the show they put on. On [no] song, at any time, was anyone standing still. The band had spent many hours practicing and working out routines for each song. Dance steps were used, and at [points] of the evening, a vaudeville show was put on. And it was done well. The boys ended the summer playing 108 dances in eight states, and leaving people talking about the band everywhere they went.

It s not even fair to compare this band with other groups. All you can say is they work together with a talent that is unbelievable. You can say all you want about this band, and when you see them you ll have to admit that enough hasn t been said yet. The foresight and talent of this band is expressed by the way the band predicted a coming trend for horns and went to eight pieces. This gave them three horns on every number, and sometimes up to five since almost everyone in the band plays every instrument except the drummer. The drummer would if he had a chance, but to describe the drummer is like talking about the seven wonders of the world, so he stays on the drums. Bands all over the mid-west have copied the Flippers. Anyone who has ever been to a mid-west dance knows that there s a different kind of music out there.

More than a year ago the Flippers changed the musical trends of the mid-west They started playing [Rhythm] and Blues with a Blue Eyed Sound. They added trumpets to old blues songs which had not been heard of in the mid-west except by a few. The songs were re-arranged and presented to the public and the response was overwhelming. The Flippers had done it again. The whole mid-west was behind them. The Flippers were doing Taste Of Honey with two trumpets and a trombone three months before Herb Albert brought it to the public.

Last year the Flippers were asked to play for [the] National Ballroom Operators Convention. After their performance a special meeting was held by the operators. They could not believe it. The Flippers moved into Minnesota and Iowa and completely upset the ballroom circuit The second and third times around many attendance records were set. Many crowds over 2,500 were recorded.

WATCH OUT WORLD, the Flippers may be coming your way, and when they do, you won t believe it. It s easy to say that the world would stand, watch, and be entertained by this eight piece band like they have never been entertained before. Anybody who has seen this band once can t help expressing their respect, admiration for this eight piece group of musical talents called THE FABULOUS FLIPPERS

P.S., And this is [an understatement,] see them, you ll be writing letters too.

Catch Lines:

Never will you see a group that works so hard to please a crowd.

This band uses eight men who play with a sound that only big bands can equal.

This band is destined to be the Count Basie of this era.

Every number is accompanied by a show also.

This band has held crowds of thousands spellbound. It s not uncommon for crowds to just watch for the first hour.

The Dark Horse Inn, Hays, Kansas

2011 KMHOF Credit Roll

2011 KMHOF Credit Roll

Fabulous Flippers signed poster - Roller Drome, Mitchell, SD 1966

Old Red Dog Inn advertisement

Logo with a personal touch

left to right; Mike, Paul, Bob, Phil, Robin, Larry & Ron

Tom's Music House , Concordia, Ks

Our hangout and where we purchased our instruments. Paul Rimovsky was always there with great service and support.

Art Slaughter- Daylight's Clothing Co - Concordia JayCees

Memories of Art Slaughter with the Concordia, Ks JayCees when the JayCees sponsored the Showmen dances at the Concordia National Guard Armory. I can still see Art in his JayCee vest.

Paul, Phil, Robin, Ron, Bob, Larry & Mike

The Noblemen

The Noblemen, 1965 from left: Jim Anderson (partially visible) on bass, Frank Wright, Landis Dibble, Randy Rahberg



I was in a band called The Noblemen in the 1965-67 time period. We had no recordings or anything, just played dances etc. Basically we weren’t very good, but we had a good time. We just did cover songs, nothing original.

Regular members were myself on guitar, Landis Dibble on drums, Frank Wright on guitar, and Clint Laing on electric piano. We started out with Jim Anderson on bass. Other bass players were Blair Honeyman and Michael Brunton.

We played in the Topeka area, and traveled as far as Alma.

The pictures I have are ones that Landis’ mother took when we played for the parents on their back patio.

Randy Rahberg

Sensational Showmen at Turtles Concert in Sioux Falls, SD June 26, 1967

The only picture of us playing at the Turtles Concert in Sioux Falls, SD. This photo turned up in a collage of photos from Sad Lad and the Mourners, who were on the same concert billing. Many thanks, Wille!
Left to right: Dick Grube, sax; Paul Justyna, sax; Ron Balderston, trumpet; Phil Pfister, lead guitar; Larry Jackson, bass guitar; Not pictured was Mike Srite, hammond organ; and Robin Hood on drums (hidden behind the equipment, but they were there! This picture shows our "state of the art" PA sound system and Kustom amps.

