A.J. & The Savages (Havana)

Like so many downstate Illinois bands, A.J. and the Savages are often misidentified as being from Chicago by record collectors and garage rock aficionados.  It is somewhat understandable in this case given that their only record, an obscure 1967 single, was released on a Chicago-area label that featured several bands from the city and its suburbs.  A.J. and the Savages were an exception.

The five teenagers in the group (none named A.J.) were instead from a cluster of small towns in central Illinois, far from the Windy City.  Three of the band members were from Havana in Mason County:  Ron Stockert on organ, Jerry Armstrong on drums and Paul Glick on bass.  The two guitar players in the band were from nearby towns in Fulton County:  Jack Simmons (St. David) and Ray Fidler (Cuba).

A.J. and the Savages formed sometime in early 1965 and were playing at school dances and teen centers before the end of the year. In 1966, the band played regularly in central and western Illinois especially in nearby Canton and Galesburg.  In August, they participated in the "Combo Clash" at the Young America Illinois State Fair and were voted as one of the top five groups in the contest which earned them a trophy and other prizes.

Sometime in late '66 or early '67, the group recorded two songs for the Delaware label based in Roselle, Illinois.  The single was released in March 1967.  The A-side contained a Ron Stockert original tune, "Long Long Time."  The flip side is a cover of the Premieres' "Farmer John" (originally written and performed by Don and Dewey).  

In 2000, "Long Long Time" was included on Volume 15 of the Teenage Shutodwn! compilation series.  Listen to the song here:

(There is no online source for "Farmer John."  If anyone has this record or has even a recording of the b-side please get in touch at downstatesounds@gmail.com.  We'd love to be able to add the song here.)

The group continued to perform in Illinois and ever promoted their single for a period (see advertisement).  Before the end of 1967 however the group split up.  Despite the obscurity of the record and the fact that the band was fairly short-lived, several of the members went on to have lifelong musical careers.

After the Savages, Ron Stockert went on to form The Bushes while attending Knox College in Galesburg.  A few years later he joined up with some Champaign musicians and eventually moved to Chicago to help form the band Rufus.  Stockert would go on to write and sing about half of the band's debut album which was released on ABC Records in 1973.  

The band's second album, Rags To Rufus, which prominently featured Chaka Kahn on vocals, went gold and earned Stockert and the group a Grammy.   Stockert left the group soon after.  He eventually went on to play with Three Dog Night and many others over a long successful career.  He passed away in April 2020.

Drummer Jerry "Pork" Armstrong's next band after A.J. and the Savages was Yellow Bird.  The group was together just long enough to release a single on Stereo Village in 1968 (Stockert plays on it as well).   

  

Armstrong did not remain a drummer for long however.  Over the next few years he played in a few central Illinois bands (Light Brigade, Mackinaw Valley Boys) but eventually became a frontman, singing and playing guitar as Pork and the Havana Ducks.  Armstrong released three albums in the late 70's and early 80's and was a legendary live performer known throughout the Midwest.  Armstrong passed away on September 13, 2003.

Guitarist Jack Simmons was also a talented guitarist and singer that was in multiple central Illinois bands over the years, most notably the Spoon River Journeymen.  He passed away on June13, 2024. 

Midwest Delegation (Decatur)

The Midwest Delegation were five teenagers from Decatur, Illinois.  The band formed in late 1967 and included students from three different area high schools (Eisenhower, Lakeview and Stephen Decatur).  The initial group consisted of:

John "Jack" Medley on lead guitar, Hammond B3 organ and backing vocals; John Vest on rhythm guitar, percussion and lead vocals;  Harold Sloatman on drums and lead vocals; Gary Peek on Hammond B3 organ, electric piano, trumpet, saxophone and backing vocals; David Hambrecht on bass, trombone and backing vocals.

Over the next several years, the group performed regularly around central Illinois at teen clubs, high school dances and college parties.  They played the Morgue Club in Decatur, the Wick in Tuscola, the Sullivan Legion Hall, the Burgess-Osborne Memorial Auditorium in Mattoon, and Marty's Dance Party at the Miller Park Pavilion in Bloomington.

A typical setlist for the group at the time included covers of the Beatles, the Association, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and other hits of the day.  The group was also capable of playing music suitable for a Hawaiian luau which they did for private parties.

 

A 1969 article promoting the Midwest Delegation mentioned that that the band had recently finished taping a television commercial (for what exactly, the article did not say).  The group was described as being one of the best equipped bands in the area.  They reportedly performed with $14,000 worth of new equipment and that it was all "king size."  The article added, "They use amps eight feet tall, a full-sized Hammond organ, a drum stage, and a double set of bass drums."  

They also traveled with a Leslie speaker cabinet for the Hammond B3 and their own Voice of the Theatre PA system.  As a result, the group purchased a 60 passenger bus, removed most of the seats and used it to haul their equipment from gig to gig.   The bus was painted green and white with "Delegation" written in huge psychedelic letters on the side.  On the back, "Follow Us, We're Going To A Dance."

Sometime in 1970, the group motored to South Pekin, Illinois and recorded two songs at the Golden Voice Recording Company.  Both songs were covers: "We Love" by the Association and "Mr. Soul," written by Neil Young and originally recorded by Buffalo Springfield. 

 

The Midwest Delegation self-released the single:

By late 1970, the group had dropped "Midwest" from their name and were billed simply as The Delegation.  Also, by this point, Colleen Hickey had joined the group on vocals and percussion.  Hickey and guitarist Jack Medley would eventually marry in 1973.

Over the next few years, the Delegation evolved into a lounge act.  There were some lineup changes as well. According to a 1973 ad for their gig at the Decatur Holiday Inn, the best ways to describe their music at that point in time were "easy listening," or perhaps "liquid gold," or even "sensuous swing."  The Delegation eventually broke up in the mid-1970's.  Jack and Colleen Medley continued to perform together in Benji and the BeBops until 1997.  

John "Jack" Medley passed away on July 28, 2020.