The Damnation Of Adam Blessing

Akarma Records has recently released a comprehensive boxed set containing all (or most of) the recordings of The Damnation of Adam Blessing. To commemorate this event, we’re pleased to present a brief, but informative, interview with member Jim Quinn. Doug Sheppard has previously written the definitive biography of the band in an issue of Ugly Things, and we strongly encourage you to seek it out if you haven’t read it. We used Sheppard’s detailed bio in order to question Quinn about his prior bands, and the early days of Cleveland’s legendary rock group. For more on the band, visit: www.myspace.com/thedamnationofadamblessing].

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Lance Monthly (LM): You apparently were much older than original members of The Damnation of Adam Blessing (aka The Society). Did that cause any conflicts, or other concerns?

Jim Quinn (JQ): I was 23 when our first LP was released in 1969. Ray Bench was the youngest member of the group at about 18 years old. The rest of the guys were all around 21. So to answer your question, it would be “no.” [NOTE: According to member Ray Benich’s online account of the band, “I was 19 at the time. Jim Quinn was 37.” This good-natured barb led to the confusion of the first question.]

LM: How long were you a member of Larry & The Avengers?

JQ: Larry and the Avengers was a band that I started with my best friend Larry Jones right out of high school around 1964-1966.

LM: What were the names of the songs on the acetate Larry & The Avengers cut in '64?

JQ: We cut two songs at Audio Recording in downtown Cleveland. I remember we scraped up about $50.00 to pay for the recording. It was the first time I was ever in a recording studio. I was mesmerized. The two songs [that] were recorded [were] an old Conway Twitty song called “It’s Only Make Believe” and an original called “Lady Fair.”

LM: Had you left Larry & The Avengers prior to joining The Society, or were you looking for a new band at that time?

JQ: Actually I was drafted into the service. I ended up joining the U.S. Air Force. I only spent about 12 months in Texas as part of my duty and was released under medical conditions. I could not take the 120-degree heat on the base flight line and would experience fainting spells. It was not a good condition to have when one was refilling B52’s with thousands of gallons jet petroleum.

LM: Had you heard of The Society, or were you familiar with the band, prior to be asked to become a member?

JQ: I had returned home from the Air Force in late 1966 and was working part-time at a gas station in Cleveland. I was biting at the bit to play again, especially after I went to see The Blues Magoos play at a club called La Cave.

The owner of the station knew I was a musician and he was a friend with a woman, whose son (Doug “Phrog” Brown) was in a band. They were looking for another guitar player. I went to audition, got the gig, and that’s when I met Bill Constable a.k.a. Adam Blessing. Bill was the lead singer and Doug was the keyboard player.

LM: The Society was together for approximately three years. How popular did the band become locally?

JQ: The Society was a somewhat popular band in the high schools. We did not do a lot of club dates back them, mostly VFW halls and school gigs. We won several battles of the band contests, which led to some nice press exposure for the band. We were playing quite regularly around town with other groups like The Choir.

LM: I don't believe The Society ever recorded. Why not?

JQ: Good question, short answer: We didn’t write songs.

LM: What was the impetus to dissolve The Society, and then to form a new group with members of Dust?

JQ: We didn’t write songs which is the reason Bill and I decided we needed another band to work with. The guys in Society were in high school when we played and they were now getting ready to go to college. It was inevitable that the band was breaking up. Both Bill and I were dedicated to finding other musicians we could write with. Bill ended up finding this power trio with a lead singer called Dust at a club in Berea, Ohio. Bill was a very convincing salesperson and talked the band into leaving their lead singer and joining us on our road to stardom. At that time we landed a manager by the name of Mark Barger. Barger was just coming off a huge recording success with the Cincinnati based Lemon Pipers. This was in part the reason Bill Schwark, Ray Benich and Bob Kalamasz joined the band. We had a big time manager and now we had a fulltime group.

LM: The Damnation of Adam Blessing: Do you think this name has affected the band's legacy at all?

JQ: We loved the name. Perhaps it has. It’s a fun story how we decided on the name.


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