The Fabulous Flippers circa mid 1960's

The Devastating Dinks - Beloit, Kansas

Pat Waddell - lead vocals, replaced by Dean Dietz
Steve Kadel - lead guitar, replaced by Bill Hollingsworth
Bob Bergmann - rhythm guitar and vocals
Gail Scanlon - organ
Bruce Brown - bass
Mike Morrand - drums



The Dinks' "Nina-Kocka-Nina" takes the repetitive nonsense of "Surfin' Bird" and adds a bizarre parody of an Asian accent. The soft-spoken opening has the Japanese inflection down well, even if most of the words are gibberish. Once the song gets going the tone shifts to something that sounds like no real language except variations on "papa ooh mow mow". The few lyrics in English, "get out your pencils, get out your books, try to catch all the teacher's grubby looks" and "I'm taking English, History, Biology and Chemistry" imply that school is turning him into a raving idiot! Ironically, the writer of the song would become a teacher himself after leaving the Dinks!

"Penny a Tear Drop" is very different, and the contrast between the twelve-string guitar and organ sounds great. It's something of a shame that the success of "Nina-Kocka-Nina" put the Dinks into the novelty category and ended their chances of making it as a sincere pop act. Song writing credits for "Penny a Tear Drop" go to Ray Ruffin (a variation on Ray Ruff's name I hadn't seen before) and Jack Dunham, whose name also turns up on the Dinks second 45.

Needing a follow up to "Nina-Kocka-Nina" they predictably cut another song in that vein. "Kocka-Mow-Mow" lacks the magic of the first record. Instead of being a band original, it was knocked off by two of Ray Ruff's associates: Jack Dunham again, and Royce Taylor, a singer who had his own 45 for Sully as part of Gaylen & Royce, "I Can't Stay" / "Modern Day Fools".

Oddly it comments directly on their first disc: "all the DJs across the nation, thought we had a bad creation, they just thought we were up in smoke, but that's kind of funny because we're on all the charts" ... "radio stations started getting calls, they said our band made their skin crawl, they didn't like the music 'cause it made them sick, but everybody wanted to hear it, kids" ... "they said 'Nina-Kocka-Nina' was the most ... you better think twice before you put this one down." On the flip is an incredibly insensitive song by Royce Taylor, "Ugly Girl", sung in the sweetest voice.

Dink's rhythm guitarist Bob Bergmann answered some of my questions about "Nina-Kocka-Nina" and the band:

I am Bob Bergmann, the writer and lead singer for "Nina-Kocka-Nina" on the Sully label. I played rhythm guitar for the Ragging Regattas and the Dinks back in the 60's out of Beloit, Kansas.

The band was started earlier by Steve Kadel, from Beloit, Kansas. He was one of my best friends growing up in the 60's. We graduated together in '62. We learned guitars together during high school, by ear. We learned with 5-strings on our guitars--THANK GOD--there was no little E-string.

After graduating, Steve went to Fort Hays College which is now Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas and I went to St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas. Steve started the band The Ragging Regattas in Hays. After two years, I transferred to Fort Hays State College and joined the band. Steve was the person who should be giving credit for starting the band.

I was in my froshmen year in college at Dodge City, Kansas and came up with the song "Nina-Kocka-Nina" and the jibberish language. We put the song together after a performance somewhere in Nebraska. We were sitting there on our amps, very tired, and I got up and started to sing the song which the band had never heard. They all plugged back in and the song was created. I had no idea what the jibberish meant, but at some performances, I was asked by orientals if I knew what I was saying and I think they agreed, I was saying some real words. Pat created his own background words during the recording. Pat's name should have never been first on the record [writing credit] and he will admit that.

The reason we went to Texas to record, two different times, was our so call it manager had contacted Ray. We did not write "Penny A Tear Drop". It was written by a person in the 30's. The song was the reason we were asked to come to Texas to record. I would say it got us in the recording field. "Penny a Tear Drop" took hours. [We] needed a flip side and we did "Nina-Kocka-Nina" in a few minutes and it went over the best.

We were called the Regattas when we went to record, but Ray sent our contract back and changed our names to the Dinks because Ragging Regattas didn't match the "Nina-Kocka-Nina" song. I did sign a contract with BMI in New York after "Nina-Kocka-Nina" came out. There was a nice writeup in one of the top record magazines in the US about the song. Full page showed a picture of the record and around the record were comments from DJ's around the nation about the song.

