Thank you for that introduction and welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback! I'm Jumpin' John, and we'll be looking back at some of Rock and Roll's greatest artists, songs, and stories. This episode will review the highlights of two related bands: The Classics IV and the Atlanta Rhythm Section!
The band known as the Classics IV was initially formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1965. The group began as "The Classics," taking their name from the Classic drum set that drummer Dennis Yost owned. They were a cover band consisting of drummer Yost, guitarist J. B. Cobb, bassist Walter Eaton, and keyboardist Joe Wilson. Yost had previously been a member of The Echoes. Yost was known in the local area as "the stand-up drummer" because he played drums standing up. The Classics played Ventures covers and instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime." Fans started requesting vocals, so Dennis Yost began singing occasionally, thereby changing the band's musical direction.
The group was discovered performing in Daytona Beach by talent agent Alan Diggs. Diggs became the band's manager in partnership with Paul Cochran and, later, Buddy Buie. They were signed by Capitol Records in 1966. Their debut single was a Joe South song called "Pollyanna," performed in the style resembling a typical Four Seasons record. Around this time the group was threatened with legal action by a Brooklyn, NY band also called the Classics. The Brooklyn Classics had already charted a single, so the Florida Classics added "IV", the Roman numeral for 4, to their name to represent their four members. The newly renamed Classics IV performed "Pollyanna" on Dick Clark's TV Show Where the Action Is!, and the record became a regional hit. But when WABC (AM) radio in New York started playing it they received a call from the Four Seasons' manager demanding they cease airplay of "Pollyanna". The song didn't do well on the national charts, only reaching #103, and by 1967 the Classics IV had relocated to Atlanta, Georgia.
In the summer of 1967 the group left Capitol and signed with Imperial Records. Buie and Cobb had heard an instrumental entitled "Spooky". They came up with lyrics for it, along with a new arrangement by Cobb. The resultant recording was released in September of 1967. Initially breaking out in Louisville, Kentucky, it was quickly picked up by stations around the country. The single reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1968 and hit #46 in the UK. The song is noted for its eerie whistling sound effect depicting the spooky woman, and it has become a Halloween favorite.
The success of "Spooky" led to a national tour and the first of several lineup changes. Buie became the producer of the Classics IV. Yost became full-time vocalist, and Kim Venable took over on the drums. Cobb stepped down as guitarist, preferring the less stressful life of a session guitarist, and he was replaced in the lineup by guitarist Auburn Burrell. Cobb would continue writing and also sometimes doing the group's arrangements with Buie.
Since they were now a national act, it was decided by Buie and Imperial that they would record with session musicians. The Classics IV's records soon began featuring some of Atlanta's top session musicians, including guitarist Cobb, drummer Robert Nix, drummer Dennis St. John, and bassist Emory Gordy. The touring membership included two members from Roy Orbison's band the Candymen: Dean Daughtry on keyboards and Bill Gilmore on bass.
"Stormy" was the band's next hit single, written by Yost, Cobb, and Buie. It entered the charts on October 26, 1968, peaking at #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, #26 on the Easy Listening chart, and #2 in Canada. Ten years later a cover of "Stormy" would be a hit for Santana when it appeared on their 1978 album Inner Secrets. Santana's version peaked at #32 in the Hot 100 chart and #19 on the Easy Listening chart.
The band's third Top 10 hit was "Traces". "Traces" was the title track off the album of the same name. The album would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #45 on the Billboard albums chart. Written by Buie, Cobb, and Emory Gordy Jr., the single was released in January 1969. The single peaked at #2 on both the Hot 100 and on the Easy Listening music charts, making it the highest-charting single by the Classics IV. The song is noted for its use of an oboe, heard in the introduction, as well as a string section. "Traces" received the honor of being listed in BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century at #32. Later in 1969 their next single, "Everyday with You Girl," reached #19 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Easy Listening chart. "Spooky," "Stormy," and "Traces" each sold more than one million units, and all were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A. Those three hits plus "Every Day With You Girl" also appeared in the 1977 film The Chicken Chronicles.
