Classics IV

Classics IV

Classics IV, 1968.
Background information
Origin Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Genres Soft rock,[1] rock, jazz fusion
Years active 1965–present
Labels Imperial Records
Associated acts Atlanta Rhythm Section
Website www.theclassicsiv.com

The Classics IV is a band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band is often credited for establishing the "soft southern rock" sound. The band, led by singer Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits "Spooky", "Stormy" and "Traces", released 1967 to 1969, which have become cover standards.

Career

Early days

The group began as The Classics, a Jacksonville cover band consisting of guitarists J. R. Cobb, Walter Eaton, keyboardist Joe Wilson, and singer Dennis Yost. Cobb and producer-manager Buddy Buie would later form the Atlanta Rhythm Section with the Candymen drummer Robert Nix, also from Jacksonville, and keyboardist Dean Daughtry in 1971. Yost had previously been a member of the Echoes. The name "the Classics" came from the Classic drum set Yost owned. He was known in the Georgia/Florida area as the "stand-up drummer" because he played standing up. The Classics played Ventures covers, instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime". People started requesting vocals, so Dennis would say "I can sing that," and that was the beginning of the group's new direction.

The band was discovered performing in Daytona Beach by talent agent Paul Cochran, who became the band's manager in partnership with Buie. The pair had formed an alliance with manager-publisher Bill Lowery and urged the band to relocate to Atlanta. With the help of Lowery, they quickly snagged the group a singles deal with Capitol Records. The Classics' debut single was "Pollyanna", a song written by Lowery client Joe South and sung in a style which resembled that of the Four Seasons. Shortly after that they received a letter informing them that there was already a recording act named 'the Classics', who had a single titled "Till Then." In an effort to differentiate themselves, Yost and company added "IV" to the name because there were (at that time) four members.

The Classics IV performed "Pollyanna" on Dick Clark's TV Show Where the Action Is! and "Pollyanna" was a regional hit. But when WABC (AM) radio in New York started playing it they received a call from the Four Seasons' manager demanding they cease airplay of "Pollyanna" or they would no longer get exclusives on future Four Seasons recordings, among other disincentives.[2] The group landed a deal with Imperial Records. Guitarists Cobb and Buie added lyrics to a jazz instrumental titled "Spooky", a regional hit for Atlanta saxophonist Mike Sharpe. The single made it to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and No.  46 in the UK.

Drummer Kim Venable (born 5 May 1944, died 12 June 2016) was brought in so Yost could move freely out front (Robert Nix and Terry Walters were the drummers on their studio recordings). Daughtry replaced Wilson. The band changed its name to 'the Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost' and enjoyed two more top-10 hits, "Stormy" (1968, Hot 100 No. 5) and "Traces" (1969, Hot 100 No. 2, Easy Listening No. 2). Cobb and Buie borrowed heavily from 1936's "Everyday with Jesus" by Robert C. and Wendell P. Loveless to pen the top 20 follow-up "Everyday with You Girl" (1969, Hot 100 No. 19, Easy Listening No. 12). In 1971 Michael Huey[3] became the drummer after working for other Lowery artists Tommy Roe and the Swingin' Medallions. During this period Huey also became the staff drummer for Lowery Studios, and later moved to L.A.

"Spooky", "Stormy", and "Traces" each sold more than one million units, and all were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.[4] Those three hits plus "Everyday With You Girl" also appeared in the 1977 film The Chicken Chronicles.

They changed their name again, to "Dennis Yost and the Classics IV," and had one last top 40 hit, "What Am I Crying for?" (1972, No. 39) on MGM South.

Later career

In 1975 Yost began performing solely under his own name, and eventually he lost the rights to the Classics IV name. During the 1990s, without the trademark, he used many backup bands including Steve "Stevie G" Guettler (guitar, vocals), Jeff "JT" Strickler (bass guitar, vocals), Steve Farrell (guitar, vocals), Mike Wilson (keyboards, vocals) and Wes Armstrong (drums, vocals) of the Atlanta-based group The Rockerz. He also used Nashville-based Steve Jarrell and The Sons of the Beach Band, as well as the Hitts out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, with Ed Hutchison (guitar, backing vocals) Ramon Gonzalez (keyboards, backing vocals) Andy Crosswell (drums) and David Voss.

In 2001 Yost underwent successful throat surgery for a condition that had severely impaired his singing voice. He also won a trademark dispute which gave him exclusive rights to the name The Classics IV for both performing and recording purposes.

Injury and death of Dennis Yost

On July 11, 2006, Yost fell down a flight of stairs and suffered serious brain trauma. To assist Yost and his wife with their medical bills, a benefit concert was held on March 25, 2007, at Rhino's Live in Cincinnati, Ohio. The benefit was hosted by Yost's close friend Jon "Bowser" Bauman, former vocalist with Sha Na Na. Many musical entertainers and some surprise guests from the 1950s through the 1970s performed some of their biggest chart-topping hits in tribute to Yost. Some of the artists performing that day were Denny Laine (the Moody Blues and Wings), Chuck Negron (previously of Three Dog Night), Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers), Pat Upton (Spiral Starecase), "Diamond" Dave Somerville, the Skyliners, Buzz Cason, Carl Dobkins Jr., Mark Volman (the Turtles), & The Robby Campbell Trio. The concert did not significantly benefit Yost or his wife financially, as was hoped; expenses far exceeded the money raised, leaving the event in the red. However, it was a huge boost for Yost to visit with so many old friends.