We were mainly an instrumental band. The song list was very long and mixed between vocals and instrumentals. Our main songs were by the Ventures, and other instrumental groups, many from England. We recorded an album of instrumental songs at Sully Studio after the two 45s, but it never came out.

Somewhere I have one of the many sheets of songs we had taped to our our Fender Dual Showmans. We all had Fender instruments and amps. I did have a Country Gentleman at one time. I also played rhythm on a Fender 6-string bass that was owned by one of the guys in the Blue Things. It had a very funky sound and the frets were very far apart which made it tougher to play.

One of the hardest songs that I remember doing was "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" by the Ventures. Our lead guitar, Bill Hollingsworth was the greatest, and I don't think I could have learned the rhythm without his help. You mention "Surfing Bird" by The Trashmen: Bill was first cousins with their lead guitar player.

After a few years, Bill Hollingsworth replaced Steve on lead guitar, and Dean Deetz replaced Pat Waddel on vocal. I left the band in '66. I got married in January 1967 and finished my teaching degree. I am a retired business teacher here at Jetmore, Kansas of 35 years.

If my memory serves me correctly, [the Dinks] went on a year or so before some of the guys were drafted. After that, they split company and two bands were started - I think the Beasts and another Dinks band. I was one of the junior high school sponsors and we hired the Beast for our high school prom. I remember joining the band for "Nina-Kocka-Nina". The students and staff couldn't believe it. One student came up to me and said "Mr. Bergmann, I didn't know you had that in you"!

On March 7, 2009 the Dinks were inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame in Lawrence, Kansas. It was a gala celebration for our band who I had not seen for forty years. Steve could not make it to the induction ceremony.

Bob Bergmann

The Fabulous Apostles

"Sad Lad and the Mourners" was a 7-piece horn band that formed in the late 1960's. The group consisted of college students Willie Bertsch(vocals), Gary Swanson(drums), Ken Huseboe(trumpet), Sam Hasegawa(sax), Rod Anderson(guitar), Al Christopherson(bass), and high school student Gerry Moore(keyboards). This was about the time horn bands were becoming very popular, led by the Flippers, Red Dogs, the Mob, and others. Soon they changed their name to The Fabulous Apostles after a popular group by the same name out of Kansas had broken up and their new booking agent, James Reardon & Associates, picked them over seven other bands that had sent a demo tape. James Reardon was able to expand their playing area in the Midwest.

The Apostles toured with some of the top rhythm & blues horn bands of that era, including the Fabulous Flippers, Roarin Red dogs, Spider and the Crabs, Rising Sons, and many more. They were advertised on KOMA. In 1968, before a crowd of 10,000, they won the "Battle of the Bands" in Sioux Falls. The band played all the area ballrooms, including the Hollyhock, Arkota, Surf, Roof Garden, Showboat, Ruskin Park, and many, many more. Willie Bertsch and Sam Hasegawa still perform in the Sioux Falls area as the "Apostles Jazz Standards Band".

The Playmate Blues Band

Received this photo courtesy of Mike Kelley.

Picture taken at the Chase Palladium
L to R; Dave Coon, guitar; Rich Bisterfeldt, drums; Mike Kelley, guitar; Gary Cooley, bass.

Original manager for The Fabulous Flippers

There was more to Eddie Basgall than just polka music. He was the original manager of The Fabulous Flippers and promoted the rock and roll band on KOMA radio in Oklahoma City.

Flippers DVD Photo

James Reardon

Reardon and Associates, a booking agency for midwest rock bands in the 60's operated out of the Dark Horse Inn in Hays, Kansas. Our band was just one of the many that got their start with Jim and his booking agency.

John Brown Mid Continent Productions
John Brown
Home Town: Lawrence KS





The next inductee into the Iowa Rock N Roll Hall of Fame goes into the Hall as the owner of a booking agency. Not just any boking agency, but without question the most successful rock and roll booking and promotional agency Mid America has ever seen. Mid Continent Productions of Lawrence, KS. The man behind all of this is its founder, John Brown.

John Brown started Mid Continent Productions in the mid 60's and built it into one of the most successful booking and management agencies of all time.

Brown helped form and in some respects create such groups as The Fabulous Flippers, The Roaring Red Dogs, The Blue Things, The Young Raiders, The Rising Suns and let's not forget, Spider & the Crabs.

There was not a ballroom, town hall, armory, high school or college in the state of Iowa that was not a client of Browns' Mid Continent Productions.

