When one hears of a “Luke’s Cabbage Store” in Warner Robins, Georgia, a ‘60’s rock band may not be the first thing that springs to mind. And, truthfully, it didn’t spring at all to our minds. And, as we Googled the name, we read some things that caused further doubt. After opening communication with drummer Mike Partain, however, we’re certainly glad that we decided to follow-up, as the band has a very interesting story. As one of four local groups in Warner Robins during the time, Luke’s Cabbage Store primarily played in Georgia, but also performed across the East Coast. Unfortunately, the group didn’t record, but still became very popular in their area. Partain graciously filled us in on how these “kids from Hell” managed to do so…
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An Interview With Mike Partain
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Mike Partain (MP): By listening to gospel and country music on the radio with my dad. He was a musician and played the fiddle and piano. He played a lot of Texas swing, Bob Wills style. My mom loved music, too, and would take me to churches where they sang and played the old Hymns of Faith. I saw the power of music and I wanted to be a part of it.
60s: Was Luke's Cabbage Store your first band?
MP: No, I had a three month run with a pure country band, The Agents IV. Our theme song was ‘Secret Agent Man’ by Johnny Rivers. It was a learning experience. Their lead singer, Mitch "Chief" Brewer, told me later that he knew I would do something bigger and better. I think that may have been one of the best compliments I ever had. Thanks Chief. Next question...
60s: Where and when was Luke's Cabbage Store formed?
MP: The following ad appeared in a mid April 1967 issue of The Warner Robins Sun newpaper: "Musicians wanted to rebuild popular Warner Robins band. Call Mike Partain, (912) 555-5555.” I'm Mike, and I placed the ad. I was somewhat "creative" with the facts, but I was being prophetic...and we did become popular, so I didn't lie.
60s: So...who responded?
MP: Two of the five kids who showed up in response to my ad stayed until the end. As it is with teen bands, kids come and go for whatever reason. On that first Saturday afternoon, these were the first members of the band that would become Luke's Cabbage Store: Donnie Murphy, guitar and vocals; Eddie Stone, guitar and vocals; Mike Zirngabel, guitar and vocals; Danny Williams, bass; Mike Thompson, lead singer; and Mike Partain, drummer and founder. As it often is with teen bands, kids come and go. We lost Donnie, Eddie and Mike Zirngabel, all very good musicians. I especially regret losing Eddie. He was a cool kid, a solid player and was totally nuts. We added Ronald Johnson as lead guitar and co-lead vocals, Jon Samborski, keyboards and vocals and Tony Elmore, a genuinely complete rhythm guitarist and vocalist. Ronald, Danny, Jon, Tony, Mike Thompson and Mike Partain made up the original Version of Luke's Cabbage Store.
60s: How was the name "Luke's Cabbage Store" decided on?
MP: We didn't start as Luke's Cabbage Store. We played quite a few jobs as The Shades of Blue, and then we were The Stafford Jaggs for awhile. I have no idea where that name came from. Luke's Cabbage Store was suggested to us by Phillip "Flip" Jones, the lead guitar player for The U.S. Kids. It was different, so we became Luke's Cabbage Store.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound? What bands influenced you?
MP: It’s kind of hard to pick any particular sound. The fact that we rehearsed two or three nights a week probably accounted for our solid, polished sound. We were serious about being really good. We did a lot of theme shows. Mike Thompson, our lead singer and front man, was a blue-eyed boy with curly blonde hair. He could dance like James Brown and sing soul sometimes better than the guys whose songs he borrowed. Maybe we sounded like a little like everybody. Our theme song was ‘Sgt. Peppers,’ so we tried to sound like The Fab Four. We did The Rascals, Manfred Mann, Sam & Dave, Spencer Davis...and so many more.
60s: What was the Warner Robins rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
MP: Looking back...it was pure magic. In Warner Robins alone, which was at that time a small town, we had three top groups besides ours: The Prisoners of Time, The U.S. Kids, The Golden Boys and Luke's Cabbages Store. The Kids and The Luke's were under the same management. The Prisoners rehearsed right next door to us, so we knew them quite well.
