At the turn of the 1970s, Gainesville and North Florida was home to a number of musicians, who, at the time, were known to an appreciative community of locals, but little outside. Though, TEN YEARS AFTER, the whole world was familiar with the music that had ventured FAR BEYOND ITS SOUTHERN ROOTS.
Outskirts of Town
Allman Brothers
1970 — Live at The Ludlow Garage
((( Hometown (Southern) Rock )))
(top) alligator file
• Dub’s Steer Room
MUDCRUTCH (BEFORE THE HEARTBREAKERS)
MUSIC IN A SMALL, NORTH FLORIDA TOWN
By Marty Jourard
At the Second Annual Halloween Masquerade Festival, Tom Petty took his band Mudcrutch and UF’s reputation as a “party school” to the next, higher level. That legendary night in 1971, Tom took the stage at midnight, and under a near-full Moon, rocked Century Tower and The Plaza Of The America’s like it had never been rocked before. The show ended at dawn, and every year after, the festival was more appropriately called THE BALL.
Long before he was a universally renowned and revered Rock N Roll star, Tom Petty was just one of many fine musicians who called Gainesville home. He and his band of high school mates, Mudcrutch, like the others, played frequent gigs in and around Gainesville, and on the University of Florida campus. Lake Alice, Fraternity Row, Lillian’s Music Store, and any number of joints, jukes, and dives on University Avenue, around and on the outskirts of town … And in North Florida, that could have meant on Crescent Beach, or next to a clear, cool spring in the North Florida woods.
Song In The Breeze
The Outlaws
1975 — Live
((( Florida Country )))
“Gainesville” Tom Petty (Official)
Tom Petty’s family produced “Gainesville” to honor Tom and the small, North Florida town he always called home.
Music Is Life for Mudcrutch
By John Bartosek
Alligator Staff Writer (for the Gainesville Sun)
June 24, 1973
Tom Petty has a one-track mind. It’s on music. As the bass guitarist in “Mudcrutch,” that seemingly eternal Gainesville rock and roll band, Tom talks about everything, but somehow everything always gets back to music.
“It’s our life,” he says quietly.
“Our,” includes lead guitarist MIKE CAMPBELL, guitarist DANNY ROBERTS, BEN MONT TENCH Tench on piano, and drummer RANDALL MARSH.
And music is their life. “Mudcrutch” returned last week from a six-week tour in Atlanta and Macon, Ga., and a short but well-received statewide tour. A recent weekend in Gainesville included two shows at The Keg, a small club on Southwest 16 Avenue.
Friday night doesn’t really end until sunrise Saturday; so Saturday begins at 2 p.m.
In a standard two-bedroom apartment on the northwest edge of the city, Tom slouches in a leather chair, eyes and mouth both half-closed. He’s still waking up, with the help of an occasional cup of coffee and a cigarette. His eyes never open all the way but they do get clearer as the day goes on.
Mike Campbell, dark hair, dark shirt, dark jeans, dark boots, light face and incredibly quick fingers, lies on the dull olive coach and picks an acoustic guitar … or an electric one … or a bass … anything. Mike is the quiet serious one, on and off stage.
Dan wanders out of the shower, dark brown hair still tangled and dripping on his chest. He sits down for about five minutes and wanders off again.
He’s mobile; you never see him more than ten minutes at a time until he climbs on stage. Oddly enough, he’s also six inches taller than he looks from the audience.
Joining the band only about two months ago, Ben was at school in New Orleans before adding his piano to the group. He first played with “Mudcrutch” a year ago, and played with them on and off since then. Ben’s father is Circuit Court Judge Benjamin M. Tench of Gainesville.
Later in the afternoon, Randall walks in with a wisecrack and a smile. He’s from Bushnell, Fla., and proud of it.
“Just a good old country boy,” Tom agrees.
Randall is nearly a misfit; his dark hair barely covers his ears, he’s shorter than he seems on stage, he insists on fresh vegetables with his meals and he can be serious, athough he obviously prefers not to.
Sound man Keith ‘Duke’ McAllister also ranks as a band member. Only 20 years old, not really long blonde hair, friendly and very trusting face, he doesn’t claim any special electronic knowledge.
“Just have to learn where to plug in what,” he says.