When it came to promoting rock groups, nobody was better than John Brown. Who would ever forget those inamous night time radio ads for all the Mid Continent bands on KOMA radio in Oklahoma City.

There was not a teen in Middle America who didn't tune in to KOMA at night to see what great bands were coming into Iowa, promoted by Brown and Mid Continent.

These ads helped turn Brown's Mid Continent Productions and his bands into household names as well as helped establish his agency as one of the most successful of all time.

Its with great pride the Iowa RocKNRoll Music associations Hall of Fame inducts its first booking agent and booking agency inductee, John Brown of Lawrence Ks., and Mid Continent Productions.

Current Fabulous Flippers compilation featuring Danny Hein

Blue Things "Doll House" 1966

Midwest Garage Bands posters

Nice YouTube Video featuring Hollyhock Ballroom, Hatfield, MN

KOMA KISSING TONE

KOMA KISSING TONE

Skywave Rider - LIFE RADIO & ROCK AND ROLL

Ken Mill's blog is a great read with a great history of 60's rock and roll music in the upper midwest.

http://skywaverider.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-love-affair-with-kloh-radio.html

Turtles Concert Billing-Sioux Falls, SD

Even though we were not from Oklahoma, this was our billing. What an opportunity to play in front of all the kids that had come to see the famous "Turtles" in concert. I remember how nervous we all were and how proud we were to be a part of this venue. The Turtles even used our PA system for their portion of the concert. This concert was held June 26, 1967, Sioux Falls, SD City Arena. The concert was sponsored by KISD radio. The promoter, on his blog, states that he paid $5000 for the Turtle's appearance! Wonder what we got paid?

