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Peoria High School's Alumni Contribute to Saving a Nation!

It's hard to believe our high school was around before the Civil War. Peoria High was established May 5, 1856. The United States was barely 80 years old. There were 31 states in 1856. By 1861, Abraham Lincoln had just assumed the Presidency and shortly after the Civil War started. There were 23 states in the United States and 11 states in the Confederacy. And good ole Peoria High and its students were living through it. On the plaque that hangs in the Main Hallway of Peoria High you will find those students that were called to service in support of the Union. There are names on that plaque that had their sons and daughters attend Peoria High and many Generations thereafter. An amazing history!

Of interest is one name. Robert J Burdette. During the Civil War he served as a private in the 47th Illinois infantry. His post war service was an interesting journey. He was an American humorist and clergyman who became noted through his paragraphs in The Hawk Eye newspaper in Burlington, Iowa. Mary G. Burdette was his sister. He became a very famous poet of his time. His books are still available at book outlets.

Robert J. Burdette was known for his unique blend of humor and poetry, captivating audiences with his witty and insightful reflections on life. His work often showcased a lighthearted approach to serious subjects, making him a beloved figure in American literature. Through his clever verses and humorous anecdotes, Burdette able to connect with readers, leaving a lasting impact with his ability to find joy in everyday moments. His legacy as a humorist and poet continues to resonate, reminding us of the power of laughter creativity.

Robert J Burdette died on November 19, 1914.

Memorial Day remembrances were common before the it was officially recognized as "Decoration Day". Many decades later the Federal Government proclaimed Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day on May 5th 1866. Peoria High School was only 10 years old. Originally called Decoration Day, it was formalized by a "Memorial Day Order" issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan in 1868. The General Order called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

So take a little time this Memorial Day to reflect, remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms that this great nation offers. Remember that many have served our nation throughout its history...but Peoria High School we know has produced some of the finest men and women who have ever served this country. Thank you to all our fellow Alumni for your service to our country! Safe travels to all of our Alumni and your families this Memorial Day weekend.

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Read the current edition of the PHS Opinion!

Read the Opinion

From the The Crest 1957

Many of us today would not remember "The Rec". It was a place that students gathered after games, after school and from other events. It served the students until the early 60's when the interstate highway went through the city and PHS got an addition of the Science wing. At one point the Rec caught fire and burned. It was restored later for the students to use. The picture below depicts the restoration of the Rec. A little blast from the past.

If you would like to read further about the Rec...head over to the Media section and read Tracy Riebel's article on "The Rec". The Rec article...press here.

To our readers: The Garage Band article was a popular read. We will leave it up on the Home Page for another week. Then move it back to the Media section. Thanks again to Rick Simpkins for submitting this article.

Garage Bands-The 1960's

The Influence of Music on PHS Students

It seems like yesterday growing up in the Uplands near Bradley University. As young boy in the 60's lots of things were happening. The Vietnam War was in high gear, Bradley Basketball was doing pretty well, and an abundance of music was in the neighborhood. On some summer nights I could hear Rock and Roll being played. I'd search it out and found a "garage band" on Parkside Drive. To hear these guys play was amazing. There was another band near the Glenwood and/or Institute Place area of the Uplands. Again the sounds were anazing.

Walking to Whitttier School everyday from Maplewood Avenue was a snap. I would see other students carrying instruments to school. Whittier had Band and Orchestra as did many other schools in the district. Music was a big part of everybody's life it seemed. Rock and Roll or the British Invasion arrived in the 60's. The influence of the Beatles can not be dismissed within our American culture. Rock Bands popped up over night. Hence, Garage Bands exploded in the city. Music shops were everywhere and you could get lessons at many venues. Well, I played a Viola and a Banjo growing up but pursued another career as I got older. But many others played musical instruments a lot longer! Were you one of them?

Nowaday's in Peoria you head to Kelleher's or in the Heights to hear Rock or Country...just about any genre. I caught up with Rick Simpkins, Class of 75 at PHS. His band "West McQueen Street" plays several different venues to this day. Recommend taking a listen if you're out and about. Rick started his music career back in the 60's. I asked him about an old Bergner's commercial that had Peoria High students in a band called "The Shags". He knew them well. They were just a little older and playing Rock and Roll. Rick sent me his story that I think you will enjoy. Take a trip back to a time when Rock and Roll was king and everybody wanted to play.

Many thanks Rick!

Enjoy

Bill Robertson, Class of '78

Peoria High Rocks

By Rick Simpkins, Class of 1975

I was asked by Bill Robertson President of the Peoria High Alumni Association if I could find the Peoria high students who played in rock bands that were around in the glory days of the 60’s and 70’s. He had just seen the old Bergner's commercial on YouTube featuring The Shags and was wondering who from Peoria High were in some of those bands. So, I called up my good friend Dan Sutton, who is one of those great musicians from our high school, to see if he could help me out. But before I begin telling you about Dan and all the great musicians, I must tell you a little about how I got into a band.

