From Concordia, The Sensational Showmen were one of the many bands from Kansas in the 1960s that were influenced by The Fabulous Flippers. Playing the Top 40 songs of the day mixed with rhythm and blues, The Showmen played all over the Midwest, from Oklahoma to Minnesota. Although they never released any singles, they did record a demo at the famous Red Dog Inn. Guitarist Phil Pfister no longers performs, but has recently created a blog to share his sensational memories of his days in The Showmen.
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| The Showmen at The National Guard Armory-Concordia, 1965. L-R: Paul Justyna, Phil Pfister, Robin Hood, Ron Balderston, Bob Burns, Larry Jackson and Mike Srite. |
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An Interview with Phil Pfister
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Phil Pfister (PP): My father was an accomplished pianist. I took piano lessons and then took up the guitar. I played along with the AM radio, in those days, and my 45s.
60s: Was The Sensational Showmen your first band?
PP: My first band was from Clifton, Kandsas, and called The Vettes (three guitars and drums). We were freshmen and sophomores in high school. The band lasted a year or so before the bass player and I ventured to Concordia to find members to start a new band.
60s: Where and when was The Sensational Showmen?
PP: I believe that we started in 1963 or 1964. It was founded by the two of us from Clifton and a drummer from Concordia. We then acquired more members to make it a seven-piece horn and show band--sort of copied after The Flippers. We played top 40 and rhythm and blues. The Flippers were the biggest influence; others, were mostly the top 40 artists and some of the older r&b artists.
Members included Robin Hood, drums; Ron Balderston, lead vocals, horns and organ; Larry Jackson, bass, vocals; Phil Pfister, lead guitar, vocals; Paul Justyna, horns; Mike Srite, horns, organ; and Bob Burns, rhythm guitar.
60s: What was the Concordia rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
PP: It was like every small Midwestern town: Dances every Saturday night with live bands, mostly at National Guard Armories. There never were big name recording artists, just talented local bands or touring bands. Cruising the streets was the pasttime. A lot of drinking beer but no drugs.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
PP: We initially played many high school dances but later, toured and played ballrooms and armories across the Midwest.
60s: Did you play any of the local teen clubs? Were there many?
PP: No...there were not many teen clubs. There were a few in the smaller towns but most of our dances were held in the medium size communities and most of the kids from the smaller towns went to the bigger towns for more entertainment and larger crowds.
60s: How far was the band's touring territory?
PP: We played gigs from Oklahoma to Minnesota--pretty much a perpendicular swath across the center of the U.S.
60s: Did The Sensational Showmen participate in any battle of the bands?
PP: We did play in a couple battle of the bands. We always came out on top because most battles were held locally and our popularity was evident with our fan base. One I remember in particular was against a band called The Viscounts.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
PP: The Flippers, Red Dogs, Rising Suns, Spider and The Crabs, The Blue Things, King Midas and The Mufflers, Friar Tuck and The Monks, and many more.
60s: Did The Sensational Showmen have a manager?
PP: We initially had a local manager from Concordia but then went with James Reardon Associates, a booking agency which was located in the Dark Horse Inn in Hays, Kansas. Once we signed with that agency, our schedule became more widespread, our advertising was started on KOMA, in Oklahoma City, and we hit the road.
60s: How popular locally did The Sensational Showmen become?
PP: We were very popular locally because all of our members were well-known in the area. We had our loyal following and were very popular.
60s: Did The Sensational Showmen record?
PP: We never formally recorded and had no original songs written by our members. We did, however, cut a demo tape when auditioning for Mid Continent Entertainment at the Red Dog Inn, in Lawrence, Kansas.
60s: Did The Sensational Showmen write any original songs?
PP: No.
60s: Did the band make any local TV appearances?
PP: I remember that we did make one local TV appearance in Salina, Kansas.
60s: What year did the band break up?
PP: 1968.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Sensational Showmen?
PP: No.
60s: What keeps you busy today?
PP: I have owned and operated a Four Seasons Sunrooms franchise for the past 26 years in South Carolina. I have seldom picked up a guitar since the band days. I traded my last electric guitar for an acoustic one back in the late '60s and it is in my son's possession. I just have had no interest in learning how to play "again." Times have changed and all the equipment has changed along with it. I would not know where to start these days without a lot of study and practice. I could probably still play the basics but that is about it.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Sensational Showmen?
PP: As some of the best times a person could experience as a teen. Not many had the opportunities our members had at such an early age. Traveling all over the place with no chaperones...in our mid teens. We could not buy beer. Those of us who had girlfriends, had to leave them at home many weekends when we toured. If we were playing locally, I remember our girlfriends sitting on folding chairs just off the stage for the entire dance. I can imagine how boring that was for them, now. Then, it just seemed to be fine.
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| Robin Hood, Bob Burns, Paul Justyna and Phil Pfister, 2008. |
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