Fabulous Flippers, Spider & the Crabs, Red Dogs

Old Blue Things photograph

Surf Ballroom 50th Anniversary Memorial

Fans Pack Surf Ballroom for Tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper
Wanda Jackson, Los Lonely Boys, Joe Ely, Crickets Recall 50th Anniversary of Fatal Plane Crash
CLEAR LAKE, Iowa -- Fifty years later, a lot of things sure seemed the same at the Surf Ballroom. Poodle skirts, pompadours, the Crickets on the bandstand and the brutally cold weather with below-zero wind chill.Feb. 3, 1959, was the day the music died as Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper perished in a snowy plane crash shortly after performing at the Surf as part of the Winter Dance Party that had crawled through the Upper Midwest in a poorly heated school bus.On Monday night (Feb. 2), 1,800 people from 32 countries gathered in Clear Lake at the sold-out Surf to commemorate that infamous day by listening to an eclectic parade of stars -- Wanda Jackson, Graham Nash, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Joe Ely, Peter & Gordon, Dave Mason, Delbert McClinton, Bobby Vee, the Big Bopper Jr. and the Crickets, Holly's backup band.Mary Gerber was at the concert in 1959, surprised that her parents would let a 16-year-old out on a school night. She stood up front and excitedly snapped seven photos. She rediscovered those negatives two years ago while cleaning out her mother's house. Those rare pictures -- perhaps the only ones existing of that historic night -- were on display in the lobby of Surf on Monday as Gerber returned to the ballroom for the first time in five decades. On that fateful night in 1959, she and her 18-year-old brother drove home to Walters, Minn., but he fell asleep at the wheel and the car ended up in a ditch -- and the siblings had to walk the final three miles home. She also recalled that the Surf wasn't particularly crowded that night -- not like it was on Monday.Steven McGregor, 45, made the trip all the way from Australia -- his second ride at the Surf since 2005. "I love Buddy Holly. This is fantastic," he told CMT.com. Born in Scotland, he was making a whirlwind journey with stops in Hawaii, the Sundance Music Festival in Utah, Clear Lake and then Scotland. He didn't quite figure out what to do with the Valens replica guitar -- signed by Los Lobos and others -- he bought for $1,600 at auction at the Surf. Would he ship it home or carry it as baggage?Bob Hale was the emcee of the concert in 1959. He announced the death of the three young stars that morning on KRIB radio after Surf manager Carroll Anderson called him to confirm their identities at the crash site a few miles north of town. Hale then phoned United Press International in Des Moines, Iowa, and the news spread around the world. Now a retired TV personality in Chicago, Hale, 75, returned to the Surf Monday to introduce J.P. Richardson Jr., aka the Big Bopper Jr. The ex-DJ shared the story of how he and the Bopper sat in a booth near the stage in 1959 and talked about how both of their wives were pregnant. He then brought his "adopted son," Bopper Jr., onstage for the Clear Lake gathering.A showman in a faux leopard-skin jacket, Bopper Jr. reminded the rock fans that his dad wrote hits for other people, including George Jones' "White Lightning" and Johnny Preston's "Running Bear." He sang those and, of course, his father's biggest hit, "Chantilly Lace." However, this second-generation rocker wasn't the main attraction.The Surf-goers, who looked to range in age from 8 to 80, came to hear silver-haired stars sing hits by Holly and Valens. Bob Hobart, 65, a retired high school principal from Peoria, Ill., pined for "Donna" and "La Bamba" while his son Steve, 30, a seventh grade math teacher in Clear Lake, showed up for "the party that everyone has been talking about for months." (His last visit to the Surf was to see the hard-rock band Anthrax.)Aria Asbe-Snyder, 18, who had seen Joe Nichols and REO Speedwagon at the Surf, said "it's great to be part of history," but she had to be back at college in Mankato, Minn., by 10 the next morning. While the college freshman wore a commemorative Winter Dance Party T-shirt, many Surf-ers sported Grease-evoking outfits, pompadours and fake horn-rimmed glasses.The five-hour program, sponsored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was relatively seamless considering how many acts were involved. Cousin Brucie, a legendary New York radio disc jockey, and Sir Tim Rice, who wrote lyrics for Elton John and Andrew Lloyd Webber, served as emcees. An all-star house band featured saxophonist Bobby Keys (Rolling Stones), keyboardist Chuck Leavell (Stones, Allman Brothers), bassist Hutch Hutchinson (Bonnie Raitt) and drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Melissa Etheridge, Smashing Pumpkins). Two boom cameras zoomed over the ballroom crowd to capture this show for a possible TV special.Most of the stars offered three-song sets, usually featuring at least one tune by either Holly, Valens or the Big Bopper. For instance, Wanda Jackson did Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," which Holly covered on the 1959 tour, while Ely jumped into Buddy's "Oh Boy." Graham Nash never mentioned that he used to sing in the Hollies before joining Crosby, Stills & Nash, but he did three Buddy Holly favorites, including "Every Day" with Peter & Gordon. Rocker Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens, who released a Holly tribute album this year, added a nice touch with three violinists on his three songs.Dave Mason, formerly of Traffic, provided a change of pace with his rock hits, "We Just Disagree" and "Feelin' Alright." Los Lonely Boys tore it up with their high-octane brand of blues-rock before downshifting into their hit, "Heaven," which had the younger folks in the Surf crowd singing along. Bolstered by Keys on sax, Los Lobos rocked the house. Ely sat in with them to do "Are You Listening Lucky," and then various members of the extended Valens family and Holly's widow, Maria Elena Santiago, joined Los Lobos for a spirited, long-winded "La Bamba."Tickets cost $85 for Monday's marathon. In 1959, young rock fans paid $1.50 to attend the Winter Dance Party at the Surf. Over the years, this classic ballroom has played host to everyone from Duke Ellington and Lawrence Welk to Merle Haggard and Montgomery Gentry. The Surf has been staging Winter Dance Party anniversaries since 1979 but none as big as this year's.Fittingly, Sonny Curtis and the Crickets closed the evening with an extended set. Curtis reminded the folks of all the hits he'd written, including "I Fought the Law" and "Love Is All Around," the theme to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He offered his "The Real Buddy Holly Story," his answer to the 1978 hit movie starring Gary Busey. And, of course, his trio performed the songs that they and Holly made famous -- "It's So Easy," "Raining in My Heart," "Peggy Sue" and "That'll Be the Day." They closed with an all-cast rendition of "Not Fade Away," complete with band member Tommy Allsup, a tall Texan in a cowboy hat, taking a guitar solo just as he had done 50 years ago on that same stage.

Fabulous Flippers bus pics

2010 Kansas Music Hall of Fame Credits video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fTMExlF7SQ

Bill Lee, Kansas Music Hall of Fame Founder

KMHOF President Bill Lee honored by surprise induction
Kansas Music Hall of Fame founder and president, Bill Lee, was surprised at this year's induction show when his fellow board members joined him onstage and announced that he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame for all of his efforts on behalf of Kansas music over the years.
Lee spent 25 years as a radio disc jockey and program director; wrote a book about Kansas music in 1999 called Kansas Rockers...the First Generation ; moderates a Yahoo group devoted to discussing old Kansas and Kansas City music ; and for all he has done with the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

New Kansas Music Hall of Fame logos