From the beginning of our time together, the Rockers have been equal parts love of close friends and love of making music. Larry, Jim and Jamie have known each other since early childhood in Maquoketa, Iowa. Brian moved to town in 7th grade and immediately became part of the group. Chuck, two years younger, was always around, singing in a choir or playing in a band.

We began in 1963, when the folk hits Tom Dooley, MTA, Greenback Dollar and Four Strong Winds were playing on the radio. AM radio that is. Pre-Sputnik, pre-hippies and long hair, pre-Vietnam, pre-Beatles even! Two acoustic guitars, a banjo and yes, a washtub bass. We were called Brand X and then the Travelers, emulating the Kingston Trio sound and playing any chance we got for school assemblies and in nursing homes. When we started we were the only band in town for our generation.

When we turned electric we were first called The Shadows and we listened primarily to The Beach Boys, with a secondary influence of Paul Revere and the Raiders. We also did some Eric Burden and the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, and of course like everyone else alive at that time, the Beatles and Stones, although we never really had a lot of their music in our style. Pretty much Beach Boys.

For our first electric gig (see photo), in December of 1964, we borrowed guitars and amps, drove 40 miles one way, played 3 or 4 hours for a school Christmas dance in Anamosa, and got paid ten dollars! But from the start, the real pay was the excitement of playing in front of people that were dancing and having fun. Today, over forty years later, we still search out that rush and enjoy it just as much!

During our junior year in high school, Dave Lange became a Rocker, adding his keyboard and vocal talents. He is featured on our 1967 album Homemade Apple Pie & Yankee Ingenuity on Light My Fire and Dave's original song, Blue Peppers.

We continued to play together as an electric band through the summer following our freshman year in college. One highlight of those years was playing at a college frat party in Iowa City (see photo). Most of our dances, however, were far simpler in design. We would rent a hall in Maquoketa (usually the Youth Center) or some other small town in eastern Iowa, put out our own posters (Art Raz Productions), have a friend collect a buck a head at the door and keep the money in a cigar box. No alcohol or drugs, no security of any kind, and no problems. Ever. These were great times to be together, and both the music and the friendships continued to get tighter.

At the end of our high school years, as we prepared to go our separate ways, we recorded an album at FredLo Studios in the Quad Cities.

Grandma's Rockers  •  Created 2004  •  Last Updated: January 22, 2005