THE RETURN OF THE DUKES OF YORK AND THE ANCESTORS.

Those graduates of Dublin High School of the late 60s and early 70s were taken back more than four decades in time at the Dublin Country Club last Saturday Night. Surviving members of local garage bands, The Dukes of York and The Ancestors, reunited in Dublin for the first time in more than forty years to play the same music which teenagers danced to in the 1960s in places like the old high school gym, the American Legion Hall, the Shanty, and the social hall of First United Methodist Church. The evening was the culmination of the DHS Journey Class of the 1970s Journey Reunion.

1960s.

The Dukes of York - 2012

Mike Warren, Steve Scarborough, Van Hawyood 

@ Johnny W. Warren

One of the founders of "The Dukes of York" was Dr. Van Haywood, an Augusta dentist and father of Dave Haywood, guitarist of Lady Antebellum. Haywood joined with drummer Ricky Hayes, bass guitarist Jerry Pinholster and lead guitarist Charles Lee to form the band, "The Malibus of Ricky Hayes."

Steve Scarborough

Mike Warren

The band reorganized and added Steve Scarborough on keyboards and Mike Warren on drums. The band was a regular at dances at the National Guard and at after football game parties at the American Legion Post No. 17 on North Jefferson. The "Dukes of York" were all talented musicians and most of the members played in Dublin's highly heralded, "Dixie Irish Band."

Steve Scarborough and Van Haywood

The Dukes of York - 2012

Reuniting for the evening were Van Haywood, Mike Warren and Jerry Scarborough, who were joined by Dr. Allen Tindol, who stood in for deceased members Charles Lee and Jerry Pinholster.



"What memories to reunite with the remaining members of the band," Dr. Haywood commented in remembering the days when the highly successful band played in venues around Georgia and Florida, opening for many popular singing groups of the day.

"It was great to make music with Steve and Mike after almost 45 years," Haywood said.



The magic of the moment hit Haywood with the band's first selection. "It took me back in time when we started to play 'Hang On Sloopy,'" commented Haywood on Facebook.  (Scarborough and Haywood left)

Drummer Mike Warren (LEFT)  saw the performance as a wonderful experience. "It was miraculous to see Van and Steve and to play on stage with them for the first time since 1969," said Warren, a writer and passionate politophile.

"The greatest achievement of mankind is the music we make," Warren commented. "And, I was lucky enough to be a part of it," he added.










"Van, Michael and I had great time playing for you guys but we were really rusty and had not met up until Saturday," commented Dukes of York guitarist Steve Scarborough. Scarborough, a design engineer for Confluence Watersports, thanked Edward Tanner and the Cruis-O-Matics for helping them through a few tunes for old times sake.

The Ancestors

Tom Patterson, Blair Tanner, Edward Tanner

The Ancestors

Allen Tindol, Tom Patterson, Blair Tanner

The Ancestors, highly talented members of the Dublin's vaunted Dixie Irish Marching Band, were formed in the summer of 1965 by Green Acres neighbors Tom Patterson, Edward Tanner and Blair Tanner, who were joined in 1966 by Allen Tindol. Allen, now a physician and professor at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute, left the band and was replaced by singing bassist Johnny Fountain.

Lewis Smith, a talented church organist, joined the band who brought an all new facet to the band's performances.

The Ancestors added a new keyboardist, Mike Harrell, a fanatic fan of the group Steppenwolf. Allen, a former Dublin physician rejoined the band for a third time, from 1969 until its demise in 1970, as a featured vocalist, along with Johnny Fountain's cousin, Bobby Fountain. The band played songs by Spirit, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Three Dog Night, The Hollies, Wilson Pickett, The Beatles, and Rolling Stones during this final era.

THE ANCESTORS

Edward Tanner

Tom Patterson

Allen Tindol

Blair Tanner

Edward Tanner, an Atlanta attorney, is still performing today with his group, Cruis-O-Matic, which he formed in the summer of 1977. Edward's brother, Blair Tanner, joined Cruis-O-Matic on keyboards for the evening.

The finale of the evening's festivities came when the Tanners, joined with Tom Patterson and Allen Tindol in the first local performance of the Ancestors since their last main one in 1970. Before their performance, Tom Patterson said, "We got together this afternoon in a house just like they used too back in the Sixties."

"The guys loved it," said Edward Tanner, who was deeply touched by how nice the crowd was to the band.

"I always just wanted to have fun," said Tanner in commenting about his music and how much fun it was to return to Dublin to play for some of his classmates.

To Blair Tanner, a physical therapist, the evening was "priceless." "It was an even greater day than I expected." Tanner commented about playing in the same band as he played in at the 1967 DHS Coronation dance.

"This probably ranks right up there with one of the best nights of my life! The guys were amazing and we love them for bringing back us to our best times," commented event organizer Peggy Hood Pridgen.

"Legendary is the only word, I can think of," commented Beth Bussell Robinson of the DHS Class of 1971.

After the show as he was driving back to his North Carolina home, Tom Patterson, an accomplished drummer turned accomplished journalist and curator, reflected back on the evening. "We followed each other pretty well and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went, especially since I hadn't played a drum set in over ten years," Patterson concluded.

The evening of April 28 was not just another Saturday night. For many magic moments, it was a magic carpet ride back in time to 1967 to the "Summer of Love" and to a time when music was the soundtrack of our lives.