The Headband was a uniquely talented rock group from Ohio that had all the tools to become successful. While they were popular locally, they were, unfortunately, another in the long line of bands that for whatever reason could not break nationally. 60sgaragebands.com is pleased to present the personality…the sounds…and the talent of Rich Beckholt and The Headband.
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An Interview with Rich Beckholt
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Rich Beckholt (RB): My interest in music came from my mom who was a vocalist. I am the third generation drummer in my dad's family. That was my background; when you add in the British bands’ influence on us all it was a done deal.
60s: Was The Headband your first band?
RB: The Headband was my second band after the Meijil V from Mt. Vernon, Ohio. We copied The Stones and The Byrds and others. The band played mainly church, teen dances and teen clubs staying together about two years (1966-1967).
The Meijil V often had six members: Marty Woodard (lead/rhythm guitar), Andy Johnson (lead/rhythm guitar), Tom Lawson (lead/rhythm guitar), Bruce Kiracofe (bass), Jeff Shafer (lead vocals), and me on drums.
60s: Where and when was The Headband formed?
RB: The Headband (which began as The Mary Jane Headband but the agents felt the name was too suggestive) was formed by Tom Scott (lead guitar), Mike McPeek (keyboards and rhythm guitar), and Louie Baso (lead singer and harmonica) in Mansfield, Ohio in 1968. Tom Scott recruited me at O.S.U. Mansfield, where we were both students, to be their drummer and I'm not sure how we got my bassist friend Monty Owens (he was just 14 when he joined) but I'm glad we did. We all sang and did three and four-part harmony, which was good since the lead singer, Louie, quit after the first year.
60s: Why did Louie quit?
RB: Louie quit over artistic differences. We found out later he had been adopted and his adoptive grandfather was the founder of Stewart's Root Beer Company. His grandfather passed away during that time and Louie inherited the business (not bad!).
I also forgot to mention Tim Ramsey (shown on the flier). Tim left after a year to put together a group along the lines of Crosby, Stills and Nash but we remained friends and kept in touch. Monty, Tim and I hunted and fished together. One more thing…Louie founded a group that recorded before us but I haven't remembered the name yet. He was a little skittery but a good guy. By the time we started our studio work both Tim and Louie had moved on.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
RB: We played every venue including high school dances, frat parties, teen clubs and nightclubs. We even did a live variety show in Cleveland where we backed up all the other acts, including a magician and a Broadway singer. On our breaks we would learn the acts’ routines so we could support them when they went on.
We played too many teen clubs to count. Some clubs we played were both nightclub and teen. The owners had placed a wire fence from floor to ceiling dividing the room in half: One side with alcohol and the other with fountain pop.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
RB: In the beginning we did a lot of Beatles and Stones songs but as time went by our song list covered soul, rock, folk rock, blues, acid rock and many, many styles. Above all we were rock and roll to the bone.
60s: Did The Headband participate in any Battle Of The Bands?
RB: The Headband never did any battles; instead of battles we played multiple band revues where each band played a set of the four or five hour show.
60s: Did The Headband have a manager?
RB: Yes, we had a manager who was very good. He was instrumental in the careers of The Ohio Express and The Music Explosion. Andy was also a booking agent and that is how we met him. He took our tapes to New York to arrange a recording contract. Andy, along with our lead guitar Tom Scott, went door to door from one record company to the next. The Brooklyn Bridge made an offer for our song and a contract if they could record the song first. Columbia Pictures considered the same song for a movie theme. All in all, our manager and financial backer did quite well for us.
60s: What was the name of your manager?
RB: Our manager's name was Andy Apperson and, yes, he was very good and most intense. Also, Larry Woolson was instrumental in pushing us along. He co-owned the talent group we worked through. One more person involved was Bob Musselman, who co- booked with Andy and Larry. Bob even brought us a vocal tutor to help us improve.
60s: Which song was The Brooklyn Bridge and Columbia interested in?
RB: The song title was 'Who'll Carry Roses.' I wrote it on an Autoharp because I hadn't bought a guitar yet. I turned down all the offers out of pride in and loyalty to the guys in The Headband. I wanted our band to be the ones to put out the song first, and to this day I do not regret my choice. It was an honor that Columbia considered the song but as it turned out the board didn't reach a majority vote on my song and it was passed on. C'est la vie.
60s: How popular locally did The Headband become?
RB: At the time we were pretty popular in our area but as we spread out our travel it became hard to judge since we traveled so much and played so many gigs.
60s: How far away did the band typically travel?
RB: The band primarily covered all of Ohio.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
RB: I remember Sir Timothy and The Royals (who became The Ohio Express), The Music Explosion, The Dantes, The Lorries and The Dave Workman Blues Band (my cousin was in his horn section).
60s: Where did The Headband record?
RB: We recorded most in Cleveland. I can't recall the studio name. Every minute in a studio is a learning experience and very intense but it’s always great times though. We recorded a song written by The Lemon Pipers that our manager had rights to and they never recorded. I can't remember the title though. We also recorded several of my songs. The main focus was on one titled "Who'll Carry Roses". Our manager’s hired a composer to write string and horn parts and hired part of the Cleveland symphony to play on the record. That was great!
60s: Were any of these songs released as singles?
RB: We never got to release the record because of internal problems in the agency handling us. I have all the demos, though. On looking back, we should have been more patient and helped to balance things but emotions and pressures were very high then and though we were very keen on business we were still young and emotional.
60s: Did The Headband write many original songs?
RB: I was lucky enough to be the primary songwriter. It was a great thrill to be in that position. As time went by the others began to write and had we gone on we would have had so many more varied songs to choose from. Whenever I brought a song to the band we worked as a team to produce and arrange the music. The songs came first.
60s: Do any (other) '60's Headband recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks?
RB: I have the recordings of some of our work back then in the studios.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances?
RB: We played on Dance Party in Columbus.
60s: What year and why did the band break up?
RB: The Headband disbanded in 1971 or 1972. I think we had become stagnated even though we were working on a new set of original songs to record and sell.
There were many bands after The Headband but the best were Velvet Rush, which recorded a 45 on its own and we had a large set of originals via Bob Zeigler (lead guitar/vocal) and myself (drums/vocal). The others were Charlie Hartrum on bass/vocals and Al Frazier on keyboard/lead and rhythm guitar and vocals. Deals came to us but not the one we needed. It was an excellent group. I have our record and am getting it ready also.
The other group I am proud to say I was a part of was Dry Run. Randy Boldman on bass and vocal (you may remember him from The Bare Facts group already on your site), Steve Mull ("Stevie Ray") on lead guitar and vocals and myself on drums and vocal. We played some originals but never recorded (I have tapes and videos at gigs).
I have retired after 35 years of playing and work for a big company but I now spend my time as an artist. I oil paint and sculpt and have been in several shows and sold paintings locally and online.
I also have two albums on amazon.com and jango.com where I am showing my songs to the world.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Headband?
RB: When I decided to join The Headband I went from a novice musician to a professional thanks to the drive and the talent of the guys I was so fortunate to hook up with. I learned the business from the ground up and loved every minute of it. It's a great life! Thank you for letting me talk about this great profession; even the hard times were exciting.
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