Besides The U.S. Kids, who were our best buds, The Prisoners of Time and The Golden Boys, there were a couple of other bands that we really liked a lot. The Bushmen from Atlanta were really fun to watch and The Danny Page Band was a very skilled group.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
MP: In our early days, we did everything...even a few bars illegally, but the bar owners didn't seem to mind. We did clubs on Robins Air Force Base a lot, private parties, school functions…but when we were picked up by Caprice Booking, we started focusing on teen clubs, primarily The Hullabaloo Clubs. We toured those from Columbus, Georgia to Pine City New York. There were a lot of other notable teen clubs at that time as well: Johnny Long's Teen Scene, The Blind Lemon Clubs, and a series of special events known as Big Hugh Baby Shops, sponsored by Hugh Jarrett, a rock deejay from Atlanta. We played some impressive venues, like The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia and The National Civitan Conventions at Jekyll Island, Georgia; in other words, we would play most anywhere.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
MP: During the school year, mostly just in the State of Georgia. During the summer, anywhere on the East Coast. We didn't get around to doing cross country. I’m sorry about that.
60s: Did Luke's Cabbage Store participate in any battle of the bands?
MP: Not to sound arrogant, but that is the one thing we absolutely did not do. It's hard to explain, but we had a sort of confidence, a noticeable "swagger." Besides, we were just too busy.
60s: How did you hook up with the Caprice Booking Agency?
MP: Our agent at Caprice was Ronald Barnes, a teacher at Warner Robins High School. He was already managing The U.S. Kids, who were exclusively rock. He needed a band with variety—soul, rock, R&B, some psych—and that's what we did, so he made us a deal, we took it and it was the best one we ever made. Because of Ronald Barnes, we had opportunities that we never would've had. Thanks Mr. Barnes.
60s: How popular locally did Luke's Cabbage Store become?
MP: At times, it was overwhelming. We honestly didn't understand it. Before Luke's Cabbage Store, we were just "kids" but all of a sudden we were like hometown heroes. The police loved us. I remember once when we still had our old ‘61 or ‘64 VW van with a busted muffler. A police officer pulled up beside us and asked if we ever planned to get it fixed. We said, “Probably not.” He laughed and pulled away. Our notoriety was especially good for Danny, our bass player. e was a shy, introverted kid and being the bass guy for The Lukes helped make his teen years into a meaningful memory.
60s: Why didn't Luke's Cabbage Store record?
MP: If we ever thought about it, I don't remember it. And too, at that time, nobody in the band was writing anything. Tony became a good writer, but at that time hadn't gotten into that part of it.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances? Does any home movie film footage exist of the band?
MP: In advance of our first East Coast trip, we were featured on local TV and in the newspapers with Miss Georgia 1968, Ann Davis. Ronald Johnson's mom did some 8mm film once. I don't know if it still exists. Next time I see Ron, I'll ask him.
60s: What year and why did the band break up?
MP: 1971 was the final year for the band. Everyone was either out of high school or getting out. I guess it was just time to move on.
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60s: Did you join or form any bands after Luke's Cabbage Store?
MP: I did. Ronald Johnson and I formed a three-piece group with former U.S. Kid bass player, Ricky Cox. It worked okay but didn't last. I moved from there to The Ring, a pure psychedelic acid rock group in Macon. That was a trip I'm glad didn't last. After that I played with Gary Waters and Image in Atlanta. In 1978, my cousin Travis Tritt was just getting started. He asked me if I would help him, show him the ropes so to speak. He'd heard all about my exploits with Luke's Cabbage Store and considered me to be a "legend in my own time”; not flattering if you knew all the stories...and to you hotel/motel/restaurant owners up north, I apologize. We were just kids...from hell. And to the manager of the Holiday Inn on West 57th Street in New York City, I mailed the room keys back to you. Sorry it took 40 years but I've been busy! Back to Travis...anyway, I played with him until 1983. He had learned well and went on to "be somebody."
60s: What keeps you busy today?
MP: I'm still in the music business. My wife and I make indie movies. One of our production company names is Luke’s Cabbage Store Productions. I play with Merlin Krebs, a raw, rude blues band made up of escapees from other bands. We do a limited schedule with a lot of charity work for worthy organizations.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with Luke's Cabbage Store?
MP: Well…I wouldn't trade those years for anything. Besides playing together, we were buds. We did a lot of other things together. We used to pitch all night parties at a place we called Angeliques. It was actually an old, abandoned plantation with a broken down slaughterhouse, a rusty water tower and cattle bones all over the place. We'd build a fire, drink beer (ooops...mom’s didn't know about that), and tell the ghost story of how Angeliques got its name. I included that story in movie script we hope to produce in the near future. I still see Tony, Ronald and Danny. They play together in Sugar Creek, a group they started in the ‘80s. We lost Mike Thompson in August 2007. It left a huge hole in our hearts that won't ever be filled. We miss him so very, very much. He was simply put, great. Luke's Cabbage Store was a real magic carpet ride. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
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| Mike Partain, 2009 |
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