The Thunderbirds

While the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland concentrates on inducting popular acts (at least in terms of record sales), it’s up to the local and state Hall of Fames to recognize and honor the groups that recorded classic singles but yet never had any impact on the national charts. One such group was Iowa’s The Thunderbirds, who are remembered today on the strength of their lone 45 RPM. The band has been nominated for possible induction into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association Hall of Fame in 2006 and is currently experiencing renewed interest in Europe and beyond. Steve Brown and Carl Adams graciously provided 60sgaragebands.com with the story of their teen band.

An Interview With Steve Brown and Carl Adams

60sgaragebands.com (60s): Who were the members of the Thunderbirds?

Steve Brown (SB) & Carl Adams (CA): The Thunderbirds band members were founders Stan Brown (bass and vocals) and Steve Brown (organ, harmonica, tambourine and vocals) from Lenox, Iowa; their cousin Roger Brown (drummer and vocals); and Dean Harper (lead guitar), also from Lenox. The fifth member was Carl Adams (rhythm guitar and vocals) from Burlington, Iowa.

60s: How did you first get interested in music?

SB: I guess we (Stan and I) would have to attribute our interest in music in part to our parents. Growing up as kids, mom and dad always listened to the radio; therefore we'd listen and sing along to the tunes. Our mother decided we needed piano lessons (I was about 8 (third grade), and Stan was about 9. While I enjoyed playing the piano, I didn't like having to mess around with learning all the notes, etc. I had an ear for music, so I'd try to con my teacher into playing the tunes first, and then I'd play them back by ear. That lasted only so long. In about seventh grade (I was about 12 and Stan 13 - this would have been about 1960) dad bought Stan and me our first guitars. The rest (as they say) is history.

CA: I loved rock and roll. I picked up my first guitar in 1961 as a freshman in high school, and like many others, taught myself how to play. I remember the bloody fingers, and the dreams.

60s: The band started in 1963 as The Midnight Specials, correct? How did you land your first gig?

SB: It really wasn't a "gig" per se. Stan and I had come into contact (through our guitar teacher and later band member Dean Harper) with a girl who was planning on singing a number in a local state talent search (The Bill Riley Talent Show), and we had been asked to play backup for her. We decided as long as we were there, we’d just as well try our luck and sing a song and compete also. We chose and did a cover of the song Midnight Special, as recorded by Johnny Rivers. At the time of the talent show we were announced as “The Brown Brothers", kind of like “The Everly Brothers," who originated in Shenandoah, Iowa, less than 30 miles from where we lived then and now live. Anyway, after the applause died down, we both thought that was quite a deal, so we adopted the name The Midnight Specials from that song.

The first actual "gig" that we did was later on that summer. Our cousin, Roger Brown, had joined us as a drummer. We decided to go out on our own, so that summer we made up posters, went back over the area where we had done the talent show, rented a shelter in the local park for a Saturday night, and put up flyers around town. Since none of us could drive, Roger's dad helped out by loading up a pickup with us, the instruments, and some snow fence and drove over to Mt. Ayr, Iowa to do the gig. We set up our instruments, and then went about putting the snow fence up around the shelter on three sides to keep kids from sneaking in. My uncle manned the door and I think we charged maybe .50 cents to get in. I doubt if we had twenty songs worked up, but I do remember we made a little money that evening.

The Midnight Specials (later named The Thunderbirds), was formed in our hometown of Lenox, Iowa (located in Southwest Iowa), in about 1963 or '64. Stan and Steve Brown were the original two who started the group. Roger Brown (a cousin) was the first person to be added to the group. Steve Brown played rhythm guitar and harmonica, vocals; Stan Brown played bass guitar and vocals); and Roger Brown played drums and back up vocals. We became The Thunderbirds when Dean Harper and Carl Adams came on board. As The Thunderbirds the group was: Steve Brown (organ, rhythm guitar, tambourine, drums, harmonica and vocals); Stan Brown (bass guitar, rhythm guitar and vocals); Roger Brown (drums and backup vocals); Carl Adams (rhythm guitar and backup vocals); and Dean Harper (lead guitar and backup vocals).

60s: What was the reason for the name change to The Thunderbirds?

SB & CA: Stan was responsible for the name change. In the fall of 1965 he started attending Iowa State University, and ended up renting an apartment in Ames with Carl as his room mate. One weekend he came home with a great looking pull-over fall style jacket. It had a thunderbird emblem on the front left breast area and a large thunderbird on the back. We decided that would be our trademark and name. Carl had played in several bands in the Burlington area and soon joined The Thunderbirds.

60s: Where did the band typically play?

SB & CA: We played high school dances, proms, homecomings, youth centers, skate lands, Eagles clubs, and National Guard armories - anywhere that a dance could be held. Later (late '65, '66 and '67) we played many frat and sorority parties, and large teen centers.

60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?

