An Interview With George "Bill" Troutman
60sgaragebands.com: How did you first get interested in music?
George "Bill" Troutman: Growing up in Kentucky (my ancestors came to Kentucky in the late 1780s), I had relatives that played various musical instruments. My uncle played guitar in a country western group so I was interested in playing an instrument and performing on stage. At about age 13 I started with percussion and eventually worked my way into playing the complete trap set...and the rest is history.
60s: You were in two bands (Danny & The Dubiants and The Kraftsmen) prior to The Dark Side. Did any members from those groups join you in The Dark Side?
GBT: The bass player, Stanley Johnston, and I both left The Kraftsmen to help form the new band, The Dark Side (the name taken from the flip side of 'Gloria' by The Shadows of Knight).
60s: Where and when was The Dark Side formed?
GBT: The Dark Side was formed in late 1965 in Brandenburg, Kentucky. Brandenburg is a town along the Ohio river about 30 miles from Louisville and about 15 miles from Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Stanley Johnston, who played bass guitar with us in The Kraftsmen, and his brother Bradley had been discussing starting a new band with me on drums, Stanley on base, Bradley as front man/vocals and Tom Miller on keyboards with Rudy DeWitt as lead guitar.
The members of the three bands that I played drums with during the late 1960's that were formed in Brandenburg were:
The Dark Side
Rudy DeWitt - lead guitar
Tom Miller - keyboards
Bradley Johnston - vocals
Stanley Johnston - bass guitar
George "Bill" Troutman - drums
The Kraftsmen
Danny Darnell - vocals and rhythm guitar
Hewitt Robinson - lead guitar and vocals
Stanley Johnston - bass guitar
George "Bill" Troutman - drums
Danny and The Dubiants
Danny Darnell - lead vocals and rhythm guitar
Donna Darnell - backup vocals
Bill Morgan - vocals
Shirley Morgan - backup vocals
Hewitt Robinson - lead guitar
Bill Shores - sax
John Paul Morgan - bass guitar
George "Bill" Troutman - drums
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
GBT: The Dark Side was influenced a lot by the British rock bands and rhythm and blues groups. Bands that had an impact on our sound were groups like The Animals, Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Beatles, The Hollies and The Kinks. Other bands whose songs we liked to cover were Question Mark and The Mysterians, The Kingsmen, Sam and Dave, James Brown, and The Righteous Brothers.
60s: What was the Brandenburg rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
GBT: Brandenburg and Meade County High School, located there, was a rockin' n rollin' place for teenagers during the 1960s. Dances were held often at schools in and around Brandenburg.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
GBT: We were booked at the Meade County Teen Club, located in the old high school in central Brandenburg, often. We played at roller rinks for dances; we also played at other schools, county fairs, graduation parties, and other social gatherings.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
GBT: We played mostly in north central Kentucky and southern Indiana.
60s: Did The Dark Side participate in any battle of the bands?
GBT: The Dark Side won several battle of the bands in Brandenburg, Ratcliff and Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
60s: Did The Dark Side have a manager?
GBT: The Dark Side did not have a specified manager. If you had to single out who did the majority of the bookings and promoting the band it would have to be Bradley Johnston, our frontman.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the band's opportunity to record your demo?
GBT: We wanted to get some air time on the local radio stations in Louisville and surrounding areas, so the band came up with the money to make the demo. I am sure that Bradley would recall the titles of the two songs we recorded...they have escaped me.
60s: Was the demo ever released as a 45?
GBT: Bradley, our singer, had the demo record in his car the day of his auto accident. The recording was damaged beyond repair and we didn't record another.
60s: Where did The Dark Side record?
GBT: The recording studio was located in Louisville. We recorded two songs and did not spend a lot of time in the studio, as I recall.
60s: Did The Dark Side write many original songs? Who was the band's primary songwriter?
GBT: The Dark Side was primarily a cover band. We did not write much original music. Those songs that were written were done by Tom Miller and Rudy DeWitt.
60s: Are there any other Dark Side recordings? Are there any vintage live recordings, or other unreleased tracks?
GBT: From the 1960's I do not believe any recordings have survived. If anyone has any, please contact me at darkside1967@gmail.com. Thanks.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band?
GBT: Louisville had two TV shows that The Dark Side played. The first was a variety program entitled Hi-Varities on WHAS channel 11. The other TV show was entitled Teen Beat on WAVE Channel 3. I have checked with both networks for copies of the TV shows that both The Dark Side and The Kraftsmen played. They both told me that tapes during the years in question have been destroyed. Therefore, no known film exists for any of the bands under discussion.
60s: What year and why did the band break up?
GBT: I graduated form Meade County High in 1967 and moved at the end of summer to Murray, Kentucky to attend Murray State University. I continued to play and come home on weekends for a while, but it became too hard to keep up. So the breakup of the band would have to have been before January 1968. I joined a band at MSU in January 1968 called The Magic Touch. I booked them at the Meade County Teen Club in Brandenburg before the end of the second semester. It was a great turnout.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Dark Side?
GBT: The Dark Side was a fun chapter in my life. We became good friends and had a marvelous time finishing high school and playing great music with each other as well as having the wonderful Reunion Tour 1997. The Dark Side got back together for the MCHS Class of 1967 Reunion and played the songs we all danced to during our last years in high school. It was fantastic. We had such a great time as did our class mates from Meade County High.
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