He wants to explain everything though, and it sounds like he knows more about plugs. Duke reads classified ads, scrounging for equipment and still another place to rent. (Nine dogs and eight cats, and he’s just been evicted again.)
As a group, Mudcrutch is bashful, almost withdrawn about themselves, but still excited about publicity. Especially Tom.
“That’ll be cool, being in a Gainesville newspaper,” he says. Tom is from Gainesville, a graduate of GHS. “High school was the most bitter experience of my life,” he says quietly. Apparently rules about long hair were strict then.
But Tom, now 22, was playing bass guitar at 14 and was in his first band in eighth grade. He’s even got a snapshot of it somewhere in the group scrapbook.
He’s there in a coat and you can see his ears and neck and he looks awake. The drum in the background has “Sundowners” written on it.
Randall also started young, in a group called the “Bushnell Grasshoppers.” Really. Then he met Mike and the pair, both 23, were playing rock when they ran across Tom, who was still doing country-western.
“They turned me on to playing rock,” Tom says. That was over two and a half years ago.
Besides a bass, Tom brought the name “Mudcrutch” with him. The Mudcrutch origins are nebulous but seem to be mostly a reaction to “dumb group names” like “Sundowners” and “Grasshoppers.” The band is now changing names to “Bullseyes.”
Dan joined about three months ago after a stint with “Power,” another band familiar in this area. Since he’s out of the room (again), Dan’s age is up for debate. Guesses range from 19 to 25 (“Well, he’s seen some bad times.”) and the consensus is 20. He plays guitar and sings with, and without Tom.
Talk runs to past shows …
January behind the Hub. So cold. “We were all drunk. We were drinking whiskey to keep warm.” The old joke about carrying a flask in case of snakebite and keeping a rattlesnake too.
Halloween, in the Plaza. Strange tales told by all. Tom has snapshots again. A few good imitations of Bruce Nearon, of “Ye Pirates’ Crew,” a group which has produced several UF concerts.
The Rat in days gone by. All the lights go out. “Mudcrutch” comes on, faces and hands painted green to glow in the dark. When the lights come on, the paint disappears.
Mudcrutch Farm, the super old days. “After Church On Sunday,” the posters read. About 2 years ago, the group lived together by a lake at the far end of NW 45 Avenue. Free concerts, good times for all.
Dinner at 4:30 p.m. is a major conflict. Randall insists on his fresh vegetables, everybody else insists on cheap. Somebody digs out the yellow pages and calls out names for a vote. It takes 20 minutes to decide.
Dan takes off again after dinner, saying he’ll be back in a little while. But nobody believes him.
Randall stretches out on the couch, very quiet and still, and listens to country-western rock albums. He’s calm, but it looks like an effort. Mike thumbs various guitars. Duke runs out to check on another classified ad and plug in at The Keg.
The phone rings occasionally on appearances during the Florida four. Top billing at one club is gratefully accepted, a “battle of the bands” is gracefully declined. Dan returns to sing through several harmonies on acoustic guitars.
And it’s suddenly 9:20 p.m. They call ahead to say they’re on their way. The tape recorded and song list are forogtten, though the departure is calm and leisurely. Whoever’s driving runs a red light on the way, and Randall stops for a 40-cent piece of fried chicken.
The pace speeds up to almost a hurry at The Keg. Duke is hooking up the last of his microphones; Dan rearranges an amplifier. Mike tunes up, while Randall fills the beer pitchers. Tom greets an old friend, another fellow he played with at some time. And then they’re finally playing.
The first set is short, about 40 minutes. It’s not really choppy but it seems forced. Probably takes a while to loosen up.
The high point is one of Dan’s songs, “Keep on Singing.”
Pitchers are refilled at an average of one every five minutes. Friends of the band drop by the table quite regularly. Nice to have free beer written into the contract.
Tom asks how the set was and everyone agrees it was worth drinking to. So they do. Except Duke. He’s not quite satisfied. He rearranges the microphones and hopes somebody comes back with the tape recorder soon.
The second set is a bit longer and a lot tighter.
Mike and Dan are freer now, jamming throughout. Randall rocks away in his own world and doesn’t bother to look up. Duke relaxes and makes the rounds of the tables, saying hi.