SB: The Midnight Specials was originally influenced by country and folk music, early '60's style. As rock music came onboard so did The Midnight Specials, and then of course when the Beatles hit that was the end of folk/country music for the group. Although we covered all the current hits at the time, I was partial to Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Young Rascals, The Hollies, and at that time a new comer named Neil Diamond.

CA: The Thunderbirds had a real driving beat, solid vocals and a great sound. We were often complimented on our ability to cover songs and sound like the originals. We prided ourselves in the fact that our audience "could not sit down" when we were playing. We were a great vocal and danceable band. We preformed our music in sets (we called them show-times) with five songs per set bridged by drum solos. We wore everyone out on the dance floor! We were a very strong vocal band, with great Fender and Gibson equipment. Strong vocals and solid audio equipment was not that common at the time.

60s: Did you play any of the local teen clubs? Were there many in Iowa at the time?

SB & CA: We played at many local teen clubs in the area. Creston Teen Center was the one closest to home (Lenox). We played most Friday and Saturday nights throughout those years. We considered ourselves a "working road band.”

60s: The Thunderbirds participated in a Battle of the Bands at the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines. What other bands do you recall playing against? How well did the band fare?

SB: As I recall there were actually three bands that night: The Thunderbirds, a second "mystery" band, and Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs. It was a set-up; a nationally known band against two locally known bands - there was only one outcome. Sam The Sham won.

CA: The sad part about it is that we remember Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs really "stunk" that night.

60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?

SB: Here in Southwest Iowa there were two bands that stand out in my mind: The Rumbles and The Green Giants.

CA: I also recall The Coachmen out of Omaha on the same circuit. There were many, many local bands.

60s: Did the Thunderbirds have a manager?

CA: We really didn't have a "manager" per se. Stan and Steve did most of the booking and managed the band. On occasion, we worked with a booker out of Omaha, but we were basically on our own.

60s: How popular locally were The Thunderbirds able to become?

SB & CA: The Thunderbirds were quite popular in the local area and in all the areas where we traveled. Wherever we booked a dance, we were always invited back.

60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?

SB & CA: Regionally speaking, we ranged far and wide. We played in Eastern Nebraska, and all over Iowa, Northern Missouri, and Western Illinois.

60s: The Thunderbirds recorded one single (Hey Little Girl and These Days Are Gone). Where were the songs recorded?

SB & CA: The instrumentals for the songs were laid down in Kansas City, Missouri. It was in the fall of 1966. It was a rainy, stormy night; we had to carry all the equipment up some stairs into the studio. What a job that was. After laying down the instrumental tracks, we couldn't get the vocal sounds we wanted, so a promoter that had set up the recording session decided we'd be better off trying the vocals elsewhere - so the vocals were laid down at the Sears Recording Studio in Omaha. The record was released in January of 1967 on Libra Records. We’ve recently discovered that it is now one of the most popular “garage band” recordings of the 1960’s, as evidenced by sales on e-Bay and its current popularity in Europe and Australia.

60s: Both songs were written by Steve. How prolific of a writer were you?

SB: I don't think prolific would be a word I would use about myself. Hey Little Girl was written in 1965 over a broken heart from a former girlfriend that ditched me. In early 1966 the same experience lead to writing These Days Are Gone. I originally was going to name These Days Are Gone as Yesterday, but The Beatles beat me to it. I actually named it Those Days Are Gone, as the words of the song testify to. "These Days Are Gone" was an error that occurred through the record company. I'm not sure how it got changed, but when it came out printed on the label it was "These" instead of "Those". I did write a few more songs, but never put them down on paper, and after 38 or so years, they have escaped from my memory.

60s: Do any other Thunderbirds recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks?

SB & CA: The record is the only one ever recorded by The Thunderbirds. We recently discovered a reel to reel "practice" tape made in about 1966. It has a couple hours of vintage Thunderbirds on it. We now wish we had taken more care to save pictures, recordings, etc.

60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances, or does any home movie film footage exist of the band?

SB: To my knowledge there is no film footage, either home movie or TV, that is available.

60s: What year and why did the band break up?

SB & CA: The band officially ended in late 1967. Vietnam was knocking on the door; other than Dean Harper (who was in his early 30s) all of us had military obligations that needed to be met. Stan was still going to college and had enrolled in Air Force R.O.T.C. Steve, Carl and Roger were 1A Classified. By May of '68, all were in the military (other than Dean).

60s: Do you have any plans for 2005 and beyond?

SB & CA: Currently all band members are still alive. Steve, Dean and Stan still live in and around the Lenox, Iowa area. Carl lives in the Seattle area, and Roger lives in Florida. We've recently been nominated to be inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association (IRRMA) Hall of Fame. We'll know in January of 2006 if we're to be inducted. There's been some talk about getting The Thunderbirds back together to perform if we're inducted. Because of the "garage band" popularity in Europe, we're thinking about a website.

60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Thunderbirds?

SB & CA: Being in a band was a Hoot! It was always like an adventure every time we went to play somewhere. There are plenty of stories to tell about experiences that happened along the way. The band always got along well. We were just having a great time traveling and playing music. We were a great band!

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