Fairfield “garage” bands in the 60’s

Fairfield and Wayne County had its share of rock ‘n roll “garage bands in the 1960’s. I certainly remember the Pharaohs whose members included Jerry Withrow on bass guitar, Larry Overbee played drums, Fred Blackburn was the lead singer, Larry McCoy (who we called the fifth Beatle) handled the keyboards, Bill Sempshrote (a barber at Pete and Mack’s) played lead guitar, and Steve Gershenson filled in for Bill when he couldn’t be there.Other local bands included Sounds Incorporated that even had a brass section, the Lundons, the Coachmen, and from Wayne City, the fabulous Hubs, led by Jerry Hefley.Also from Fairfield were the Rainy Daze consisting of Matt Higdon on keyboard, Dean Blessing was the drummer, Steve Gershenson was lead guitar, Steve Kerchner was the lead singer, and yours truly, Dave Land played bass guitar.

The Rainy Daze played several Teen Towns in the area plus some 21 and over establishments that we figured were okay to play in because they hired us and paid us. On a personal note, we played a venue north of Evansville called Midway. We played on a Sunday night to an average crowd and were paid $250…in cash…$50 per member! However, the night before, the place was packed. Why? A band called Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels rocked the Midway. I always liked to say…”we followed Mitch Ryder.”Unfortunately, the Rainy Daze disbanded after a terrible car wreck seriously injured Steve Gershenson in July 1968. But the memories of those rock ‘n roll days are still with us.

A photo of the Rainy Daze local band hangs in the Hanna House Museum. Music is intrinsically tied to history. A band, a song or an experience can immediately take you to that moment in time. If your favorite era was the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s…. don’t let local history be a mystery.