RIP Paul Revere...

No, not the guy who made "the midnight ride" back in the Revolutionary War days - rather, the rock 'n roller, and leader of the band Paul Revere and the Raiders.

I often give credit to the Beatles for fueling my interest in guitar playing, and that is a fact; I remember going to the neighbor's house and watching the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show back in February of 1964.

But, the very first rock concert I went to, in 1965, was Paul Revere and the Raiders.  My sister, Joan, took Mark Chartier and me to the concert.  That was a very big deal to a young boy with hopes of playing rock 'n roll.  Not much later, we were part of the band Spirit of '76 (Nancy Smith, Randy Peters, Mark Chartier, Mickey Doran, and me)... yes, we had the blue Revolutionary War jackets, white pants, and boots.

Three years ago, we saw Paul Revere and the Raiders in Branson, Missouri.  I paid extra to get front row seats... it was a fun time.  Part of his schtick was tossing out Twinkies to the crowd - he came down and gave Joan the whole box.  The theater was packed. 

I also remember going to Indiana to see my aunt and uncle: there was a TV show on there called "Where the Action Is," a Dick Clark production, that we didn't get in Sioux City, Iowa.  Paul Revere was frequently on that show.  Another part of my formative years.

The passing of an era.

http://www.paulrevereandtheraiders.com/index.html