A major lineup and recording change took place in the Spring of 1970, when Daughtry and Cobb left to form a session band for the newly opened Studio One recording studio in Doraville, Georgia. With those departures, the group's name was changed to Dennis Yost & the Classics IV. However, by the end of the 1960's the band had hit their peak, and their chart action declined from 1970 on. By the mid 1970's Dennis Yost had started a solo career, and he became a fixture on the oldies circuit for the better part of three decades. In 1993, the Classics IV was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Dennis Yost died aged 65 from respiratory failure on December 7, 2008. That date just happened to be the 40th anniversary of the entrance of "Stormy" into the Hot 100's top 10. A version of the Classics IV band, with no original members, still tours to this day.
As I just mentioned, in the spring of 1970 two former members of the Classics IV, Daughtry and Cobb, became part of the session band for the newly opened Studio One recording studio near Atlanta. They were joined by three former members of the Candymen. Heading up the studio was Buddy Buie, former producer and songwriter for the Classics IV. Buie began assembling the session band, which comprised singer Rodney Justo, guitarist Barry Bailey, bassist Paul Goddard, keyboardist Dean Daughtry, guitarist J. B. Cobb, and drummer Robert Nix. After playing on several artists' recordings, it was decided to take the band a step further and make the group of players a real band. This led to the formation of the Southern rock band known as the Atlanta Rhythm Section or ARS. Buie would serve as an invisible member of ARS, acting as their manager and producer in addition to providing a major hand in the songwriting department.
Signed by Decca Records, ARS released their first album, Atlanta Rhythm Section, in January 1972. Due to the record's limited commercial success, Justo quit the band and was replaced with singer Ronnie Hammond. The group's next four albums also failed to generate much chart action. However, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was getting quite a bit of radio airplay in the Southern U.S. To stimulate their nationwide presence, ARS began touring extensively in 1975 and 1976, with numerous shows in the South, Northeast, and Midwest. On July 18, 1975, the band appeared with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra during an outdoor show in Atlanta in Chastain Park. In August, they opened for The Who at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida and for The Rolling Stones at the Municipal Auditorium in West Palm Beach, Florida. The increased national exposure paid off as the group's next album, A Rock and Roll Alternative, released in December 1976, rose to #13 on the Billboard chart and was certified gold in the spring of 1977. The debut single from the record, "So in to You", peaked at #7 on April 30, 1977. On September 3, 1977, ARS played their biggest show yet, the Dog Day Rockfest at Atlanta's Grant Field on the campus of Georgia Tech. Heart and Foreigner were the opening acts, and Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band co-headlined with ARS.
Then in 1978 ARS had their highest-charting album of their career with Champagne Jam. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. It had two hit singles, "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight" and "Imaginary Lover". The single "Imaginary Lover" was the band's second Top 10 hit, peaking at #7 in the U.S. and #9 in Canada.
ARS would continue with a heavy touring schedule throughout the United States and Canada. In September 1978, they even appeared on the White House lawn, at President Jimmy Carter's invitation, for his son Chip's 28th birthday party. The band had previously met Carter while he was still governor of Georgia during a press junket for their third album and had campaigned for him in 1976 during his run for the presidency.
The eighth Atlanta Rhythm Section album, Underdog, was released in June 1979 and produced Top 20 hits "Do It or Die" (which reached #19) and "Spooky" (which reached #17). "Spooky", a remake of Cobb's and Buie's 1968 Classics IV hit, would turn out to be ARS's final Top 20 American hit. ARS's commercial success would not last. Each subsequent album sold less than the previous one, resulting in the band's break up in 1982. Over the next forty years the Atlanta Rhythm Section reunited sporadically for tours, however, only a few original members were present. A version of ARS still tours today, playing mostly festivals and nostalgia-themed concerts.
Well, fellow time travelers, that concludes another episode of Rock and Roll Flashback. This has been a review of two closely related bands: The Classics IV and the Atlanta Rhythm Section! I'm Jumpin' John McDermott and until next time….Rock On!