Donald Sailing Sailing

Sad to see Dave's name on the North update.  
I ran into Dave several years ago at a body shop/paint supply store.  He was driving his recently restored '64  Buick Riviera.  It was flawless and unbelievably straight.  I complimented him and applauded his skills!  
I spent 48 years in that industry, and I know full well what it takes to build a car to that level......Wow!  
I haven't seen him in probably 20 - 25 years, but I can still remember his wild laugh!  RIP Dave.

I was shocked to see the name Fred Cloud added to the list of classmates lost.  I immediately thought back to my great days at Garrison Elementary.  
i believe it was in sixth grade with my great teacher, Pauline Hurst, that we had physical fitness tests out on the playground.  I'm not sure if these tests were part of the school curriculum, or something Mrs Hurst wanted to do on her own.  I specifically remember Fred Cloud and Larry Thompson dueling it out to see who was the fastest.  Both were gifted athletes, but Fred claimed the victory as the fastest kid in class.  
As a skinny piano player, I went in a different direction throughout school, and lost contact with Fred, but always remembered him being the "iron man" in grade school.  
My wife, Pat Jackson, North class of '70, remembers Fred and his younger brother Jim as the two coaches of her fun times on the Powder Puff football team.  
Pat and I have the entire Cloud family in our prayers.  

Hey everyone!   I have a story.  A story that Marty played a huge part in.  If he were here today, he'd be excited to share it!  

On my 50th birthday, Marty called to wish me a happy birthday.  We visited quite awhile and talked at great length about the Downbeats.....the band he and I played with from '64 to '70.  He said we should get the guys together for some kind of reunion.  I agreed, but I'm pretty sure we both secretly felt that might be a tough thing to do, as several of the guys lived in different cities.  After our phone call ended, I gave considerable thought to that ......for about two minutes I ......... and I called him back to say I was going to pursue getting in contact with everyone and make it happen!  So, long story short, he and I began locating everyone and set a date to meet at his house in Lampe, Missouri.  In the fall of 1999 all six of us.....Gary Bolen, Marty, Dave Gaston, Lanny Gaston, John Bowman, and myself met up for a great weekend of reuniting and laughter, and of course, playing music together.   It was as if we just picked up where we left off....thirty years earlier!  To be together again in one spot was surreal!   

A few weeks later, John Bowman called to tell me he found a box in his basement that had some large audio tapes labeled "Downbeats 1968".   All of us had no idea what might be on those tapes.  So, the next time John came to Wichita, he brought the tapes.  Myself, Gary Bolen, and my longtime friend and neighbor Dan Dillon who was news director for KFDI radio, took those tapes to a studio at KFDI that still had large reel-type recording equipment, and we listened to them!   We became immediately overcome with emotion as we knew it was us!   Back in 1968, we had made some live recordings at a local studio that were to be used as audition tapes.  Somehow, all of us had completely forgotten about them!   So......the phone calls and emails started!   We couldln't believe this discovery!  How was this possible?   We made the decision to do the only thing we could do......have CD's made from the tapes.  I believe we had about 2,000 made, and gave them to family and friends everywhere.  And.................of course.................this was the amazing discovery that inspired us to officially "get the band back together".   So, the practices began.....at my house in Wichita, and at Marty's place in Lampe.  Practice makes perfect.....so when we were ready....we played several gigs in Missouri near Marty's place in late 2000 and early 2001.  To be on stage again with the same six guys....playing the same '60s rock and roll we played thirty years earlier, was absolutely wonderful!    All six of us continued to stay in contact with each other.....still great friends with a whole new set of great band memories!  

As everyone knows, we lost Marty in 2013.  A great loss for all of us and everyone who knew him.  I was blessed to call him a best friend since he and I were 14 years old!   

And.....a couple of years ago, we lost Lanny Gaston, trumpet player.  Another great loss.  Lanny and his brother Dave joined the band in late '66 and brought a whole new dimension to us with horns!  

So..........back on that night of my 50th birthday, I was so glad Marty called.  That conversation started it all.  Had we not gotten everyone together again, that box of audio tapes in John Bowmans basement near Chicago, might still be there today!  

One more small thing........since all the CD's we had are gone, my son recently took the liberty of putting the eleven songs from that CD on youtube.   If you look up Downbeats 1968 youtube, you'll find a picture of the band with pretty decent recordings of those eleven songs that everyone will remember.  There are other bands called the Downbeats out there...........what?   So.....make sure to click on the Downbeats 1968.  

