BUSHMEN MEMORIES
I became interested in music in the 10 th grade, listening to Top 40 hits on WAPE radio, The Big Ape out of Jacksonville, FL. (Loved those Big Ape Conventions). I went to my first real dance in Waycross, GA. with a live band known as the Revlons. They looked real “spiffy” in their nice blazers, neatly groomed hair and soft colored spotlights shining on the group. My best friend in Waycross, Ron Logan was there too and eventually invited me to his home to show me his guitar. It was a Silvertone from Sears with the amp built into the case. ( now a collector’s item). I thought “this is pretty cool” so I got myself a Truetone guitar and amp (from Western Auto) and we began to “jam”. Then we got the bright idea to form a band. We linked up with Waycrossans Ronnie Westbury (vocals) Ross Pead (drums), Lem Johnson (bass) and Gary Brown (drums and vocals). WE HAD A BAND!
By now the Revlons had become the Bushmen and we continued to go see them play. We would carefully observe the guitar work so we could “steal chords” and play the songs. We were like a one-eyed cat watching two mouse holes, trying to absorb everything about the Bushmen. Had we asked I am sure they would have told us the chords. The Bushmen soon became our idols. Whenever they played Waycross the house was packed. We followed them from the city recreation center, to the Bee Baby Hops under the water tower to the old Waycross city auditorium. We enjoyed other bands too (The Candymen, the Roemans, and the Strange Bedfellows), but the Bushmen were our favorite band. We wanted to be just like them.
My most memorable Bushmen moment came when the band played the Supremes tune, “You Keep Me Hanging On”. Harry affectionately dubbed the song “Psychedelic Sweetheart” (the version by Cream). They turned on the strobe light (a new invention that greatly impressed us) and Harry Aldridge would jump up and down stroking that red Gibson hollow body guitar. We thought “how could any band be so cool”? My next favorite memory came when the Bushmen played a dance in Valdosta. One fan sat in a “lotus” position at the foot of the stage and, arms stretched out, bowing over and over in as if worshiping the band. That brought a smile to Harry’s face.
Then Ron and I headed off to ValdostaState College (student population of about 2000 at the time). There we met a very entertaining fellow from Augusta, GA named Van Brown. Van also liked music, had a guitar and amp and could sing. From there we met my good friend Dave Strickland from Jessup, GA. Dave played bass so we once again had a band. However we needed a drummer and that spot was filled by Bill Kell from Swainsboro, GA. We later added Ronnie Moore from Fernandina BeachFla. after talking him into buying a Doric organ. We set about practicing and “paying our dues”. Never made any real money but we didn’t care: We were a band! We were never really good but we didn’t care: We were a band. Later we added Glynn Sapp from Alapaha, GA. He did not play an instrument or sing but he had a pickup truck to haul us around. We had a Bogan PA from Bill’s family theater business with two old horn speakers. We also had two Silvertone amps with 6 ten inch Jenson speakers and reverb. We were determined to make them sound just like the Bushmen.
We played gigs here and there for very little money and our sound did improve somewhat. We had several name changes and ended up with “The Band”. For a while we all thought if we just played LOUDER nobody would notice if we missed a note or chord. Ron eventually decided that the pursuit of women had more immediate advantages than being in a band so he was replaced by Dusty Justice from Fitzgerald. In retrospect, I think Ron was right. We never gained fame or fortune but had a blast trying. We were the only band in the history of bands that had a Mazola box (a cardboard box from the grocery story that Mazola corn oil was shipped in) that we used to carry our equipment in. Ron bought a “fuzz tone” but we still did not sound like the Bushmen. Dave even made a homemade strobe light with an electric fan placed inside a wooden box and a spot light shining through a hole in the box. Surprisingly it did work. However we still did not sound like the Bushmen. Finally, we decided that if we just had some good equipment (Fender, Ampeg, Vox, Marshall or Sunn, etc.) surely we would sound like the Bushmen. Didn’t happen. We had no money to buy this equipment so we never achieved the Bushmen sound. The highlight of our musical career came when we played the breaks for the Gentries at the Bees Knees in Fitzgerald, a popular dance spot where Doodle Faulk booked bands. The crowd actually stayed and danced while we played. We were now approaching “stardom”. We never achieved “Bushmen” fame and status, but we sure did have fun trying. We had the heart, but just didn’t have the talent.
All the great times I had in the Bushmen era remained in my memory banks until recently when I asked my good friend Dave “bassman” Strickland to help me build a personal website. One link, of course had to be the about the bands we enjoyed when we were in high school. I searched the web and found a site for the Candymen and Roemans but nothing on the Bushmen. Dave and I agreed that there should be a web page about this great dance band of the 60s, arguably the most popular band in the southeast. Now we had a project! Dave had the technical expertise to build the web page and I would do the research leg work. I started by posting on various high school message boards. Eventually the word got back to Don Tanner, original drummer for the Bushmen, and he contacted me. Don gave me Harry Aldridge’s contact number as well as Rodney Mill’s (Bushmen member) contact information. That led to contact with Brenda Adams, Joey’s wife. Brenda was a year behind me in high school and we grew up in the same church in Waycross. I eventually established contact with a former Bushmen band member, Wendell Burch. All those connected with the Bushmen have been very supportive of our efforts.
Today I still listen to music of “the good old days”, on XM radio 60s station. I am convinced that music of that generation was the best there ever was and ever will be. Good melodies and good lyrics, a sharp contrast to some of the music of today. When today’s generation of high schoolers go to a dance, they hear a D J. When my generation went to a dance, we listened and danced to some of the best bands around.
Today I play bluegrass music and attend bluegrass festivals regularly. In high school I never would have believed I would be doing this today. I started with a mandolin and quickly realized that talent was required. I switched to the stand-up bass and found my niche.
The fact that I am still active in music today is directly attributable to the influences of the Bushmen. Through music and forming bands I had some great experiences and met some great friends, some of whom I still maintain contact with today. Harry, Junior, Joey, Rodney, Tommy: Thanks for the memories. You guys were the GREATEST !!.
Andy Patterson,
Valdosta, GA
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Here is the clipping from the newspaper, dated 10/5/96, announcing that Rodney Mills, bass player for The Bushmen, has been inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame: