Findlay Rocks the '60s goes live

Findlay Rocks the '60s is going live this summer. A concert of '60s music will be held July 29 at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. The event will honor the local bands that ruled the day, national acts that appeared in Findlay during the decade and the people who made it all possible. ART WALK talk by Common Pleas Judge Reginald Routson brought together several retired rockers. The talk featured information about the Hancock Historical Museum's exhibit, "Findlay Rocks: 1960s Garage Bands." A concert featuring songs of local bands and the national acts that appeared in Findlay will be held July 29 at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. Photo provided Hancock County Common Pleas Judge Reginald Routson has been busy organizing the concert. Among those scheduled to perform are the Findlay First Edition, Dave Phillips, Bob Nash, Dave Dudley, Doug Wygal, Null Set, Kevin Cullen, Jerry Natal, Kim Cosiano and members of the Reunion Band. Routson said the idea grew out of an exhibit he helped put together at the Hancock Historical Museum titled "Findlay Rocks: 1960s Garage Bands." The display features photographs, history and musical samples of 11 rock 'n' roll bands that got their start in Findlay basements and garages during the 1960s. "I did not in tandem have an idea for a show to accompany it when we were starting to collect music, talking to many of the people who were there, be it musicians and just interested parties going to shows and whatever," he said. "Then I realized we had enough people I thought that we could try and put on a show and invite people from the bands to play." And even though the exhibit doesn't speak to this aspect directly, Routson also researched the national acts that appeared in town during the '60s. "It wasn't as many of the huge acts as you would think because the venues weren't big," he said. "But starting in '60, we had Bobby Rydell, the big teen idol, and Jan and Dean, who sang 'Little Old Lady from Pasadena." The Kingmen, the Lettermen and the Chad Mitchell Trio also performed in Findlay. And then to end the '60s, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes appeared at Central auditorium in July 1969. Routon said these performances show the diversity of music during the decade. "It's a 10-year window of time, dynamic and ever changing, from Bobby Rydell to Ted Nugent. If that doesn't represent the '60s in music, I don't know what does," he said. These performances will be interwoven with music of the local bands starting in 1960 and continuing through 1969, he said. A musician himself, Routson is a member of the Reunion Band, which plays '60s and '70s music in and around Findlay. Back in the '60s, he started out playing with The Kalculated Rysq. "I remember going to a battle of the bands at the American Legion," he said for a previous article. "We actually played there one of our very first gigs of our band. We made is big when we got to play in the Y basement." Routson said the Reunion Band actually learned a song by local 1960s band The Nite Watchmen, and played it for a reunion event. He said that's one of the reasons he decided to start collecting history about Findlay bands - an undertaking that took him almost eight years. "The Nite Watchmen and some of those other bands were just a couple years ahead of me (in school), but I went to as many of those show as I could," he recalled. While he couldn't get into bars yet because he was underage, Routson could watch the shows at the club his dad ran, called The Hollywood. "I got to hear bands that played there. So I had an interest, plus I knew most of these people and went to schools with them and had played music with a lot of since then in various bands and whatever," he said. "I just decided, you know, nobody knows about these groups and how well they did and not how well they did." He decided to try and collect as much information as he could to preserve this era in Findlay's musical history. As he searched for photos of the bands, he visited the museum where curator/archivist Joy Bennett offered her help. She said the more she looked into it, the more interested she got. Bands highlighted in the exhibit include Children of Tyme, The Challengers, The Chex, The Mixed Emotions, The Nite Watchmen, Raging Storms II, The Roadmen, Roni & The Shadows, The Vagabonds, The Variations and The Wanderers. Since its opening, more than 4,000 people have visited the museum to view the exhibit, traveling from as far away as Florida and California to relive their memories of the glory days of rock-and-roll in Findlay, said Bennett. She added that over 3,000 people have visited the accompanying "Findlay Rocks" virtual exhibit during that time. Routson said it's been a mixed bag trying to get band members to respond. Some don't, he said, while others have declined to participate. And some have unfortunately died. He said all of the members of The Mixed Emotions are now gone. "Although we have information from them and there's a picture of two of them with me at the museum before they passed so we've got that," said Routson. He said musicians who have agreed to appear in the concert are principally singers. Others will cover their music the big acts, he said. "Big Dave" Crosser will serve as the emcee and tour guide in a journey through the decade. Tickets are $25 and available at the Marathon Center box office. The price includes a one-time admission to the "Findlay Rocks!" exhibit at the museum July 26-30. FINDLAY ROCKS: 1960s Garage Bands, an exhibit at the Hancock Historical Museum, has brought 4,000 in to view the display. This photo features the manager of the Mixed Emotions seated in the wheelchair, A concert featuring the music of local bands and national acts that visited Findlay during the 1960s will be held July 29 at the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. Photo provided