After Yost's accident, he chose Tom Garrett to replace him as lead singer for the Classics IV. The plan was for Yost to make a few yearly "special appearances", and gradually have Garrett take over as the leader of the band. However, Yost was able to perform with them for only one appearance in 2008. Garrett and Yost worked closely together to develop the current lineup. He chose Garrett to help him keep the Classics IV music going in the Classics IV tradition. Yost would listen to the band on recorded CDs, and during that time Garrett and Yost became close friends. The band Yost chose in 2007 to continue his legacy with the Classics IV trademark consisted of Garrett as lead vocalist, Kevin Lloyd on bass, Tim Ridgeway on drums, Joe Sadler on guitar, Garard Montague III on flute and saxophone, and James Yoder on keyboards. In early 2012, due to health issues Montague was replaced on saxophone and flute by Paul Weddle.

Yost died at the age of 65 from respiratory failure on December 7, 2008, the 40th anniversary of the entrance of "Stormy" into the Hot 100's top 10.[5]

Since Yost's death, the current Classics IV lineup is Tom Garrett (vocals), Kevin Lloyd (bass), James Yoder (keyboards), Paul Weddle (sax and flute), John Kerner (guitar) and Shawn White (drums).

Discography

Albums

Year Album Label & number US Billboard
1968 Spooky Imperial LP-9371 (Mono)/LP-12371 (Stereo) 140
Mamas and Papas/Soul Train Imperial LP-12407 196
1969 Traces Imperial LP-12429 45
Golden Greats Volume 1 Imperial LP-16000 50
1970 Stormy Sunset SUS-5323 -
Song Liberty LST-11003 -
1973 What Am I Crying for MGM South MSH-702 -

CDs

Singles

Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated		 Label & number Chart positions Album
US[6] US AC
1964 "Don't Make Me Wait"
b/w "It's Too Late"		 Arlen 746 - - Non-album tracks
1966 "Pollyanna"
b/w "Cry Baby"		 Capitol 5710 - -
1967 "Little Darlin'"
b/w "Nothing to Lose"		 Capitol 5816 - -
"Spooky"
b/w "Poor People"		 Imperial 66259 3 - Spooky
1968 "Soul Train"
b/w "Strange Changes"		 Imperial 66293 90 - Mamas and Papas/Soul Train
"Mama's and Papa's"
b/w "Waves"		 Imperial 66304 - -
"Stormy"
b/w "24 Hours of Loneliness"		 Imperial 66328 5 26
1969 "Traces"
b/w "Mary, Mary Row Your Boat" (from Spooky)		 Imperial 66352 2 2 Traces
"Everyday with You Girl"
b/w "Sentimental Lady"		 Imperial 66378 19 12
"Change of Heart"
b/w "Rainy Day" (from Traces)		 Imperial 66393 49 25 Golden Greats Volume 1
"Midnight"
b/w "The Comic"		 Imperial 66424 58 23 Song
1970 "The Funniest Thing"
b/w "Nobody Loves You But Me"		 Imperial 66439 59 11
"God Knows I Loved Her"
b/w "We Miss You"		 Liberty 56182 - -
"Where Did All the Good Times Go"
b/w "Ain't It the Truth" 		Liberty 56200 69 14
1971 "Cherryhill Park"[7]
b/w "Pick Up the Pieces"		 United Artists 50805 - -
1972 "It's Time for Love"
b/w "Most of All" (from Song)		 United Artists 50777 - 31 Non-album track
"What Am I Crying for"
b/w "All in Your Mind"		 MGM South 7002 39 7 What Am I Crying for
1973 "Rosanna"
b/w "One Man Show"		 MGM South 7012 95 35
"Save the Sunlight"
b/w "Make Me Believe It"		 MGM South 7016 - -
"Love Me or Leave Me Alone"
b/w "I Knew It Would Happen" 		MGM South 7020 - - Non-album tracks
"It's Now Winter's Day"
b/w "Losing My Mind"		 MGM South 7027 - -
1975 "My First Day Without Her"
b/w "Lovin' Each Other"		 MGM 14785 94 -

References

  1. ↑ "Lead singer of '60s group the Classics IV dies". Los Angeles Times. December 9, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  2. ↑ . AllMusic.com Retrieved on 2017-08-07.
  3. ↑ Michael Huey. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2012-05-07.
  4. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 218 & 256. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  5. ↑ Associated Press, December 8, 2008 Classics IV singer Dennis Yost dies at 65; www.msnbc.msn.com
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 945. ISBN 0-89820-188-8.
  7. ↑ "Dennis Yost & Classics Four ~ Song (1970)," Music of Sixties (blog), Friday, February 15, 2013.
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