During the break, Mudcrutch and Friends wander outside and around to the back for some fresh air and a little conversation. Somebody becomes friends with a stray cat.
They march inside in a column, which looks a tad suspicious. Friends reclaim their tables and beer; Mudcrutch nearly leaps on stage, which looks even more suspicious.
But it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters, really, except that you’re sailing away with this music and it’s so incredibly good now. Country rock, if there is such a thing. Cooking. Rocking. It feels good, however you describe it.
They do some old rock and roll numbers: Not Fade Away, Walking the Dog, Johnny B. Goode.
Some of the words start to sink in:
“I’m still sittin’ here playing guitar
Waiting for that lucky break.”
“Hopin’ something comes my way.”
“Can’t help wonderin’ if I’ll ever get off the ground.”
“It’s too much for a young boy
To figure out all alone.”
There’s a lot of hope in the songs. A lot of waiting. If you look, you can find some sadness too.
It seems a long time while they’re playing, but the break comes too soon. Fewer people trek out back this time. Both the band and the beer are flowing nicely now. The tape recorder finally arrives.
For the last set, the audience has dwindled to about 25. But nobody seems to mind. Just keep filling those pitchers. Duke gets most of the set on tape.
That party feeling goes on after the music stops. Randall and Dan are pushing for a trip to New Orleans. Mike and Tom don’t look like they’d mine. They’re finally out of the club, sprawled back in the van and back at the apartment.
Everybody is up and ready at the apartment, and the trip to New Orleans is finalized. If you’re not awake until 2:30 p.m., you’ve still got a whole night in front of you at 2:30 a.m.
• Dub’s Steer Room
MUDCRUTCH (BEFORE THE HEARTBREAKERS)
MUSIC IN A SMALL, NORTH FLORIDA TOWN
Tom Petty (Homecoming ’81)
EAGLES w/ JIMMY BUFFETT
FRANK ZAPPA (KISS MY ASS) HALLOWEEN 1979
PAT BENATAR @ THE FLORIDA GYM
TALKING HEADS (ART PUNK) @ THE BANDSHELL
QUEEN OF THE BALL ’81
GATOR FROM ANOTHER PLANET
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (TICKET QUEST)
SUWANNEE RIVER (BLUEGRASS) RIVER
MAYPORT (JAZZ)
HOMECOMING ’81
When the Gators Growl loudest.
RODNEY DANGERFIELD (FACE[S] IN THE CROWD)
TWO TICKETS TO TOM PETTY PARADISE
TOM PETTY (GAINESVILLE’S FAVORITE SON)
FATHER KNOWS BEST (EARL PETTY)
MEMORABLE GAINESVILLE SHOWS
LUNA(CY)
THE HALLOWEEN BALL
A.A. Murphree’s Night of Insidious Temptation.
Casa Dega
Tom Petty ’81
1979 — Damn The Torpedoes
((( psychic-delic )))
john moran
CASSADAGA (PSYCIC-DELIC)
A small, Central Florida town (Cassadaga), home to psychics, fortune tellers, and mystics who do readings in their homes, for all who are willing and dare to ask.
“ON THE ROAD“ WITH CHARLES KURALT
Wakulla to the Moon.
FLORIDA SUGAR: HOW SWEET IS IT?
EXTRA! (PG3)
Sugar (Raw Alternative)
SUWANNEE RIVER (GHOST STORIES)
SUWANNEE RIVER (BLUEGRASS) RIVER
MAYPORT (JAZZ)
Orlando
Pat Travers (Great Southern Music Hall)
w/ Pam Platt
George Benson v. Travers
Valentine’s (Stained Glass “V” in the rafters)
JJ Grey (Mofro) at SOCIAL (Black Box)
One Week:
Billy Cobham
Spyro Gyra
Sea Level
WORJ
New Records Thursday at 8PM
(ad-free, except turning side A to side B)
Blow by Blow (Jeff Beck)
Imaginary Voyage (Jean Luc Ponty)
Stormbringer (Deep Purple)
FREE TICKETS
Outlaws at Sportatorium
Fat Chance Band (opening band)
Next week at the Thirsty Turtle
Cocoa Beach next to the sandy drive onto the beach.
When you could still drive on the beach.
