Thanks to our buddy, Dick Lee of The Brymers, we were put in touch with Greg Campbell, a veteran of three Visalia, California rock groups in the '60s: The Sensations, Rivington Quintet and The Tweeds. Although Campbell's bands did not record, and were not together for very long, one of them did feature the talents of Tom Johnston, whom of course found later fame with The Doobie Brothers. Special thanks to Greg for outlining his teen band history...
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An Interview With Greg Campbell
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Greg Campbell (GC): During those years, it seemed like all the teenage boys just had to learn the guitar, and then the next logical step was to form or join a garage band--in hopes of making it big, or at least playing for local dances, etc. We started with rock and surfing music, influenced by the likes of Jan and Dean, The Beach Boys, The Sentinals, The Ventures, Chuck Berry, Freddy King, B.B. King, and all the other bands during that era, but I’d have to say that The Beatles really cemented my interest and influenced me to form a group called The Sensations. The growth in musical groups locally and on the radio really influenced us to start playing an instrument and then to pool our musical talents.
60s: Were The Sensations and The Rivington Quintet bands of your prior to joining The Tweeds?
GC: I started with The Sensations, but we mostly played in my living room, or at the drummer’s house, where his mother would make us enchiladas, tacos and tamales...which were fantastic. The Sensations band was a great learning tool for me and piqued my interest in playing the guitar and eventually playing for high school dances. We played for a few dances, but we never grew much as a group and finally split up. Once we split, for a short time, I played with The Rivington Quintet, which did not last very long. I then joined The Tweeds and we played for about 12-18 months at several high schools and once at a local Mexican restaurant. We split up in 1966, with graduation and everyone splitting for military service, college, work, etc.
60s: Where and when were the various groups formed? How were The Implicits involved?
GC: The Sensations formed in Visalia, California in 1964 by Greg Campbell (lead guitar), Andy Anderson (rhythm guitar), Bob Adame (drums) and Dick Gennette (bass). The Rivington Quintet formed in Visalia, California in 1965 by Tom Johnston (lead guitar and vocals--now with Doobie Brothers), Greg Campbell (rhythm guitar), Greg Fleming (deceased in 1965--keyboarda), Jack Love, (bass guitar) and Ken Henard (drums). Tom left The Implicits and started The Rivington Quintet.
The Tweeds formed in Visalia, California in 1965 by John Davis (lead guitar and vocals), Greg Campbell, (rhythm guitar), Mike Parshall (keyboard), John Adelsbach, (bass), and a drummer that was about 11-years old. I don’t remember his name, but he was amazing. He wore Little Slugger pajamas to band practice each week, as we practiced at his home/garage that had a studio for his drum work. He was just a red haired, freckled-face little boy, but could play drums like no other at his age. I hope he is still at it, and by now, is probably one of the best drummers around. The band split up in 1966.
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60s: How would you describe the bands' sound? What bands influenced you?
GC: The Sensations as a rock and roll, surfing music band, influenced by The Sentinals, and other surfing music bands of the time. The Rivington Quintet as a rock and roll, blues group, influenced by James Brown and Chuck Berry. The Tweeds as a rock and roll band influenced by The Beatles, Stones, Animals and Dave Clark Five.
60s: What was the Vasalia rock and roll scene like in the '60s?
GC: It was a range of styles, from Beatles-type groups to blues bands. There wasn't really too much in between but there were many, many groups trying to get started and new bands were developing all the time. There was one group in particular that had some country influence but I don’t remember their name. They didn’t play often but their lead guitar player, V.L. Sparkman, was an excellent guitarist who played a red Gibson hollow body guitar. After high school graduation (from Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, he played/toured the country with a country band and, unfortunately, was killed in a car accident in the early '70s, I think.
60s: Where did the band typically play?
GC: At area high school dances (Visalia, Tulare, Woodlake), a moose lodge in Visalia for an all night graduation party, Tulare Memorial Hall for a high school prom, and a local Mexican restaurant in Visalia.
60s: How far was the bands' "touring" territories?
GC: The local area, within a 30-mile radius of Visalia.
60s: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?
GC: The Road Runners, from Fresno; RD and The Showmen, from Visalia; Jim Doval and The Gauchos, from Visalia; and Hayward Lee, from Visalia.
60s: How popular locally did your bands become?
GC: The Rivington Quintet was somewhat popular but short-lived. The Tweeds were probably more popular, as we stayed together for some time, and played at several dances in the area. The Sensations played at a few high school dances at Mt Whitney High School in Visalia. We were not well known, but we had fun.
60s: Did any of your bands record?
GC: No.
60s: Did any of the bands make any local TV appearances?
GC: No.
60s: What keeps you busy today?
GC: I am currently retired from General Dynamics after 35 years service. I am happily married, and recently became a grandfather. I did not play for many years and, in fact, my wife did not know that I played guitar until we went to a Doobie Brothers concert about five years ago, and she heard my stories about learning how to play guitar with Tom Johnston (Doobie Brothers fame) during high school and even of playing in a group with him for a short time. When we discussed all this with members of our church band, they asked me to dust off my guitar and join the group about five years ago. Since that time, I’ve adopted a finger-picking style, influenced by Chet Atkins and Richard Kiser (gospel ministry guitarist). I love every minute I can spend playing along with the band at church activities, or occasionally doing some solo work for church service special music. I now have four guitars: A Godin acoustic electric with synthesizer box, a Takamine acoustic electric, an Ibanez Artcore electric, and an Ibanez acoustic.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with your 1960s bands?
GC: I am amazed by the talent that came out of the area--Steve Perry, Tom Johnston, and Merle Haggard are just a few that came from the Central Valley in California (San Joaquin Valley). Ever since I had the opportunity to play with the 1960s bands, I’ve wanted to return to the stage and perform. That opportunity planted a seed within me that never left, and I’m extremely happy to now play in a country gospel group to support church worship services, food drives, benefit concerts, etc. I’d like to play with or hear some of those 1960s bands again. With the number of groups running at that time, both locally and on the radio, what was so great was that it made me feel a part of something much bigger. It was like being involved in a major evolution in the music styles at the time and it was a fantastic feeling that I’ve never forgotten...regardless of how small our roles were in that effort.
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