60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first become interested in music?
Denny Ball (DB): It was born in my blood. My father was a self-taught piano player and my oldest brother played drums in a band and drum in the high school band.
Bill Smith (BS): My older sisters always listened to rock and roll on the radio; then when I saw The Beatles clip on The Jack Paar Show… that was it.
60s: Was The Worlocks your first band?
DB: My first band was called The Panthers, then The Capital Five and then The Worlocks; all three bands had most of the same members.
BS: Yes.
60s: When and where was The Warlocks formed?
DB: The Capital Five changed their name to The Worlocks in 1964. We are from Port Byron, New York. The band was started by Bill Smith and me, Denny Ball.
Band members were Denny Ball (organ and lead vocals); Bill Smith (lead guitar); Joe Smith (rhythm guitar and bass guitar); Pat Thomas (rhythm guitar); and Jack Donovan (drums). Our original drummer Bob France left the band twice. He was not on the record. Jack was...but Bob is in the picture.
60s: How would you describe the band's sound?
DB: Our sound was rock and roll: The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Young Rascals were are biggest influence.
BS: Early rock and roll, Beatles, Beach Boys, Dave Clark 5.
60s: How far was the band's touring territory?
DB: We were the rock and roll scene within a 200-mile circle. Other bands tried to compete with us but couldn't draw the crowds we were drawing.
60s: What other local groups do you especially recall?
DB: The local bands I remember were Auburn Beatles, Byran's Idles, NEMES, and The Brass Buttons.
60s: Where did The Worlocks typically play?
DB: We played where ever and whenever there was an occasion to make music.
60s: Did you play of the teen clubs?
DB: There wasn't too many teen clubs in our day.
BS: Not many teen clubs, but usually bars, parties, weddings and schools.
60s: What about battle of the bands?
DB: We played in several battle of the bands and won every one.
60s: Did The Worlocks have a manager?
DB: Our manager was Bill's mother. She mostly collected money from the door but the band members usually landed the gigs.
BS: My parents were our managers. They got us a lot of jobs, but the guys would complain because we didn’t see our girlfriends much.
60s: How popular locally did The Worlocks become?
DB: Let's put it this way: There never was an empty seat or an empty dance floor when we played. In fact, when we started playing at a ski lodge, the place would hold about 250 people; after we started playing there they had to expand two more rooms to hold 1,500 people and that still wasn't big enough to hold the crowds we were drawing.
BS: We were very popular, especially among our peers.
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the recording of the Big Rock 45 ('Stay By Her Side' b/w 'I LoveYou')?
DB: Every time we would play one or our own songs people would come up to us and ask where they could get one of our records, so we decided it was time to record one.
60s: Where did The Worlocks record?
DB: We recorded the record at Big Rock in Elgin, Pennsylvania. The only thing I remember was how far it was from home to there and then how small the recording studio was.
BS: In Elgin, Pennsylvania. We were excited to be at a real recording studio. We felt like we were in the big leagues. We were used to eye contact with each other so we would know when to stop the song, but they had our drummer, Jack, in another room so they had to fade the songs out.
60s: Did The Worlocks write many original songs?
BS: Yes. Denny and I did.
DB: We tried our hand at several song which the crowds liked. Bill did the music and I wrote the lyrics. Bill did work with a young lady who had written a wonderful poem and Bill put music to it. I really wanted to record that but time ran out on us before we could get it done. It would probably have been our road to the big time. It was beautiful...
60s: Are there any other Worlocks recordings, either unreleased songs or live performances?
DB: There are no more recordings and records out. It was back when everything was done on reel-to-reel.
60s: Did the band make any TV appearances?
DB: We did not go on TV.
60s: When and why did the band break up?
BS: I don’t remember the year but Denny went in the Navy, and Joe went to Vietnam.
DB: The band broke up in 1969. I went into the Navy, Joe went into the Army, Pat broke his arm and quit playing, and Jack's mother died and he quit playing drums.
60s: Did you join or form any bands after The Worlocks?
DB: Bill still plays today. I did get into a band while I was in the Navy and played for a couple of years. When that band broke up I just lost interest in playing with another group.
BS: Yes. I'm now in a group called Amarillo Skys (country and oldies). I'm trying to set up a studio in my house for my own personal use.
60s: How do you best describe your experiences with The Worlocks?
BS: Back then was different. Bands dressed alike. People appreciated the efforts that went into a song. We used to sign a lot of autographs, and a lot of girls called us. People looked up to you—not down on you for being in a band. It was the greatest time of my life.
DB: My experience with The Worlocks was the best of times and I would not trade the experience for anything in the world. I wish I could have stayed home and continued to play. Who knows how far we could have gone if we would have had the chance to stay together?
Thanks for the chance to interview with you and I hope I have given you some insight into The Worlocks. In closing, we were a bunch of kids having fun but most of all we were brothers playing music that we loved for people who we loved. One thing that nobody can ever take away from us is our memories and friendships.