Sliding glass doors out to a patio (concrete slab)
Blustery
Rare Earth at Brassy’s
Jonathan’s Pub (fresh squeezed screwdrivers and darts)
The Moon Hut
THE WHO @ THE GATOR BOWL (1976)
w/ Labelle
Black Oak Arkansas
THE WHO @ Miami Baseball Stadium
w/ Montrose (TORRENTIAL)
THE POLICE (ROADTRIP TO TOMMORROW)
DIRE STRAITS (VINNY’S NIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE)
ROLLING STONES (TANGERINE BOWL)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (TICKET QUEST)
• Dub’s Steer House
MUDCRUTCH (BEFORE THE HEARTBREAKERS)
MUSIC IN A SMALL NORTH FLORIDA TOWN
MEMORABLE GAINESVILLE SHOWS
TWO TICKETS TO TOM PETTY PARADISE
TOM PETTY (GAINESVILLE’S FAVORITE SON)
FATHER KNOWS BEST (EARL PETTY)
TOM’S LONG DISTANCE LOVER
EAGLES w/ JIMMY BUFFETT
FRANK ZAPPA (KISS MY ASS) HALLOWEEN 1979
PAT BENATAR @ THE FLORIDA GYM
TALKING HEADS (ART PUNK) @ THE BANDSHELL
QUEEN OF THE BALL ’81
GATOR FROM ANOTHER PLANET (SWIMMING POOL Qs)
BLONDIE (1981) @ THE FLORIDA GYM
JIMMY BUFFETT (KEY DREAMING) 1978
THE POLICE (ROADTRIP TO TOMORROW LAND)
DIRE STRAITS (VINNY’S NIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (TICKET QUEST)
ROLLING STONES (STONED IN ORLANDO)
road trips
MOVIES (ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW)
THE MOVIE WITH NO END
music
Goin’ Down to Georgia (Tom Petty)
PLAYING GAINESVILLE
Blues In The Night
HOMEGROWN ROCK N ROLL (BO DIDDLEY)
MUDDY WATERS (PAINT IT BLACK)
Gainesville Love Story
GAINESVILLE MUSIC LIST
GREGG ALLMAN (1974)
Songs of the North Florida South
ALLMAN BROTHERS (FLORIDA NATIVES)
@ THE BANDSHELL
SEA LEVEL (CHUCK LEAVELL)
DIXIE DREGS (SOUTHERN FUSION)
STEVE FORBERT
COWBOY
LES DUDEK
FAT CHANCE BAND
OUTLAWS
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
BLACKFOOT
.38 SPECIAL
MOLLY HATCHET
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION
SWIMMING POOL Qs
PYLON
MOTELS
ROAD TURKEY
close to home
Devil’s Millhopper
Payne’s Prarie
LAKE ALICE
DEVIL’S CAVE (MILLHOPPER)
PAYNE’S PRARIE
CROSS CREEK (CUMQUAT MARMALADE)
ORANGE LAKE (STEVE Z) EDUCATED GROWER
LOCHLOOSA
CEDAR KEY (BACK IN FLORIDA TIME)
CRESCENT BEACH
CROSS CREEK
MICANOPY (MADNESS)
ICHETUCKNEE
A BEACH FOR ALL SEASONS (COCOA BEACH)
ENERGY DANCE (SEBASTIAN INLET SURF)
ENERGY DANCE (SEBASTIAN INLET) ALT.
