Anybody remember The Imperturbable Teutonic Griffin featuring The Evil Dr. Moss and The Collins Light Show? Probably not but Sacred Irony, a later incarnation of the group, was one of the best rock bands in Winston Salem, North Carolina during the 1960s. In addition to recording some demos--all originals--the band opened for Bobby Sherman and The Yellow Payges in 1970. Vocalist and guitarist Chuck Dale Smith has played almost music genre imaginable since he was 13 years old and is still currently performing.
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An Interview With Chuck Dale Smith
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first become interested in music?
Chuck Dale Smith (CDS): I became interested in music when I was about eight years old. I had two older brothers, one named Buddy and the other one is Kay. Kay had all the Buddy Holly records so my lifelong love of music and especially Buddy Holly began in the wreck room in Fairfax,Virginia in the late 1950s.
60s: What was your first band?
CDS: My first band was (formed) in Atlanta, GA in 1966. I can't remember the name... but we played the hits of the day: 'Time Won't Let Me,' 'Kicks,' '96 Tears'... all the cool stuff!
We moved to Winston Salem, NC in 1967 where I formed The Clique with Sam Moss, the best guitarist ever from our area. We played (songs by) The Box Tops, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Jimi Hendrix and soul hits of the day such as 'Soul Man.'
We met Mitch Easter (who later produced the first two R.E.M albums and led the band Let's Active on MCA records. We were called--are you ready for this? The Imperturbable Teutonic Griffin featuring The Evil Dr. Moss and The Collins Light Show. We won a couple of battle of the bands. We had the best players in town.
Sam left to play with some older guys (we were 14-16 years old) so Mitch and I stayed together and formed Sacred Irony. (We were almost called Electric Mustard!)
60s: When would this have been?
CDS: This was in late 1968. Members were me on vocals and guitar; Mitch Easter on lead guitar; Troy McMillan on bass; Rich Reich on Vox organ; and Ted Lyons on drums. Later, Terry Rossinger replaced Ted when he went to College.
60s: How would you describe Sacred Irony's sound?
CDS: The band's sound was hard rock. We were influenced by Steppenwolf, The Nazz, The Beatles and The Doors.
60s: What was the Winston Salem rock and roll scene like during the time?
CDS: The Winston Salem rock scene was fantastic in the 1960s. Older bands like The Teen Beats, The Vee Jays, and The Eradicators were an inspiration to the younger kids like us.
There was a local bandstand show hosted by deejay Dick Bennick, the kiddie shows at The Carolina Theatre (where Elvis played in 1956), and the downtown A Go-Go club in the mid 1960s. By the end of the decade, the main places to play were teen coffeehouses hosted by local churches along with the battle of the band shows.
60s: How far was the band's "touring" territory?
CDS: We played mostly Winston Salem and Greensboro and the neighboring counties and high school dances.
Our biggest shows were the ones with Uni recording artists The Yellow Payges. We opened for them at The Carolina Theatre and also backed up Teen Idol Bobby Sherman at The Benton Convention Center show that also featured The Yellow Payges.
60s: Did Sacred Irony have a manager?
CDS: We didn't have a manager although Mitch's father drove us to the gigs in an early 1960's Cadillac hearse.
60s: Did Sacred Irony record?
CDS: We started writing songs (mainly Mitch and I together) and decided to do some demos at Crescent City Sound in Greensboro. We recorded our originals, 'I See Love,' 'I Am Your Doctor,' 'The Changes In Me,' 'Collaboration' and several more. We also threw in 'Gonna Have a Good Time' by The Easybeats.
Back then you could get your song on the radio if you knew the deejays, so we were able to get WAIR and WTOB to play 'I See Love' when I was in the 11th grade. It was pretty cool to be eating my cornflakes, hear my song on the radio and then report to class at Reynolds High School! By the way, some other famous Reynolds students besides Mitch Easter were George Hamilton IV, Peter Holzapple and Chris Stamey from The dB's and Ben Folds!
60s: Are there any other Sacred Irony songs that still exist?
CDS: Mitch probably has some live recordings from back then. He was the source for the tapes that Dan Horrter of The Yellow Payges got from the last show the band did on January 2, 1970.
60s: Why did Sacred Irony break up?
CDS: In late 1970 and into 1971 we started going in different directions... original music vs. covers, girlfriends, maybe even some drugs and alcohol may have lead to Mitch leaving. We stayed together for a few gigs with Ed Dodson replacing Mitch on lead guitar. But it was never the same after that. I went back to my rock and roll and country roots after the band broke up. Stutz and The Bearcats played Merle Haggard, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran and the like.
Over the years I've continued to write songs and had a publishing deal in Nashville in the late 1980s. I've played it all... top forty, country, originals, '50s, '60s and even had to do some disco in the late 1970s.
Today, besides being a manager in retail, I still play music. We have an acoustic duo, The Covers Brothers (get it? It's a play on Smothers/Everly) and a rockabilly band The Brylcreems, where we throw tubes of the hair tonic to the crowd. We play mainly clubs, parties and wine festivals keep us busy. I feel very fortunate to still be doing it at age 57. I haven't stopped playing live since I was 13.
60s: How do you best describe your experiences with Sacred Irony?
CDS: Sacred Irony made my teen years and life at high school tolerable! We were the best at what we did and had a great time for a few years. The highlights were the gigs with The Yellow Payges, Bobby Sherman and opening for The Allman Brothers at The Love Valley Pop Festival. I think it gave Mitch the idea that you could actually do this for a living, which he still does.
Thanks for letting me share my '60s garage band story!
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