Klansmen

3 Responses to Klansmen

1. Tom Jones says:

   December 29, 2019 at 1:57 PM

   Yes, the band was named the Klansmen. Little did we know the meaning – yet no one ever said anything about it. Even our teacher at Ridgeview Jr High, James Eaddy (the basketball ref who was black) supported us.

   Before I got into the band (I was recruited from the Left Bank with Dan Gerke, Tom Rau, Dave Norman), it was Leo Najar (who left to play in the Blues Invention) and Randy Smith on guitars, Dave Ross on bass, and Gary Hagen on drums.

   We played just about every Battle of the Bands there was. We even got to play a frat parties at Hillsdale College and Davenport. You can only imagine how junior high boys felt being hit on by college girls – and how the college boys didn’t take kindly to that! When Leo left we brought on Dave Hawkins from Kentwood and Greg Billing on bass. We regularly played at the Towne and Country Coffee shop, alternating weeks with the Boyfriends and backed up the Frederic at an EGR dance. At that point we really seemed to take off, being featured bands at WGRD dances (with Dave doing his Hendrix imitation but lighting his guitar on fire) and winning the Battle of the Band at the Allegan County Fair and being the opening act for of all bands, are you ready??? The Royal Guardsmen. Their manager was so impressed he stated that if we were only a couple years older (we were only in 8th grade) that he’d sign us.

   Seems once we all hit high school – we went separate ways with no regrets. A fun time was had by all.

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2. Gary E Hagen says:

   August 1, 2018 at 1:06 PM

   The Klansman Band Members were Gary Hagen (drums) Greg Billing (Bass ) Tom Jones (key boards) Dave Hawkins (lead guitar) and Randy Smith (Guitar)

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3. Gary E Hagen says:

   August 1, 2018 at 1:04 PM

   The Klansman Band Members were Gary Hagen (drums) Greg Billing (Bass ) Tom Jones (key boards) Dave Hawkins (lead guitar) and Randy Smith (RYTHM Guitar)

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