HOME IS WHERE THE ROCKETS FLY
BOUND FOR PORTUGAL
SUMMERTIME
SAIL AWAY (FORT LAUDERDALE KEY WEST)
IN THE PRESENCE OF THE POPE (JOHN PAUL II IN NASSAU)
SUMMER IN THE CITY
NYC (A FACELESS CITY)
SATURDAY IN THE PARK
MARDI GRAS MAGIC (TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS)
MIDNIGHT LIGHTNING (TURTLES IN THE MOONLIGHT)
I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
DAY TRIPPING
Silver Springs
Ocklawaha River
OCALA (NATIONAL FOREST)
SR 40 — YANKEETOWN TO ORMOND BEACH
Orlando
SR 50 — WEEKI WACHEE TO CAPE CANAVERAL
Home is Where The Rockets Fly
Sacred Ground
28°36′30.2″N 80°36′15.6″W
Complex #39 A/B
Last Stepping Stone to The Moon
VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building)
Crystal River
Mudcrutch
1975 —
((( Florida Country )))
Skot Olsen
WEEKI WACHEE / 301 / SEMINOLE WIND
Weeki Wachee — Natural Florida, camping in the woods, caves, rivers, springs …
road trips
Pensacola
Tallahassee
Wakulla
Apalachicola
Ichetucknee River
High Springs
Fort White
Palatka
Crescent Beach
St. Augustine
Cedar Key
Micanopy
Cross Creek
Ocala National Forest
Silver Springs
Ocklawaha River*
Orlando [SR50]
“ON THE ROAD” WITH CHARLES KURALT
Wakulla to the Moon
MAYPORT (JAZZ)
SUWANNEE (BLUEGRASS)
Pensacola
Tallahassee
Wakulla
Apalachicola
Ichetucknee River
High Springs
Fort White
Palatka
Crescent Beach
St. Augustine
Cedar Key
• Dub’s Steer House
MUDCRUTCH (BEFORE THE HEARTBREAKERS)
TOM PETTY (GAINESVILLE’S FAVORITE SON)
FATHER KNOWS BEST (EARL PETTY)
TWO TICKETS TO TOM PETTY PARADISE
TOM’S LONG DISTANCE LOVER
MUSIC IN A SMALL NORTH FLORIDA TOWN
MEMORABLE GAINESVILLE SHOWS
EAGLES w/ JIMMY BUFFETT
FRANK ZAPPA (KISS MY ASS) HALLOWEEN 1979
PAT BENATAR @ THE FLORIDA GYM
TALKING HEADS (ART PUNK) @ THE BANDSHELL
QUEEN OF THE BALL ’81
GATOR FROM ANOTHER PLANET (SWIMMING POOL Qs)
BLONDIE (1981) @ THE FLORIDA GYM
JIMMY BUFFETT (KEY DREAMING) 1978
THE POLICE (ROADTRIP TO TOMORROW LAND)
DIRE STRAITS (VINNY’S NIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (TICKET QUEST)
ROLLING STONES (STONED IN ORLANDO)
road trips
MOVIES (ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW)
THE MOVIE WITH NO END
music
Goin’ Down to Georgia (Tom Petty)
PLAYING GAINESVILLE
Blues In The Night
HOMEGROWN ROCK N ROLL (BO DIDDLEY)
MUDDY WATERS (PAINT IT BLACK)
Gainesville Love Story
GAINESVILLE MUSIC LIST
GREGG ALLMAN (1974)
Songs of the North Florida South
ALLMAN BROTHERS (FLORIDA NATIVES)
@ THE BANDSHELL
SEA LEVEL (CHUCK LEAVELL)
DIXIE DREGS (SOUTHERN FUSION)
STEVE FORBERT
COWBOY
LES DUDEK
FAT CHANCE BAND
OUTLAWS
LYNYRD SKYNYRD
BLACKFOOT
.38 SPECIAL
MOLLY HATCHET
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION
SWIMMING POOL Qs
PYLON
MOTELS
ROAD TURKEY
Wannee Soul Stew”
Derek Trucks
2005 — Live at the Wannee Festival
((( Country Blues )))
Waterhole”
On the Outskirts of Town
1975 — The Outlaws
((( Florida Country )))
Depot Street”
Mudcrutch
1974 — Across 5th Avenue
((( rural romeo )))
Trailer”
Mudcrutch
1974 — The Other Side of Gainesville
((( No Less Home )))
Crystal River”
Mudcrutch
1974 — North Florida’s Environmental Wonders
((( natural road )))
Heartbreaker Beach Party”
Mudcrutch
1983 — Long After Dark
Crescent Beach
((( Cats On The Coast )))
Gator On My Lawn”
Mudcrutch
1974 — The University of Florida’s Local News
((( independent )))
1970s — QUIZ
REMINISCING (LOOKING BACK BEFORE MOVING FORWARD)
—30—
road trips
Pensacola
Tallahassee
Wakulla
Apalachicola
Ichetucknee River
High Springs
Fort White
Palatka
Crescent Beach
St. Augustine
Cedar Key
Micanopy
Cross Creek
Ocala National Forest
Silver Springs
Ocklawaha River*
Orlando [SR50]
“Gainesville” Tom Petty (Official)
Tom Petty’s family produced “Gainesville” to honor Tom and the small, North Florida town he always called home.