You see I have played in a rock band since I was in 8th grade. My first job was on the playground at the old Loucks Grade School. Like all the musicians I will be naming later in this article, it's safe to say we all got the fever to be in a band on February 9, 1964. Yes, it was that historical night on live television, on the “Ed Sullivan Show”. We all saw for the first time in our lives the most amazing thing, The Beatles! The music, the hair, the clothes, the guitars and drums, the screaming girls, John, Paul, George and Ringo were an instant inspiration! Our lives would never be the same. I was only seven years old at the time so I had to wait a few years before I could hit the stage. But the older boys in junior high and high school were out the very next day buying every guitar, keyboard and drum set in the city of Peoria.

Being the youngest in our family I got to sit back and watch Beatlemania take over our household. Instead of listening to my dad’s big band albums, we were listening to every album and 45 record that my brothers and sisters could buy at the Arlan’s and Spartan’s stores on University Street. Soon my brother and sisters started bringing home all the music that the new artists from both the good old USA and British Invasion were putting out. We loved watching the television shows that featured those bands on our wonderful black and white TV. I remember us watching “Shindig”, “Where the Action Is”, “American Bandstand”, “Hullabaloo” and of course “The Ed Sullivan Show”.

My first experience hearing a band live was in my back yard. Our Neighbor Michelle Gipson, who was in my brother Jim’s class, was able to have a band at her 8th grade graduation party in her backyard which just happened to be right behind my house. My brother of course told me not to come anywhere near the party or he would kill me. Well, I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I had to hear the band. So, I knew if I waited until it got dark outside than there would be enough bushes in our backyard to hide in, but still be able to see and hear the band. I was mesmerized by the music, the equipment, everyone dancing; it was so awesome! All I could think about was starting my own band. My next encounter with a live band was at the Loucks School Carnival. The band was called “Fuzzy Dice”. What an awesome name! The band members were Gary Needham (bass) who lived up street from our house, Johnny Parkhurst (guitar), whose sister Nancy was in my class, and Dan Sutton whose brother Bill was in my sister Mary Ellen’s class. I couldn’t believe it, a band made up of Loucks School boys. It was so cool! The band practiced at the Parkhurst house on Margaret Street which was right next to my friend Jerry Davison’s house. So, Jerry and I were at that house every time they practiced, listening in their driveway, dreaming of starting a band of our own.

Well as the years passed by, I finally got my first guitar. My mom was kind enough to save up her S/H Green Stamps (remember those?) collected from the grocery store, to get me one. However, she made one stipulation before I could get the guitar. I had to learn how to play the cello and be in the Loucks School orchestra. After a long year of learning to play that thing/cello, I got the guitar. It was a dream come true! I needed lessons, so mom called around and found the cheapest priced lessons at Jerry’s Guitar Center on Main Street. God blessed me when mom chose Jerry’s Guitar Center because I had one more hurdle to jump. My dad did not like the new music of the 60’s, but he was a huge Cub fan and went to Arizona with his buddies to spring training every year. Well Jerry, the owner of the guitar store, also was a huge Cub fan and loved talking baseball with my dad. So, the problem was solved, and it was off to my lesson with my dad every Saturday. I loved going to Jerry’s to see the newest guitars and amps that came in each week. Over the years I had some wonderful guitar teachers. I finally put a band together in seventh grade. There was a minor detail though, I had an acoustic guitar, and I needed an electric guitar and amp to be able to play loud enough to be heard in the band. The next problem I had with getting an electric guitar started with my school report card, you see I had just gotten C-grade in conduct. My dad was not too happy about my bad habit of talking to my friends too much combined with not paying attention in class. My dad said no electric guitar until I brought up my conduct grade to an A! The grading periods in District 150 were only six weeks long back then so I tried as hard as I could to keep my mouth shut but I only got a B+. Dad still said no to the electric guitar until I got an A. I cried! I tried so hard for the next six weeks to get that A. The teacher, Mr. Craig, told me it all depended on that last week of the grading period as to what my grade would be. I really don’t think I deserved an A, but thankfully he gave it to me. Bless you, Mr. Craig! He got twelve weeks of no disruptions from me in his class, and I finally got the electric guitar. We both got something out of that experience. To this day I can still see the look of disbelief on my dad’s face when I showed him my report card! And yes, I got the electric guitar and that Spring we got to play at the Loucks School Carnival. It was everything I dreamed it would be, I was in a real band!

High school finally arrived, and I got to go to my first mixer dance in the foyer. Everybody remembers those dances. The band that night was called “Gulliver”. And in the band was Dan Sutton, on keyboard, playing that awesome B3 organ with Johnny Parkhurst playing his amazing red Gibson SG. It wasn’t Fuzzy Dice anymore; it was even better. They were fabulous! I can still to this day, hear them playing “Black Magic Woman” by Santana! I also remember two boys getting into a fight that night. Officer John Stenson, who later became the police chief in Peoria, had both boys by the neck and within seconds had escorted them out the door. What excitement we had in the good old foyer!