If Marty was still here, he would once again be excited!

Daryl was always grea!

I watched him drag race his '59 Chevy at International Raceway many times.......that car was fast!  

Bill......I will!  You probably know John and Cynthia are still together and have nine grandkids....they are pretty much retired, and their kids are running the "store".  They've done very well and are kliving the good life!  When the band got together in 2000, John gave the Downbeats rides in his plane over Marty's house!  Great times!  

I have some "stories" about John as well........really looking forward to this reunion. 

Craig........"Icons"?   I love it!!!

I always thought highly of Shelly.  She was always such a friendly gal.  I remember a few weeks before our 20th North reunion, I was telling John Harris about people I was looking forward to seeing, and Shelly was one of them.  I believe John and Shelly were both on the planning committee for the 20 year reunion.   He then told me that she had just died weeks before that.  So sad.  

In 1968, I was driving East on 13th at Perry in the right lane, when a lady in a '49 Plymouth sedan suddenly changed lanes into me.....she may have wanted to turn right on Perry.  I don't know for sure.  The lady behind the wheel of the '49 Plymouth was a sweet elderly lady named Minnie Norris.....she was 93.   After the cars screeched to a stop, I climbed out of the passenger side of my Chevy, only to be greeted on the sidewalk by Shelly Chism!   She just happened to be walking along the sidewalk, and she saw the whole thing, and was just horrified!   I was shaken as well, as it was my very first accident.   It was comforting to have her to talk to for a few moments.....calmed my nerves.   Minnie Norris was quite shaken too....I felt sorry for her, as she was very elderly.  

I'm not sure if it was at the 10 or 20 year reunion after that, but I ran into classmate Bob Norris.  He informed me that Minnie Norris was in fact his grandmother, and they sold the Plymouth after the accident, and she quit driving.  

Shelly would've been great to visit with on our upcoming 50 year reunion.  RIP..........

Bill, I have several great memories of that '40 as well.  Marty and I were heading north on Broadway one time, and he got that beast up to 85 mph!   He told me afterwards, that we were really hanging by a thread.....as that car was probably on the very edge of being out of control.......wandering....shaking....     I remember that '40 well.   1962 Olds bucket seats.....no interior trim panels....'48 Mercury flathead....'39 transmission.   He bought it from Danny Massey for the paltry sum...by today's standards...of $450.00.   When Danny Massey owned it, he had it painted compete in Valley Center by a painter named Vonley Hines.  Sweet job.   I also remember seeing it parked halfway around a corner in Benjamin Hills with the right rear wheel and axle extending about a foot outside of the fender.  Oh no!   That happened more than once.  And, I remember when he spray-tinted those windows!   And, I remember Marty always bragging that the clock on the dash still worked!  

I've had some good cars over the years.  Two years ago, I retired from the Collision Repair/Restoration business.  I've enjoyed doing restorations for guys.  You probably know that Dave Beckel has had a restoration shop in Derby.  I saw a '64 Riviera that he did......unbelievably nice!  That's great that you've shown some cars in Wichita!    It's been a few years since I've had any car to show.....the last one was a Cutlass for my son.   I've been busy with kids and grandkids......  My favorite....a '40 Ford Deluxe Sedan has always eluded me.................

Both of Marty's parents, Chuck and Goldie, were cool.  When we got the Downbeats back together and went to Marty's parents house, Goldie remembered us all!    Drummer John Bowman brought some reel-to-reel tapes with him from Chicago.  Turns out, they were some live recordings of the band from 1968.  We put those songs on some CD's.  Perhaps I'll make some copies to bring with me at the reunion for anyone interested. They're free!  

During one of our practices at my house on a Saturday afternoon in 2000, some neighbor of mine called the cops......we were too loud......?     The cop who came to my door was shocked when he saw that we were all "old guys"!   Marty told him, "If they didn't want you to play that amp on '10', they wouldn't put a 10 on there"!!   It was kind of an honor to have the cop tell us we needed to turn it down.......kind of verified that "we were back"!  ha    Anyway, I could go on and on.  I'm looking forward to the Oct 6 Friday get-together......Marty and all the others that are gone will be with us in spirit!