1985 — For an MTV “Homecoming” feature, Tom narrated his drive in and around Gainesville, including through the University of Florida campus, and stops at old high school haunts, Lake Alice and Devil’s Millhopper.
TOM PETTY (HOMECOMING ’81)
MUDCRUTCH (1971) THE INTERVIEW
TWO TICKETS TO TOM PETTY PARADISE (“YOU GOT LUCKY”)
TOM’S LONG DISTANT LOVER
FATHER KNOWS BEST
ALLMAN BROTHERS (FLORIDA NATIVES)
@ THE BANDSHELL
SEA LEVEL (CHUCK LEAVELL)
THE DIXIE DREGS (FLORIDA FUSION)
STEVE FORBERT
COWBOY
LES DUDEK
OUTLAWS (w/FAT CHANCE BAND)
PAT TRAVERS
ROY BUCHANAN
SPYRO GYRA
EAGLES w/ JIMMY BUFFETT
JIMMY BUFFETT’S BACK
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (TICKET QUEST)
PAT BENATAR @ THE FLORIDA GYM
FRANK ZAPPA (HALLOWEEN ANGEL)
TALKING HEADS (NEW WAVE @ THE BANDSHELL)
THE POLICE (ROADTRIP TO TOMORROW LAND)
ROLLING STONES (STONED IN ORLANDO)
Southbound
Songs of the North Florida South
GAINESVILLE ROCKED
COOL #9 (SAVE PLUTO)
NAKED LAUNCH
NAKED LAUNCH (ALT.)
DIAMOND TEETH MARY McCLAIN
DIRE STRAITS (VINNY’S NIGHT IN JACKSONVILLE)
ROLLING STONES (TANGERINE BOWL)
movies (back home)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
Before The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty led a band called Mudcrutch. He and Gainesville were in the middle of a musical revolution, defining what would become Southern Rock. The North Florida and Georgia neighborhood was filled with so many of the originators:
The Allman Brothers,
Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Outlaws,
Sea Level,
The Dixie Dregs,
Atlanta Rhythm Section,
Blackfoot,
.38 Special
Molly Hatchet (“GATOR COUNTRY”)
Gainesvillians:
Don Felder (Eagles), and
Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young)
“Oh Camil” (Graham Nash)
MUSIC EVERYWHERE: THE ROCK N ROLL ROOTS OF A SOUTHERN TOWN.
Marty Jourard is a founding member of the band The Motels.
Music Everywhere
The Rock N Roll Roots of a Southern Town
By Marty Jourard
When the Beatles launched into fame in 1963, they inspired a generation to pick up an instrument and start a band. Rock and roll took the world by storm, but one small town in particular seemed to pump out prominent musicians and popular bands at factory pace.
Many American college towns have their own story to tell when it comes to their rock and roll roots, but the story of Gainesville, Florida, is unique: dozens of resident musicians launched into national prominence, eight inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a steady stream of major acts rolled through on a regular basis. From Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Stephen Stills and the Eagles’ Don Felder and Bernie Leadon, Gainesville cultivated some of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters of the time.
Marty Jourard, a member of the chart-topping band the Motels, delves into the individual stories of the musicians, businesses, and promoters that helped foster innovative, professional music and a vibrant creative atmosphere during the mid-sixties and seventies. The laid-back southern town was also host to a clash of cultures. It was home to intellectuals and rednecks, liberals and conservatives, racists and civil rights activists, farmers, businessmen, students, and hippies. Although sometimes violent and chaotic, these diverse forces brought wild rock and roll energy to the music scene and nourished it with an abundance of musical fare that included folk, gospel, soul, country, blues, and Top Forty hits. Gainesville musicians developed a sound all their own and a music scene that, decades later, is still launching musicians to the top of the charts.
Music Everywhere brings to light a key chapter in the history of American rock and roll―a time when music was a way of life and bands popped up by the dozen, some falling by the wayside but others leaving an indelible mark. Here is the story of the people, the town, and a culture that nurtured a wellspring of talent.
monday
february 1, 1971
vol 63 no 73