THE FABULOUS WAILERS

From Jimi Hendrix to Heart to Nirvana,

The Northwest has produced some musical giants. Geographically isolated, the area's cultural scenes have always been a bit skewed from major metropolitan centers. And through it all, the "Northwest Sound" has been influential in rock music for the past 40 years. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and David Bowie all can be linked to this corner of the country by their quotes or music.

The fifties in the Northwest were an interesting melting pot. Clubs such as The Black and Tan, Birdland, and the Evergreen Ballroom routinely brought black R&B acts to town, and Ray Charles was based in the area. Rockabilly had made its presence known, and Elvis Presley was huge. It was out of this environment that five teenagers from Tacoma, Washington formed the Fabulous Wailers.

The Boys from Tacoma hit nationally while still in high school. "Tall Cool One" reached the national charts at #36 in June of 1959. Fame called the band to the East Coast for some appearances, including the Alan Freed Show and American Bandstand. Turning down high-powered management, they returned to the Northwest to dominate the local entertainment scene.

As with any band with a ten year longevity, membership changed in the Wailers. Kent Morrill (keyboards, lead vocals) was there for the band's entire history. Buck Ormsby (bass, guitar) joined immediately after "Tall Cool One" and lasted the duration. Over the years they had several guitar players: Rich Dangel, John Greek, Neil Anderson and Denny Weaver. The band's original drummer was Mike Burk and later Dave Roland. Mark Marush played tenor sax, and was replaced by Ron Gardner who also sang lead and developed into a compelling front man.. Frustrated about the way they were handled (or mishandled) by the major record labels, Ormsby, Morrill and Rockin' Robin Roberts formed their own "indie" record label "Etiquette". Thus, their material was self-recorded and self-promoted. They produced a number of other acts, and Etiquette has left a fine history of some of the Northwest's most gritty recordings.

The Wailers were always experimenting and progressing musically. They had several fine vocalists, and with Rockin' Robin Roberts cut the definitive version of "Louie Louie". The band also featured singer Gail Harris. She was only 13 years old when she first sang with the Wailers, and eventually became a regular during the early sixties. Audiences were so awed by the powerful performances by this group of musicians and singers that an album was produced called "The Wailers At The Castle" recorded live at the then famous Spanish Castle Ballroom .Wailers' sound as it was meant to be heard.