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Garage and Teen Center Bands of the Florida I-4 Corridor |
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If so, your input is needed for a great new book! |
For the past three years, I've been sifting through old scrapbooks of youthful dreams. Filled with pictures, business cards, teen dance flyers and youth center schedules, these were my world of music.
I didn't want to be a rock star, I wanted to be a deejay. Problem was, there weren't too many people interested in 12 year old girls who wanted to be on-air personalities. As an adult in the early 70's majoring in broadcast journalism, I found out there STILL wasn't much of a market for females as on-air personalities. Other than a couple of "guest DJ" spots, I never did reach my dream. The scrapbooks remained to remind me that I wasn't the ONLY one who had such dreams of a career in the world of music.
It was 1964--the British had invaded, radio was changing and a lot of my friends DID want to be rock stars...a few of them actually made it. The rest, and countless like them from towns dotting the I-4 corridor from Daytona Beach to Clearwater, donned their best "rock and roll" garb, picked up guitars, drumsticks or any instrument they could make something like music come from, and set off in search of "big time" status.
"Garage Bands" were EVERYWHERE -- hundreds of them in Florida alone. Their big time was the high school dance, a radio station "remote", a flatbed truck used as a stage in a parking lot, a youth center or a teen club. A BIG gig was to be opening act for ANYONE who had any kind of a "name" in the music industry. The ultimate was to hit the inside of a recording studio and actually cut a record. Most never got past the garage they practiced in.
A few years back, Jeff Lemlich released a fabulous book called "Savage Lost" which detailed many of these bands from the Miami area. A friend of mine then commented that I was the "keeper of the history" of the bands from Central Florida and Tampa and that I should really "do something" with those scrapbooks.
With the help of Jeff Lemlich, and countless others, I've been trying to do just that. I first cataloged each band which was referenced on any of the items in the scrapbook. I then sent the list to friends who added even more bands, and cruised countless times through the internet looking for references to those missed.
Problem is, little is known about so many of these bands. We remember the name of the band, but not always who was IN the band. What became of their teen dreams? Did they make a record, play a concert, become a star? Are they still with us? Still playing?
If you were in one of these bands, or know someone who was and have ANY information (band name, where they are now, flyers, ads, ANYTHING) please email the information we can give these folks their "fifteen minutes of fame" in the new book.
Check the first version of the band list to see if yours is listed or not. If you have any info on any of these groups please let me know! If you're not sure your band was in the right area of the state to be included, contact us anyway!
A "band questionnaire" which may be filled out and mailed back via postal mail is now available in .pdf form. You may either open and print it, or right click and save it to your hard drive and print it later. A quesionnaire for FANS and band managers will also be made available soon.
Band Information Questionnaire (.pdf requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Fans Information Questionnaire (coming soon)
Manager Information Questionnaire (coming soon)
To order the $15 DVD, click here:
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