The Jades (Herrin)

The Jades were a popular teen combo from Herrin, Illinois.    In early 1966, the lineup consisted of Rick McNeill on vocals and lead guitar, Carl Sutton on rhythm guitar, Steve Sutton on bass, Ron Minter on drums and Greg Marlow on organ.  Sometime after August, Paul Helms replaced Carl Sutton on rhythm guitar.

On March 26, 1966, the Jades were one of nearly a dozen southern Illinois bands to perform at a "Battle of the Bands" at the Mt. Vernon Armory in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  Other local groups on the bill included:  

The Crescendos (West Frankfort), The In Crowd (Mt. Vernon), The Ivy Five (Mt. Vernon), The Niks (Centralia), The Screwdrivers (Carbondale), The Sting Rays (Mt. Vernon), The Universals (Centralia), The Vibrations (Salem) and The Yakks (Mt. Vernon).

The Jades performed everything from "Shout" to "House of the Rising Sun," and claimed the grand prize of a $100 and a trophy.  According to the Southern Illinois newspaper, the Burgandys of Southern Illinois University (not on the original bill) came in second.  The Vibrations of Salem were third in the "experienced" division.  Judging was done by popular vote from the 1,100 teens in attendance.

The Jades performed all around southern Illinois that year.  In the summer of '66 they held a weekly "Splash Party" at the Herrin pool.  They also performed at Teen Beat '66 which was held in the Bank of Illinois parking lot in Mt. Vernon.  

Beyond dances, they continued to "battle" other bands at events around the state such as the Young American Fair in Springfield as well as the Du Quoin State Fair Teen A Go Go.

While promoting an upcoming performance by the Jades in January 1967, the Mt. Vernon Register-News mentioned, "the popular Southern Illinois group is scheduled to cut a record for RCA Victor in Nashville, Tenn. sometime in the near future."

It is unclear when in early 1967 the band traveled to Tennessee to record their only single but it appears they headed north of Nashville to the Nugget Sound Studio in Goodlettsville.  There they recorded "Island Of Love" and "You Have To Walk."  Both songs were written by Paul Helms.  The single was released on Clark Records in May 1967.

According to the YouTube video below, Helms provided the lead vocals for "You Have To Walk."

The Jades continued to perform throughout 1967 around Herrin and southern Illinois, ending the year with a gig at the Herrin Teen Town New Year's Eve dance.  In 1968 however, the shows came to a stop.  According to information provided by Paul Byron Helms on the above YouTube video, the Vietnam War broke up the band.

Here are the Jades in simpler times, playing in their swim trunks at the Herrin pool for around 250 teens in the summer of 1966:

 

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Additional photos and info about some of the other area bands:

  

            

The Echos (Mattoon)

The Echos were six teenagers from Mattoon, Illinois:  Gerald (Gus) Pedigo, Roger Pedigo, Bob Perry, Mike Perry, Ron Lass and Bill Phillips.  The group's business manager (pictured in back) was Gene Clark - another high schooler from Mattoon.

The band formed in May of 1959.  An early version of the group performed at a Future Homemakers of America dinner at Mattoon High School.  According to the Mattoon Journal-Gazette and Commercial-Star, they played "I've Had It" (presumably the Bell Notes song) and an original, "Louise," written by Ron Lass and Mike Perry.

By that summer, the Echos was performing at local dances and area events. They also appeared multiple times on a local television program for teens.  

On May 6, 1960, almost exactly one year after forming, the band released their one and only single on Sage Records out of Hollywood, California.  Both sides were instrumentals.

"Haunted" was written by the youngest member of the group, Gus Pedigo.  The flipside, "River Beat," was credited to the entire band.  You can listen to a sample of both songs below:

How exactly a group from Mattoon ended up on a California label is a mystery.  Other than a mention in the local newspaper the record got no real promotion or press.  The band doesn't seem to have lasted past 1960.  Several of the members would graduate high school that year.  

By 1963, Gus Pedigo would go on to lead another Mattoon rock 'n' roll band, the Continentals.  Roger Pedigo, Gus Pedigo and Bob Perry were also members of the Artistics from Mattoon at one time or another in the 1960's.  Along with Mitch Easter of nearby Charleston, Illinois, the Artistics recorded several singles for the Cha Cha label out of Chicago.  

 

In the photo below, Bob Perry is shown playing bass and Gus Pedigo is on the far right, playing guitar.

The Artistics performing at the Blackhawk Village Lounge, Jacksonville, Illinois, 1966

By the late 1960's and into the early 1970's, Gus Pedigo and his brother Roger were two-thirds of the Gus Pedigo Trio which played mostly around eastern Illinois but also performed in Florida on occasion.

Gus Pedigo would eventually move to Florida where he would continue to write songs and play music for the rest of his life.  He passed away in 2019.

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The artist bio for Gus on ReverbNation and other online sources paint a much more colorful musical career.   Pedigo claimed to have played guitar for Faron Young at the Grand Old Opry in the 1960's as a member of Young's backing band, The Country Deputies.  He also claimed to have worked as a studio musician at Owen Bradley's Barn outside of Nashville.  Even more incredibly, his bio included playing with J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers "during Last Kiss" and allegedly performing with Country Joe and The Fish at Woodstock on one song.