Now my goal was to play in the foyer at one of those dances. During my high school years, I went to every mixer and dance I could. I saw some fantastic musicians and bands during my years at Central, and dreamed of playing at one of them.

Now remember as I stated earlier, I’m the youngest of five, so my brother and sisters got to hear the first bands of the 60’s play in the foyer at Central, then in the clubs in Peoria. We are talking about "The Shags", "The Suburban 9 to 5", "The Coachman". These bands were the first to break out on the Peoria music scene. You might remember one Dan Fogelberg and one Gary Richrath and one Mike Sommerville being in some of those bands and a few other ones later in their careers. My sister Linda use to go hear all the bands play at a place called The Circus Lounge across from Szold's Department Store on Adams street. Most of the bands played at parties at all the high schools, The Bradley Student Center, The Glen Oak Amphitheater, The Club Peorian, and The Zebra Lounge. Many of the bands competed in the battle of the bands at the Heart of Illinois Fair. I got to see a lot of bands out at Exposition Gardens a great venue for live music.

So here is a partial list of some of those talented musicians and their bands from the great Peoria Central High School. They were some of the first to start that wonderful music scene in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Bill Sutton ’69 - Jaguars, Tempest Combo, Truviers, Wylde Heard, Crowfoot, Big John and the Mark IV, Pork and the Havana Ducks, Uptown, Watermelon Rhythm Band, Ed Kaiser Trio, Dave and the Dynamics,Big Oldies All Star Band

Dan Sutton ’71 – Fuzzy Dice, Gulliver, Actual Proof, Big Oldies All Star Band, Mr. Heath

Pete Parkhurst ’69 – Fuzzy Dice, Ricky Spitfire, The Other Side, Eargazm

Johnny Parkhurst ’71 – Fuzzy Dice, Highway, Gulliver, Potpourri, Actual proof, The Shanties

Gary Needham ’71- Fuzzy Dice

Bill Keister ’71 - Gulliver, Lotus, Rothchild,

Bill Melton ’68 – The Shags, Bill Hardesty Band

John Mattern - The Daze of Knight, Yellowbird

Doug Black ’69 – Common Ground, Lay-Z, Alliance

Dee Pearson ’69 – Flash, The Bowery Boys, Highway, Fuzzy Dice, Kool Ray and Polaroids, Blue Stew

Joe Grier ’69 – The Roadhouse Band, Flash, Yellowbird, Gidion’s Bible, The E Band,

Rhapsody Blues Band

Roger Kelch ’73 – Jon McCloud and The Hayriders, Both Sides Now, The Gama Brothers, Sideline

George Nellas ’71 - Actual Proof

Mike Nellas '84 - Dave and the Dynamics, The Brazilionaires, Matthew Curry Band, Nathan Taylor Band, Judy Page

Mike Southey ’74 - Pearl, Breeze, US Steel, Tourist

Nathan Waddell ’75- Mecca

Terry Walters ’68 - The Coachman

Dave Porter ’64 – The Shags

Frank Alexander ’75 - Koko Taylor

Roger Alexander ‘77

Denny Probst – Kool Ray and the Polaroids, Alliance, The Bowery Boys

Steve Potts – Fuzzy Dice, Gulliver, Actual Proof, Mackinaw

Jeff Brokamp – Shake Rattle and Roll, The Willies, Bubblegum Jack, The Jigawatts, Captain Quirk

Dave Teeter- Applegate and Company

Greg Schuller – North Bridge Company

Doug Block ’71 -Lotus

Mike Brandt '75- Rose

I owe a debt of gratitude to all those musicians who came before me and laid the path for live music in the Peoria area, what an amazing time the 60’s and 70’s was! I’m also so thankful for all the music stores that put up with all us kids coming in out of their stores each week, Mathews Music, Peoria Musical, Byerly’s Music, Strode Music, Flores Music, Don’s Music Land, Elmore’s Music, Ozzie’s Music and of course Jerry’s Guitar Center.

Here also is a shout out to all the guys who played with me in grade school and high school. I would not still be playing today if it wasn’t for them! They are Jed Ferdinand, Henry Fowler, Brian Tunis, Peter Manuel, Jerry Davison, Frank Alexander, Greg Asbell, Rick Van Osdol, Angie Hobin, Tom Herink, Randy Wickert and Dave Rees, all of us from the class of 75! James Taylor and Scott Wallace from the class of 74, and Tommy Parker from the class of 73.

I’m sure everyone has fun stories about their bands and tales of getting their first instruments like I did, so I hope this brought back a few great memories to everyone who played in those bands, got to hear those bands, and shared the fun of the 60’s and 70’s in the good old Peoria High foyer.

Rick Simkins

PHS Class of 75

Crest 1975

The Shags, 1967

Thanks to Rick for taking the time to revive some old memories. I know you're going to be playing all over the city and surrounding areas all summer. We'll look for you down at Kelleher's this Summer in July. Maybe our fellow PHS Alumni would like to turn it into a PHS Alumni Event.

If you have stories you would like to share on Garage Bands or whatever topic you close about PHS...I would be happy to work with you on getting a story in the website and email newsletter.