As part of the Beaumont, Texas teen scene, The Kidds performed at all the area teen clubs and played The Golden Triangle. Although they had plans to record a single, their lack of a B-side prevented the desire from becoming reality. Bassist John Schmidt joined the band after its formation, and left prior to its disbanding, but was an integral part of the group’s success.
An Interview With John Schmidt
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
John Schmidt (JS): My family moved back to Texas from Iowa in 1958. There was an excitement and involvement in the music scene in Beaumont that hadn't existed up north. There were sock hops at the skating rink, local bands at the bowling alley, and everyone had a transistor radio. Listening to Chuck Berry, Danny & The Juniors, The Everly Brothers and Elvis set the hook. I joined the school orchestra in the fifth grade and I played the bass violin for the next four years.
My friend, Tommy Johnson, taught me to play the bass guitar in juinor high and we later formed a band. Tommy went on to play lead guitar for several of the more popular bands in Beaumont, inclusiong possible The Barons.
60s: Was The Kidds your first band?
JS: Tommy and I got together with Mark Bornstein (drums) and Blan Isles (keyboards) to form The Brittons. We played a few dances but mostly we argued and drove the neighbors nuts practicing in the garage.
60s: Where and when was The Kidds formed?
JS: It seems like it was 1963-1964 when I met the rest of The Kidds. I heard they were looking for a bass player and I went over to give it a try. We didn't have a formal leader but I think Joey and Gerald Patrizi were responsible for putting the band together. The rest of the band all went to the Catholic high school; Kelly and I went to Forrest Park in Beaumont.
The Kidds were Joey Patrizi - lead guitar; Gerald Patrizi - drums/vocals; Jimmy Phelean – rhythm guitar/vocals, Antone LeBlanc – keyboards; and me, John Schmidt - bass
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
JS: We were a cover band trying to play what everybody was listening to on the radio. We were influenced by the usual list of ‘60s national groups and the British Invaders, as well as the eclectic mix of music that I called Bayou Boogie. The people in Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange grew up listening to a rich mix of local talent that included The Big Bopper, The Boogie Kings, soul, blues, country, rock as well as Johnny and Edgar Winter (Johnny & The Jammers at the Tower Bowling Alley), Zydeco (Clifton Chenier), and sounds harder to classify. We were also exposed to a wealth of regional talent out of Houston.
60s: What was the Beaumont rock and roll scene like in the ‘60s?
JS: Busy and exciting! There were a bunch of working bands and most of us stayed pretty busy. We spent all of our time playing, practicing, or listening to other bands play. We were fortunate that the public supported so many local bands.
Regional bands (mostly from Houston) played the area several times a month and national acts would come through once or twice a year.
There were regularly scheduled dances each week in Beaumont. Houston was 90 miles south, and Louisiana was only 35 miles north, so there was always somebody you wanted to hear playing within driving distance!
60s: Where did The Kidds typically play?
JS: We played the local teen clubs, school dances, frat parties, private parties, bars, rat killin's, deer guttings, etc. One time we played at an automobile dealership grand opening in Houston! Our manager had no problem booking us anywhere there was a fee to be had.
60s: Who managed the band?
JS: Frank Messina was our band manager and did a good job of keeping us booked. He was also big enough to collect our money after the gig was over! Frankie went to Kelly with the rest of the band and was already in place as the manager when I joined the band.
60s: How did you hook up with Al Caldwell of KAYC?
JS: Al booked most of the local teen dances. I remember that he booked us for one of our first jobs at the Crown Room. He's also the guy that sent us to Angleton. I think he said it was a suburb of Houston. Anyway, we discovered Angleton was way out in the country and the "club" was a barn and the stage was covered with chicken droppings. There was actually chicken wire between the band and the audience! The people didn't care for rock so we wound up playing 'Wildwood Flower' about 15 times that night.
But there were several teen dance clubs around Beaumont/Pt. Arthur. Hotel Beaumont's Rose Room, The Crown Room at the King Edward Hotel, a couple of places in Mid-County (I never could remember their names), and for a while Al Caldwell opened The Box down by the Port of Beaumont. We played at all of the teen clubs several times while we were together.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
JS: We played the Golden Triangle, Houston, Louisiana, Bryan/College Station, Angleton (they hated us in Angleton...thank God we played behind chicken wire), and on the beach at Gilchrist (another horrible gig). Like Ron White says, "Our manager didn't own a globe."
60s: Did The Kidds participate in any battle of the bands?
JS: I only remember playing in one battle at the Gateway Shopping Center when we first started playing together. I remember it was hotter than blue blazes. We won, and celebrated at Vic & Al's. I'm pretty sure the rest of the memory of that event was erased by heat stroke.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
JS: This is really a tough question because there were so many good bands playing back then. I remember The Six Deep, The Barons, Cambridge Lads, S.J. & The Crossroads, Basic Things, Thursday’s Children, 13th Floor Elevators, Moving Sidewalks, Neil Ford & The Fanatics, Boogie Kings, and Johnny and Edgar Winter.
60s: How popular locally did The Kidds become?
JS: I'd like to think that people would remember us if they grew up in Beaumont in the ‘60s. Our popularity was limited to the Golden Triangle, but I'll settle for that.
60s: Reportedly, The Kidds were set to record a version of The Hobbits' 'Down To Middle Earth' and release it as a single? That never happened. Why not?
JS: Wow! Where did you dig that up? The last couple of years we kicked around the idea of recording ‘Down To Middle Earth’ but some of us were more excited than others. We didn't have a B-side and never got around to recording. I still regret we didn't record something.
60s: Did The Kidds write any original songs?
JS: We never wrote anything original. We did some pretty unique arrangements of some of the songs we covered. Jake would change things up as it suited him
60s: Do any Kidds recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings, or unreleased tracks?
JS: None that I know of.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band?
JS: No TV. It's doubtful there is any film footage and probably few pictures. We were lucky enough to have a private practice hall that was off-limits to cameras!
60s: You left The Kidds before they disbanded…
JS: In 1968 we were all getting ready to graduate from high school. Our rhythm player, Jimmy, was leaving for college and the rest of the band was undecided about our future. I had the opportunity to take a full time radio job at KOLE-AM in Pt. Arthur and knew I would be going to college full time in the fall. I think Johnny Serio, from S.J. & The Crossroads, replaced me on bass.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Kidds?
JS: Nope, I went back to being a fan and full-time disc jockey.
60s: What keeps you busy today?
JS: Today I practice family medicine in Mansfield, Texas (just outside of Dallas-Ft. Worth). I still enjoy banging on the bass or playing keyboards with friends, but nothing professional.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Kidds?
JS: It was an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I'd like to add a special thank you to Mr. Patrizi and Jake’s grandfather for the support that made this special time possible!
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